A Knight's Blog

  “1 Jesus is risen! Let us sing! Praise to the everliving King! Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise him in song, ye Seraphim! Praise him with joy, ye Cherubim! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 2 On this most holy day of days, Let us together sing his praise! Alleluia! Alleluia! Raise joyful voices to the sky! Sing out, ye heavens, in reply: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 3 To God the Father let us sing, To God the Son, our risen King! Alleluia! Alleluia! And equally let us adore The Holy Spirit evermore! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!” Source:  Breaking Bread (Vol. 39)  These hymns sung by a choir never cease to convey the glory of our Lord and Savior. While the modern worship does a better job on the intimacy we share with The Risen Christ, hymns often capture the dignity, majesty, and might of the Lord. Each can serve a purpose. This Easter I struggle to find something new to say, some brilliant homily to bestow, and I have...

  The Medieval World was a very mystical and supernatural one. Their art coveys this in demon shaped gargoyles, Passion plays, and pilgrimages to holy places to get some holiness. Superstition was rampant as they saw their world as a nexus: the temporal where they fought flesh and blood, and the supernatural where they battled demons and evil spirits. At first glance our 21st Century might seem far apart from this period of mysticism, but the rise of interest in the occult and eastern religions has created a second coming of the Medieval spirit, along with that we are gravating to visual learning and information sharing over written text just as The Medieval people depended upon artwork, plays, statues, shrines, and sermons. The pulpit was once the YouTube channel, doors like Castle Church social media walls. There is so much about now that echoes The Middle Ages, even the surge of interest in exorcism and spiritual warfare, as demon slayers set up shop via Vlogs, and YouTube to te...

  We have different accounts about wither Jesus carried His own cross. The Gospel of John says, “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha),” (John 19:17), but other gospels record, “As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:26). So why do these accounts differ? They actually don’t, the bridge is in Matthew, “Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.” (Matthew 27:32). What we see is John records Jesus carrying His cross, Luke that Simon Cyrene carried it, but Matthew provides the key between the two: Jesus was carrying His cross and then along the Via Del Rosa The Romans made Simon Cyrene carry it; plainly Jesus carried his cross till The Romans came across Simon and had him carry it. The reasoning for why The Romans h...

  A Poem By Sir Pendragon  Everywhere I look, The Cross The World an Empty Loss  Like Gold Dross that drips on Moss The Fumes consume, as people Presume, this world a Tomb.  What lies ahead for people stuck in their heads? Their souls painted on touchscreens unable to understand.  When will The Cross appear, heralding the time is near? For this broken world to pass away, and in its place be raised a Kingdom of Glory—unending.  Man seeks immortality with his machines, when rather he should seek for the eternal meaning.  The Cross makes this world nought, the sparkle diminished in its shadow, exposing the charade and circuses that hold men captive.   Hate the manna of the day, Discipleship wains as people are busy about their important Things.  To be entertained the order of the day, as families give away their precious rays.  Calvary the mainstay, Christ the only Hope to rescue masses clamoring for the Rope.  Do you want go be H...

  Unlike Easter Sunday which caused fights between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox due to different calendars, we do not know who instituted Good Friday as a holiday, but we know the earliest date of the holy day is 100 A.D. according to some sources (The Gospel of John was written in 90 A.D.), and that by the 4th Century it was a fast day associated with the remembrance of Jesus’ Crucifixion, “Good Friday is the English designation of Friday in Holy Week . . . (the day) on which the Church keeps the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From the earliest times the Christians kept every Friday as a feast day; and the obvious reasons for those usages explain why Easter is the Sunday par excellence, and why the Friday which marks the anniversary of Christ's death came to be called    Good Friday.  Some say the term Good Friday is from Gottes Freitag; others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English." (The Catholic Encycl...

  I was thinking how in this world the rich and the powerful wear laurels of gold like the cesars, but our Lord wore a crown of thorns (John 19:5). In the same way as Christians we don a crown of thorns, of suffering. Oh prosperity teachers would have you believe we can have the golden laurels too, but they are wrong. I am reminded of those lyrics of DC Talk, “the high and lofty, they see me as weak, 'Cause I won't live and die for the power they seek.” (Jesus Freak). Our Lord did not promises riches and power here, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:19-21), and “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealt...

  Good Friday is almost upon and the tendency is to make it a dirge. If that is how you prefer to celebrate, in a somber and reflective state, that is fine. However, I propose singing one particular song that really captures what I believe  the “heart of worship,” should be on Good Friday. The lyrics are taken from The Book of Revelation, which might surprise some.  Here is the song:  Link:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lBkdha2jb6Q Verse 1 Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain Holy holy is He Sing a new song to Him Who sits on Heaven's mercy seat Chorus 1 Holy holy holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come With all creation I sing Praise to the King of kings You are my ev'rything And I will adore You Verse 2 Clothed in rainbows of living color Flashes of lightning rolls of thunder Blessing and honor strength and glory And power be to You the only wise King Chorus 1 Holy holy holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come With all creat...

  Unlike Christmas were The Nativity is at least featured among the folklore images of Santa and reindeer, Easter is all folklore. People do not tend to use religious iconography and decorations save perhaps Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. But why do we Protestants shirk from expressing the most important of holy days?  I think the idea of making a decoration of Christ carrying his cross or rising from The Tomb in the middle of floral arrangement would be neat! Now these need not be displayed outside on the front door unless you wish; the point is to draw attention to the meaning of Easter, which is not the Easter Bunny…  Other ideas is you could use Lamb stuffed animals to represent Jesus as the Lamb of God, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) for kids, or buy one of those Jesus plushies Hallmark sells. The point is to draw attention to the importance of this holiest of ...