QUARANTINE BLOG # 210

October 26, 2020

In Saturday’s QB 208, I shared Part 1of my cruise talk about The Hermitage, Russia’s premier museum.  Part 2 is coming up this coming Saturday, but shortly after publishing 208, I came across a story from Smithsonian Magazine, dated October 23.  The story says the Amber Room – which will be featured in Part 2 – missing since the end of World War II may have been found.  

On April 13, 1945, Soviet planes sank the German steamer Karlsruhe in the Baltic Sea, killing almost 1,000 people.  Now, divers say they’ve found the wreck – which could hold remnants of the famed Amber Room – some 300 feet under the sea off the coast of Poland.   Allied, German and Soviet documents were used to research the steamer.  After spending more than a year searching for the wreck, a ten-member diving team announced in September that it had located the ship’s remains.  Initial expeditions revealed military vehicles, china and sealed chests stowed away in the ship’s hold.  The divers speculate that the wreck may hold the remains of the Amber Room, often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

We’ll pick up the story of the Amber Room on Saturday.

👉  It is less than two months until Christmas, one month until Thanksgiving, and 5 days until Halloween.  If you are hoping to celebrate by watching one of the Charlie Brown specials about those holidays, and you have a DVD you are good to go (if you were thinking about buying the Deluxe Holiday Collection of 3 remastered DVDs, Amazon has it for $149).  If not, you will have to tune into Apple TV+ to see the Peanuts gang.  

To entice you to join their service, Apple has already announced that it will make the holiday specials available for free to non-subscribers during an allotted period of time.  For It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Apple TV+ will give everybody access from October 30 until November 1.  A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, can be viewed for free from November 25 until November 27. A Charlie Brown Christmas will be streamable for free from December 11 to December 13.  If you need help on getting to Apple TV+ you will need to call tech support.  Or come to 233 – I have them recorded.

👉  I’m not sure about the timing – summer is gone and baseball season is almost over (World Series at this moment: Dodgers 3 Rays 2, watch an incredible baseball moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ju8OHE9i8) – but The Washington Post did a review of 15 hot dog brands to find the best wiener in a bun (and no jokes about former politician and convicted sex offender Anthony Wiener).  Shopping neighborhood stores – Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, Giant, Costco and Target – the journalists (Joey Chestnut was not among them) then took a bunless bite of the dogs and judged them on four factors: taste, appearance, seasoning balance, and “snap,” or what it feels like to bite into a hot dog.  

I did not recognize 10 of the brands, nor surprising since the shoppers were in our nation’s capitol.  They chose Costco’s Kirkland Beef Hot Dogs #1, Nathan’s Angus Beef Franks #2, and Oscar Mayer Classic Beef Franks #3.  They did not invite me to participate, but my vote is for Oscar Mayer.  Everyone sing along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnehnJcpKjw.

👉  A preacher I knew from days gone by appeared on the Price is Right.  Bob Barker asked him, “Are you married?”  He nervously said, “No,” and his wife stood up in the audience and yelled, “Yes he is!”  Well, he later forgot that he was married for real, and his wife divorced him.  That sorry episode is not the emphasis of this piece, but it is a way to get to the announcement that the popular game show is returning with a prime time special tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on CBS.  

More than 2 million exuberant fans have taken part in the show, taking home more than $250 million in cash and prizes, but only a portion of those heard their names called out, followed by the familiar, “Come on down!  You’re the next contestant on the Price is Right!”   Shut down by the coronavirus, PIR is coming back without an audience, and with a newly designed set (like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!) and a way to practice social distancing.  

One thing you won’t see is host Drew Carey, who is sporting a newly grown beard, being accosted by the contestants.  Bear hugs are off-limits.  And no one will knock Carey down or pick him up and swing him around https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqPqiBbWv8.

👉  I have caught up with the sermons I have preached at Crawfordville UMC, so for every other Monday, I will be dipping into the archives for a recorded message.   Today’s sermon was preached at Macedonia UMC, January 5, 2014: http://davidsisler.com/christian/01-05-14.mp3 “A House Built on the Solid Rock.”

👉  Today’s close is by Paul David Tripp.

One of the sweetest, most encouraging things that Jesus said to his followers is recorded in Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” 

You and I are kingdom oriented.  We are always in pursuit of and in service to some kind of kingdom.  We are either living in allegiance to the King of kings, celebrating our welcome into his kingdom of glory and grace, or we are anointing ourselves as kings and working to set up our own little kingdoms of one.

Here is what is important for us to understand.  God didn’t give us his grace in order to make our little claustrophobic kingdoms of one work, but to invite us to a much, much better kingdom.  We think we know what is best for us, but we don’t.  We think we are able to rule our own lives, but we aren’t.  We set our hearts on things that we think will make us happy, but they won’t.  We think that we can defend ourselves against temptation, but by ourselves we can’t.  Every human being is in need of a king.  All human beings need the rescue, forgiveness, justice, mercy, refuge, and protection that they are unable to give themselves.

The beauty of the work of Christ is not only that in his life, death, and resurrection we are offered forgiveness forever, but that with it we are welcomed into the kingdom of the universe’s most powerful and only perfect king.  He blesses us with what no human kingdom can ever give.  He showers us with forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, and hope.  He protects us when we don’t have the sense to protect ourselves.  He rules over all the moments that seem to us to be out of control.  He sets up his kingdom in our hearts, rescuing us from all the other things that would rule us.  And he patiently teaches us that we weren’t created to live as kings, anxiously working to set up our own little kingdoms.  He teaches us what it means to rest in his kingship and to live for his glory.  And he encourages us with the truth that his kingdom will never, ever end.

Are you loading kingly burdens on your shoulders today, trying to build what you cannot build and forgetting what God has already built for you?  Or are you resting in the peace that it is the good pleasure of your Lord to give you his kingdom?

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