Michaelmass

I have always been a bit dubious about angels, Arch or otherwise.  That said, I seem to write something about them each year.  Why I cannot think, as apart from reciting "with angels and archangels when celebrating they really do not figure in my devotional life.  Living and departed saints, men and women who stuggled, prayed and loved inspire me rather than "spiritual creatures".  Still, acknowledgeing the existence of "heavenly powers" is never a bad thing as it reminds us that we are citizens of 2 kingdoms and our stay here is not permanent.  The painting is more inspiring to me than the theology.  "The ability to see beauty is the beginning of our moral sensibility. What we believe is beautiful we will not wantonly destroy." (Reverend Sean Parker Dennison)

"With angels and archangels" - but only just!

http://urawa.cool.ne.jp/seraph/gallery/RaphaelStMichael.jpg

Oh the embarrassment!  I turned up at the Good Shepherd Murrayfield this morning to cover the 10am Prayer Book Mass.  It was vested in green and the register said "Wednesday", so I prepared to do the proper of Sunday Trinity 17.  Only for some sharp soul to pop into the Vestry and say: "It's a Red Letter Day today!" "Who?" "St Michael and All Angels!!"  Mercifully, the frontal was all seasons, so the swift swapping of the green burse and veil for a white set and the rapid donning of the White Chasuble and all was well!

The laptop is once more functioning and I popped a nice picture into a framing shop that it might be made into a domestic decoration.  I also spent a chunk of the afternoon batting sermon ideas off a godly widow.  I am preaching at Murrayfield on Sunday and have to admit that the reading were doing very little in my head until we spoke.The suffering of the just and God's apparent silence/absence is Habakkuk's thing.  Paul to Timothy (well, pseudo-Paul anyway) and Luke on the need for faith the size of mustard seed.  Yes, we are further on after doing theology by conversation!