2nd 3rd or 4th
Michaelmas Sunday
Revelation 19, 11-16
And I saw the heavens opening up. And behold, a white horse! And the
rider who sat upon it is called faithful and true, who judges justly and
battles for justice. His eyes are like flames of fire, and his head wears many
crowns, inscribed with a name which no one knows but he himself. The cloak that covers him has been dipped in blood, and
he is known by the name “Word of God”.
And the warriors of the sky ride behind him upon white steeds, clad in
clean, white linen. And he has a sharp-edged sword coming out of his mouth with
which to subdue the nations, and he will shepherd them with a staff of iron. He
treads on the winepress holding the wine of the wrath of the will of God, the
ruler of all.
And written on his cloak and on his thigh is the name: King of all
kings, Lord of all lords.
4th Michaelmas
Sunday
October 20, 2013
Revelation 19:11-16
A child who breaks a window
needs to learn to make amends by paying for a new one. Or perhaps the child
could even learn how to repair and replace broken windows himself—a life-skill
acquired that will serve him and others in the future.
In today’s reading, we are
given an uncomfortable picture of a warrior on a white horse, battling for
justice and proper discernment. What issues from his mouth is the sharpness of
the Word of God, who sees all as it truly is, and directs us in what needs to
be done.
Although not a gentle or easy
picture, we can draw a certain comfort from it nonetheless; for it implies that
with God’s justice, a certain order and guidance will be maintained. There will
be predictable consequences for what we do, and lessons to be learned from
them, lesson that will benefit both us and others. The fierce wrath of God’s
will is the corrective, aimed in love at bringing us back into relationship
with him and others, repairing our own brokenness and acquiring crowning life skills.
Through man, perhaps
difficult, life lessons we can learn the art of recompense and repair. And when
we have acquired the skills, whitened our garments, we can join with the hosts
of those in white who also battle for what is just according to God’s Word, written in our conscience.
