Tag: Angels

Morning Musing: Amos 9:13

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“Look, the days are coming – this is the Lord’s declaration – when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the one who treads grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Modern imaginings of Heaven – especially in cartoons – are generally terrible. The common caricature is that we will be sitting in the clouds with wings and harps and halos doing…nothing. That doesn’t sound like an exciting place I long to spend eternity. It sounds like a boring waste of time. I’ll take the fun of sin and whatever bit of torment Hell offers over that, thank you very much. At least, that’s how the all-too-often and totally understandable reaction to that image goes. The devil got a win when he inspired that vision. Yet this vision is nowhere found in the pages of Scripture. Let’s talk about what we do see and why it is so much better.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 1:14

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“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We started talking about angels last week, but didn’t really talk about angels all that much. Instead, we talked about the author of Hebrews’ argument that Jesus is greater than the angels. Like I said then, though, angels are a definite fascination for many folks. Here we have a statement describing them and their ministry. Let’s take the opportunity to explore these mysterious creatures in a little bit more detail.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 1:4

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“So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Angels are an interesting topic. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that we know so precious little about them. What we do see, though, is incredible, which only serves to fuel more speculation. Angels have appeared in various forms of media over the centuries in all kinds of different forms from cute cherubs to cynical warriors to disobedient servants to even villains. However we picture them, though, there is one fact that should be abundantly clear in all our thinking about them: Jesus is greater. Let’s talk about it.

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Songs of the Season

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“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever had one of those albums where every single song on it is your favorite song? For me, around this time of year, it is Meredith Andrews’ Christmas album, Receive Our King. Last year around this time I introduced you to the first track on the album, Andrews’ version of Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. This morning as we continue in our Advent series, I want to share with you another from the same album (and, spoiler alert, I’m going to offer you one more from it next Friday which is going to be instrumental in our Christmas Eve service). What was it like being a shepherd in the fields around Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born? What was the song of the angels really like? Let’s ponder that together.

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Digging in Deeper: 2 Kings 6:17

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“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’  So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

There are two ways to understand what’s going on here (assuming on the credibility of the text).  The first is that Elisha was delusional and somehow brought this poor servant into his delusions.  That would not only be a pretty disappointing interpretation, it doesn’t fit the context of the story itself or the broader context of Elisha’s life and ministry very well.  The second understanding is that every word here is true and happened just exactly like the text says. Read the rest…