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 strike the nations down, 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
Oct 21, 2012
Revelation 19:11-16
The Rider on the White Horse has a name that only He Himself
knows. It is a name only He can say: I AM. I AM the I AM, who was, who is, and
who is to come. Many crowns I have, for I have ruled over many ages. Once I
appeared in a burning thorn bush. Now I appear as a Kingly Shepherd-Warrior. I
Am cloaked in blood, because blood is the carrier of living Selfhood.
We too, miraculously, bear the name that is both common and
secret. For no one can mean what I mean when I say ‘I.’ This name is God’s gift
to us, His gift of the seed of His divine essence. We too bear many crowns, the
symbols of all that we have overcome.
The White Rider rides in our blood. One might say He helps
us to conquer the nations in us, that is, to overcome our genetics and
heredity. The warriors in white are all those overcomers who have already
crossed the threshold before us. They come to His aid, and ours, in battling
that which would subdue our true selfhood, put it to sleep; they come to do
battle with that which would destroy the seed of the divine in us. The sword of
the Word—I AM—cuts us free from deceptions, delusions, fear. For only one force is true, faithful and
truly sovereign—the greater I AM.
