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'Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) December 21, 2025
An angel appears to Joseph in a dream and reassures him, a scene from today's Gospel, by Wilhelmina Geddes, 1920, a studio piece now in the Stained… pic.twitter.com/UmWF9nRGcj
O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?
For neither before were there any like you, nor will there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem, why do you marvel at me?
The thing which you behold is a divine mystery.
Virgin Mary with Eleven Angels,
— Solas (@solas_na_greine) September 24, 2025
from the Wilton Diptych,
Anonymous, circa 1395 pic.twitter.com/80pxvOnI65
Almighty Father, whose blessed Son at his coming amongst us brought redemption unto his people, and peace to men of goodwill: Grant that, when he shall come again in glory to judge the world and to make all things new, we may be found ready to receive him, and enter into his joy; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ.
Aurora last night Nairn beach Scotland pic.twitter.com/HZMULOPm6v
— graham ross (@grahamr27165817) December 23, 2025
Hannah also prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in thy salvation.
“There is none holy like the Lord,
there is none besides thee;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones;
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might shall a man prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed.”
–1 Samuel 2:1-10
Only 2 days to go until Christmas in my Top 10 Christmas Countdown, where I'm sharing one of my own favourite Peak District festive photos every day until the big day.
— peaklass (@peaklass1) December 23, 2025
Sometimes it’s not about photographing the view. Sometimes it's about trying to capture the silence, the… pic.twitter.com/A3NdUpalR1
The group most incensed by the trial’s outcome are ACNAtoo survivors—women abused by Rivera, who is currently incarcerated for his crimes. They believe the verdict overlooks Bishop Ruch’s failure to exercise due diligence.
“[We] feel denied and crushed by the verdict that found the bishop not guilty of multiple charges,” their statement read. “It is devastatingly clear that if an abuse victim wants to report abuse in the ACNA, they must now bear the additional burden of ensuring they are not perceived as being ‘captured’ by narratives the ACNA deems illegitimate.”
They argue the verdict is “rife with easily refutable claims.”
“This verdict comes 6.5 years after Rivera’s nine-year-old victim initially disclosed her sexual abuse. This girl, now 16, has waited more than a third of her life for closure from a church system and leaders that repeatedly failed her. She could not even participate in the Husch Blackwell investigation because the ACNA refused to commission an investigation that did not jeopardize her criminal case against Rivera.”
They assert that ACNA has relegated survivors’ stories to the category of propaganda, demonstrating how the province views those it claims to protect.
'Reform theologian and historian Dean Chuck Collins recounts the abuse of his oldest daughter who was emotionally groomed and manipulated starting at age 17, and then sexually abused when she was “of age.”
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 22, 2025
“If you have been sexually abused, do not bother reporting it to your…
Delay to the House of Bishops’ final decision on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process (News, 16 December) has been criticised by campaigners on both sides of the argument.
The national director of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Canon John Dunnett, said that the statement issued by Church House on Tuesday “reads like an admission of ‘Groundhog Day’.”
LLF was “eroding the collegiality of the House of Bishops and their ability to lead”, he said, and called for the Bishops to “either halt the project” or reconsider proposals for structural changes to the Church of England.
A form of “delegated episcopal ministry” to provide reassurance to opponents of the changes brought by LLF were rejected by the Bishops at their meeting in October (News, 15 October, 17 October).
The delay to the House of Bishops’ final decision on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process has been criticised by campaigners on both sides of the argument#llf #sexuality #samesexmarriage #churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/8cQdJOMkVf
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) December 22, 2025
In 2016, Beijing launched a new aerospace conglomerate called Aero Engine Corp. of China. It had a challenging mandate: to develop top-line aircraft engines, a technology China had long struggled to master.
Less than a decade later, Beijing’s newest stealth fighters are entering service with what officials call “Chinese hearts,” or indigenously made engines.
The progress marked a milestone in China’s quest to forge an arms industry worthy of a rising global power. For years, China’s rise obscured a sobering reality: It couldn’t make all its own weapons.
Beijing is now not only producing its own armaments, it is also selling more abroad. In some military technologies, China appears to be matching major arms producers such as Russia and the U.S., or even pulling ahead.
The ability to churn out advanced armaments is a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s vision of making his country less reliant on the outside world for everything from food and energy to semiconductors. A more self-sufficient China is essential for preventing Western nations from locking it into a strategic stranglehold, Xi has argued.
How Beijing Built Arms Industry to Rival the West—New jet engines show results of China’s military self-sufficiency push@ByChunHan https://t.co/KKed5vXiO0https://t.co/KKed5vXiO0
— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) December 22, 2025
Almighty and everliving God, who didst strengthen thine apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in thy Son’s resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in thy sight; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
It's the feast of Saint Thomas.
— Mark Werling (@MarkWerling5) December 21, 2025
According to Eusebius, he was a missionary to Parthia (Iran). Early tradition also places him in India. His statue at San Giovanni in Rome. #FeastDay #StThomas #Eusebius pic.twitter.com/a10bQygrf8
Lord God Almighty, King of glory and love eternal, worthy art thou at all times to receive adoration, praise, and blessing; but especially at this time do we praise thee for the sending of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, for whom our hearts do wait, and to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, be honour and dominion, now and for ever.
—Prayers for the Christian Year (SCM, 1964)
#AdventAngels In Cramond Kirk, part of Edinburgh Northwest Kirk. By Alexander Strachan, brother of Douglas. pic.twitter.com/0Z8jbFVnK0
— Nancy Johnston (@jeelyeater1) December 22, 2025
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has cast out your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear evil no more.
–Zephaniah 3:14-15
Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar, window 22
— Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) December 22, 2025
Durham Cathedral
Artist: SRBadmin pic.twitter.com/urdZ2Iy18u
Lord, open our hearts to your grace.
Through the angel’s message to Mary
we have learned to believe in the incarnation of Christ your Son:
lead us by his passion and cross
to the glory of his resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Gorgeous! The Annuncation by Justus Amman de Ravensburg at Santa Maria de Castello, Genoa, shows a piece on the wall. Mary wears rings with embroidery hooks and the blue/white threads are in the basket behind Gabriel. pic.twitter.com/7fRRM6u6q4
— Dr Nicola Lowe (@church_art_hist) September 18, 2018
And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
–Revelation 12:1-10
Guido Reni, “Saint Michael the Archangel Defeating Satan” (1635) in Santa Maria della Concezione de Cappuccini, Rome. This Capuchin church was designed by A. Cassoni in 1626 and finished in 1631. pic.twitter.com/RIoAAgrVsI
— Mike Bowman (@mobozzen) September 29, 2025
Almighty God, who didst call thy servant Katharina von Bora from a cloister to work for the reform of thy church, grant that all of us may go wherever thou dost call, and serve however thou dost will, for thy honor and glory and for the welfare of thy whole church. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.
29 January 1499: b. Katharina Von Bora, 'die Lutherin', became the ex-nun wife of ex-friar Martin Luther. She was, when she married him, a former #Cistercian nun: 'I feel neither passionate love nor burning … but I cherish her', said he. But they made a very good go of it. pic.twitter.com/SL4kUfmAux
— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) January 29, 2025
We beseech thee, O Lord, to purify our consciences by thy daily visitation; that when thy Son our Lord cometh, he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Einen schönen Samstag wünsche ich dir liebe Hannelore ❄️ pic.twitter.com/MwwstYhcLd
— Renate Umundum (@RUmundum) December 20, 2025
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord.”
–Zechariah 8:14-17
Bit of a foggy start to the morning here! pic.twitter.com/JZ30PXBI16
— David Oxtaby (@Disc_light) December 20, 2025
It is not my habit to comment on the contents of sermons in this blog. However, the Dean of St Edmundsbury, The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, used his sermon at St Edmundsbury Cathedral last Sunday to comment on the Living in Love and Faith process[1] and it seemed to me to be important not to let the points he made about this subject go unchallenged.
The Dean makes five points in relation to the LLF process, and I shall consider each of them in turn.
The first point he makes is that he feels able to affirm:
‘… with heartfelt certainty, that although I get it wrong pretty regularly and need to hearken to the Baptist’s cry to repent, who I am in my creation, is essentially what God intended. That I am not an aberration, a mistake on God’s part, but, like all of you, a gift from God, and trying in my life, to be a gift back to God through loving service.’
The question that this statement raises is who the Dean thinks God created him to be. If he means that his creation as a male human being made in the image and likeness of God is willed by God and is ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31), I don’t think that there is anybody in the Church of England, even those who the Dean calls ‘hard line fundamentalists,’ who would disagree with him.
If, however, what the Dean means is that he was created by God to be a gay man then there would be many who would rightly disagree with him. This because, to quote Sean Doherty (who is himself same-sex attracted):
‘God did not create straight women, straight men, gay women and gay men. God created two sexes, with the capacity to relate to one another sexually.’ [2]
This truth is taught in the creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 and, as Paul notes in Romans 1:26-27, it is also taught by nature in the sense that the observation of human biology teaches us that human beings have bodies that are designed to engage into the kind of ‘one flesh’ sexual union with a member of the opposite sex that has the capacity to produce offspring.
In the light of this truth the Pauline teaching that same-sex sexual attraction and the same-sex sexual activity that results from it are a result of the Fall makes perfect sense. If human beings are created to have sex with members of the opposite sex, it follows that desires and actions that are contrary to this must be seen not as a reflection of God’s original creative intention, but as a result of the distortion of the created order consequent upon demonic and human rebellion against God.
I have just published a new blog post, 'Why the cupboard is bare – a response to the reflections of the Dean of St Edmundsbury'https://t.co/fzxq2YZ4wr
— Martin Davie (@MartinBDavie) December 13, 2025
What I saw on Bondi was pure evil. The terror, screams and lifeless bodies. It felt like the Nova Music Festival all over again, except this time it was on the beach I’d grown up on—an Australian sanctuary. I’d moved my family here to escape war and was taking up a new job to help combat antisemitism.
Over the past two years, that scourge has surged unabated. The Jewish community has warned time and again that when hatred is allowed to fester, when it is excused, normalized or mainstreamed, it inevitably leads to violence. The Bondi attack is the deadly manifestation of the failures to heed those calls.
The warning signs were impossible to miss. On Oct. 9, 2023, while Jewish bodies were still being identified in Israel, crowds gathered outside the Sydney Opera House chanting: “Where are the Jews?” Synagogues have since been firebombed, schools have required heightened security, and families have been harassed. Each incident has been met with predictable statements of concern, promises of review and assurances of action. None came. If the horrors of last week are not to be repeated, Bondi must become a turning point.
Australia doesn’t need another inquiry, strategy document or press release expressing sorrow. We need urgent, decisive action. Our laws must be enforced. Incitement must have consequences. Intelligence must be acted on and radical Islamic extremism must be confronted, not managed.
Hanukkah teaches us that light isn’t inevitable. We must defend it. If Australia wishes to remain a country where Jewish life can flourish openly and safely, this moment must change us all, writes @Ostrov_Ahttps://t.co/ESem8brzKS
— Wall Street Journal Opinion (@WSJopinion) December 18, 2025
The Sandford St Martin Trust has welcomed the review by the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, of the BBC’s Royal Charter, but recommended reinstatement of the Corporation’s obligations to represent the UK’s diverse belief communities.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Trust called for “formal opportunities for representatives of faith communities to participate meaningfully in the public consultation as part of the Charter Review”.
It also urged the BBC to commit itself to commissioning and making available “programming and content that reflect the full diversity” of the UK. It cited 2023 Ofcom data, which included the finding of a 42-per-cent decline between 2010 and 2022 in the time devoted to religion and ethics programmes by public-service broadcasting networks.
“This included near-zero provision from Channels 4 or 5, raising concerns about religious literacy, cultural understanding and representation,” the Trust said.
The @sandfordawards has welcomed the review by the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, of the BBC’s Royal Charter, but recommended reinstatement of the Corporation’s obligations to represent the UK’s diverse belief communities#BBC #RoyalCharter #DonaldTrumphttps://t.co/Jl7np1og8c
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) December 17, 2025
In this final week of Advent, as I’m trying to focus my heart and mind on the glorious celebration of Christ’s birth, I’m finding my thoughts diverted away from the incarnation to issues concerning the recent verdict and order in the trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch.
I know many of you are in the same place. I get it.
There are plenty of questions and concerns about the way the trial was handled, what was and was not included, and what was implied in the order. Those of us in diocesan leadership are attending closely and have already been working on how we might respond.
That said, while the administrative and canonical challenges of our province are significant, we have to remember that they are not “the main thing.”
As we come to Christmastide, I am urging you—as your bishop—to set these concerns aside for a brief season….
The Bishop of the #Anglican Diocese of #southcarolina–'There are plenty of questions and concerns about the way the trial was handled, what was and was not included, and what was implied in the order. Those of us in diocesan leadership are attending closely and have already been… pic.twitter.com/mKB4EVKT2F
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 19, 2025
God, whose everlasting arms support the universe: We offer thanks for moving the heart of Lillian Trasher to heroic hospitality on behalf of orphaned children in great need, and we pray that we also may find our hearts awakened and our compassion stirred to care for thy little ones, through the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and by the energy of thy Holy Spirit, who broodest over the world as a mother over her children; for they live and reign with thee, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Três meses após sua chegada ao Egito, um bebê, cuja mãe tinha falecido, foi entregue aos cuidados da missionária Lillian Trasher (1887-1961), e assim começou o Orfanato de Asyut fundado pela missionária Lillian Trasher. pic.twitter.com/TbXTdZPHpy
— Daiane Cavalcante (@DaianeF007) March 25, 2024
O Almighty Father, fountain of light and salvation, we adore thine infinite goodness in sending thy only begotten Son into the world that, believing in him, we may not perish but have everlasting life; and we pray thee that, through the grace of his first advent to save the world, we may be made ready to meet him at his second advent to judge the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar
— Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) December 19, 2025
Window 19
‘December’ (1955)
Artists: Edith Hilder, Rowland Hilder pic.twitter.com/3WzGIxDeBG
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
–Revelation 5:6-14
Glen Orchy, Scottish Highlands pic.twitter.com/rj1jcViNCk
— YorkshireLass (@MaureenPlatts) December 18, 2025
The court also assigned minimal weight to the testimony of two prosecution witnesses, stating they “had not participated in diocesan leadership” and “possessed no firsthand knowledge” of Bishop Ruch’s conduct.
Speaking with The Living Church, both witnesses disputed this characterization. The first witness served for almost two years on the diocese’s standing committee and two of its subcommittees, and the second witness led in creating a deanery child protection policy, then served on a diocesan task force to create its first protective standards in the aftermath of the Rivera disclosure.
“The [court decision] states again and again that too much of the testimony on the prosecution side was secondhand, based on emotion or opinion rather than on firsthand experience,” the first witness told TLC. “First of all, that’s false, and second of all, it’s really offensive to see misrepresentations of one’s service in the official record.”
“The court’s description of the development of safeguarding in the [Upper Midwest] does not comport with my experience as a Pastor to Children and Families in the diocese for nearly two decades,” the second witness added.
Ruch’s defense witnesses included five bishops, who testified that Ruch acted “in accordance with safeguarding expectations” and did not exhibit “patterns of neglect or inattentiveness.”
A series of priests, deacons, and laypeople from the diocese also testified, persuading the court with respect to the charge that Ruch habitually promoted abusive ministers – some of whose backgrounds included solicitation of a prostitute and second-degree attempted murder, and some of whom reoffended – was not negligence but “difficult and imperfect work of assisting fallen men and women who sought vocational calling” that Ruch undertook with sincerity.
New for @Livng_Church: The ACNA court's ruling in the matter of Bp Stewart Ruch, its first ever acquittal, followed a decision to set aside two of three independent investigations and to admit additional evidence. https://t.co/YMgjiZQkOH
— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) December 19, 2025
President Trump vowed on Saturday to retaliate against the Islamic State after an attack in central Syria killed two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter, the first American casualties in the country since the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year.
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There will be very serious retaliation.”
The soldiers were supporting counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, when they came under fire from a lone gunman, according to American officials. Syrian security forces subsequently killed the gunman, American and Syrian officials said.
3 Americans Killed in ISIS Attack in Syria, Trump Says, Vowing to Retaliatehttps://t.co/HfAjRZka0C
— Hussam Hammoud | حسام (@HussamHamoud) December 14, 2025
Chinese intelligence is continuing a massive hack of US telecom networks in a cyber campaign that allows it to access the communications of almost every American, according to a top Democratic senator. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee who recently got a briefing on the extensive cyber campaign known as “Salt Typhoon”, said China was still infiltrating the US system.
“I believe they are still inside [our networks],” Warner told a Defense Writers Group event. Warner said he received a “really frustrating” government briefing with conflicting accounts about the Trump administration’s response to Salt Typhoon. According to the senator, the FBI said US networks were “pretty clean” despite contradictory evidence from several intelligence agencies.
“Other parts of our community are saying, ‘Hell no, it’s still going on’,” said Warner, who added that he had eight documents from agencies raising concerns about Salt Typhoon which has been ongoing for at least two years. “It is baffling to me that this is not a bigger issue,” said Warner, who lamented that it might take some kind of “catastrophic event” before the US government became more serious about tackling Salt Typhoon.
US has failed to stop massive Chinese cyber campaign, warns senator https://t.co/XvpxOYEqVp
— Financial Times (@FT) December 12, 2025
‘We are aware that an assessment such as we request raises practical questions and anxiety about what might be revealed. We ask you to remember alongside us that, in the words of our Lord, “there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” [Luke 8:17]’.
Out of love for the church and concern over the crisis, scandal, and abuse; we call for a fully independent, third-party assessment in the ACNA.
— anglicanrenewal (@anglicanrenewal) December 17, 2025
We invite all current or former ACNA clergy and laity to read and sign our open letter: https://t.co/NFEbBmH7p6
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
Wir wünschen allen einen schönen und gemütlichen 3. Advent! ✨ pic.twitter.com/BOpttptt1A
— Senatskanzlei Berlin (@RegBerlin) December 14, 2025
O Lord our God, in whose hands is the issue of all things, and who requirest from thy stewards not success but faithfulness: Give us such faith in thee and in thy sure purposes, that we measure not our lives by what we have done or failed to do, but by our obedience to thy holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)
Guten Morgen mit einer kleinen Winterimpression, heute aus Slowenien. #Slowenien pic.twitter.com/DLE77Z6VDb
— Thomas Stiegler (@StieglerThomas) December 18, 2025
And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps which are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerub′babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub′babel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerub′babel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub′babel.
“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And a second time I said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the oil is poured out?” He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
–Zechariah 4:1-14
Loch mood pic.twitter.com/L8scowifO1
— Paul Willson (@pauljwillson) December 18, 2025