Lord’s Day 41

Posted on October 11, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

108. What does the seventh commandment teach us?

  • That all unchastity is accursed of God; and that we should therefore loathe it from the heart, and live chastely and modestly whether in holy wedlock or single life.

109. Does God in this commandment forbid nothing more than adultery and such like gross sins?

  • Since our body and soul are both temples of the Holy Ghost, it is His will that we keep both pure and holy; for which reason He forbids all unchaste actions, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, and whatever may entice thereto.

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Lord’s Day 40

Posted on October 4, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

105. What does God require in the sixth commandment?

  • That I neither in thought, nor in word or look, much less in deed, revile, hate, insult or kill my neighbor, whether by myself or by another; but lay aside all desire of revenge; moreover, that I harm not myself, nor wilfully run into any danger. Wherefore also, to restrain murder, the magistrate is armed with the sword.

106. But this commandment speaks only of killing?

  • In forbidding this, however, God means to teach us that He abhors the root of murder, namely, envy, hatred, anger, and desire of revenge; and that all these are in His sight hidden murder.

107. Is it then enough that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way?

  • No: for in condemning envy, hatred, and anger, God requires us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show patience, peace, meekness, mercy and kindness towards him, and, so far as we have power, to prevent his hurt; also to do good even unto our enemies.

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Abelia

Posted on October 2, 2009 by arator

I

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don’t know what the name means, but “glossy abelia” sounds so beautiful that the plant just has to match, and it does. As the modifier implies, this abelia, Abelia x grandiflora, is indeed glossy. The tiny one-inch by half inch spearhead-shaped leaves are glossy dark green in summer, turning almost dark copper by fall. Abelia is evergreen, but just barely. Harsh winters will make you wish it would shed those tattered old leaves for bright new ones, and it usually does. Glossy abelia is a moderate growing shrub, reaching twelve feet high by six feet across in six or seven years. We have had these two specimens quite awhile, but we moved them to this present location a couple of years ago, so they have been trimmed back heavily. They trim up into hedges quite well, and like full sun to light shade.

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The light-pink blossoms of glossy abelia are small, but the cumulative effect set off by the slick green foliage and copper calices of previous blooms makes it quite showy from mid summer until frost. You may note a resemblance of the blossoms to the blossoms of beautybush, Kolkwitzia amabilis, which was featured a while back on this site. They are both belong to the Caprifoliaceae family, which is made up primarily by the numerous honeysuckle species.

Enjoy a great weekend. As the growing season winds down there is much that needs to be done outside, so get to it. I hope to see you Sunday, as God’s people gather to worship Him.

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Lord’s Day 39

Posted on September 27, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

104. What does God require in the fifth commandment?

  • That I show all honor, love and faithfulness to my father and mother, and to all in authority over me; submit myself with due obedience to all their good instruction and correction; and also bear patiently with their infirmities: since it is God’s will to govern us by their hand.

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Spiders and Hurricanes

Posted on September 25, 2009 by arator

Well,

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you may remember that I promised “wildlife” with this week’s Friday Floral. I wasn’t able to pull it off, as my intended subjects were occupied elsewhere. I’m not referring to spiders—as the title above might lead you to wrongly guess—but to the bright yellow butterflies that work over every red blossom in sight around this time of year. They appear to be enamored currently with the cardinal vine climbing the fence by the garage. How about a dead leaf?

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The spider lily, like the surprise lily featured back in August, is in the genus Lycoris, and emerges seemingly out of nowhere. Unlike the surprise lily, however, the spider lily produces foliage shortly after the blooms fade and die.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but the surprise lily produces its broad amaryllis-like foliage in the spring, which dies away by mid summer. The foliage of the spider lily is darker green, and much more narrow, resembling the foliage of liriope. You can see last year’s foliage in some of the pictures making a nice mulch at the base of the flower stalks.

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The spider lily, Lycoris radiata is also known by the common name “hurricane lily,” as it arises out of nowhere just as hurricane season begins in earnest. Most of these photos were taken by my wife on Tuesday. She’s not keen on all the settings, but if you leave the camera on auto, she has a keen eye for composition and consistently captures more interesting shots than I. Enjoy, and don’t forget to click on the images to get a larger picture.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you in church Sunday.

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Lord’s Day 38

Posted on September 20, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

103. What does God require in the fourth commandment?

  • In the first place, that the ministry of the Gospel and schools be maintained; and that I, especially on the day of rest, diligently attend church to learn the Word of God, to use the Holy Sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian alms. In the second place, that all the days of my life I rest from my evil works, allow the Lord to work in me by His Spirit, and thus begin in this life the everlasting Sabbath.

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Salvation

Posted on September 18, 2009 by arator

Salvation

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can have many meanings. One might be saved from embarrassment or saved from starvation. One could be “saved by the bell” or saved by God. To be in good health is to be saved from sickness. Well, I’ll quit beating around the bush. This weeks picks are all of beautiful flowers in the genus Salvia, and salvia in Latin means to be well. Some species in the genus are reputed to have medicinal qualities. Some have culinary qualities. Almost all in the genus have quite a distinct aroma. All in the genus have that snapdragon look. You know, the bottom part of the bloom hangs down, looking like a monster getting ready to take a huge bite out of . . . a leaf or something.

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Many plants make up this large genus, including garden sage and the annual red salvia. There are many perennial species too. The specimens in our landscape have been blooming steadily all summer long, and will continue until frost. These are all perfectly hardy here in zone 6b, but the trick to keeping them over winter is to refrain from trimming them back after the foliage dies back. Wait to do your trimming—and they will need it—until the spring.

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I promise, next week we will get back to lilies. I have some lined out that you will think are plastic, but believe me, they are real. If all goes well, there will be some wildlife in the scenery as well. Stay tuned. Don’t forget that you can click on each individual photo to get a much larger image. Enjoy, and see you Sunday.

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Lord’s Day 37

Posted on September 13, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

101. But may we not swear by the name of God in a religious manner?

  • Yes; when the magistrate requires it, or it may be needful otherwise to maintain and promote fidelity and truth, to the glory of God and our neighbor’s good. For such swearing is grounded in God’s Word, and therefore was rightly used by the saints in the Old and New Testaments.

102. May we swear by the saints or any other creature?

  • No: for a lawful oath is a calling upon God, as the only searcher of hearts, to bear witness to the truth, and to punish me if I swear falsely; which honor is due no creature.

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Late Friday Pic

Posted on September 12, 2009 by arator

Yes, I know.

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This is Saturday. Well officially, but I haven’t gone to bed yet so this is your Friday Photo. You figure it out. Maybe I’ll tell you about it at a later date.

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Lord’s Day 36

Posted on September 6, 2009 by arator

(Third Part: Of Thankfulness—Questions 86-129)

99. What is required in the third commandment?

  • That we must not by cursing, or by false swearing, nor yet by unnecessary oaths, profane or abuse the name of God; nor even by our silence and connivance be partakers of these horrible sins in others; and in sum, that we use the holy name of God no otherwise than with fear and reverence, so that He may be rightly confessed and worshiped by us, and be glorified in all our words and works.

100. Is then the profaning of God’s name by swearing and cursing so grievous a sin that His wrath is kindled against those also who seek not, as much as in them lies, to hinder and forbid the same?

  • Yes truly: for no sin is greater, or more provoking to God than the profaning of His name. Wherefore He even commanded it to be punished with death.

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