Sustained by the Holy Angels of God

It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should give all thanks and praise to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for His precious and merciful work in establishing His Church in this place and preserving this congregation of His people for the past 175 years, and continuing to this day! Indeed, we join with the angels and archangels and all the hosts of heaven, including all the saints who have gone before us from this place to the nearer presence of Christ, in praising the Lord for His faithfulness over these past seven generations, and for the promise of His loving-kindness to generations yet to come, who by His grace will learn to love Him and to live by faith in His Word. 

It is by His grace alone that you are here (each of you and all of you together), and by His grace alone that you remain and persevere — by the Means of His Grace and the Ministry of His Gospel through the agency of His faithful servants, both heavenly and human.

For all that, the devil and his wicked angels hate you on account of Christ Jesus, your Savior, the incarnate Son of God. That old dragon despises each one of you as a child of God in Christ, and all of you together as members of the Body and Bride of Christ. Indeed, the more faithful you are, the more the devil spites and despises you in body and soul, as well as your whole congregation.

By the same token, St. Michael and all the holy angels love and serve you for the sake of your dear Lord Jesus Christ; for He has become like you, Flesh of your flesh and Blood of your blood, by His conception and birth from the Blessed Virgin Mary; and so has He also, in turn, raised you up and recreated you to be like Him, a participant in His divine nature by grace through faith in Him, by His Word and Holy Spirit. Consequently, the holy angels see Christ the Lord in you — He who is the very Image and Likeness of God in the Flesh — in whose truly human face both they and we behold the light of the revelation of the glory of God the Father.

All of which drives the devil to fury and great wrath, utterly consumed by envy and jealousy, by his pride and self-conceit. He does not consider it appropriate or fitting that God should become Man, nor that man should be exalted above the majestic and powerful angels. So consumed by his envy and driven to rage by his pride, the devil is relentless in his assaults and accusations against you. He would do anything to remove you from the favor of God. Hence, he is called “Satan,” the accuser. And to that very end he tempts you to sin in every way that he can — he tempts you to turn away from God, to fear, love, and trust in anything and everything else! And then, quick as a wink, the devil is the first in line to accuse you of the very sins into which he has tempted you!

To say it again, the devil hates you. And the bottom line is that he is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. But because he masquerades as an angel of light, and because your own heart, mind, and soul are sinful and unclean, you are too easily deceived and misled into the devil’s snares.

Beware of succumbing to the envy and jealousy, the pride and conceit such as the devil has. Do not despise your neighbor, nor tempt him, nor resent the grace of God in Christ for your neighbor. Rather, as the Lord has taught you, love and serve Christ Jesus in your neighbor, and especially in your fellow Christians, your brothers and sisters in the family of God. Thereby you become an “angel” of Christ Jesus to your neighbor, a messenger of peace and joy and the grace of God.

Where you have despised any of His “little ones” (of any age) — any of those who believe and are baptized into Him — wherever you have caused them to stumble and to fall, Repent. Cut off such temptations and sins altogether, not by mutilating your body, but by disciplining your flesh, your eyes, your heart and mind. Be drowned and destroyed in the depths of your Holy Baptism, along with your Satanic old Adam and all your evil lusts and desires, by daily contrition and repentance.

Confess your sins, and avail yourself of God’s good gift of Holy Absolution from your pastors. For they are angels of God in the flesh, called and sent to give you His good gifts of the Gospel.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, your Maker and Redeemer. Humble yourself to be and live like a little child who must rely upon your Father for absolutely everything, beginning with grace, with mercy and forgiveness. Humble yourself under God, and rejoice that He raises you up from the depths of the sea and the dust of the earth to shine like the stars of heaven with the pure and perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus, your Savior.

Humble yourself, and do not rely upon yourself but upon the Lord your God. And pray. Pray in the confidence of the Cross and Resurrection of your merciful and great High Priest, Christ Jesus. For in Him — by His Cross and in His bodily Resurrection from the dead — every prayer of faith has already been answered, “Yes, and Amen!” once and for all. For you!

The Lord hears and answers your prayer in love, by His grace. The Father hears and answers your prayer for the sake of Christ, His beloved and well-pleasing Son. In Him, indeed, you are beloved and well-pleasing, as well, and there is no good thing that your Father in heaven shall withhold from you. He hears and answers your prayer. He responds in love, always, and He serves you by the means of His good creation.

That is a pivotal point to this day and occasion, to the Feast of St. Michael & All Angels, and to the celebration of your anniversary as a congregation of the Lord’s Church on earth:

The Lord God serves you by the means of His good creation. That is why there are such things as the holy angels. Not because God needed a “helping hand,” but because He delights to serve His creatures with His creation, with His creatures. And so He serves you by His good creation, by the agency of His ministers, the holy angels; and by the human angels (or messengers) whom He calls, ordains, and sends in His Name as your pastors; and by the created elements that He employs with His Word, the waters of Holy Baptism, the bread and the wine of the Holy Communion, which are the very Body and Blood of Christ Jesus.

By these Means of Grace — by these means of creation — according to and with the Word of God, you are well served by your Father in heaven. Indeed, it is by and with and through these creaturely ways and means that He has established and still preserves St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lafayette, Indiana. For so does He forgive you all your sins, and pour out His Spirit generously upon you, and grant you His divine, eternal Life in the Body of Christ Jesus — no less than He, the Son of God, has become Flesh and tabernacles with you here.

These servants of God, both the heavenly and the human, guard and keep you in both body and soul. In a variety of circumstances, His angels lift you up and keep you in all your ways, lest you strike your foot and stumble and fall. While they often do protect your mortal flesh and blood from harm and danger, on account of the Flesh and Blood of Christ, they all the more protect your soul and body from the assaults and accusations of the devil — by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the testimony of His Word — which is to say, chiefly, by the preaching and ministry of your pastors.

By the Means of His Grace — His Gospel-Word and Sacrament — His tangible forgiveness of your sins — the servants of God preserve your life and bring you through the great tribulation clothed in the righteousness of Christ. For Christ has atoned for all of your sins by His holy and precious Blood, and by His Word of the Gospel He daily and richly, fully and freely forgives you.

Through the Ministry of the Gospel — by the preaching of His Word, and by the administration of His Body and His Blood — He interposes Himself and His Redemption, His Reconciliation, and His Righteousness between you and all the accusations of Satan. And because those accusations cannot stand against Him, they cannot stand against you, either. You are in Christ by His grace, by His Gospel; and He lives in you. And He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

When the holy angels do permit the hurt and harm of your mortal body, as Christ also suffered and died in His human flesh and blood upon the Cross, the Lord thereby humbles you unto repentance: to become like a little child and learn to rely upon God, to be returned to the cleansing waters of your Baptism, to be brought to the Healing Medicine of His Altar, and to be raised up from death to life, from the dust of the earth to shine like the stars (in body and soul) forever and ever.

That dying and rising of repentance and faith, that rhythm of humble confession, free and full forgiveness, and newness of life in Christ Jesus, is how and why you are here — how and why St. James is here — how and why your pastors are here. And it is for this very purpose that God preserves you in this place by and with His messengers.

So do we give Him thanks and praise for His heavenly angels, those great majestic creatures who guard and keep us night and day, though hidden from our sight. And we rightly thank Him, also, for His human angels (the called and ordained servants of His Word) — those earthen vessels of His grace, mercy, and peace — who love and serve His people in His Name and stead. Not only Pastor Bombaro and Pastor Barcott, but the long line of pastors whom the Lord has provided for His people in this place over the past 175 years, and for His Church on earth from the beginning.

Here again this morning, as for these past 17-1/2 decades, the angels and people of God are gathered together around the Lamb upon His Throne, encircling the Fruits of His Cross, which is the Tree of Life. Here again this morning, on earth as it is in heaven, the great prince of God’s people, St. Michael the Archangel, and all the holy angels, the cherubim and seraphim, join with us, the children of God, in praising the Holy Trinity and giving Him thanks for His great Salvation in Christ Jesus. And for His Name’s sake, His holy angels also guard and keep you in body and soul, in safety and peace, at His holy Banquet Table. For they do always behold the Face of God the Father in you, His beloved and well-pleasing son or daughter.

For watchful is the angel band that follows Christ on every hand, to guard His people where they go and break the counsel of the foe. They never rest nor sleep as we; their whole delight is but to be with our Lord Jesus, and to keep His little flock, His lambs and sheep.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Messengers Sent to Serve the Children of Man

Like ourselves, the holy angels are likewise creatures of the one true God; but they are creatures of such might and majesty that we human beings of finite, frail flesh and blood can hardly begin to comprehend what they are like — and all the more so because of our fallen, sinful state.

The angels of God are His creatures, and perhaps in all of His vast Creation there are no creatures of greater might and majesty than they possess. And yet, these holy angels were created for the sake of Man, to honor and serve mankind. Not as though God needed their help; there is nothing that He cannot do by His own almighty power. As great and majestic as the angels are, they also depend upon the Lord our God for their very existence, and for all that they are and have.

But, no, God made the angels, not as though He needed them — not as though He needed anything — but because in His divine love He desired to serve and honor us, men and women made in His Image and Likeness, which is to say, in the Image and Likeness of the incarnate Son, Christ Jesus.

Man alone among all of God’s creatures has been created to share and participate in His divine, eternal Life. The Son of God did not become an angel, nor any other creature than true Man, born of the Woman, born of flesh and blood like your own, save only without any sins of His own. The majestic holy angels were created to serve mankind for the sake of that one true Man, Christ Jesus.

There are hints in the Holy Scriptures — and theologians throughout the history of the Church have surmised and concluded — that Satan and his minions fell from God’s presence because of pride and envy over this very thing, that human beings were created for such glory, that God in His grace would bestow such honor upon such creatures of frail flesh and blood. Out of jealousy and  resentment, Satan rebelled against God, the Lord, and led other angels into this rebellion, as well.

And the gracious privilege that God has given to the children of Man is demonstrated above all in this crucial difference, that, whereas those rebellious and fallen angels — the devil and his hordes — have been given no opportunity for redemption, repentance, and restoration to their original state, fallen man is raised up with Christ Jesus through repentance and faith in His Holy Gospel.

As we are all well aware, it certainly is the case that Man has also rebelled against God, the Lord, and fallen into sin, and brought death upon himself and all of Creation — because all of Creation has been created by God for the blessing and benefit of Man, to whom He gave dominion over the earth. Yet, despite this glory and honor of God’s grace, Man dishonored God and disobeyed His Word. Adam & Eve and all their children, including each of us, have sinned against the Lord.

But to you and all the children of Man — in contrast to the fallen angels — there is given this great redemption in Christ Jesus, this restoration and salvation, this high honor of the Holy Gospel!

It is not as though the sins of mankind are any less sinful or egregious than those of Satan and the other fallen angels. If you consider that Satan’s sin is one of arrogance, pride, envy, and jealousy, you find that much of your own sin is Satanic — or demonic, as we heard recently from St. James. You also are arrogant and prideful in your sin, selfish, self-centered, and self-righteous; and you also are envious and jealous of your neighbor, covetous of what the Lord God has given to others.

And yet, the same Lord God in His mercy has chosen to save you by the incarnation of the Son!

That grace and salvation of God makes the devil all the angrier. Indeed, the devil is furious, hell-bent on dragging you and all people down with himself; he is desperate and determined to destroy you, to grab you and keep you away from the one true God. To that end, Satan tempts you to sin, in order that he might then accuse you of your sin! Do not underestimate the devil’s wiliness, he is wiser and more cunning than you. He is crafty and subtle. And do not underestimate his strength, for he is stronger than you, and he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour you.

The devil will stop at nothing to destroy you. And sadly, you give him plenty of ammunition with your sins, with all that you do contrary to the Word of God. That old dragon, Satan the “Accuser,” does not even have to lie when he points his finger in your face, because he can bring the very Law of God against you. Yet, he is undone by the Word of the Gospel, because Jesus forgives you!

The simple Word of the Gospel is your mightiest weapon against the devil, all his works, and all his ways. The Word of the Gospel is your strongest armor and protection against the devil’s wiles and strength. For the Holy Gospel of your Lord Jesus Christ forgives your sins and removes all your iniquity and guilt, and it covers you with the Lord’s own righteousness, holiness, and peace.

It is likewise for the sake of this Holy Gospel that St. Michael and all the holy angels serve and protect you in both body and soul, according to the good and gracious Will of God. Indeed, above all else, St. Michael and the holy angels live to serve the Will of God; and it is His good and gracious Will for you in Christ Jesus, that you should be rescued and saved from sin, death, the devil, and hell, and that you should not perish but live forever with God Himself in Paradise.

So, for the sake of the Gospel — which is really to say, for the sake of Christ Jesus — those great majestic angels of God constantly surround you and protect you, and they pull you from the fire, and they save you from destruction, and they protect and guard your body. And along with all of that, they also guard and keep your soul, as well, so that Satan has no chance to get at you.

Even so, for all of that, it has not been given to the holy angels but to men, whom God has chosen, called, ordained, and sent in His Name — not to angels, but to such men it is given to preach the Gospel, to forgive sins, and to administer the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus in His Holy Supper.  It is by this Word and Flesh and Blood of Christ that you are rescued and saved from the devil and all his wicked assaults and accusations. But it is not the holy angels who are entrusted with that Holy Ministry of the Gospel, but men who are sent by the Lord Jesus in His Name and stead.

Today, then, in particular, we give thanks and praise to God for the gift of His human “angels,” His messengers in this place — Bryan and Adam — sent to proclaim His Gospel to all of you!

In this Holy Ministry, we see again the honor and glory that God has given to Man, over and above that of the holy angels. It is men who are given to bestow the Gifts of Christ Jesus, and it is men and women who receive those Gifts unto themselves. For the almighty and eternal Son of God has not become like those angelic spirits, but He has become true Man and the Savior of all mankind.

The holy angels of God see in you, in your flesh and blood, the same human nature that God Himself, the incarnate Son Christ Jesus, has made His very own when He was conceived and born of the Woman, St. Mary. That is what the angels see in you. And by the same token, that is what you ought to see in your neighbor, as well, namely, the Image and Likeness of God, your Savior.

Indeed, in Christ Jesus, mortal Man — despite our fall into sin, and notwithstanding the death and damnation we deserve by our sin — Man is raised up, exalted, and glorified far and above the holy angels: in Him who was for a little while made lower than the holy angels, but has now been given the Name which is above every name, the Name with which He has named you in your Baptism.  And this is your glory and honor, that by the grace of God He has done all this for you.

Unlike Satan and all the other fallen angels who joined in his rebellion, St. Michael and all the holy angels of God harbor no envy or jealousy of you. They do not resent this grace of God toward you and all the children of Man. They are not bitter toward you, nor angry with God over you. Rather, their greatest joy and delight is found in the repentance, forgiveness, faith, and salvation of men and women, boys and girls — in your repentance, your forgiveness, your faith, and your salvation.

The holy angels of God rejoice to serve and support you for the sake of Christ Jesus, your Savior. They love to do it, because it is according to the Will of God, the Lord. This is God’s greatest delight, to save you and give you life; and so it is the greatest joy and delight of the holy angels.

And so, for all that they praise and honor and worship God, they do so for this above all else, that you have been saved; that you have been called out of darkness into the Light of Christ; that your sins have been forgiven; that you shall live with Christ forever and ever. In this all the angels in heaven rejoice. How much more, then, shall we worship, honor, glorify, and praise our dear God and Father for this Gospel and this Life which He freely gives to us by His grace in Christ Jesus!

And along with all His benefits, we give thanks to God, as well, for the service of His holy angels, who even now gather with us around the Lamb upon His throne, the God of God and Light of Light, the very God of very God, who became Flesh of our flesh and Bone of our bone, who bore your sins and griefs and sorrows in His own Body to the Cross, who was crucified, put to death, and buried for you, to atone for your sins and reconcile you to God, who is risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and seated at the Right Hand of the Father forever and forevermore.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Though Devils All the World Should Fill

Woe to those who live on earth in the midst of sin and death, subjected to the devil’s great wrath.  Be on your guard, constantly vigilant, sober and watchful.

Satan is a fierce foe, and he hates you with dark and dire vengeance.  He does not rest in his attacks against you, but day and night he is plotting to entice and deceive you; and at the same time he is always accusing you of your sins.  He mocks you with guilt and shame, whether real or imagined; and he threatens you with death and damnation, even with the condemnation of God’s Law.

Pray, therefore, at all times and without ceasing.

Do not rely upon your own wisdom, reason, or strength, but humble yourself before God.  Repent of your sins, and seek the Lord where He may be found in His grace and mercy and forgiveness.

And even so, even now, take courage and stand upright.  For here there is One who helps you, who is mightier than sin, death, the devil, and hell.

Here there is Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, who has become the true Man, conceived and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that He is your Brother in the flesh.  And He is your Savior.

This one Lord, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, has conquered in the fight.  Not by the raw power of His Law, which would destroy you along with your enemies, but by the Spirit of God, by perfect faith and love in His own flesh and blood, and by His own Cross and Resurrection.

He has robbed the devil of his threatening might and fearsome power.  He has stripped the devil of his teeth and ripped off all the bars and doors from the devil’s prison house of fear and death.

The devil is done for, because the Cross of Christ has satisfied the Law and perfectly fulfilled it, meeting all its demands and removing all its threats.  The Lord Himself has made propitiation and atonement for all sins, including yours; He has reconciled you and all the world to God the Father.

With what, then, shall Satan accuse or condemn you?  And what threat or fear of death shall the devil hold over your head?  For Christ Jesus has trampled death and hell beneath His feet, and  in His Resurrection He has opened the grave and opened heaven to you and all the baptized.

The Lord your God in His own flesh, the Son of Man, has accomplished this victory for all men and women, all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.  By the way and means of this victory, by His Word and Holy Spirit, He actively saves you.  He gives to you His Name and Himself, with His whole life and His salvation: as in your Baptism, so also in the whole Ministry of His Gospel.

Even more relentlessly than Satan accuses, the Lord Jesus Christ never ceases to speak forgiveness and peace.  So long as the heavens and the earth remain, from the rising of the sun to the place of its going down, He preaches His Gospel and thereby takes away the sins of the world.  So it is that Satan is cast out and thrown down, not only out of heaven, but so also from your conscience.

It is for this purpose that the Lord has so ordained and constituted the ministry of men and angels, unto the life and salvation of all who are called by His Name.

Thus are you, dear child of God, dear “little one” of Jesus, guarded and guided by the Word of the Lord that is preached to you.  His Word is a lamp to your feet and a light upon your path, so that you know the way of faith and love; and by His grace you live and abide in safety and in peace.

The Law of the Lord curbs you from your wickedness, in order to protect you from the devil’s treachery and deceit.  And with that, even while exposing your sins and calling you to account, the Lord is also directing you to the Cross of Christ and the salutary Word of His sweet Gospel.

As often as you stumble and fall, that precious Holy Gospel lays the gentle hand of Christ Jesus upon you and raises you up in His Resurrection with the free and full forgiveness of all your sins.  That is the special authority with which He has called and sent your pastors, His messengers of the Word, to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His Name; so that you do not die but live.

As surely as you are baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so does He also nurture your body and soul and preserve your faith and life in Him — by the preaching of His Word, and by nourishing you in the wilderness with the spiritual Food and Drink of His Body and His Blood.

By that Ministry of His Gospel, just as surely as He named you with His Name in Holy Baptism, so has He written your name with His own Blood in the Lord’s Book of Life.  For as you share His Baptism, and as you receive His forgiveness of all your sins, His Resurrection is now also your resurrection from the dead, and He Himself is forever and always your Life and your Salvation.

It is for this reason that His holy angels surround you, to guard you and protect you in both body and soul, unto the Resurrection and the Life everlasting.  For they see in you — what you often fail to see in yourself and in your neighbor — they behold in you Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son, His Name, His flesh and blood.  They love and care for you as a member of His Body and Bride.

The angels are not given the highest honor of preaching the Gospel to you; for that is done by men of flesh and blood, like that of Christ Himself, who is not an angel but is both God and Man.  But the angels do guard and protect you for the sake of that Holy Gospel.

The angels preserve your life, in order that you may hear and confess the Word of the Gospel, so that both you and your neighbor may live, in both body and soul, both now and forever.

Of course, the devil doesn’t fight fair.  He is a liar and a murderer, by night as by day.  And he is crafty, with a serpent’s body that slithers this way and that and strikes in the blink of an eye.  By hook and by crook he attacks you on the left and on the right.  He tempts you into sins of all kinds, and then he quickly points the finger at you and vehemently accuses you.  He assaults your heart and mind with distractions and enticements; with fears and trepidations; with pride at one moment, despair at the next; with envy and jealousy; with guilt and shame.

And when he cannot shake your hope and confidence within, the devil levels all his wrath and hatred against your frail flesh, against your household, family, and friends.

With his lying and murdering day and night, the devil lets you have no peace within or without.

But in spite of all of that, do not be afraid.  The armies of the Lord who loves you surround you.  And because they always behold the face of your own dear Father in heaven, they are more fierce and determined in their protection than even Satan in his wrath.

Nothing will by any means injure you.  That is the Lord’s promise.

But how can that be so?  Given that you bear the Cross — that you are crucified, put to death, and buried with Christ Jesus — how shall you not be injured, even to the point of death?  For you are frail flesh and blood.  You are but mortal.  You get sick; you get hurt; you suffer and die.

What is more, you are in fact, as you confess, a poor, miserable sinner.  You surely deserve nothing but punishment.  Does the devil not have a point in accusing and condemning you?

But, no, you are in Christ, and He abides in you and with you and for you.  There is therefore no condemnation that shall stand against you.  There is no punishment or death that shall injure you.

The One who has all authority in heaven and on earth, who could destroy your soul and body in hell, has named you with the Name of Christ Jesus, the beloved Son, and He has declared that you are well-pleasing in His sight.  He judges you righteous, and He gives to you all good things.

If you are crucified and put to death by the Cross of Christ, it is also by and from His Cross that He daily and richly forgives you all your sins.  And it is from the same Cross that He also feeds you with His Body and His Blood.  And it is by His Cross that He brings you through death into life with God in His own Resurrection and Ascension, through His suffering into His glory.

It is by His Cross that the dragon, that old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, is even now and forever conquered and crushed under the heal of Christ Jesus, the Son of Man, your Savior.

If you and your body and life are marked by the Sign of that Cross, so do you also bear the Name of Christ, and His Spirit, and His Body and His Blood.  By these means you overcome.  Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour you, yet you are kept safe and sound in Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ, who loves you and has given Himself for you — He sees to it that none of the treasures of His Kingdom shall be taken from you.  Nor shall you be snatched out of His hand.

Indeed, the same Lord sends His men to preach and administer His Gospel to you, and He stations His holy angels to guard you round about, night and day, in all your going out and coming in.

Rejoice, therefore, and bless the Lord.  All that is within you, give thanks and bless His holy Name.  For as He feeds you here and now with His own Body, so shall He awaken your body from the dust of the earth and raise you unto Life everlasting in the never-ending Feast of His Kingdom.  And as you worship Him and sing with saints and angels here at His Altar on earth, so shall you continue to worship and sing with all the company of the blessed in heaven forever and ever.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Their Angels Behold the Face of My Father

For the Feast of St. Michael & All Angels (from A.D. 2002)

Angels (of a sort) have become rather popular over the past several years.  In fact, I think it’s safe to say that popular culture has actually become rather fascinated with the whole idea of “angels.”  Thus, it isn’t hard to find a variety of calendars, cards, and books portraying angels in all shapes and sizes, usually in some manner of cuteness or romanticism, “other-worldly” in a kind of science-fiction/fantasy concoction.

Unfortunately, in almost every case, these so-called “angels” of the world’s imagination are considered and discussed apart from any mention of Christ and His Church.  In many cases, they actually have far more in common with new age mysticism than any sort of Christianity.  They give the yuppies and the generation ‘x’ crowd a way of being “spiritual” and “religious,” without taking the Holy Triune God Himself seriously.

All such focus and attention on the “angels” (or some idea of “angels”) for their own sake, apart from Christ, plays right into the hands of Satan—that wicked angel, lucifer, who fell from heaven (and took a host of others with him) precisely because he wanted to upstage his Creator and Lord: the Father Son & Holy Spirit.

In order to avoid that pitfall, especially today as we give thanks for Saint Michael and all the holy angels, the safest and most fruitful course of action is for us to consider the role of angels on the basis of Holy Scripture.

To begin with, our Readings from the Old Testament Prophet, Daniel, and from St. John’s Book of the Revelation, in particular, give us a very different picture of the real angels of God than the “cutesy” and “romantic” images of legend and pop culture.  Saint Michael the Archangel is a fierce and mighty warrior of the Lord, and his angels a powerful army, waging war against the powers of darkness.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.

In order to put these things into perspective, let us also consider a few examples from the Old Testament Book of Second Kings, which indicate to some extent the immense strength and great number of the holy angels:

On one occasion, the king of Syria dispatched his army to surround the city of Dothan, where the Prophet Elisha was staying.  A servant of the Prophet discovered, when he woke that morning, that the surrounding countryside was brimming with these Syrian soldiers and their weapons of war.  However, when he reported this news to Elisha, the Prophet calmly told him, “Don’t be afraid!  Our army is bigger than theirs.”  Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes to see “horses and chariots of fire everywhere on the hills surrounding the city,” i.e. the mighty angelic army that was keeping constant vigil around the Prophet and people of Yahweh.

Some time later, the good King Hezekiah received a threatening letter from a commander of the Assyrian forces, indicating that they would take Jerusalem captive.  When Hezekiah immediately sought help from the Lord, the Prophet Isaiah assured him that not one Assyrian arrow would be fired into the city.  Incredibly, in one night, a single angel struck the enemy camp and 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were found dead the next day.

Now this morning we have heard from the Book of the Revelation a description of a great cosmic battle being waged first in heaven (and also now on earth) between Saint Michael and all the holy angels on the one hand, and Satan with all his demonic hordes and fallen angels on the other.  Given the power of these great and powerful beings, we can hardly imagine the intensity of that conflict; no doubt the military conflicts of the past several years, in the middle east and elsewhere, would simply pale by comparison.

But as St. John continues, “Woe to you, O earth and sea!  For the devil has come down to you in great wrath.”  Which is to say, that same fierce battle that Saint Michael and his angels fight against Satan also unfolds and is fought for each and every one of you individually, beginning with your Baptism into Christ Jesus.

We find that battle being fought quite clearly in the Gospels.  In fact, the casting out of demons is one of the primary trademarks of our Lord and His Apostles, as we have heard again this morning from Saint Luke.  The demons must submit to the Name of Christ.  And it remains the case to this very day, also for you and me, that wherever Christ and His Gospel enter in, Satan is cast out and falls like lightning from the sky.  In the powerful words of Dr. Luther’s Baptismal rite: “Depart, unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit!”

In the waters and the Word of Holy Baptism, you have been given a participation in the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ.  And that reality which you have in Christ is the very thing that gives to you the victory over sin, death and hell, and the power of the devil.  For there is nothing and no one in heaven or on earth which can destroy the Life of Christ.  Rejoice, therefore, in the words of our Lord, that your name has been written in His Book of Life, and that you have thus received the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.

What is more, along with that certain hope of everlasting life, you also have another promise from the Lord, as recorded by Saint Matthew in his Gospel, that the “little ones” of Jesus are watched over and protected by His guardian angels, who “always behold the face of His Father in heaven.”  That applies not only to small children, but to you and me, as well, and to all who have been “born again” as the “little ones” of Jesus Christ by the washing of water with His Word in Holy Baptism.  From that moment, when your battle with Satan began, you are assisted by the mighty protection of angels.

The Guardian Angels guard and protect you in Christ, and they are honored to do so, because of Christ and all that He has done for you.  In fact—as great and powerful as the holy angels are—they nevertheless stand in reverent awe of the fact that you are raised in Christ to the heights of His divine nature.  For in Christ, the Incarnate Son of the Living God, your lowly human nature has been exalted far above all the angels; some theologians speculate that it was knowledge of this plan for humanity that led Satan to his jealous rebellion.

But as for Saint Michael and the holy angels of God, there is no jealousy; quite the opposite, as our Lord reveals in one of His Parables, the angels in heaven rejoice at your repentance and the salvation of your soul and body in Christ Jesus.  As those who live to serve the Holy Triune God, they find their greatest joy and satisfaction in seeing the accomplishment of all that He has offered and given to you (and to all His people) by the Cross and Resurrection of Christ.

Accordingly, the protection of the Guardian Angels is not only physical (as most of us might normally assume), but also (and especially) a spiritual protection:  For example, when Jesus promises in our Gospel this morning that nothing at all will harm His Disciples, He obviously does not mean that His Christian people will never suffer loss or pain of any kind in this world; indeed, in many other places He clearly promises and reveals that those who follow Him must carry the Cross.  Yet, in spite of the suffering and death that you may endure in your brief life on earth, you have His promise that “nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate you from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That is the protection, above all else—your spiritual preservation—that Saint Michael and the holy guardian angels provide, by the gracious will of our Father in heaven.  And then, in addition, they oftentimes preserve your physical life on earth, as well (and probably all of us could give some striking examples of that fact).

But our relationship to the holy angels does not end with their protection of our bodies and souls; nor will it ever end.  For they also join with us, both now and throughout eternity, in praising our Holy Triune God and the Lamb upon His Throne (as Saint John describes for us in the early chapters of Revelation).

We acknowledge that presence of the holy angels among us in worship, especially as we gather for the Holy Communion, blending our voices with theirs in the “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  With angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify the glorious Name of the everlasting Father Son & Holy Spirit.

It is truly meet, right, and salutary, that Saint Michael and all the holy angels should surround us as we gather today for the Holy Communion.  For as revealed by the Word of the Lord in our Reading from Revelation, ultimately, you overcome the forces of Satan and his evil angels “on account of the Blood of the Lamb,” which He gives to you again this morning for the strengthening of your faith and for life everlasting.

In the Old Testament, when Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, a mighty angel with a great flaming sword was set to guard the Tree of Life, lest they should eat from the tree and live forever in their sin.  But now, by the holy and precious Blood of Christ, all our sin has been forgiven, and His Cross has become for you and me a new Tree of Life, from which we eat the Fruit of His Redemption: His Body given for us.

Thus, beyond all doubt, the holy angels are gathered here with us, still guarding the Tree of Life from sin, death, and the power of the devil—no longer barring the way to the children of Adam and Eve, but keeping us safe and secure as we eat from this life-giving Tree.  The great flaming swords and the powerful armies of Saint Michael and all his holy angels surround us on all sides and fight for us to the glory of Christ.

These mighty angels rejoice before the Face of the Father in heaven, that your name has been written in His Book of Life, and that you have been given the Name of the Holy Triune God in your Baptism.  Therefore,
they join with you—and with all the people of God (in heaven and on earth)—in worshiping the Lamb Who was slain, Who has risen to live and reign forever, Who comes to you now in His Body and Blood.

In the beautiful words of the ancient hymn:

Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way, as the Light of Light, descending from the realms of endless day, comes the powers of hell to vanquish as the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph, cherubim with sleepless eye, veil their faces to the presence as with ceaseless voice they cry: “Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia, Lord Most High!”