Saturday, December 01, 2018

Advent Angels 1


Day 1: Worshipping Angels

Worshipping Angels
We start our series of readings with some stories of angels leading the worship of God.


Biblical writers, understandably, often modelled their description of the realm of God on the earthly courts they saw around them. Every self-respecting ruler would have had a retinue of servants and courtiers, both to do the work and also simply to make that court seem as grand and splendid as possible. It is no surprise, then, that the description of the heavenly court in the book of Revelation, contains ranks of angels all singing the praise of God.

What is surprising is that at the centre of the extravagantly wonderful scene the writer describes, with its bejewelled throne room and glorious music, is a Lamb, “standing as if it had been slaughtered” (if you have time, it is worth reading Revelation 4 -5.10 for this description).  This is not an image of power but of vulnerability. The Lamb on the throne is Jesus, wounded on the cross, and raised to heaven with his wounds still visible. Being part of God’s kingdom is not about exercising earthly might, but about giving ourselves in service to others.

The angels in this story affirm and praise the crucified Christ. His death was not a mistake or a sign of weakness, but a sign of God’s love and power, which can bring us through death and suffering to new life and hope.

·         Think about the tough times in your life. Are you able to find things in them to give thanks for and to value?

·         What song might God’s angels sing with you about those times?




No comments:

Post a Comment