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
October 23, 2011
Revelation 19: 11- 16
Especially in our
unsettling times, it can be hard to hear the message in today’s reading. Its
tone seems strong, harsh even. But a closer reading can reveal a pattern of
truth.
This tone is the mask of the archangel Michael that the
Christ being wears at the moment, the earnest gesture that threatens the
adversarial powers that threaten humankind. The message reassures us that He
who judges justly and battles for truth is the guiding force in the evolution
of our humanity.
He is pictured as wearing a cloak dipped in blood, with an
iron shepherd’s staff. This is a picture for the iron in our blood, which keeps
us strong, upright and moving decisively forward. This iron is replenished
yearly by our breathing of the meteoric iron in the atmosphere as the earth
moves through the late summer meteor showers. With it comes an infusion of
heavenly intent.
His two-edged, discerning sword—the creative Word of
God—strikes down the nations; not so much because they need punishing, but
because each nation has its season. A nation rises and falls according to what
human evolution needs at any given time.
He treads on the winepress containing the wine of God’s
will. This ‘wrath’ of God’s will is regenerative, perhaps like a cleaning fury
that creates order. This will of God separates out impurities, creating a
purifying essence, a healing wine.
We
are being reminded that it is time for the old and no longer useful in us to be
discarded; that we need to join the warriors in white, to squeeze the essence
of our lives into a nourishing drink in support of what the angels are trying
to accomplish with us.
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