As we move towards Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we start to focus on all that is soon to happen.
Holy Communion will be a major focus on Thursday. This song offers an opportunity to meditatively reflect on the meaning. Sit back and ponder…
Church not identified.
(more…)Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was glorious. Yet the entrance was for the purpose of heading to the cross on Friday morning and the tomb on Friday afternoon.
The hymn Ride On, Ride On in Majesty lifts up that celebratory joy while pointing with dread to what will happen by end of the week.
The last line points to even greater celebration to come: “Then take your power and reign” which foretells Jesus reigning on His throne forever, triumphant as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King.
King’s College, Cambridge
One version of the lyrics, for your celebration:
(more…)Palm Sunday is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, marking the start of Passion Week. The entrance, with great fanfare, was fit for a king.
The hymn All Glory, Laud, and Honor celebrates the day:
Conductor : Emmanuel Ponraj
Organ : Leslie
Recorded live at St Andrews Kirk Chennai in 2010.
The lyrics:
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To the extent there was ever justification for closing schools, emerging research demonstrates it has been an extremely long time since any such justification evaporated. Research from Wharton shows the severe, lifelong cost of losing out on two or three semesters of education.
This is the fifth in a series of posts reminding us we have completed one year of “fifteen days to smooth the curve.” In California, we have started our second year of curve smoothing.
10/12/20 – Penn Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, Budget Model website – Covid: Trade-offs in School Reopening – Detailed economic analysis is thoroughly devastating to any argument there is any value in keeping schools closed and in fact there are substantive questions whether there was any value to closing any schools.
Summary
There will be permanent damage to the education level of most students with a serious adverse impact on lifetime earnings with a disproportionate impact on kids who are poor kids, disadvantaged kids, and persons of color.
Read the full article. Please.
Recap of the highlights:
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Articles describing the destruction in the education world have been noticable to me over the last several weeks. Most of the articles have discussed the devastation in primary and secondary education.
Here are a few articles describing disruption in higher education:
Destruction in the education world has been noticable to me over the last several weeks. Most of the articles have discussed the devastation in primary and secondary education. There will also be major disruption in higher education.
Today’s articles:
Devastation on kids caused by the lockdown is becoming more visible with every day that passes. A few articles pointing this out:
As we finish our first year of shutting down education for our kids and shutting down the economy for everyone evidence is emerging of what a terrible mistake we made.
A series of posts will commemorate this regrettable anniversary.
Today’s articles:
The craziness from government officials is getting worse instead of better.
The Peel school district, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada posted an official “recommendation” of a 14 day solitary quarantine for any child in the district sent home because someone else in the student’s classroom tested positive.
Yes, you read that right. If any child in a classroom is sent home because of a positive test, that means that every student in the classroom will be sent home.
Not only that, but the school district also “recommends” every child in the classroom be quarantined, by themselves, in a separate room, for 14 days.
No contact with mommy. No contact with daddy. No contact with siblings. No contact with anyone else.
In case you think I’m making this up, check out this coverage:
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Only have one post since the start of the year on the damage caused by the government imposed shutdown of education, the economy, travel, and health systems. That’s not because the damage is easing up. It’s just because I’ve not taken the time to write about the articles I see every day.
The damage continues. Merely a few of the articles of recent interest:
Apparently neither officials in Santa Clara County nor a panel of the Ninth circuit Court of Appeals were able to read the injunction issued by the Supreme Court or that the state allowed indoor worship.
After the injunction allowing indoor worship was issued and after the state of California allowed indoor worship up to 25% of capacity, it should have been obvious to officials in the county and all the judges on the Court of Appeals that indoor worship was allowed.
Seems like said officials and judges were not able to comprehend the order.
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Effective 2/6/21, the state of California will allow indoor worship services, with attendance limited to 25% of capacity. The revised public health order can be found here.
The health order says the linked guidance found here for places of worship is being updated. The document, COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Places of Worship and Providers of Religious Services and Cultural Ceremonies, requires social distancing and specific cleaning protocols.
It also bans singing and chanting.
The destruction caused by the shutdown is frightening. The cost continues to mount with every week the economy is shattered by government edict.
Here is a small sampler of articles visible over recent weeks:
In two rulings late on Friday, 2/5/21, the Supreme Court issued emergency injunctions in favor of two California churches allowing them to resume in-person worship services on 2/7/21.
The longer ruling with multiple concurring or dissenting opinions was issued on behalf of South Bay United Pentecostal Church, located in San Diego. The follow-on injunction, issued after the first, is shorter. It was issued on behalf of Harvest Rock Church, with its main campus in Pasadena, California and a large number of other campus locations around the state.
The day after the rulings were issued, Gov. Newsom’s office said the state will revise its public health orders regarding indoor worship services. For a brief reference on the issue see In Valley Daily bulletin on 2/6/21 – Newsom says state will revise indoor worship guides after Supreme Court ruling.
Well, that didn’t take long.
On Thursday, 1/21/21 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an appeal from South Bay United Pentecostal Church, in Chula Vista, California, requesting an injunction to allow them to worship indoors.
On Monday, 1/25/21, the church filed an emergency appeal with the United States Supreme Court requesting an immediate injunction.
This case was discussed yesterday: With eyes tightly closed, District courts and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rule than ban on indoor worship is a perfectly acceptable infringement on Free Exercise clause.
To end the irreparable harm caused by unwarranted infringement on free exercise clause of the First Amendment, the church requested an injunction in order to allow worship by 1/31/21. The state of California has until 1/29/21 to file their response.
The church’s attorney explained why the church is back at the Supreme Court and why church leadership is so confident SCOTUS will issue an injunction: