#GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

[inspiredbyjesuslove]

[daedalusbirk]

The continued success of my debut novel, “Rewind Hero”, helps with the anxiety of releasing my second book, currently untitled (!), late this month (February) or early next month (March). Follow @DaedalusBirk on all platforms, except Reddit, where I’m daedalus_birk

[queenlucythevaliant]

Your posts on faith & science reminded me of this other post on angels being anything that carries out a message or mission for God, and that these can include forces of nature. I have it reblogged on my own blog here: https://mademoiseli.tumblr.com/post/667665278990155776/copperbadge-headspace-hotel-lazarusemmaan. I wonder have you come across it, and what's your take on something like that?

Huh. Okay. For others' reference (and so that I can look at while I write), here's a screenshot of the post in question:

So I tend to think that contemporary popular culture takes way too many liberties with Biblical angels, ironically often in the name of adhering closely to what's "Biblically accurate." This is... not that, but it kind of feels like it's coming from the same place? "Wow, angels are neat; wouldn't it be cool if they...?"

Don't get me wrong, I definitely understand the poetic appeal of this idea. The concept of the Angel of Glycosidic Linkages or somesuch is thought-provoking and compelling. My biggest problem is that this just. Isn't in the Bible? And note that Midrash=\= Biblical canon in Christianity, since Rabbi Abramowitz mentions it.

I mean, for one thing I think that "anything that carries out a mission from God" is way too broad a description for what angels are/do. A quick search on Gospel Coalition defines angels as "spiritual beings who were created by God before the world was created for the purposes of worshipping him and accomplishing his will." I'd elaborate that they're created to declare and reflect God's glory, albeit in a different manner than humans are.

That's just fundamentally different than what natural forces were created to do: to act on the world in predictable ways as part of a system. Natural forces are awesome I think in large part because they are regular, measurable, and mundane. They're not miraculous in the extraordinary sense; they just are. God made rules for the universe and He follows His own rules. That's super cool! He sustains the universe in every moment, but equally he set in motion processes that can sustain themselves when you view the world as a closed system. Again, pretty awesome!

I'm not discounting the possibility that angels are involved natural phenomena in some capacity or another; the Bible doesn't tell us as much about angels as I think most of us would like to know. But given what God has revealed about angels, I don't see this idea anywhere in the text of Scripture. Thus, I think conflating angels with natural forces is more likely to cause theological error than it is to provide any real insight.

Plus like. As compelling an image as the Glycosidic Linkages Angel is, aren't glycosidic linkages cool enough on their own? Don't they already declare the glory of God without there needing to be an angel involved?

[elijones94]

🌟 Some of the kids from last summer’s talent exploration camp gave the congregation a short play of The Nativity. 🎄🌟

[wiirocku]

Luke 2:14 (NKJV) - “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

[silverserpent]

OKAY SO

Tomorrow, me, @atak-achrativ and @freshlybakedpigeons are going to stream Star-spawned, roleplay made by @prokopetz!

EDIT: time will be at 6:30 Central European Time!

This is a GMless roleplay. The core concept is that we are playing eldritch beings who were just born, therefore we have no idea about what our stats mean.

So, we are applying the scientific method to it. We are gonna make hypotheses and test them. We are very smart eldritch beings.

[sealmonger]

John 17:15-19 NIV

"My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

[slaanxsh]

"For Slaanesh's servants, war is simply a fetish" No wonder the Khornates fucking hate them

[rainintheevening]

Got invited to a Christmas concert today, and it was wonderous. First time ever seeing a live orchestra. The church was gorgeous. All the music was so well put together.

Truly a glorious entry into the Advent season.

[flecks-of-stardust]

i'm going to sob whenever i listen to reflection of the moon

[otouchofgracedimpartialkind-blog]

[tom4jc]

December 14, 2023 Give Thanks

[dovey28]

whys he hitting the baby jesus position

This picture of baby Cal scares the absolute SHAT outta me ‼️

[wiirocku]

Luke 2:14 (NKJV) - “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

[evilminji]

So I was rewatching suicide squad hell to pay and this idea smacked me in the face so hard I had to share it: when Danny finds out Jazz wants to go to GothamU he does a bunch of research and finds that the joker has the highest death tolls and property damage but also when he’s not in Arkham (even when he’s not actively committing a crime) the crime rate skyrockets, so he needs to at the very least remove the joker from the equation. But he can’t personally do it because of school/king stuff/reasons so he sends out a message to any & all takers “make the joker disappear” the prize… One Get Out of Hell Free Card: It Won’t Get You Into Heaven, But At Least You Won’t Be In Hell…. Needless to say a greater part of the underworld descends upon Gotham.

Oh my god? It's probably delivered be a dead info broker who was THE SHIT until he went out in a blaze of glory? Dude rocks up into [REDACTED] looking not a day over 20, in the suit he was killed in, bullet holes and all, Glowing... like?

Boys, do I have a DEAL for you! Straight from the king of Limbo!

Like? Sold! Limited power boost in life? AND I get to avoid hell? Plus?? A valid reason to do the world a FAVOR and put down that MONSTER of a clown? They would have done far worse for less. But this? This is just Christmas.

You'd probably get tons of "hey, what if me an my boo do it TOGETHER?" Too which Danny is like "gonna say it counts, happy hunting!" And just? You thought Ivy wanted him dead BEFORE?

The underworld is ON FIRE. The clown is GOING to die.

Morningstar is laughing himself sick from the other side of this booth at the night club. Is a TERRIBLE influence. But honestly? Danny DID need the advice. And hey, if things continue to be a mess when it's time for Jazz's classes to start? She can do remote learning! From NOT gotham! Literally ANY CITY but Gotham!

Everybody wins!

[beloved-of-john]

I'm so genuinely heartened to see Pope Francis make this statement for the dignity and sanctity of Palestinian life.

The "Nativity of Bethlehem 2024" unveiled by Pope Francis, crafted by Palestinian artisans from Bethlehem, shows the infant Jesus laying on a Keffiyeh.

Around the star of Bethlehem above are the words "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14) in both Latin and Arabic.

The Pope also made this statement:

It's so important this Advent to remember that Jesus was a Palestinian Jew, and that there is an ongoing genocide against the very people through which He came to us. We cannot contemplate Biblical Bethlehem without remembering the horrors that plague modern day Bethlehem.

On a personal note, as a trans Catholic-in-training, I've been pretty disappointed with Pope's public statements recently on issues such as trans rights, so I'm glad to see him make a stance on the right side of history.