The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost maidenlike, guest in a hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man. He is not compromise or happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth. The man who combines both characters – the knight – is not a work of nature but of art; of that art which has human beings, instead of canvas or marble, for its medium.... moreThe knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost maidenlike, guest in a hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man. He is not compromise or happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth. The man who combines both characters – the knight – is not a work of nature but of art; of that art which has human beings, instead of canvas or marble, for its medium.
― C.S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” — Isa 6:6-7
Each seraph had six wings. “With twain, he covered his face.” Here was Reverence, which is one of the noblest traits in character, whether angelic or human. The statesman who, beneath human movements, set himself to understand the Divine purpose. The a... moreBut then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” — Isa 6:6-7
Each seraph had six wings. “With twain, he covered his face.” Here was Reverence, which is one of the noblest traits in character, whether angelic or human. The statesman who, beneath human movements, set himself to understand the Divine purpose. The artist, whether in music, poetry, or painting, discovers a Presence that fills him with elevated and pure ideals. The scientist compares himself to a child gathering pebbles on the shores of a boundless ocean. These resemble the Seraphim with their veiled faces.
“With twain, they covered their feet”—Self-effacement and Humility. If we begin thinking and talking of ourselves, we prove we are second-rate. We may be attractive and valuable but have not attained the first and best. The angels forgot themselves in their absorbing love for God. When shall we forget ourselves in His constraining love, not to live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us and rose again?
“With twain, they did fly”—Obedient Service. The third part of our energy should be spent thus. Two-thirds of communion and worship must work themselves out in service, or else we become dreamy mystics. Such life becomes contagious—“One cried to another.” There is always a cry going forth from the eager soul, which is right with God, and this awakens a response in others and stirs them to service. One bird in the woodlands singing at dawn will wake the whole forest glade to music. The Seraphim declared that the entire earth was God’s glory!
The prophet saw his need for cleansing: “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips.” We do not need to agonize with God for cleansing but to open our hearts in confession. Immediately, one of the Seraphim will fly to meet our needs. Nay, the Lord Himself—Lo, this live coal, saturated with blood and steeped in flame, combining Calvary and Pentecost, has cleansed our iniquity and purged our sin! Then we shall cry: “Here am I; send me.” Redeemed, forgiven, and cleansed sinners make the best evangelists!
Prayer
Give us, O Lord, more than an angel’s love, for Thou hast redeemed us. Give us the swiftness of an angel’s obedience; may we do Thy commandments and listen to the voice of Thy word. Cleanse us from all iniquity, purge us from sin, and use us in Thy service. Amen.
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
Dear Templar Brothers and Sisters,
I am reminding you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for this Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 9:00 pm EST.
During this session, we will be discussing Part 2 (Moses Leads the People to Freedom) Exodus 4-15
Some additional information about the text:
- Order in OT #2
- 40 Chapters
- Written around 1400 BCE
- Period Covering 1525-1400 BCE
- Authorship is attributed to Moses
- Cannon Type: History (Pentateuch)
If you would like to attend the stud... moreDear Templar Brothers and Sisters,
I am reminding you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for this Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 9:00 pm EST.
During this session, we will be discussing Part 2 (Moses Leads the People to Freedom) Exodus 4-15
Some additional information about the text:
- Order in OT #2
- 40 Chapters
- Written around 1400 BCE
- Period Covering 1525-1400 BCE
- Authorship is attributed to Moses
- Cannon Type: History (Pentateuch)
What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. — Matt 10:27
In the heart's secret, Christ often speaks in the night's darkness, “when deep sleep falleth upon men; there the Master tells us things in the darkness! To listen and obey will save us many a bitter hour.
We may question if it is His voice, but we are rarely wrong in detecting that Voice when it reminds us of duties we have omitted and calls on us to take up the cross... moreWhat I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. — Matt 10:27
In the heart's secret, Christ often speaks in the night's darkness, “when deep sleep falleth upon men; there the Master tells us things in the darkness! To listen and obey will save us many a bitter hour.
We may question if it is His voice, but we are rarely wrong in detecting that Voice when it reminds us of duties we have omitted and calls on us to take up the cross that we have shunned.
There is music, tenderness, and love notes in these dark sayings, like those upon the harp, of which the Psalmist sings (Psa 49:4); the Voice that utters them is not harsh and strident, but tender and gentle. They are intended to teach us how to teach, to enable us to help others who cannot understand these hidden things. As sensitive paper, we have to be taken into the dark to receive impressions that will give pleasure and help to hundreds who could never pass through our experiences.
Prayer
Lord, speak to me, that I may speak In living echoes of Thy tone; As Thou hast sought, so let me seek Thy erring children lost and lone. Amen.
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
He will restore us in a very short time; He will heal us in a little while, so that we may live in his presence. — Hos 6:2
For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. — 1 Cor 15:22
Death is the precursor of life, and we cannot truly reach Easter unless we first descend into the grave. Blessed are they who descend thither in hope; their soul shall not be left in the land of shadow, nor will God permit His holy ones to see corruption. God will revive them, and they s... moreHe will restore us in a very short time; He will heal us in a little while, so that we may live in his presence. — Hos 6:2
For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. — 1 Cor 15:22
Death is the precursor of life, and we cannot truly reach Easter unless we first descend into the grave. Blessed are they who descend thither in hope; their soul shall not be left in the land of shadow, nor will God permit His holy ones to see corruption. God will revive them, and they shall live. On the third day, our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, which is the world's foundation.
“Come, let us return unto the Lord.” There is always resurrection, hope, and joy for those who repent. True repentance is a humble return to God, and as we draw nigh to Him, He meets us with healing and salvation. The result of His coming is like the dawn or the spring rains. Light and joy, fertility and beauty are the immediate response of the soul to His advent.
Do you find yourself in the dark grave of circumstances? Be of good cheer. One of God’s angels is trying to roll away the stone. Though our Lord was crucified, yet on the third day God raised Him, and He lives and reigns at the right hand of God; and we also may live with Him, by the same power, not in the other world only, but in this. God will raise you, and you shall live in His sight. The best is yet to be!
“Let us follow on to know the Lord.” We may always count on Him. If there is any variation in our relations with Him, it is on our side, not on His. Just as we return to Him, we shall find Him coming to meet and greet and receive us with a glad welcome. When the prodigal was far off, his father saw him and ran to meet him! Is there any doubt about our reception? No, there cannot be! God our Father is always waiting for us. There is no variation in Him, and neither is the shadow cast by turning. As certainly as we count on the day-spring, may we count on God. Let your soul move towards Him out of the grave of doubt and despair, and He will be revealed on the third day—the Day of Resurrection.
Prayer
May our self-life be crucified with Christ, that His life may be manifest in us; and out of the grave may there spring a complete resemblance to our Risen Saviour, so that all may see in us daily evidence of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Amen 🙏🏻
Dear Templar Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for this Sunday, June 9, 2024, at 9:00 pm EST.
During this session, we will be discussing Part 2 (Moses Leads the People to Freedom) Exodus 4-15
Some additional information about the text:
- Order in OT #2
- 40 Chapters
- Written around 1400 BCE
- Time Period Covering 1525-1400 BCE
- Authorship is attributed to Moses
- Cannon Type: History (Pentateuch)
If you would like to att... moreDear Templar Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for this Sunday, June 9, 2024, at 9:00 pm EST.
During this session, we will be discussing Part 2 (Moses Leads the People to Freedom) Exodus 4-15
Some additional information about the text:
- Order in OT #2
- 40 Chapters
- Written around 1400 BCE
- Time Period Covering 1525-1400 BCE
- Authorship is attributed to Moses
- Cannon Type: History (Pentateuch)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. — John 15:16
It is a beautiful thing to hear these words from the lips of our Lord when we remember what the Devil said to Him at the beginning of His ministry (Luk 4:6). Evidently; the scepter had been wrested from the hand of the prince of this world. Our Lord is supreme in heaven and equally so on earth. He has authority over wind... moreYou did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. — John 15:16
It is a beautiful thing to hear these words from the lips of our Lord when we remember what the Devil said to Him at the beginning of His ministry (Luk 4:6). Evidently; the scepter had been wrested from the hand of the prince of this world. Our Lord is supreme in heaven and equally so on earth. He has authority over winds and waves, the natural world with its laws and elements, gold mines and harvest fields, and the minds and souls of all men whose precious blood has been purchased. It would greatly facilitate our obedience to His Command if we realized that the whole world is His by creation and redemption and that wherever we go throughout its vast territory, we are within His domains.
Notice the care with which Christ insists that those disciples should be taught to observe all His commands (Mat 28:20). He chose the Apostles to receive His commands, not for their own obedience alone, but that they might impress them upon others. Obedience is the law of spiritual growth and blessedness. Let us resolve, first, to observe whatsoever the Master has appointed and, second, to teach others to do the same. Whenever the task seems too great for our strength, let us remember the precious promise that He is with us always, as the margin puts it—“all the days,” Never a day can come with its demands, its call for dutiful obedience. Still, He will be at hand to bear our burden, help us by the right hand of His strength, and inspire us by the light of His face.
Christian life, after all, comes to this—how much will you obey Christ? If you refuse, you shut yourself out of His best, for He can do nothing for you or with you. But if you surrender yourself to obey, there is no limit to the usefulness and blessedness that must ensue (Gen 18:18-19). To live like this, we must abide in Him and allow His words, by meditation and prayer, to abide in us. Then obedience ceases to be an effort but is the fruit of an exuberant life.
Prayer
Please help us abide by our calling with Thee and detect Thy presence everywhere. May we realize that every place may be a temple, every duty service and that we are part of Thy great host, who do Thy bidding and hearkening to the voice of Thy word. Amen.
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
