ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Sassy insists on going outside, front-yard, where she sits down in the garden and guards against any threats.
Today I was sitting on the porch, looking over the Rose Garden, when a bird flew in and landed momentarily on my leg. I was startled and made a noise, so it took off. I was flattered.
In the backyard I filled one kiddie pool with fresh water, a few inches, so birds could perch, bathe, and horse around. Starlings are the best at that. They rest on the flimsy plastic edge, dip their beaks for some water, then jump in to splash around. Bathing and preening are essential for bird flight, and starlings make a great game of it.
I flipped the other kiddie pool over to provide an above the ground feeding tray, large and clean.
These are not the blow-up kind, but the thin plastic ones that sell for a few dollars at the end of summer. That is also the best time to buy bird baths for almost nothing, especially the heavy concrete ones.
Since their former Pastor Darren Paulson resigned last September as the COVID-19 pandemic raged into its second year, congregants of Atonement Lutheran Church in Billing Heights, Montana, have been waiting patiently for their local synod to replace him.
With a national shortage of “at least 600” pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America under which the Atonement Lutheran Church operates, according to lay leader Kristin LaVe, it might be some time before their wait for a new pastor is over.
Laurie Jungling, the ELCA’s bishop for Montana who has filled in as a preacher at Atonement Lutheran Church, told The Wall Street Journal in February that the departure of pastors from their pulpits started accelerating in the summer of 2020.
“Pastors are tired,” she said. “They’re giving a lot of themselves to help folks deal with the trauma of the pandemic. They’ve had to face polarization in their own congregations, people’s anger and frustration about masks and vaccines, whether to have worship or not.”
Anders danced at a chapel at Luther Seminary, the campus selling off land to stay solvent - like Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Seminary friends hooted and clapped during the performance, posted on Facebook.
Monday, we had a garden full of rose buds, now turning into hundreds of roses. The backyard gardens feature Joe Pye Weed and Hostas galore. The Hostas are in the shade of the green fence (bushes like Elderberry), along three border fences, a bit in the two gardens, and in the far backyard. Hostas multiply like rabbits in the right habitat.
My idea is to keep the backyard relatively trouble free while making the front yard a powerful attractant to butterflies, birds, Hummingbirds, and bees.
The Butterfly Garden - the sunniest area - is sporting Yarrow, Joe Pye, Bee Balm, and some other Butterfly plants.
Work Changes
I have dropped a series of online classes completely. Because the university overlaps classes, it is easy for them to bunch up two classes have three at a time.
I already feel the relief of that lower class load.
I have 1.2 classes at GCU right now.
Audio Video Changes
We have a good video streaming camera, and now we want to have better music coming through. I have some initial trials coming up, to see what changes, improves, or howls. Your expert advice is welcome. I can do more later in the month.
These changes will make it possible to lecture from the chapel, post them on Amazon.com or other platforms, and line them up for congregational use - plus others too.
Videos are welcome with Amazon book reviews, so there is a lot to be gained that way. LinkedIn is possible too.
The felonious foxes let people think "Thou" was formal and old-fashioned. We still use thou and thee in informal speech. I heard it the other day, "So it is OK for me, but not for thee."
One doesn't usually look to Orthodox Jewish sources for guidance on the kind of English that is best suited for worship, but years ago I stumbled across some very telling comments in the preface to the book "To Pray as a Jew," by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin. Commenting on his translations of the prayers his book would discuss, he says:
"I have decided to retain the use of "Thou," "Thee," and "Thy" in all passages that address themselves directly to God. The more contemporary "You" and "Your," which I had at first considered using, made me uncomfortable in some instances, although I find it difficult to explain why this should be so. The Hebrew atah (and the Yiddish du) reflect the familiar and the intimate approach to God with which I am comfortable. Still, English seems to demand, at least in some places, the more reverent "Thou" and "Thy." (To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer book and the Synagogue Service, (New York: Basic Books [Harper Collins], 1980), p. xx.).
I would argue that Rabbi Donin was right in his gut, but wrong in his explanation. It makes no sense to limit the use of "Thee" and "Thou" to God, and so he correctly senses the inconsistency of his translation choices here. He is also incorrect in his assumption that these forms are not the "intimate you" he sees in Hebrew and Yiddish. In fact, "Thou" is simply the English form of the German "Du", which is where the Yiddish pronoun comes from (English being, after all, a Germanic language).* He is correct, however, that in English there is a need to use more traditional language when praying because we sense that the sacredness of the act requires a more reverent form of the language. Traditional English also has the added advantage of being more precise, because it allows for a distinction between the second-person singular pronoun ("thou"), and the plural ("you"), which is present in both Hebrew and Greek, and often this distinction is very important to the meaning of a text. Aside from all of that, praying "O You Who..." just doesn't work.
From time to time we hear some in the Orthodox Church arguing that English-speaking Orthodox Christians should abandon the use of "King James English" and simply use contemporary English in our translations of the Scriptures and the services. This is, however, a fairly recent phenomenon. From the time that the first modern English-speaking Orthodox Christians began translating the services (the earliest known example being in 1760), up until the 1960's, it never seems to have even occurred to anyone that they should translate the services into anything other than the traditional style of English that we find in the King James Version, and the pre-1980's editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
Even non-native English speakers followed this pattern. Nicholas Orloff, who translated a number of texts at the end of the 19th century did so, though these texts are notoriously clunky, and no longer in common use. Likewise Fr. Seraphim Nassar, published a compendium of liturgical texts in 1938 (affectionately known as the "Nassar Five Pounder") that used traditional English, and this text is still in use today, In 1906, Isabel Hapgood first published her Service Book, which was blessed by the Hieromartyr Tikhon of Moscow, and funded by the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II (who spoke English in the home with the Tsarina Alexandra (who was raised by Queen Victoria), and their children). She was an Anglican, and she clearly modeled her translation on the style of the Book of Common Prayer. This text is likewise still in use today, and was highly influential on subsequent translations of the services. More recently, the Lenten Triodion translated by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) and Mother Mary is probably one of the most standard English texts in use in the Orthodox Church today, being in use in the vast majority of parishes that use English. The fact is, one cannot find a complete set of service books in English that are not in traditional English, and the obvious reason for this is because this how the English speaking Orthodox Christians generally think it ought to be, and this has been true for more than 250 years.
But some might object that this is just due to Protestant influence. The fact that this is not true is shown by the oldest Catholic translation of the Bible in English, the Douay Rheims Bible, as well as the text of the "Hail Mary" that is still in general use:
"Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
The Orthodox approach to translation has generally been a conservative one. Slavonic was never the street language of Slavic speakers. It was a high form of Slavic language, with a huge amount of created terms, using Slavic root words, and putting them together in the same way Greek theological terms were constructed. The end result was a highly elevated language which was within reach of Slavic speaking people, but was not the language of the street.
When the services were translated into Chinese and Japanese, for example, the style used was that which was used in traditional Chinese and Japanese religious practice... which was an older form of these languages.
Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, the Greek of the New Testament was not really "street Greek." It is certainly in a form of Koine Greek, but it is in a Semitic style that it full of Hebraisms rooted in the Old Testament, both the Hebrew original, and the Greek Septuagint (which likewise is full of Hebraisms, see The Semitic Style of the New Testament, and Was the Bible Written in ‘Street Language’?, by Michael D. Marlowe). Furthermore, even in the Hebrew Old Testament, you find the use of intentional archaisms, not to mention the fact that Jews continued to use the Hebrew text of the Old Testament long after Hebrew ceased to be the spoken language of the people (and in fact, they continue to use it to this day).
The Orthodox Church has always taken the position that the language used in our services and translations of Scripture should be within reach of the people (which is why Christians did not just continue to use the Hebrew Old Testament, and why we have always had so many different liturgical languages in use), but the Church has not felt the need to use the language of the street, or to regularly update our translations.
This does not mean that we should never update our translations. While I would argue that when it come to the text of Scripture we should begin with the text of the King James version, I would not argue that there is no need to correct the KJV or to update it when changes to English have rendered a particular text very difficult for the average person to properly understand. One does have to learn some vocabulary and get use to some older grammatical forms, but for the most part, these are not difficult.
Traditional English is also not a dead language. It is simply a form of English used in worship and in other solemn contexts. People use this language every day in prayer, and they do so naturally. Even among those who pray extemporaneously, they are able to pray in this manner without any difficulty, nor is what they say difficult to comprehend. For an example, I would refer people to one of the many extemporaneous prayers Billy Graham gave at his evangelistic rallies: https://youtu.be/ei_eIL08vbs?t=733
I think we should take to heart the comments of Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, Cyprus to Dr. Kyriakos Markides:
“We must avoid addressing ourselves to God in a superficial casual way. For this reason Elder Sophrony goes so far as to say that the language we use in prayer must be different from the ordinary language of everyday usage. That is why he insisted that the language of the liturgy should not be translated into the contemporary spoken vernacular.”
“A lot of people today would strongly object to that suggestion,” I pointed out. “They demand that church services be conducted in the spoken ordinary language so that they can understand what is being said. Why did Elder Sophrony hold to such a position?”
“Elder Sophrony claimed that when we conduct the liturgy using everyday language, we lower the level of our communication with God.”
“How is that so?” I asked.
“He believed that ordinary language carries meanings and images from our daily reality that usually lack the element of holiness and purity. On the other hand, when we address ourselves to God in a language that has, as it were, an exclusive usage within the boundaries of the Ecclesia, the very words and sounds of that language evoke sacred feelings and images that facilitate communication with God. A special language that offers precise and exclusive meanings can automatically be experienced as the language of the Ecclesia. It carries greater spiritual force” (Markides, Kyriakos C., Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality, Random House-Doubleday, NY, 2005, quoted by Nun Nectaria (McLees), in an interview with the journal "Road to Emmaus').
*It is interesting to note that when the Austrian-Jewish philosopher Martin Buber's book Ich und Du was translated into English, the title was translated as "I and Thou", rather than "I and You."
Update: I received an interesting comment from Jason Rogers: "In linguistics, using different forms of a language in certain contexts is referred to as "registers" and they exist *almost* in every language. Religious registers are very common, if not the most common, kind of register. so in a sense, humans are predisposed - or "hardwired" - to use religious registers and I think this, in part, explains why older, elevated styles of language are important to us."
Update 2: For those who say that King James English is too hard to understand, my wife's first 3 languages are not English, and she did not live in an English speaking country until she was 16. She did not grow up hearing King James English. However, she has been hearing it for many years since in Church, and today (8/10/2017) I sent her a Chinese Orthodox text that was in classical Chinese, and asked her what it said. she translated three hymns into English... and into King James English to boot, and she translated all the verbs and pronouns into their proper grammatical forms.
We are definitely ("defiantly" - as most people spell the word today) in rose season. Roses follow the same pattern as grapes in Jesus' simple yet profound I AM lesson.
The Gospel of John irritated the Tuebingen German scholars because Jesus proclaimed His divinity in that Gospel in such plain, simple words. The rationalists made an idol out of their attack on the Gospel of Mark, where they removed the divinity (Mark 1) and the resurrection of Christ (Mark 16:9-20; Voelz' stunningly bad CPH commentary).
The Fourth Gospel is the capstone, uniting, enriching, and explaining Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Double Delight
A rose gardener, at the earliest stages, takes away the dead and crossing branches, because they do not bear fruit or contribute to the rose bush. This cutting makes the plant grow even better, above and below the surface.
When a rose branch buds and flowers, the gardener prunes the branch, because cleansing or purging is another boost for the rose, making it even more fruitful.
Those who fear and neglect roses are too timid to do the pruning. The rose full of dead wood will become dormant and produce very little (like most District Presidents and self-styled bishops). When I spent a long time pruning all the dead wood from my sister-in-law's two plants, she burst into tears, with about 30% of each one in the garbage barrel. I said, "Roses do not grow on dead wood. Give it two weeks, and water it. Roses are not part of the cactus family." She phoned two weeks later, she was crying again, because both bushes were packed with beautiful flowers.
Crepe Myrtle loves being pruned, and the birds love the seeds, building a nest so dinner out is seconds away.
The point of the John 15 passage is first of all to declare the Father-Son relationship. The Father works through the Son to take away those people aligned with Christ and yet content to be dead wood. They may be indifferent, but they are often leaders who glory in their false doctrine (like DPs and professors) and grow angry with any attempt to teach the Word as it is.
Nobody is more alert than these people, only in the reverse. They know the meaning behind a challenge, and they instantly respond through proxies or through their deep and abiding love for Holy Mother Synod.
Enchanted Peace
Consider - the LCMS and WELS, with most of the parts of the future ELCA - previously taught Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity. But now, nobody important teaches the Chief Article. There has been a dedicated and ongoing effort to remove sound doctrine from all Lutheran synods and sects.
Need I point out that the most divergent and perverted Lutheran sect, ELCA, is closing down seminary properties across the fruited plain? Like raisins left out in the sun to dry, these seminaries are selling off property:
Trinity in Columbus, the merger of Cap and Hamma, now is the cemetery for Loy, Leupold, and Lenski. They had a massive scandal after a known predator was ordained and offended again, costing them about $90 million.
Berkeley in California, selling out to the Muslims, once on the mountain top, now at the bottom, is now part of the mainline union of seminaries;
United Lutheran, once two influential seminaries - Gettysburg and Philadelphia, is now led by a fake pastor who became an instant bishop, making a mockery of marriage, the pastorate, and church leadership. Cemetery - Krauth, Schmauk, Jacobs.
Luther Seminary, which digested the more conservative Northwestern Seminary, is holding a fire sale, selling property to stay alive;
Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, the tragic result of roughly six seminaries merging, is now selling its property to the University of Chicago, temporarily leasing some room back.
Southern Seminary survived by aligning with a college. That seminary was another merger from another age.
Veterans Honor
KJV John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruithe taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Stephanus (Traditional or Majority Text) John
15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν
2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη
4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν - καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω, ουτως ουδε υμεις - εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε
5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν
6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται
7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν
8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται
Part Two - John 15 - I AM the True Vine
Just as John 10:1 says literally - I AM the Shepherd the Good, so John 15:1 says - I AM the Vine the True. That means Jesus is the one and only vine, another way of expressing the Incarnate Word - Jesus is both man and divine. There is no other way of salvation.
God the Father is the vine keeper, but that does not mean that all who believe in God in some fashion are one. Lacking fruitfulness, they are removed. Those who are united in Christ, believing in Him, are one. They are cleansed by the Word but the unfruitful are removed, withered, gathered up, cast into the fire, and burned. Those five actions are exactly what the farmer does with grapes or what the gardener does with roses.
There are only two actions. One is taking away, the other is pruning to increase fruitfulness. A living rose bush can be kept healthy by cutting off dying and diseased branches, but they are not left on the ground to foster more illness. Rosarian instructions are -
1. Cut the parts that will never grow again, because nothing grows on dead or dying branches. They actually prevent the rose from flowering.
2. Cuttins dry up completely.
3. Take the cuttings away so they do not harbor disease and pests.
4. Set them on fire.
5. Burn them up.
The five stages describe how complete this action is, like the WELS Church Growth pastor who began with denying Creation, then claimed the Law was obsolete, and when finished, was not just an atheist but a loud-mouthed atheist who taunted his wife and children about going to church. That all began with the "pious" teaching of Objective Justification in seminary - Mequon.
The alternative is something all believers can count on. By remaining with Christ and Justified by Faith - the purging or cleansing of the individual - the person becomes even more fruitful.
The entire Rose Garden - which was ordered by Christina because "grass is boring" - now has hundreds of buds. A few have bloomed and were purged for the altar and neighbors. If those flowers are left alone, they will turn into hips, seed pods, and stop flowering. If they are not cleansed, they will also welcome pests which thrive on weakened or sleepy roses. The roots will stop growing to feed the plant.
This Parable of Vine has several purposes at once. One is to make sure people are confessing the divinity of Jesus Christ, who is the source of all we do as Christians. Another is to warn listeners and readers about the inevitable outcome of falling away from the Faith (apostasy). But it also teaches how the believer is necessarily fruitful by forgiveness through faith in Him.
Many times over, dabblers in gardening have winced about the impact of vigorous pruning of roses. I have to tell these beginners -
Roses need pruning.
Cutting off flowers leads to more roses.
Nothing grows on dead and dying branches.
Pruning also makes the roots grow deeper.
An unchallenged rose bush is on its way to being a thorn-bush alone.
Read John 15 and use the best fertilizer ever - the rain, which is always effective, like the Word of God, Isaiah 55:8-11.
Rugosa Rose flowers are very colorful in growing hips for birds and rose hip tea. They are the fruit of every rose bush but especially large on Rugosa.
The Confession of
Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Make a joyful noise (Jubilate) unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name; make
His praise glorious.
Psalm. Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works: through the
greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee.
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Almighty
God, who showest to them that be in error the light of Thy truth to the intent
that they may return into the way of righteousness, grant unto all them that
are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion that they may avoid those
things that are contrary to their profession and follow all such things as are
agreeable to the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth,
etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. The Lord hath sent redemption unto His
people. Hallelujah!
V. It behooved Christ to suffer and to rise
from the dead: and thus to enter into His glory. Hallelujah!
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #464 Blest Be the Tie That
Binds
Prayers and
Announcements
Medical Treatment - Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Kermit Way and Maria Way, Callie and her mother Peggy, C.,
Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly
goodness dost suffer Thy children to come under Thy chastening rod here on
earth, that we may be like unto Thine only-begotten Son in suffering and
hereafter in glory: We beseech Thee, comfort us in temptations and afflictions
by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually
trust in Thy Son's promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and
will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may
overcome all evil, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy
Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy
Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
KJV 1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your
conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as
evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall
behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of
God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of
maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love
the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject
to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle,
but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man
for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what
glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take
it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take
it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
KJV John
16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see
me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves,
What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not
see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the
Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell
what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said
unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not
see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall
rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as
soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for
joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but
I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh
from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
KJV Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
No matter how much society changes, this ending of Proverbs remains true. Those who claim to favor women never mention this passage, though it is the most elegant essay on the value of women. I recall the LCA bishop bragging about never mentioning Mother's Day - on Mother's Day - when leading worship. The same one began women's ordination in his region.
We live in an era where everyone has practical books on every subject concerning family, but few turn to Proverbs. They support advice columnists and ignore God's version of Dear Abby, Proverbs, which comes from God and is God's will. The beauty of marriage and the family is that God bestows so many blessings on those who believe in Him, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The family is a universally accepted unit within society, all around the world. Male leadership is often lacking, but wives and mothers - with relatively few exceptions - carry the burden of the children and the extra work, serving the family and the community. My mother began teaching again when the youngest started kindergarten. The teachers at Garfield referred to their students as their children, and the teachers who were mothers watched over everything, working hard as teachers and serving their own families.
A couple of teachers whined to the Garfield principal that my mother had a cot in the nurse's office where she took a nap each day. The principal said, "If you would come to school as early as she does and stay as late as she does, grading papers, I would make sure each one of you would have a cot in the nurse's office." My mother loved to tell that story, and she worked as hard at home.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Some think the liberated woman began in 1960 or so, led by a former Playboy bunny waitress, Gloria Steinem. However, the classic wife and mother exemplifies this Proverbs paragraph. Rural women worked all day for the farm and kids. Other women were the ideal part of their husband's businesses. I remember my Aunt Grace Noel, going from one task to another, always grinning. I hauled water with her, shucked peas, mowed the lawn, as my farm "vacation." There was no farm without her, since her husband was raising the animals, milking cows, and tending to the crops. When families owned little businesses, selling goods or services, the wife and mother often took over essential parts of it, to allow the business to thrive.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Somehow we devolved into a country where leisure is more important and valued than labor. If labor is enjoyable, there is no dread of work, but rather a healthy energy in getting work done. Mothers know that raising children is a constant labor of love, because the children keep changing as they grow, and they are not the same (God's plan).
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Wives and mothers are anchors who do not let themselves or their families drift along idily. They get the honor of being thanked and praised, though too often only later in life.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
The greatest rewards are intangible and overshadow everything else. After 20 years of teaching, one university gave me a tablet of paper worth $1, made in China. Earlier, it was a pair of socks small enough for a child. When we got cheap pens for attending a meeting, I asked, "Do we have to claim this on our income tax forms?" The room burst into laughter, and I was satisfied.
The men can increase their praise and thanks for their wives and mothers and grandmothers. I doubt whether we men can claim we overdo that.
Rugosa roses are known for being tough rather than delicate, having great fragrance, and producing large hips (seedpods) for the birds - not to mention rose hip tea.
