Reflections on: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

It kind of has a haunting tune...reverent one might say. Such a neat song. The third verse has such a neat perspective, much different that what I normally think of during Advent. While His coming was the greatest gift, its more than just a cute story of a baby in a manger. His coming was also the final move in the cosmic battle between God and Satan. He uses battle imagery throughout Scripture, and its reflected in that verse. The vanguard is the first line of troops that go into battle. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the angels who, way more than we, understand what was at stake, and what it meant for the "Light of light" to descend from heaven to become a man. Imagine escorting the King of Kings down from heaven as he goes from All-powerful to the most vulnerable. Gives me chills...

Something to meditate on as we enter the advent season...