green

Shrimper out there in the far channel this early morning, still got her nets spread. Our world is hazy. Hazy and gray, light gray, medium gray and dark

only the tangerine tree has color, a dark green. 

I think it was 1992, from my friend Richard at Gulf Ford Mercury, that I ordered a new Ford Taurus for Tass, about that dark green, 

Ford's best green ever and they only offered it that one year. Later Tass got a new Ford Explorer, which we sat down and ordered it together, just the way she wanted it,

also green, an Explorer Sport, the sharpest two door car ever. It was a 4x4. Tass and Jeremy promptly took it out to SGI to get it stuck in beach sand so the four-wheel-drive could prove itself. It did. 

I lost my respect for FoMoCo when later it was discovered and widely publicized that Ford was knowingly putting defective Firestone tires on their cars and the tires were going bad, causing wrecks, and drivers being killed. 

Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were close friends, they and Thomas Edison. They

 

sometimes went camping together back in the nineteen-twenties, Henry, Harvey and Tom,

and President Harding joining them.

But it's Wednesday isn't it, Bible Study or some semblance of. We need one of the readings for next Sunday - - so Paul to Romans 9:1-5 

I am speaking the truth in Christ-- I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit-- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

What's Paul's anguishing over? It's that his people the Jews are not accepting Jesus, whom Paul has accepted as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. Listing all the blessings God has given his people Israel,

adopting Israel as His people,

the glory of God leading his people

the covenant with Abraham,

the Law, given through Moses,

all that God has given in Heilsgeschichte, the Lord's history and all the wonderful stories,

but here in Jesus, Paul is saying, God gives the Messiah, born a Jew, and the Jews won't accept him. Paul is saying that he would gladly give up his own Jewishness, be cursed and damned and cut off from Israel if only that, sacrificing himself, would bring the Jews to Jesus. 

Looking at the Propers, some preacher no doubt will elect to preach with Romans 5 as his/her text; but it won't be me. 

RSF&PTL

T+