Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

I was in our “green room” alone, or so I thought.  B.B. had gone with her husband to hear her husband preach.  I am sure he had practiced in front of the mirror.  She had probably heard every word, but it was a matter of support.  So, no B.B., Rev. Joseph, and baby Ethan today.

As I was checking out my attempt to get my hair under control, a strange voice came from the swooning couch.  It was Sarah’s tablet, “Aunt Jemima, I am filling in for Arabella.  She and Menzie are practicing.  The song is kind of weird today.  Nice words, biblical, but my brother went for some tight harmonies and some minor keys.”

I laughed, “Two questions, Sarah.  We know each other, so why are you using the tablet?  And two, aren’t you in the little choir, too?”

Sarah groaned, “Aunt Jemima, I can talk around you, but I still get nervous.  But singing is my language.  I can sing in front of crowds.  Maybe that’s why I was able to get the song right and Menzie and Goofball are still practicing.”

I snickered, “Your sister’s codename is Fireball, not Goofball.”

Sarah said, “But, duh!  Goofball fits.  Doesn’t it?”

I had to admit that she was right, but I do not think that Dr. Ellie, a.k.a. Home Wrecker, would accept the change.  Arabella, a.k.a. Fireball, is dating Dr. Ellie’s son.

Sarah opened the door, and bowed.  I laughed.  I liked her touch.  She giggled, and we went to the den.

I led us in prayer and the entire band and choir were ready.  They sang I Comfort You.

I said, “Emmett, that was wonderful.  There was a certain tension in the music.”

Emmett laughed, “I am tinkering with different key changes to establish a mood.  I use a lot of minor keys and some strange harmonies to establish the fact that we need God as our comforter.”

Samuel asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I smiled, “We are looking into the books of Isaiah.  We will probably be here more than one week.  Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella nodded, “Just a little.  Who was Isaiah?  Where was Isaiah?  When was Isaiah?”

Easy, with eyes closed, said, “Belle, You forgot what and how?”

Arabella said, “Yes, Mr. Dictionary, those too.”

Easy smiled, still with his eyes closed, “Belle, I have a feeling that you are going to do this with every prophet from Isaiah to Malachi.”

Arabella smiled, “You are quite perceptive.”

Easy said, “And does this work in school?  You are not the cute little Middle Schooler anymore.”

Arabella huffed, “I will have you know that I have a signed statement from the principal that says that I am now the cute, and lovable, little sophomore at the high school.”

Easy asked, “You actually have a signed statement from the principal that says that?”

Sarah’s tablet said, “Nope, she’s telling another whopper.”

Belle said, “Can it, Sis!  He just hasn’t gotten around to signing the statement yet.”

Easy groaned, “At least you are in a Sunday school class.  Maybe you will learn not to tell falsehoods at some point.  Okay!  What: Isaiah was a prophet from God.  He had influence with the kings of Judah.  So, most people think he was a member of the court. When: ‘The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.’ (Isaiah 1:1).  So, starting about maybe 670 BC. How: I guess that might apply to how he became a prophet.  I’ll take those verses, Jemi. ‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”’ (Isaiah 6:1-8).  This gives Aunt Jemima her Christophany.”

I smiled, “Sweetie.  As written, that could just be a Theophany if it were not for what John said.  ‘Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.’ (John 12:41).  So, of the suspected Christophanies of the Old Testament, this one is confirmed.  And this verse should be considered when thinking of all these biblical scholars that do not accept Christophanies.  No, they’ll still find an excuse to interpret what the author meant to say.  Sorry, I got off Script a bit.  But, Sweetie, you have a few W’s to go.”

Easy continued, “Where was I?  Oh, that’s it. Where:  Jerusalem.  And the why will always be that God sent him.  But back to the first verse.  The Talmud, in writings that are not part of the canon of Scripture, there is a story of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, who disliked Isaiah.  Isaiah pronounced a prophecy, and Manasseh flew into a rage.  Isaiah went outside the city gates and hid in a hollow tree.  Isaiah’s tassels of his garments betrayed his position. Manasseh had them saw the tree in half, killing Isaiah.  But what is written in these 66 chapters is what that first verse speaks of, Uzziah to Hezekiah.”

Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”

Grannie Fannie (Isaiah 7:13-14) “Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Grannie Fannie said,”This is an interesting chapter.  King Ahaz claimed that he did not wish to test God, but probably King Ahaz just did not believe.  So, Isaiah says that a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son.  Isaiah says the Son will be named Immanuel, which is ‘God with us.’  ‘In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.’ (Luke 1:26-27).”

Lancelot, a.k.a. Lance Allott (Isaiah 9:2) “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

Lance said, “Jesus said that He was the light of the world. ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’ (John 8:12).  But I said ‘was’ rather than ‘is’ because of the next chapter. ‘
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”’ (John 9:5).  So, which is it?”

I smiled, “Thank you, Lance, for digging deeper.  I only gave the John 8 reference, but you and Grannie Fannie kept reading. Let’s look at context.  What had Jesus been confronted with in John 9?  They brought Him a blind man, and they asked whether the blind man, who was born blind, had sinned or His parents had sinned?  Jesus was not having any of their tricks.  He said that while He was here on earth in the flesh, He was the light of the world.  Thus, He did not restore the man’s eyesight.  He turned on the lights for him for the first time.  Jesus would not be around forever to do that kind of thing.  So, Jesus taught us that He is the spiritual light forever and always.  He will be the physical light on the New Earth.  ‘There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.’ (Revelation 22:5).  But, for those who are blind, Jesus was not going to be on the ground spitting and making mud to rub on people’s eyes forever.  But the Holy Spirit came.  The apostles performed miracles.  Is Jesus in your heart, Lance?”  Lance nodded.  “Then when you do kindness to someone else, when you smile at someone in the grocery store, you are not being the light for someone else.  It is God within you that is shining out.  So, Jesus is still the ‘I AM’ when it comes to light, just not the healer of every blind person that He sees.”

Lance said, “Thank you.”

Tamara Collins Clarkson (Isaiah 9:6) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Tamara said, “I want to thank everyone that was part of the wedding, everyone that came, and all the gifts.  Bart and I had a very nice honeymoon, but he drove.  We saw a lot of the country, and we talked to a lot of people.  And when we found that we were making a connection with someone, ninety percent of the time, they were Christians seeing in us what they felt inside of themselves.  And most of the time, I had to explain what a soda jerk was.  But this verse is so familiar.  It is amazing that with Jesus in your heart, you see God in all these ways.  ‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’ (Matthew 28:18).  That establishes the authority of Jesus.  And then back to Isaiah for the shoulders part, ‘I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.’ (Isaiah 22:22).”

Bart (Isaiah 42:1-4) ““Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.””

Bart said, “I want to echo what Tamara said.  Both of us were messed up when we came here.  Tamara was nice about it, and I was belligerent and combative.  But all that the people in this room did was to show us love.  I think I would have lost Tamara if it were not for all of you.  We are starting to look for a house.  That gives one more apartment where Mommie Pinkie can touch someone’s heart so that Jesus can touch their soul, but we want to stay in this class.  But as for this verse, Jesus told us to be servants, but He taught being a servant by being one.  ‘rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.’ (Philippians 2:7).  And Jesus humbled Himself to serve. ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’ (Mark 10:45).  And I like this one from Luke 22, ‘For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’ (Luke 22:27).  I was scrambling to do the work of twelve people when I came here.  I wanted to be the boss of that division.  I got the job, but my way of running the division has been to help and empower everyone that works for me rather than bossing them around.  My whole concept of the business world has changed since I met Jesus, and I am blessed to have a boss that understands that.”

I said, “Thanks for looking for an extra Bible verse, Bart.  I know you have not left yet, but you have been quiet upstairs neighbors.  You will be missed, but we are going to need a going away party.”

Tamara laughed, “Don’t worry about it.  We may find a house, but we will be back here for the Sunday school class.  We love all of you.  And we are definitely staying with the Six P Group.”  We have a lot of the Six P Group in this Sunday school class.  They are an eclectic gathering of people to say the least.  And so far, I have been picking the Six P Group people.

Marguerite (Isaiah 50:6) “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

Margie said, “I want to thank everyone who has been supportive of Blaise and me for the past four years.  I have been on a roller coaster of emotions.  Some of it from peer pressure from upper class ladies on the softball team.  That was all worked out and Flintheart handled it really well, but it left me a little messed up.  My rock over here, Blaise, has helped, but the unfailing rock is Jesus.  I had weird things happen to me as a freshman, but it was not hazing.  What happened to Jesus was a lot worse than hazing.  He was tormented by those putting Him on trial before the religious leaders. ‘They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him.’ (Luke 22:64-65).  But it did not stop there.  He was flogged and mocked by the Roman guards. ‘Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.’ (Matthew 27:27-31).  And then again at the cross, ‘Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.’ (Mark 15:29-32).  And throughout that torment, Jesus took the insults.  Whenever I have a bad game pitching softball, I run to the showers and hide, but Jesus absorbed every blow and every insult.  It was all part of Him carrying my sins to the cross.”

I said, “Thanks, Margie.”

Blaise (Isaiah 61:1-3) “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Blaise said, “This blends a lot of what has been discussed.  Jesus is the Anointed One, but Jesus is the Servant.  And He lifts up those who are poor and needy. ‘“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”’ (Luke 4:18-19).  I think everyone in this room has served at the FHAT, feeding the homeless.  It’s the least we can do to spread the gospel to others, through love.”

Grannie Fannie (2 John 1:3) “ Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.”

Lauren ran up to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.  “Are you ready to drive us?”

Brooke picked up Stormie and strapped her into the carrier.

Stormie laughed and said, “Book.”  And she reached out to Brooke.  Brooke leaned in close to see what Stormie wanted to say, and Stormie gave Brooke a slobbery kiss.  Unofficial Aunt Brooke was becoming part of the family.

Credits

Here is I Comfort You, Isaiah 51.  This is sung by Xander Stok, Project of Love.  He makes a point that this was not AI generated.  If you watch the words appear, the video gives the verse in Isaiah 51 that has those words.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.