Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Michael and all angels which is celebrated on the 29th day of September each year. Scripture records Michael, whose name literally means “Who is like unto God” in Hebrew, in the book of Daniel. Michael is referred to in a heavenly, perhaps theophanic vision, (meaning a type of seeing God Himself) as one of the “chief princes”, who engages in heavenly combat to aid in victory for God’s elect (Daniel 10:13- 21 and 12:1). In the book of Jude, it is Michael who contends with the devil, disputing over the body of Moses, not speaking a reviling word against him but simply saying “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 5, 9). In the book of Revelation, it is “Michael and his angels” who prevail over the dragon and his angels in the great heavenly war, casting the devil and his angels down to earth, for “they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:7-9)
People today have a lot of different and wrong minded ideas regarding the angelic spiritual beings which God has created. These wrong ideas all come about by ignoring Scripture. All too often people are led by their sentimentality, and pop Christian culture, rather than God’s Word in their misunderstandings. For example, it is particularly sad and wrong-minded when people believe that people who die become angels. I have heard this particularly said when a child dies that “heaven has received another angel”. This is sad not only because it’s incorrect, but because the position of a Christian believer who dies in the faith is higher than that of the created order of angels. It is nothing like the Christmas film: “It’s a Wonderful Life”… The reality is much better.
The angels of God were created by God for specific purposes. Every time they appear in Scripture it is in service and praise to God for the benefit of mankind. Angels are spiritual beings and do not possess bodies in the same way that we do. And when they are described in Holy Scripture, they are not described as fluffy feathery soft and feminine beings. They are fierce and mighty. They are portrayed as having multiple wings, faces, eyes, and are terrifying to behold. The angel who first approaches Daniel in the OT text is described: “His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.” But why is that? Because they are a terror to God’s enemies. They were and are used by God as a spiritual army to defend God’s people in their earthly battles and in heavenly spiritual matters that we cannot fully comprehend. The chief enemy is the Devil, himself a fallen angel, who dared with his band of fallen angels to rise up against God at some point after creation. Although the Devil is judged and now condemned. He is even more filled with wrath and hatred as we heard in the Revelation account. He is filled with hatred for God, His good creation, His people, His Church, the Truth, and Jesus Christ. Therefore, even now while there is time, he is constantly trying to twist, distract, detract, and destroy the Word of God and the faith of those who believe in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the testimony of God’s messengers.
Sometimes it feels lonely because we do not always see the truth of God’s power surrounding us here on earth. We often forget the reality of God’s ministering spirits for our sake. But this is nothing new. We only see what is going on with our own eyes and we grow discouraged or alone in our daily battle against Satan, the world, and our flesh.
Yet, God reveals that there is much that is going on beyond our limited sight for us, and so He has allowed for the occasional vision of heavenly glorious things to encourage not only those prophets and patriarchs who saw such visions, but through their testimony, us too. Through them, we learn of God’s continual providence and protection through His heavenly army of angels and archangels for us even now.
In our Old Testament text for next Sunday, in Genesis, the patriarch Jacob, falling asleep with his head on a stone, was shown a ladder connecting earth and heaven. On the ladder, ascending and descending, were the angels of God, His ministering spirits, coming and going before the King. Upon waking, Jacob fearfully confessed, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it… How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:16–17).
At another time, the king of Syria sent his army to capture the prophet Elisha, surrounding the city with chariots and horses. When the prophet’s servant saw the great host, he despaired. “Do not be afraid,” the prophet promised, “For those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16–17).
Things are not always as they seem. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). And we walk by faith in the Creator of all things visible and invisible (Nicene Creed). This creation includes invisible, incorporeal spirits, and they are closer than we know. The heavenly realm of spirits is not far away, but in and behind the physical realm we see. Humans are in both realms at the same time. What’s more, we as Christians, are to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), and even now we in the flesh wrestle against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).
So God sends His holy angels to keep watch over you, oh little one. (Matthew 18:10). He continues to send His Holy angels to watch over you and defend you, individually and together as His Church by the continued testimony of His message of Law and Gospel in preaching, teaching, and ministering of God’s Word.
Nowhere can this spiritual world be more firmly impressed upon the human conscience than in the Divine Service. Here you stand upon no mere plot of earth in any materialistic sense. You stand at the very gate of heaven, surrounded by armies of holy fire. The weight of this glory is almost palpable as the King of Heaven holds court on earth. It is no accident that we join the singing of the angelic choirs in both the Service of the Word and in the Service of the Sacrament. We join the angels in proclaiming and adoring the Lord we share.
The Gloria in Excelsis is the song the angels sang to the shepherds of Bethlehem at the birth of our Lord (Luke 2). In this way, they fulfilled their office as messengers of the Good News. They proclaimed the glory of God in Christ and His peace for sinners in the blood of the holy Child. How fitting then that we share this proclamation with the angels, first singing their words and then giving our attention to the Word of God in the liturgy. In the writings of the prophets and apostles, we hear the things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:12). While many of the holy angels have served as God’s heralds, announcing His promises to God’s people, it was ultimately to men that this message was committed. We are the ones addressed by the Lord and it is for our benefit. In joyful amazement the angels see mankind entrusted with the proclamation of their King.
But the angels witness an even greater glory in the Service of the Sacrament and, once again, we join their song. The Sanctus is the song of the seraphim always surrounding God’s throne. This song was first heard by the prophet Isaiah in Jerusalem’s temple (Is. 6), and again witnessed by the apostle John on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 4). But now, O God, your throne of grace is here, even at our altar, so with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Thy glorious name, evermore praising Thee and saying: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. The One who sits on the throne, adored by His angel hosts, is now with us in His very body and blood. These mighty beings of heavenly splendor must fall down in wonder as they behold us, in all our human frailty, welcomed by their God to commune with Him, closer, more intimately than they could ever hope. They behold him, but they do not share flesh and blood with Him as we do with Jesus Christ. They know Him, but He does not dwell in them, imparting to them His own divine nature. They live forever before Him, but the source of their life is not His holy body and precious blood that redeems, forgives, and sanctifies us, poor sinners as we are.
All of that, the full wealth of our Savior’s atonement, is not a gift for the holy angels. It is for us, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. But the angels are filled with joy for us. They are only glad to sing of the salvation their God worked for us. And they gladly join us in the King’s throne room, at the very gate of heaven here on earth. Rejoicing that 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 brothers has been thrown down. Satan is judged, His power to accuse removed.
When you are contending with sin and temptation, rebuke the devil and your flesh in the Lord’s name, and in that name you are victorious. As those who have been baptized, repented, absolved, and redeemed in the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ, rejoice and in awe come forth to the place where the Lamb joins us with the heavenly band, to show us the victory that is yet to be fully realized for us but already is, and so by faith in Him behold that which is written in LSB hymn 693:
“The cherubim, their faces veiled from light,
While saints in wonder kneel,
Sing praise to Him whose face with glory bright
No earthly masks conceal.
This sacrament God gives us Binds us in unity,
Joins earth to heav’n beyond us,
Time with eternity!”
Alleluia, Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas