Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
WEDNESDAY, November 2
Revelation 12:1-12. And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.
We are sadly familiar with wars these days—our nation is engaged in two of them as I write these words—and many people experience an internal war between good and evil within their souls. But war in heaven? Doesn’t the Lord’s Prayer say that heaven is the place where God’s will is done? If there can be war in heaven—with a dragon, yet—do we really want to go there?
Like many passages in the Book of Revelation, this is a vision or a dream, not a literal picture of actual events. But dreams can point to spiritual truths, and this one suggests two things. First, the conflict between good and evil is not confined to our tiny world but extends beyond it in ways we can only dimly imagine—our experiences reflect a wider reality. Second, though skirmishes continue to break out in corners of the creation, the winner is not in doubt—the victory has been won. That’s what Easter is all about.
With wars raging around and within us, it’s hard to trust the Easter witness that the victory has been won, but that is precisely the time we most need to affirm it.
PRAY for the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago (West Indies)
Ps 72 * 119:73-96; Nehemiah 13:4-22; Matthew 13:53-58
View the daily Lectionary Readings at http://lectionarypage.net/
A Meditation for Pentecost
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