2nd November Trinity 2018, The God of Life

Revelation 14: 6-13

And I looked and saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, bringing the good news which is good news forever to those living on earth—to every race and nation and every tongue and folk. And the angel cried out with a great voice, saying:

“Stand in awe of God and turn to honor him. For we have come to the hour of his divine decision. Raise yourself in prayer to him who in truth created the heavens and the earth and the sea and all the springs of water.”  

And a second angel followed, who said, “Fallen, fallen is the great city of Babylon, who made all nations drink of the wine of her sacrilege, in order to draw the holy into misuse.”

And a third angel followed them, who cried out with a powerful voice: “Whoever adores the beast and its likeness and accepts its stamp on forehead or hand, he will drink of the wine of God’s anger, thick and strong and undiluted, from the cup of his wrath. And in the presence of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb shall anger be transformed into pain like the pain of fire and sulfur.

Memling

Their suffering rises and darkens the encircling air like smoke through the cycles of time. And day and night those who made the beast into their god, who honored its picture as the highest, who took its being into their innermost being, find no peace. In this place however there works the power of the steadfast endurance of those who have taken the healing power of the Spirit into themselves, who have fulfilled the goals of the Spirit, and who have worked trusting in Jesus’ healing deed.

And I heard a voice out of the worlds of Spirit which said, “Write this down: People of heaven are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the spirit, let them rest from their efforts and labors, since their good deeds, the fruits of their lives, are not lost along their paths of soul, but have preceded them here.

2^nd November Trinity

Nov 4, 2018

Revelation 14: 6 – 13

With its hard, dry skin, a seed looks like a dead thing. When the conditions of light, warmth, and moisture are favorable, the cells of the seed’s skin die away. Inside is an embryo waiting, which swells and begins to grow. One root-shoot grounds itself into the earth, while a second leaf shoot struggles to gain the light. As we are approaching the end of the liturgical year, it is appropriate to hear a reading about endings, and what is seed-like.

This revelation to John features angels who urge us to honor the creative God of Life in uprightness. It warns of the ultimate disintegration and pain of those who misused their sacred creativity. It speaks of those who, like a seed that only developed a root and no leaf shoot, worshipped the beast of the abyss. And it assures us that our steadfast endurance of earthly suffering, our harboring of the healing spirit of love, and our trust in Christ are realities. By their own nature, these realities migrate into the light of the spiritual world. They are not lost, but they continue to exist there as housing and nourishment for our souls after death. For we do indeed have the power to create our own heaven or our own hell. In the words of Rudolf Meyer, one of our early priests:

Your kingdom of heaven, oh Human, is where you believe and love.

Rising toward heaven happens the more you practice love.

What is the human heart—bethink—if Jesus Christ,

The more He lives with us, the more he is in His heaven?

The Hell is in you, into which He descends

And also the heavenly kingdom in which he is transfigured.

Someday, when the coverings fall away, there will be announced and revealed

How deep hell’s ground, how wide your heaven was.

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1st November Trinity 2018, Angel of Hope

November Trinity

Revelation 7: 9-17

Next

Durer

I looked and saw a great crowd beyond anyone’s power to count, from every nation and all races and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, draped in garments of white and with palm branches in their hands, and they shout with a great voice saying,  “Healing and help [salvation] to our God who sits on the throne and through the Lamb.”

And all the angels were standing in a ring around the throne and the elders and the four living beings, and they fell down in front of the throne upon their faces and adored God saying,

Yea, so be it. Amen. [To our God be blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength for an age of ages. Amen.”]

All the blessing power of the Word, that creating permeates the world, all the revealing might of the spirit, that enlightens the senses appearance, all the light of wisdom that leads us to true knowledge, the secret of transformation which gives worth to all being, that brings the world forward, and all the strength and power of the spirit –they belong to our God from aeon to aeon. Yea, so be it, Amen.

And one of the elders spoke up, asking me: “These people draped in garments of white, who are they and where did they come from?”

And I said to him, “Good sir, you yourself know.”

And he said to me:

These are the ones just come from the great Suffering. They washed their garments clean and made them shining white in the blood of the Lamb.

That is why they can stand here before the throne of God

And serve him day and night in his temple.

The One who sits on the throne shall settle down upon them [dwell upon them].

They shall not hunger ever again, nor thirst again;

The sun shall not bear down too hard upon them, nor anything burn them,

Because the Lamb, in the midst of the throne, will be their shepherd

And guide them to the springs of the water of life,

And God will wipe away each teardrop from their eyes.

1st November Trinity

October 28, 2018

Revelation 7: 9-17

To live on earth is to be exposed to pain. Some of us undergo a lifetime of suffering; others less so. But if we experience it ourselves, or witness it in those around us, we all undergo pain in this life.

Why do we have to suffer? What is the point of pain? Pain and travail can open us, break open our hearts. It allows us to find true compassion. Its purpose is to create organs of perception.

The eye was created by receiving arrows of light, holding them and letting them form it into an organ to receive and organize a world of images. Just so within the soul; a process that begins with pain ends in conscious seeing.

Holding and working with pain creates an eye in the heart that can receive and make meaning out of what surrounds us. It allows us to form images, to become more conscious of what or who, stands before us.

Inna Myalo

It can allow us to see that an angel of hope* is holding a glowing light in front of our heart; a light to lead and guide us through misery. A light that shows us the way to the place where we can wash our soul garments in Christ’s healing blood. A light that aligns our thinking with truth, steels our will with the strength of endurance, drenches our feeling with love.

And one day we will recognize how our pain and travail has brought us to stand before an even greater being: to stand before the compassionate and loving face of God, who himself went through the Greatest Suffering.

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*Lorna Byrne, A Message of Hope from the Angels.

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4th Michaelmas 2018, The Name

2^nd 3^rd or 4^th 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.

4^th Michaelmas

Oct 21, 2018

Revelation 19:11-16

Dore

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. 

3rd Michaelmas 2018, Saved by Love

Bamberg Apocalypse

2nd 3rd or 4th MichaelmasRevelation 12: 1-17

And a momentous image was unveiled in the world of spirit: a woman, clothed with the radiant power of the sun, the moon under her feet, her head adorned with the crown of the twelve stars of heaven. And she is with child and cries out in the labor and pain of giving birth.
And at the same time a second image was revealed in the heavens: a great fiery-red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. On its head it has seven crowns and its tail is sweeping a third of all the stars in heaven and dashing them onto the earth. And the dragon is standing before the woman about to give birth, so that when she bears the child he can devour it. And she bore a child, a son ”who would shepherd all nations with a rod of iron.” And the woman’s child was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place that God keeps ready there, so that they can take care of her for days numbering one thousand two hundred sixty.
And a war flared up in the

Nicholas Bataille

spirit world. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon fought in the midst of his own angels, but he was not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. Down came the dragon, the giant, the serpent, the evil one called both Satan and the devil, deceiver of all the world. Onto the earth he came hurtling down, and all his angels with him.
And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying:

Now can begin the working which proceeds from our God—
The power to heal the world,
The power to transform all being,
The power to draw everything into godly being.
Arisen is the spirit leadership of his Christ.
Overthrown is the accuser of our brothers,
He who accused them night and day before the countenance of God.
They have overcome him through the blood and the sacrificial power of the Lamb
And by the divine Word to which they bore witness.
They did not love their own lives too dearly, nor did they fear death.
Therefore, rejoice you heavens
And all who lodge therein!
But woe to the earth and the sea:
For the Adversary has come down to you,
And he seethes with measureless fury,
For he knows that his time is short.

And when the dragon recognized

B. West

that he had been cast onto the earth, he began to persecute the woman who had borne the son. Then the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly into the desert to her appointed place, where she is to be nourished for a cycle of time, for cycles of time, and for half a cycle of time, far from the face of the serpent.

And the serpent opened his mouth and spewed out a river of water after the woman so she would be swept off her feet by the river. But then the earth came to the woman’s assistance; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon spewed from his mouth. And the dragon burned with fury against the woman. He stormed away to make war on the rest of the woman’s seed, people who keep to the divine world aims and who are united with the destiny and witnessing of Jesus. As I saw this I was standing on the sandy shore of the sea.

3rd Michaelmas Sunday
October 14, 2018
Revelation 12: 1-17

We may have experienced that when someone expresses confidence in us, we find ourselves able to do things we had not thought possible. Their faith in us strengthens us for the challenge. Their faith can see us as already having overcome it.

Michael and his angels have conquered the accusing adversary, the critic, and thrown him out of heaven. The dragon of criticism, antagonism, and lies has been thrown down to earth, and now weaves himself among us. This is, of course, cause for alarm.

But it is also a vote of confidence

Rosenkrantz

in humankind. Michael sees us as ready to take on the challenge of confronting evil—the criticism, antagonism and lies both in ourselves, and in the world. The challenge is indeed a formidable one. Michael is the vanguard of Christ. In our time, Michael ‘goes before Christ’s face’, as His countenance. And his expression is earnest.

At the same time, Christ says in the Act of Consecration of Man, that after His death on the cross, there will flow in the blood a new faith. This is not only our faith, our trust that help is to be had from divine beings. It is also the faith that Christ and Michael have in humanity. With their strength in our blood, with their help, we will awaken and rise to the challenge of evil. With their help, we will manage to escape its devouring power. They will give us our own eagle wings of insight and creative thought, to rise and fly to our appointed place. With Michael’s help, the newly born Christ in us, the Christ in the soul of humanity, will be protected. Christ/Michael can see us as already having risen to the challenge of evil.

The world may scoff at our efforts, oppose them even; but we, too, have faith; for as Reinhold Niebuhr said,
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime;
therefore, we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense
in any immediate context of history;
therefore, we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone;
therefore, we are saved by love.*

*Reinhold Niebuhr, excerpt from The Irony of American History, cited in Leading from Within, ed. by S. M. Intrator and M. Scribner

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2nd Michaelmas 2018, Peace Streams

2^nd Michaelmas

October 7, 2018

Ephesians 6: 10-19

There are two types of lines that every young child learns about. One is the curve – a line that continuously changes direction. Its classic form is the circle – enclosing, harboring. The other line is the straight line that starts at a particular point and travels unerringly in one direction, towards infinity. These two basic gestures, the circle and the line, come together in every child’s drawing – in the circle and rays of the sun.

The sword is an archetype that partakes of the straight line – like the rays of the sun. Although we typically think of a sword as an instrument of destruction, when it is raised in victory, it is a symbol of peace. And pointed downward it forms a cross. 

In artistic depictions, the Archangel Michael holds a light-sword that rays out the light of the sun. Sometimes the sword is pictured pointed downward.  There it illuminates the depths, holding at bay a dark dragon. Sometimes the sword of light points upward as if to indicate where we are to send our thoughts, where we are to direct our attention.

Today’s reading says that we are to grasp the living spirit working in us the same way that we grasp a sword of light. What the living spirit is, indeed, is light; it is the light of consciousness, the light of awareness. With Michael’s spirit sword of awareness, we can direct our attention into the heights. With Michael’s light sword of awareness, we can illuminate the darkness of our own inner depths.

G. David, Altarpiece St. Michael

For in the depths there is a great secret: the dark dragon in the cave sits on a measureless treasure. In the depths of the soul, hidden in the darkness, is Christ. He is the treasure the dragon would hide. Christ sends his powers of trust, of confidence and peace from the inner depths up into our hearts. When we illuminate the depths and hold the dragons of fear, doubt and hatred at bay, we will win access to the treasure, the Pearl of great price. And then will we hear the Word of God, speaking to us:  My peace is with you; my peace streams through you, down to your feet, so that on your path you may spread peace, as the message that comes from the realm of the angels.  (Ephesians 6:15)

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1st Michaelmas 2018, Deeply Loves

1^st Michaelmas 

Matthew 22, 1-14

And Jesus continued to speak in parables to them: The kingdom of the heavens arising in human hearts is like a man, a king, who prepared a marriage feast for his son. And he sent out his servants to call the guests who had been invited to the marriage, but they would not come.

Then he again sent out other servants, and said, “Say to those who have been invited, ‘Think, I have prepared my best for the banquet, the sacrificial oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered; everything is ready. Come quickly to the wedding.”But they were not interested and went off, one going to his field to be his own master, another falling into the hectic pace of his own business. The rest, however, took hold of the servants, mistreated them and killed them. 

Then the king grew angry; he sent out his army, brought the murderers to their destruction and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, “Although the marriage feast is prepared, the invited guests have proved themselves unworthy. Go out therefore to the crossroads of destiny and invite to the wedding whoever you can find.”And the servants went into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

Corina Ferraz

Then the king came in to see the guests, and among them, he noticed a man who was not dressed in the wedding garment which was offered to him. And he said to him, “My friend, you are sharing the meal; how is it you came in here without putting on the wedding garment that was offered to you?” But the man was speechless. 

Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness, where human beings wail and gnash their teeth. For the call goes out to many, yet only a few make themselves bearers of the higher life.”

1^st Michaelmas

Sep 30, 2018

Matthew 22:1-14

Today’s reading describes the human heart as a kingdom. This kingdom in our heart is populated by a dynamic cast of characters.

There is the king, who oversees the whole kingdom and guides its events. One could say that the King is our destiny. There are the parts of us bringing us messages from the King; there are parts of us that are busy, distracted from our true destiny, even murderously destructive. And there are the parts of us that answer the call, even if they are not yet fully fit to participate, like the one who did not put on the wedding garment.

And finally, there is the King’s Son who is to wed. Whom will the Son wed? He wants to wed our soul: our willing, our feeling, our thinking. Not only our individual soul, but the heart and soul of our community. For He deeply loves us. In the depths of our heart there dwells One ready and waiting to join His life to ours.

Our destiny tries to guide us to the wedding. We must, in freedom, ignore the busybodies in us, subdue the fear that would destroy our true destiny. Now is the time to answer the invitation. In the words of the poet:

          ….

Now is the time to understand

David Newbatt

That all your ideas of right and wrong

Were just a child's training wheels

To be laid aside

When you finally live

With veracity

And love.

….

What is it in that sweet voice inside

That incites you to fear?

 ….

This is the time

For you to compute the impossibility

That there is anything

But Grace.

Now is the season to know

That everything you do

Is sacred.*

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* Hafiz, “Now is the Time” in The Gift - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky

10th August Trinity 2018, Awaken in Christ's Body

10^th Trinity August, September

Luke 7, 11-17

And it came to pass that on the

next day Jesus went into a city called Nain,

Nicusor Dumitru

and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. And as he drew near to the gate of the city, they became aware that a dead man was being carried out—the only born son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd of people from the city accompanied her.

And seeing her the Lord felt her suffering, and said to her, “Weep no more.”

And approaching, he touched the coffin, and pallbearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

The dead man sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. Astonishment and awe seized all who were standing there, and they began to praise God and to glorify what was here revealed, saying,

“A prophet powerful in spirit has been raised among us, and God has come down to us, his people.”

Word about him spread out into all of Judea and all of the neighboring regions.

10^th August Trinity

September 23, 2018

Luke 7: 11-17

Watching as a high diver plunges into the depths, he seems to disappear for a time before he re-surfaces. This is the time of the year when we are being encouraged to plunge into our own depths. And in the deepest and darkest part of our being there lies the fear of dying.

Part of this fear comes from the body’s need to protect its existence. But the other part comes from the soul’s fear of transformation, and little ego’s fear of extinction. This is because in our time, the little ego is so intensely interwoven with our bodily existence.

In today’s reading, a mother mourns because her son, a young man, has died. His path has taken him to where we all must go—into our deepest fear. And there he meets Christ, who calls him awake and bids him rise, to take up his bodily existence yet again.

Thus Christ establishes a new eternal archetype: one’s Self rises and lives through its relationship to the greater Self, Christ's I AM. Christ calls us awake and bids us rise, both now, and after we die. In the words of a mystic:

We awaken in Christ's body

as Christ awakens our bodies….

For if we genuinely love Him,

we wake up inside Christ's body

Danny Hahlbohm

where all our body, …

is realized in joy as Him,

and He makes us, utterly, real,

and everything … is in Him transformed

and recognized as whole, as lovely,

and radiant in His light

he awakens as the Beloved

in every last part of our body.[1]

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[1] Symeon the New Theologian (949 - 1032), “We awaken in Christ's Body”, translated by Stephen Mitchell.