Michaelmas Thoughts.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 36, Issue 7, 1 October 1945, Page 8

Michaelmas Thoughts.

The Collect. O everlasting God, who has ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men m a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as Thy holy Angels alway do Thee service m heaven, so by Thy appointment that they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Note.— St. Michael is the patron, saint of the parish church, Puketapu, of which the Rev. J. J. Anderson is vicar. It is undoubtedly true that some of the Church's commemorations have a warmer place ' m our hearts than others. The Festival of St. Michael and All Angels is one of these. Surely one of the reasons is that it lifts our minds away from a muddled, troubled world, to one of untroubled harmony and beauty unmarred. Michaelmas brings back to us the days of our childhood, when life was so much simpler, the eternal world so real. Saddening experience had not bound that veil across our eyes by which the beauty of this world and the joy of this life are oft-times hidden from us. They are there, of course, all the time, but we don't always see them. Have you ever tried to make a mental picture from those descriptions of the world beyond this, which the inspired writers have given us m the Bible? If you have, you have realised the limitations of words. Ezekiel's vision is, doubtless, very wonderful, but it is beyond the power of words to depict it. But there is one short expression, at the end of the 10th chapter,, which no one can fail to understand, "They went every one straight forward.'' There is something m that phrase which brings much . assurance to our troubled hearts. Thwarting Will of God. The circumstances of our lives make us very aware of the thwarting of the good will of God m this world. Indeed, we are tempted, , sometimes, to despair, to feel that evil is ascendant. We can see, m these gloomy moments, no clear eyidence of a good and loving Providence at work m the world. Instead, we see only confusion, hear only noise and angry clamour. The Festival of St. Michael bids us look up, to see again the truer and the larger world, above and beyond this and yet, inter-penetrating it, a world where God's writ runs, where the will of God is done un-

hesitatingly, "They went every one straight forward." Then we see again that we, who, have the lesser freedom, have been given it m order that we may win $o the greater freedom. We have the lesser freedom, given to us of necessity, that we might freely accord our love to God. We have freedom to sin, freedom to refuse His love, freedom to accept it. Our present pilgrimage has this purpose, that we may use our lesser freedom, freedom to sin, to attain to the freedom, of the Holy Angels, freedom not to sin. Ah, blessed freedom! Freedom from the downward drag of earth-bound nature, freedom from desires attached to things that die and decay, freedom from past sins and failures, perfect freedom which is perfect obedience. Just because our present freedom is only the lesser freedom, human songs are set m a minor key. This life never really contents us. "We look before and after And sigh for what is not, Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught." Always we are dissatisfied, always are we discontented until we come to God. It is true, and we have proved it so, that, "Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts • are restless until they rest m Thee." But the Angels, ah! the Angels, hear their song. Here is no restlessness. Here is no hope deferred. Here is no thirst unassuaged. "And they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy." At the dawn of Creation "The morning stars sang together and all the. sons. of God shouted for joy." Fulfilling of all Hopes. St. Michael's Festival assures our hearts of the satisfaction of all our longings, the answering of all our questions, the fulfilment of all our hopes. "When I awake up after Thy likeness, I shall be satisfied." I shall be satisfied! One thought more. A word for the valiant. You strive so manfully. You are full of activity. Your zeal is so admirable. " And commensurate with your zeal and your ardour is your disappointment, and your dismay that so few should care, so few turn to heed the invitation of life eternal. Learn then this of Michaelmastide. This is God's war. You are not a Field-Marshal. You are not even a lance-corporal. You are a private soldier. God is directing the war. His servants speed instantly to do His bid-

ding. He is not really thwarted, nor are His -plans 'really over- . turned by our folly and stupid-, ity. They are only delayed, a purely human term, and God has^ all eternity m which to .work" His will. Cease then to be anxious, feeling it all depends on you and how much you do. A great deal does depend on you, but .". . . behind the dim unknown Standeth God within the shadows, Keeping watch upon His own." — "Church Chronicle, Ballarat.