August 20th.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume VII, Issue 1, 1 July 1916, Page 9

August 20th.

(Ninth Sunday after Trinity.) Subject — THE HOLY ANGELS. Scripture References : S. Luke i. 8 - 26 ; Revelation xii. 7. Most people have five senses — but some people are deaf or blind, or even both. People born blind do not. know anything about lifcht, colour, beauty of landscapes, and so on ; similarly deaf people about sound. Still WE know about these things and can assure the blind

that the light is real though we cannot describe it. So there are things created by God which none of our five senses can tell us about, unless God specially opens our eyes and ears to see and hear them. Amon<r these wonderful unseen beings are the angels. Some people have been allowed to see them — what do these tell us ? Isaiah vi. tells us about the Sera- ; phim or flaming angels,- who are around God's Throne and sing 44 Holy, Holy, Holy," etc.— repeat the verse. S. John m a vision saw the Cherubim or living creatures m Heaven (Revelation iv. 6 - B)— 'describe them — and heard them sing " Holy, Holy, Holy," etc. We call this hymn of the Angels the 414 Tersanctus." The Ah-rels join with us when we sing it around the Altar at the Blessed Sacrament. ' 4 Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of Heaven," etc. There are myriads of Angels, with all kinds of heavenly duties to perform and they perform their duties PERFECTLY "if see Lord's Pralv*er). Each child and each adult has AN ANGEL called HIS Arn-el— his own Angel — who p-uards and watches and protects him. — Matthew xviii. io, Acts xii. 15," Hebrews i. 14. Sometimes Angels are God's messengers; and en the mo«t important messages God sends Archangels — for example, to hrin-r the most important message He ever sent to the world (Luke i. 26) — See also Luke i. 19. The Arch^n y el Gabriel is also mentioned m Daniel viii. 16 and ix. 21. Oth°r Archangels mentioned are Raphael — who heals diseases — Tobit — iii. T7, xii. 15. There are probably seven Arch-angels-r-Tfc>bit xii. 15. The angels have spiritual bodies, not material bodies ; they are not everywhere at the same time as God is, and there are lots of things that they do . not know. — S. Mark xiii. 32, Ephesians iii. 8 - it, i Peter i. 11, 12. Michael, the Archangel, .was the guardian Angel of the Jewish nation. — Daniei x. 13 - 21, Daniel xii. 1, 2, Jude v. 9, Revelation xii. 7, 1 Thessalonians iv. 16. . There are other kinds of Angels — see Colossians' i. 16 — Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, —and Ephesians i. 21. Then there are the wicked' angels wjio sinned and were c^st out

of Heaven and who try to tempt us to sin' too— Matthew xxv. 41, 1 Corinthians vi. 3, 2* Peter ii. 4, Jude vi. See Hymns, A. & M., 421, 423. For other references to Angels see S. Matthew i v. 11, S. Luke xxiv. 4, 1 Kings xix. 5, Psalm xxxiv. 7, xci. 11,. Matthew ii. 13, 19, S. Matthew xxv. 31, Acts v. 19, Acts xii. 7, S. Luke xv. 7, S. Luke xvi. 22. God has given you a. special An-p-el friend to be with von always ; he will help you whenever you ask for help ; how sorry he must be when you sin. See Hymns 546, verse 1.