Opossum Screed: December 2020

New Year's Eve Worship

In this brief service, I talk about my New Year's resolution and about how I'll be doing my daily devotions in the upcoming year. Our hymn is God Be with You Till We Meet Again (using the Ralph Vaughan Williams tune). I also introduce a yearly Bible verse for 2021 to the congregation. It's Romans 5:5—Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Here's the order of worship found in the video at the end of this post:

00:00 Chimes
00:27 Welcome

God Was in Charge

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my misery.

✙ Ps. 119:92

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I tend to think of God's "law" as the rules and regulations I read in the Bible. But even a cursory reading of Psalm 119 causes me to re-think this. Here, I am led to think of God's law as something much more beautiful and infinitely grander. In this, the Bible's longest chapter, God's law is that which reflects God's wisdom and divine order—all the ways, both visible and invisible, that creation was brought forth and is sustained.

So what a perfect verse to meditate on as 2020 comes to an end. The disorder, death, and hatred I experienced were more than enough to bring me down. But through it all, I knew that somehow God was in charge. Disorder

The Passage of Time

For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

✙ Ps. 119:83

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This verse reminds me of when Jesus said, "Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." But I actually think this bleak verse is more hopeful. Jesus was referring to cold hearts and closed minds. They were like shriveled, old wineskins that couldn't handle a living, expanding liquid. We often think of old people as closed-minded and set in their ways, but experience has shown me that this might just as easily be true of younger people. Just as old people can have young and lively spirits, so young people can have old and shriveled spirits.

Hope in a Hopeless World

Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

✙ Ps. 119:74

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The meaning of this verse has probably changed over the millennia. What it meant to fear God in the fifth century before Christ is different from what it means now. Though I usually look at what a verse originally said, Psalm 119 is so repetitive that I'm going to look at the 21st-century meaning today.

There is a great deal of indifference toward and lack of faith in God these days. But there are also people who want to have faith, but the faith they see demonstrated by so-called Christians is angry and spiteful. And this is what I see Psalm 119:74 addressing. To believe not in a God of personal gain or of divine punishment but in a God of hope is evangelism in its purest form. To be around a person characterized by hope in a hopeless world is a basis for encouragement.

Bible Believing

Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

✙ Ps 119:66

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What does it mean to believe God's commandments? I thought of this a while back when I saw an ad in the "free" section of Craigslist for a church pulpit: "Only requirement is that it be a bible believing/teaching church." I'm not looking to start a new church (or start preaching at a temporarily pulpit-less one), but I suspect that if I decided to take this particular vendor up on her offer, I might not be able to meet her sole criterion... at least not in the way she intended it.

Now I think I believe the Bible (note capitalization) as much as the next person... maybe even more than the average next person. But those who use

Today is the First Sunday after Christmas Day. The theme is Nobody Knows What's Going to Happen Next. The opening song is In the Bleak Midwinter, and it's accompanied by some video I made of Chardon's (very) white Christmas. Two other songs in the video include the Coventry Carol and Il est né le divin Enfant (He Is Born the Divine Christ Child).

Here's the order of worship found in the video:

00:00 Chimes
00:25 Prélude: In the Bleak Midwinter (with video of Chardon taken on Christmas Day)
03:28 Welcome
04:38 Call to Worship: Isaiah 62.1-2

Walk in the Way

When I think of your ways, I turn my feet to your decrees.

✙ Ps. 119:59

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When people are against something, one solution is to vote with their feet—that is, simply leave, or not show up. I think what we have here is the opposite. The meaning of the verb used in the second clause is more like turn back than just turn, so this verse tells me something about the nature of meditating on God's word. If I never open my Bible and never read what's in there, there's nothing that's going to call me back to the path should I stray from it. But the better acquainted I am with scripture, the louder the call to return when I go astray.

This is most important when the stray path I go down is the broader, better traveled path. It's easy to take a wrong turn when everybody else is doing it.

Wherever I Make My Home

Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.

✙ Ps. 119:54

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Before Christmas, I spent some time thinking about the psalmist being but a sojourner on earth. Today's verse also leads me to think of him or her as a pilgrim or a sojourner. Though it's important during the holidays to think about home and family, some parts of Psalm 119 give a whole new perspective on what makes a house a home. It's not the coziness we associate with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. It is the indwelling of God. Therefore, wherever I can sing God's praises is where I am truly at home.

Christmas Day Worship

Thank you for joining me for a brief Christmas Day devotional service. Here's the order of worship found in the video:

00:00 Prélude: Welcome to Our World (used with the artist's permission)
02:59 Welcome
03:17 Call to Worship: Titus 3.4-7
03:48 Opening Prayer
04:17 Scripture Reading: John 1.1-5, 14

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.

✙ Ps. 119:41

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And now wonder, ye angels, the Infinite has become an infant; he, upon whose shoulders the universe doth hang, hangs at his mothers breast; he who created all things, and bears up the pillars of creation, hath now become so weak that he must be carried by a woman! And oh, wonder, ye that knew him in his riches, whilst ye admire his poverty! Where sleeps the new-born King? Had he the best room in Caesar’s palace? hath a cradle of gold been prepared for him, and pillows of down, on which to rest his head? No, where the ox fed, in the dilapidated stable, in the manger, there the Savior lies, swathed in the s

Remembering that it happened once,
We cannot turn away the thought,
As we go out, cold, to our barns
Toward the long night's end, that we
Ourselves are living in the world
It happened in when it first happened,
That we ourselves, opening a stall
(a latch thrown open countless times
Before), might find them breathing there,
Foreknown: the Child bedded in straw,
The mother kneeling over Him,
The husband standing in belief
He scarcely can believe, in light

Christmas Eve Worship

Tonight we celebrate the birth of Christ and share his light with each other and the world. Many thanks to Jenny Gilles for compiling the candlelight video. Here's the order of worship found in the video:

00:00 Carol: O Come, All Ye Faithful
03:13 Welcome
04:06 Call to Worship: Isaiah 9.2-7
05:05 Opening Prayer

Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.

❦ Ps 119:38

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I want to talk about the promises of God this morning. They are not for the selfish and not for the self-righteous. They are generally kept in reserve for those who least expect them and who think themselves the least deserving. If there's such a thing as a promise in the Bible, then tonight will be the night we celebrate it, though the keeping of it at first seemed tenuous at best: The birth of a Baby to wandering parents—his first room was a stable, his first bed a feeding trough, his first roommates cattle and donkeys, his first visitors a group of despised and dirty shepherds. But when Mary was pregnant with her Child, she said that God's

mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts

O sing to the Lord a new song!
The whole wide earth sings to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord, bless his Name!
We will tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it!
Let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest
sing for joy before the Lord.
For he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth. [1]

We thank you, O God,
that tonight

My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word.

❦ Ps 119:25-32

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I lament to God that I cannot see beyond that which is like myself, for I am dust and I cling to the dust. God, who by the Word created the universe, does not ignore my confession or make light of my condition. Indeed, this is the season I celebrate the fact that the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth [John 1:14]. The One who made the dust became dust that I might be united with him in life, in

I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me.

✙ Ps 119:19

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I don't like this translation at all. There's no indication anywhere else in this very lengthy psalm that this might've been written by a foreigner living in Israel, or by an Israelite living in exile. Indeed the psalm was probably written decades after the return from Babylonian exile. So having it written by an alien in the land makes no sense when there are other possibilities. While אָרֶץ often means land, here it makes much more sense for it to mean earth—especially since there's no definite article. So I would translate it this way:

I'm but a sojourner on earth—you mustn't hide your instructions from me.

It sounds to me like a plea for divine help because the psalmist doesn't have that long to get it right. And so as I meditate on this verse this morning, I'm

I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth. I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches.

✙ Ps 119:11-14
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Psalm 119 is not only incredibly long, it's arranged in a unique way. It has 176 verses divided into 22 sections of eight verses each. Each section is named after a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, because every verse in each section begins with the corresponding letter. Thus, each of the first eight verses begins with א‬, the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, equivalent to A); and each verse of the final section (verses 169-176) begins with the final letter of the Hebrew alphabet—ת (tau, equivalent to T). Though all the verses have a

Today's theme is the Prophet Mary. Thanks to Pilgrim Church elders Stephanie Burke, Ginger Hannon, Roz Kvet, Pat Martin, and Steve Moore for their participation. Thank you also to the following musicians: Organist Ann Doersam; Jenny Gilles for both voice and guitar; and Tom Trenney, First Plymouth UCC in Lincoln NE along with the Wartburg College Choir. Here's the order of service found in the video at the bottom:

00:00 Chimes
00:25 Welcome
02:14 Advent Wreath: Lighting of the Candle of Love
02:52 Song: Away in a Manger (Mueller)
05:15 Annunciation: Luke 1.26-38
06:54 Song: No Wind at the Window (Cradle Song)

Today I embark on a 22-day* journey meditating on the longest chapter in the Bible. And so I will begin with the first verse:

Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.

☩ Ps 119:1

☩

As a human being, I am far from blameless. But The Way I follow is, by definition, perfect, for it was Jesus who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." It is Jesus who fulfilled the law of God, and it is through Jesus that I approach God, for he also said, "No one comes to the Father except through me."

Though I'm sure I have baptized this verse more than good scholarship would allow, it is through the lens of Christ that I approach all religion. I am

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

✙ Ps. 118:28-29

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I am part of a visible church, and I am committed to studying its scriptures, doctrines, and traditions. But it doesn't matter how much I study, how conversant I am with the confessions of faith, how steeped I am in the traditions of my people, if I cannot pray, not just You are our God, but also You are my God, then my faith is just in the church, and not the One we worship.

I have heard my entire life that the church is just one generation away from

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

✙ Ps. 118:24 ✙

Mainline Protestants tend to think of this verse as something we say on Easter Sunday—perhaps because of the importance of the two verses that come before it (the stone that the builders rejected...). But of course, it's something we ought to say (or at least remember) every morning. And it's not a bad thing to think about in the afternoon or evening, either.

But our Congregational ancestors especially applied this bit of scripture to the sabbath, which was really the only holy day they observed—but they observed it at least 52 times a year! As Jonathan Edwards said,

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

✙ Ps. 118:22-23

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He was rejected by the innkeepers of Bethlehem before he was even born, and his parents had to place him in an animals' feeding trough as a Newborn. As a Child, he was rejected by Herod, having been taken to Egypt to escape the tyrant's rage. As a young man, he was rejected in Nazareth, where he said that a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And in Jerusalem he was rejected by both his own people and the greatest empire on earth, and he was betrayed, denied, tried, and crucified on the outskirts of the city. So how can such a One be the very foundation of the universe and the keystone of the gate of a new

All nations surrounded me; in the Name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the Name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the Name of the Lord I cut them off! I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.

✙ Ps. 118:10-18

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The contrasts contained within this section of Psalm 118 are remarkable. It moves from being threatened from every quarter to shouts of victory, from certain death to the assurance of life. Since it takes me but a few moments to read these verses, I quickly become convinced that the conflict is brief in duration. But when I think about the course of a lifetime, I realize that struggles

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

✙ Ps. 118:8-9 ✙

John Owen said that it's "the most foolish thing in the world to put our trust and confidence in anything that does not have the nature of God. Nothing but the immense nature of God can offer refuge to a poor soul in all the distresses into which it may fall." Therefore, to make God our refuge can be described as wisdom. He goes on to point out that nobody "takes their immediate refreshment out of the ocean," but that the ocean is the source of all refreshing streams. In the same way, we don't usually draw on "the immensity of God's nature" for our immediate refuge, but if we take the time to trace the places we find refuge to their source, all the providence that we depend on and all the true refreshment that we draw from the world

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

✙ Ps. 118:1-4

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It is sometimes said that the Old Testament presents us with a somewhat limited view of God's love. Certainly it is in the New Testament that we see it placed in the brightest of all lights—the Cross—and that we find the argument in its most irresistible form—He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not, with him also, freely give us all things? But one must have read the Old Testament in a very careless spirit if one has not been struck with its frequent and most impressive revelations of God's goodness. What scenes of gracious intercourse with his servants does it not present from first to last, what outpourings of affection, what yearnings of a father's heart! If there were many in Old Testament times whom these revelations left as heedless as they found them, there were certainly some whom they filled with wonder and roused to words of glowing gratitude. The Bible is not wont to

Today we light the pink candle on the Advent Wreath—the candle of Joy. My message is about Philippians 4.4-7. The hymn of the week is Joy to the World. Here's the order of worship on the video found at the bottom of this post:

00:00 Chimes
00:26 Prélude (Part 1): Comfort, Comfort Ye, My People
02:26 Prélude (Part 2): Once in Royal David's City
04:27 Welcome
05:21 Advent Wreath: Lighting of the Candle of Joy
06:06 Introduction to the Song (Part 1)
08:50 Carol: Joy to the World (stzs. 1-3)
11:06 Introduction to the Song (Part 2)
11:54 Carol: Joy to the World (stz. 4)
12:32 Introduction to the Scripture Reading

The Middle

Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

✙ Ps. 117 ✙

There are 1189 chapters in the scriptures and Psalm 117 is the 595th, making it the middle chapter of the entire Bible—an odd distinction for what is also the shortest chapter of the Bible, with just two verses. But what Psalm 117 lacks in length it makes up for in grandeur. In its straightforward praise, it is, indeed, worthy of study and repetition. One of the best ways to remember it is through a metrical version of it:

Behold, Lord: for I am thy servant, I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast broken my bonds.

✙ Ps. 116:16 ✙

In seminary, a professor once had us write a brief essay in answer to the question, "Are you a little Christ?" I have thought about that often since then, and the answer, to me at least, has always been both Yes and No.

No, I am not God Incarnate and Savior of the world. But Yes, I hope that I am by the Savior anointed (and christ and messiah both mean anointed) to share the saving word. While Calvin had interpreted this psalm to be David's affirmation of unconditional election, and I had always thought of it in reference to Jesus' relationship to his heavenly Father and earthly mother, I think it's also

Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

✙ Ps. 116:7

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Heaven is an inheritance we must take as our home, our rest, and our everlasting good. We should look upon this world to be no more ours than the country we pass through on our way home to our Father's house. Those that have God as their portion have a goodly heritage. So return to your rest, O my soul, and seek no further. Gracious persons, though they still covet more of God, will never covet more than God; but, being satisfied with his loving-kindness, are abundantly satisfied with it: they envy no one their carnal mirth

In my mind, certain words seem to perfectly represent the thing they signify. There's the Spanish word sacar (to take out), the German word munter (lively), and the English word baby, to name but a few. Similarly, there are words that I think do a terrible job representing the thing they're supposed to mean, such as the Spanish word for carrot (zanahoria). The best of example of this latter phenomenon in English is the word swaddling. To me, the word swaddling sounds soft and fluffy and cozy. In reality, it is anything but. Instead of soft fleece to snuggle in, swaddling involves tight bands of cloth intended to restrict movement—sometimes completely.

Perhaps I'm not the only one who is troubled by the discrepancy between the sound and the meaning of the word swaddling. After all, when recounting the birth of Jesus, most modern translations of the scriptures say that he was wrapped in strips or bands of cloth, instead of in swaddling clothes, as older translations put it. And I think that it's important that they make sure that we understand what swaddling really means, because nothing is just thrown into the scriptures—everything means something important.

So here I'll turn to today's psalter passage:

The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings.

✙ Ps. 115:16

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What a profound statement, stating no less explicitly than the creation story itself that human beings have dominion over the earth. Though Psalm 24:1 states that the earth and everything on it belong to God, stewardship of it has nonetheless been given to us. And the more we know about earth science, and the more aware we are of what's going on in other countries, on other continents, and even in the oceans and seas, the more responsible we are for what we do to the environment.

There are many who maintain that human activity cannot actually change the climate, but even they can see the devastation that mining, industry, and uncontrolled development has wrought on the environment. Yet, environmental protection is bad for the economy, we're told. But in reality, it is only bad for those whose wealth is enhanced by environmental destruction. By giving them veto power over all other people and every other creature on the face of the

Gaudete* Communion Prayer

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord.
Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day:
All shall be my people; I will dwell in your midst;
and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

✙ Zechariah 2:10-11 ✙

We rejoice in you, O God,
and so, we open our lives to promise of your advent.
Make us grateful for your word.
And make us truly humble,
that when you come in your glory, we may recognize you as you are—
a Babe in a manger, an itinerant Teacher, a Man on a cross.
We thank you for your Holy Spirit,

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

✙ Ps. 115:2

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Praise to God whose love was shown,
who sent his Son to earth.
Jesus left his rightful throne,
became a man by birth.

The virgin's baby Son—
all creation praised him,
God incarnate come,
come to Bethlehem.

Still a higher call had he:
deliverance from our sins.
Come to set all people free

When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

✙ Ps. 114

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When Israel sojourned in Egypt, the Egyptians didn't know it, but God was among them. Because God dwelt in the midst of Israel, where they were was God's sanctuary on earth. When Israel was no longer a welcome guest, but forced labor, the divine presence did not go searching for a wealthier, more influential nation, but stuck by Israel until the day would come for their deliverance. And when Israel fled Egypt, God's presence led them, and God's dominion fled with them.

The earliest stories of God's people are about strangers living in strange lands—for example, A wandering Aramean was my ancestor (Deut. 26:5).

Unlike in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament theology doesn't allow for a single ethnicity to be God's dwelling place on earth. But we do know that God still

Today we light the Advent candle of peace. My message uses Longfellow's carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, to talk about Isaiah 2.2-5. Here's the order of worship found in the video at the bottom:

00:00 Chimes
00:30 Prélude: The First Nowell
01:18 Welcome
02:02 Advent Wreath: Lighting of the Candle of Peace
03:00 Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2.2-5
04:46 Introduction to the Carol

I can't imagine it north of the Rio Grande or in Europe, but there are many places in the world where garbage dumps are inhabited by very poor people—including one such dump just a few miles south of the place that refers to itself as America's Finest City. Unable to find work elsewhere, and living in a country that offers no safety net, these are people who relentlessly scavenge a life out of others' refuse. It sounds like hell, but it's their life. There are even missionaries who set up schools for the kids who live in such places.

And so these children living in dumps are what I picture when I read the verses I'm meditating on today:

From the rising of the sun to its setting the Name of the Lord is to be praised.

✙ Ps. 113:3

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Psalm 113:3 is a beautiful verse, but a tall order to fill. There are morning devotions. There are evening prayers. But what comes in between? Here's a possible answer from another psalm:

Preachers often pray the words of last verse of the 19th Psalm before they preach: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. What would life be like if I silently prayed that little prayer before I spoke throughout the day? Or before I posted anything on social media? Devotion and prayer shouldn't be limited to just after I get up and just before I go to sleep, but should suffuse the day, from the rising of the sun to its setting—and that's just one example of how that might happen. If I want to believe that prayer changes things, then perhaps Psalm 19:14 will be the first place I start seeing

A pastor giving a children's sermon once showed the kids a picture of a puppy. "What is this?" he asked.

"Jesus!" shouted one of the kids immediately.

"Why did you say this dog was Jesus?" asked the pastor, genuinely confused..

"Because the answer always winds up being Jesus," she said. And the pastor realized it was true. Though it was, in fact, a picture of a dog, eventually the message was going to wind up being about Jesus.

This is what a lot of us do when we read verses of scripture that refer to a human being as he. We assume that he refers to God unless otherwise specified. Here's an example from the venerable Geneva Bible:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

✙ Ps. 111:10

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It is part of the human condition that we are too often controlled by fear. Because we often fear what we don't understand, it's possible that we can be manipulated to misunderstand and mistrust one another—an emotion that quickly becomes fear. This fear is based on skin color, political beliefs, language, gender, economics, orientation, and anything else about another that might differ from me. We are often afraid that those "others" might do physical harm to us or our loved ones, or take what's ours, or might simply change the system in their favor.

The fear of God is something altogether different from the fear of other humans. Picture a new snowfall or a pristine beach, neither of which have been tread upon by any feet—human or animal. Such a scene is awesomely

Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.

✙ Ps. 111:2

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To meditate on the psalms is to study the great works of God. And to study them is to delight in them. There's something light and airy about this verse which isn't necessarily dispelled by the rest of the psalm. And so I take it on faith that it's okay to read the psalms simply for the enjoyment of it.

But there are some psalms which aren't so delightful, and yet I read those, too. The point being that studying the psalms and recounting the great works of God does more than simply provide entertainment. Studying them also lends me strength when things seem hopeless, either by instructing me on what God

Let us lift our hearts in prayer and gratitude:

Eternal God,
we thank you that through the ages,
your promises ring true,
and that in good times and bad,
you are Immanuel—
you are present with us and among us.

We thank you for the hope you have planted within us—
our undying faith in a Child born for us,
a Son given to us,

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

✙ Ps. 110:4

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The fifth chapter of Genesis recounts in brief narratives the lives of the descendants of Adam. The myths these narratives have engendered are much more famous than the chapter they come from. For example, the lives of these patriarchs were very long. In fact, the longest life recorded in the Bible is mentioned here—that of Methuselah (Noah's grandfather), who lived 969 years. We know nothing of how he lived or what he did, but we remember him whenever we say, "old as Methuselah."

Methuselah's father was even more mysterious. His name was Enoch, and (compared to his son) he lived a relatively short time—only 365 years. But the myth that grew up around him was that he never died. That's because instead of saying he died, the Bible tells us that