Michael and All Angels
Daniel 10:10–14; 12:1–3; Psalm 103:1–5, 20–22; Revelation
12:7–12; Luke 10:17–20
Today, we celebrate angels, regular
angels and the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Many people doubt
the existence of angels, but even the Bible tells us they are real, mostly
invisible beings.
Before we get to today’s texts about
angels, let’s talk about angels in popular culture. Our culture tells us angels
appear to us in human form with divine power; they are helpful, teachers, help lead
to God.
Name some TV shows and movies about
angels, or where angels play a large part. Touched
by an Angel; Highway to Heaven; It’s a Wonderful Life; Angels in the Outfield. …
What else do people believe about
angels from the culture? Guardian angels;
we become angels when we die; angel on one shoulder, devil on the other; angel
of death guides us into next life.
We hear stories about angels pulling
people out of crushed cars, flying next to airplanes, appearing out of nowhere
to save human lives. Guideposts magazine includes lots of these stories.
… Let’s compare these cultural images
with the images we find in scripture, in today’s texts, and a few more. The
first image I want to use comes from Genesis. Abraham and Sarah offer
hospitality to three visitors who are later identified as the Lord and two
angels. The visitors promise Sarah that within a year she will have a baby.
Daniel is in exile in Babylon,
struggling to find his way as a Jew in a Gentile culture. Things get tough, and
he wonders how he will manage. Suddenly, a heavenly being appears and touches him.
The angel speaks: ‘I have been with the angel prince of Persia, who detained me
for three weeks, or I would have been here sooner. Finally, Michael, an angel
prince, came to help me, so I could come to you. I bring you good news about
the future of your people, Israel. You will be delivered, and those who are
faithful will shine like stars in God’s book of life.’ (Pastor Lynn’s
paraphrase)
In the Psalm, angels are described as
mighty ones, who do God’s bidding, who obey the Lord. We should join the angels
in blessing and praising God.
In Revelation, the angels are engaged
in cosmic warfare against the evil one and his angels. God’s angels are
victorious, the text claims, because of the blood of the Lamb – in other words
-- because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This battle happens outside
of the human realm, in God’s heavenly sphere.
At Jesus’ birth the angels sing as they
share the news with the shepherds. At the tomb, there is an angel, or several
angels depending on the Gospel, who give the message to Mary and the other
women that Jesus is not there, he has been raised.
So, angels in scripture are messengers
between God and humans, and cosmic warriors against evil powers. They are
heavenly, spiritual beings, who do God’s bidding. They are above us humans in
rank, or put differently, we are a little lower than them.
… The image of angels in our Gospel
text is different. The disciples have just returned from their mission trip,
when they were send out two-by-two. They are excited to tell Jesus and the
other disciples about their experiences of healing the ill and casting out
demons. The disciples return from their mission trip amazed that they have
access to such power.
It is from this text that we get the
image of Satan as a fallen angel, although Satan is not called an angel. Jesus says,
‘I saw Satan falling like a flash of lightning.’ The Greek verb tense for
falling gives the sense that Satan was falling over and over again in the same
way that lightning flashes again and again. While in the cosmic sense, Satan
has been defeated, in the human realm, Satan’s evil powers continue to plague
and deceive us. Satan needs to be defeated again and again.
It’s in the gospel text that we get the
answer to the “So what?” question. After this brief exploration of angels, “so
what” does it mean for us that angels exist? The disciples return from their
mission trip excited about the power they have experienced to heal. Yet, Jesus
cautions them to rejoice, not in the power, but that their names are written in
heaven.
The “so what” for us is that we should
not spend a lot of time looking for angels, but that we should focus on
allowing God’s power to flow through us to reach others. Today, we can be the
angel messengers, bringing God’s message of hope to those who need some hope. We
can tell others about Jesus’ love for them, trusting that God’s Holy Spirit
will help us speak, and will also help them listen to our words.
Watch for times this week to be an
angel to someone in need, appearing in unexpected ways at unexpected times, to
share God’s love. You may save a life or change the world they live in, just by
daring to be their angel for a moment.
Please pray with me. Almighty God, your
angels fight against evil, empowered by the blood of the Lamb. Your angels
appear out of nowhere to bring words of hope and mercy to us and all who need
it. Show us when we can be like angels and give good news and hope to your
people. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
