4th
Michaelmas Sunday
Revelation 19, 11-16 (adapted from Madsen)
Queen Mary Apocalypse |
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.
4th Michaelmas
October 20, 2019
Revelation 19: 11- 16
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.
Schongauer |
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 strengthened
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, perhaps not so much because they need punishing,
but because each nation has its season. A nation rises and falls according to
what the human evolution toward love needs at any given time.
Mystic Winepress |
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;
for we are to press the essence of our lives, our love, into a nourishing drink
in support of what the angels are trying to accomplish with us.
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