I've had an Epiphany!

Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

One of the greatest things about living in America is that we can trust our military to be working for us. We don’t see our soldiers in action very often. Once in a while, we may see a military convoy on the interstate, a flag ritual and 21-gun salute at a veteran’s funeral, or the vapor contrail of a fighter aircraft high above. Even though we don’t see armed servicemen and women in action very often, we know they are on duty protecting our country. This knowledge helps us sleep better at night.   We can sleep even better knowing that God’s army of angels is on duty as well. Our heavenly Father, who loves us, has promised His angelic host are working to serve and protect us. The Bible promises that God’s holy angels are ministering spirits, sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. Their commander, Michael the Archangel , has already led a legion of his angels to clash with the devil and his demons … and prevail. Someday we will discover all the things tha

Dear Christian friends, This Sunday at Epiphany we celebrate a special minor festival in the Christian church year – the Festival of St. Michael and All Angels. St. Michael is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, 12:7-12: “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Angels are the subject of considerable speculation, popular misconception and plenty of mythology. This Sunday we teach the truth of God’s angelic host who are working behind the scenes to fight for Christians and protect us from the forces of Satan, the great and ancient dragon. The best way to think of what is going on all around us is to co

Artwork: Bonifacio Veronese Artist: St Michael Vanquishing the Devil Date: 1530   Worship Theme: On the Feast of Michael and all Angels, normally set aside for September 29, we give thanks for the many ways in which God's loving care watches over us, both directly and indirectly, and we are reminded that the richness and variety of God's creation far exceeds our knowledge of it.   Old Testament: Daniel 10:10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian

Luke 16:1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' 3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-- 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' 5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 "'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' 7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take yo

Artwork: Poverty and Wealth Artist: William Powell Frith Date: 1888   Worship Theme: Money rules in our materialistic society. We also must admit that God has richly blessed each of us with many physical blessings—far more than we deserve. How we handle those blessings, whether they be dollars or possessions, reflects our relationship with our God. May God move us to use all of his blessings in a way that pleases him, serves his purposes and helps others eternally.   Old Testament: Genesis 14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar-- four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into