The Waters

“And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.”

(Genesis 1:6-8)

 

Right here in the beginning of the Bible we are told God separated the waters this way, above and under, and Heaven is in the midst of the waters separated above and under.

 

One doesn’t usually think of water being separated above and under, at least I don’t. 

Here on earth where we dwell, one sees that water seeks the lowest level, and perceives the water to separate sideways, although in seeking the lowest level, water separates only downward.

 

Our understanding of water is limited by the physical constraints of this world we live on. We see lakes as flat, and we see oceans as flat. Nonetheless both have an imperceptible curved surface, because of the shape of the earth and it’s gravitational pull.

 

“Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!”

(Psalm 148:7-8)

 

The last five Psalms in the Bible begin with, “Praise the Lord!” and here in Psalm 148 we read the words of the Psalmist calling upon the waters above the heavens to praise God.

 

Early this morning Kie and I were awakened by loud thunder and bright flashes of lightning, and then came the sounds of rain hitting against the window. Still feeling half asleep, I thanked God for sending the rain, because yesterday I saw how dry the grass looked, and noticed leaves of the tiger lilies turning brown from need of water.

 

This same morning and out of bed several hours later, I read, “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God upon the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass grow upon the hills.” (Psalm 147:7-8)

 

And then I realize my lack of perception, blindness really, because here on earth the waters are separated, above in the clouds, and under upon the earth.

 

Praise the Lord!

The Oddblock Station Agent

July 21, 2026

The Foreigner

This afternoon I stood over there, outside the Shoppers Drug Mart on Queen Street and Bellefair Avenue… while waiting for Kie and the others who were inside the store.

Image: Google street view of named location

As I waited, I watched and observed the streams of humanity passing by on the busy sidewalks, and I felt so far removed from those people. I was like a foreigner in a strange land surrounded by a culture and thinking I no longer understand. I felt unsettled and lost, realizing the world has passed me by, because I have lived trying to remain distant from it.

Choices made decades earlier have determined the route I’ve travelled through life, and I’m no longer sure if I know where I’m going now. Nonetheless, the Bible tells me what I now understand… I am reaping what I have sown.

"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

 

The Oddblock Station Agent

129 November 03 2024

The Shroud of Turin

This morning in the news I read this Smithsonian Institute article about the “Shroud of Turin”, and the article mentioned additional research testing done that fuels the always ongoing controversy concerning the shroud’s authenticity. This topic probably surfaced because Passover and Easter occurred last weekend.

 

Whether or not the shroud is authentic is not important, but for the record, I‘m one who does not believe the Shroud of Turin was the shroud used for the burial of Jesus.

 

Jesus was raised from death and released from the tomb. This is what the Bible tells us.

“Then Simon Peter came, following him (John), and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.” (John 20:2-7)

 

Several questions come to mind:

 

Why these details only about the napkin?

Why was the napkin rolled up and placed “not lying with the linen cloths”?

What was the significance in recording these details about the burial napkin?

What happened to the napkin?

 

My assumption is the body of Jesus was rested on his back, which would mean his body would have been face up while in the tomb. 

 

John, a witness, was specific when he said the napkin, “had been on his head.” 

From this I understand “on his (Jesus) head” to mean his face, because it's part of his head, and the key word here is, “on”.

 

I don’t know the answers to my questions about the napkin, and I don’t have to know; and whether or not the Shroud of Turin is authentic, is not important. 

 

This is what I do know, because these details from eye-witness testimonies are made known to all who seek Jesus who was crucified:

 

-       While on the cross, Jesus cried with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit;

-       All present saw Jesus was dead on the cross, and one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. Blood and water came out;

-       Jesus’s death was confirmed by the centurion before Pontius Pilate released the body to Joseph of Arimathea;

-       Joseph took the body of Jesus down, wrapped/bound him in the clean linen shroud, laid him in the never used tomb, and rolled a great stone against the door of the tomb;

-       Those who sought Jesus’s death, were convinced he was dead, so much so they sought and arranged for a company of guards to be placed at the tomb to guard it;

-       They made the sepulchre secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard there;

-       After the Sabbath there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it;

-       After the women arrived, they found the stone was rolled away, and saw the angel;

-       The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said, Come, see the place where he lay.”

-       The women went in the tomb, but they did not find the body of Jesus;

-       After the women departed from the tomb, the risen Jesus met them and spoke to them.

 

For as the angel said, “He is not here; for he has risen, as he said.”

 

Jesus himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 

(John 11:25-26)

 

Jesus asks that question, not me.

 

The choice is yours also to make.

The Oddblock Station Agent

127 April 13 2026

 

Matthew 24:6-8

 April 07, 2028

Usually I don’t mention what is in the news, but today, and given President Trump’s rage and remarks concerning Iran, I’m wondering what will happen in the Middle East after his 8:00 p.m. EDT deadline passes.

 

Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (Matthew 24:6-8)

 

These words sound much like the news headlines of today’s world in these past few years, but I’m not writing here to jump on and join the prediction bandwagon.

 

Here are three from the things Jesus says to us:

 

-       See that you are not alarmed

-       This must take place

-       This is the beginning of the birth pangs.

 

Are we at the beginning of the birth pangs? 

 

I have no idea because I don’t know, and no one else does.

 

“This must take place.“ is what we have been told, so it is all I know.

 

“See that you are not alarmed.” and becoming alarmed is what Jesus cautions us not to become. These words of Jesus are something we should take to heart and remember when these days do come.

 

I have no further words to add, because this news item just landed in my mailbox at 7:48 p.m.

April 08, 2028

Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars;

see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place."

Oddblock Station Agent

126 April 08, 2026

 

Some Thoughts About The Lord's Prayer

 

For some, this may be what is most familiar.

But this is what Jesus said to his disciples, “Pray then like this:

 

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

The kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts,

As we also have forgiven our debtors,

And lead us not into temptation,

But Deliver us from evil.

 

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

(Matthew 6:9-15)

 

This is one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Today, this prayer forms part of the liturgy in every service of some churches, while at the same time this same prayer is rarely or never recited in other churches.

 

Have we ever pondered these words Jesus said?

 

Our Father who art in heaven,

 

Jesus said Father rather than Adonai, as Paul explains, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father! So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.” (Galatians 4:6-7)

 

Hallowed be thy name.

 

And this is what Isaiah said about God’s name hallowed, “…I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

 

Thy kingdom come, 

 

This is what David wrote about God’s kingdom “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. (Psalm 145:11-13)

 

Speaking of himself, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or “There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

 

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

 

Jesus said, “Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;” (Matthew 24:30)

 

To this day we are waiting for this Son of man to come with his kingdom.

 

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven,

 

This is what God said, “…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

 

Give us this day our daily bread,

 

“Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether or not they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” (Exodus 16:4-5)

 

Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51)

 

This what Jesus said and did, so that we might know, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and they were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:16-21)

 

And God gave them that day their daily bread, and as He does for us.

 

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,

 

Afterward, this is what Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

 

This is what David wrote about being forgiven, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity. (Psalm 32:1-2)

 

One of those two men on their crosses beside Jesus was one of those blessed men to whom the Lord imputed no iniquity, when he heard Jesus say, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

 

How many persons since that day have heard these same words of forgiveness and assurance spoken to them by Jesus?

 

And lead us not into temptation,

 

“And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Lo there!’ or ‘Lo here!’ Do not go, do not follow them.” 

(Luke 17:23)

 

Jesus also warned, “Then if any one says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Lo, I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,” do not believe it.” (Matthew 24:23-26)

 

Here Jesus has linked our human desires ‘to see for ourselves’ with the temptations of ignoring his warnings, ‘do not go,’ and, ‘do not believe it,’ and, ‘do not follow them.’

 

Today we live in a world that inundates us with temptations… and maybe more so in these days of the present age than ever before, because of our technologies we live with and gaze upon all the time.

 

But deliver us from evil.

 

Jesus said, “And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:10-12) Now we are living in these days and witnessing these things.

 

More than ever we are in need of deliverance from evil, because we are losing the ability to discern good from evil, right from wrong, truth from lies, and now with AI in its infancy, even the ability to discern reality from fiction.

 

This is what God has said about deliverance from evil, “The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity, he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in uprightness.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)

 

This is what the Psalmist said about deliverance, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine.” 

(Psalm 33:18-19)

 

Those words Jesus spoke to his disciples that have become what we know as the, “The Lord’s Prayer” are not words ever to be taken lightly, or without understanding and forethought to be recited as rote. 

 

This what Jesus said prior, “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8)

And then Jesus said, "Pray then like this:

Our Father who are in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

The kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts,

As we also have forgiven our debtors,

And lead us not into temptation,

But Deliver us from evil.

 

Whenever speaking or praying these few words of Jesus, we must fear the holy God to whom these words are being addressed, and because of the true weightiness of what these words mean.

 

INJC

 

 

The Oddblock Station Agent

117 March 01 2026