Daily Lesson for November 8, 2017

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Revelation chapter 12 verses 7 through 12:

7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.9The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him . . .

12 “Rejoice then, you heavens

   and those who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

   for the devil has come down to you

with great wrath,

   because he knows that his time is short!”

Sunday was All Saints Sunday and we began the service with the magisterial hymn “For All the Saints”.

Sunday was All Saints Sunday and we began the service with the great, magisterial hymn “For All the Saints”. William W. How’s 19th century original hymn was eight stanzas long — a bit much for 21st century tastes. In paring it down, we skipped stanza three:

“Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,

Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old

And win with them the victor's crown of gold.

Alleluia! Alleluia!”

All Saints gives us this great picture of two regiments of Christian faithful.  The first is the Church Triumphant, those who have gone before and have now entered into their glory and also their rest. The other is us, the Church Militant, still on the life’s battlefield. 

Today’s Lesson continues with the All Saints theme. The devil and all his angels have been cast out of heaven; yet their fall to earth means the battle is still strong. 

The days are growing short in early November  and the spiritual darkness has seemed to set in along with the physical. A hail of bullets fired into a Church, while the faithful were at worship. Twenty-six of the faithful now dead. It is unfathomable. 

But let us not be dismayed.  For the devil has already been cast from heaven, and he is now in the last throes of his life. He is fighting tooth and nail to kill and to destroy. But his days are numbered.  His defeat is sure. 

Those who were so ruthlessly killed Sunday are part now of the Church Triumphant. All their pain and fear has now departed. In this we take some solace. 

We are left a part of the Church Militant. The battle goes on for us. We, as St Paul said, must “not be overcome with evil, but must overcome it with good” — good works, good neighbors, good organizing, good policing, good electing, good mental health care, good schools, and good public policy.  This is how the devil is defeated down here. This is how we keep from being dismayed. 

Another one of the stanzas we left out on Sunday is one which tells us to take heart and as we are going about all our goodness also to be of good courage. I let its wonderful words be the last:

“And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,

Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,

And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

Alleluia! Alleluia!”