The text this morning is from the book of Daniel, the tenth and twelfth chapters:
And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
A blessed Michaelmas to you and yours! Now, I know that’s weird to say, but that’s really what today is. It’s a Mass, that’s where the mas in Christmas comes from, a celebration of the Lord’s Supper while we remember the works of Michael and all the angels and give thanks to God for them. That’s what we do on feast days in the Church. We don’t pray to the angels, but we remember their great and mighty deeds in the Lord and thank Jesus for giving them lives that witness to the truth of His Gospel.
Why have a feast day set aside for the angels, though? I mean, it makes sense to remember the saints like Luke, or John, or Paul, or David. But the angels? I mean, they’re just these spiritual beings; they’re like God’s army. What’s the deal with their feast day?
The Church has always set aside days to remember the lives of those saints, especially, whose lives witnessed to Jesus Christ. We also set a day aside to remember all those who we love who have died in Christ; though they may not have been called a hero of the faith, they’re certainly heroes of our hearts. These saints are called saints, not because of the works of their hands making them saintly, but because the works of Jesus have been given to them and He has called them holy. Holy in Latin is the word sanctus, from which we directly get our word saint. And all holy means is to be set apart. Set apart for God’s mercy, set apart from the world, set apart to be His holy messengers, waging war against the princes and powers of this world. That’s why we have a feast day for the angels, for they are holy, they are set apart; in the truest sense, they are saints, and it is good to know what it is they’ve done and who they are.
Angels are kinda weird, though. In our culture, we’ve made them be a whole lot more than they are. They’re not the little cherubic Precious Moments angels we’re so used to seeing. They’re weird-looking and fiery and scary. I mean, every time they appear to someone in the Scriptures, their first words are don’t be afraid. I don’t think they just surprised a guy, I think they’re terrifying to see. There’s one angel who is covered heard to toe with eyes. There’s another that has four faces. I mean, they’re weird, at least to our eyes now. Also, when you die, I don’t care how much you want to believe it, you do not, your loved one does not become an angel. You’re a human, you’ll always be a human. To become an angel would be tantamount to an ant dying to become a banana. An angel Is a created being, specific to its nature. It can never be a human, just like you can never be an angel.
Part of the reason for that we discover in Daniel today. Angels are in charge of a whole lot, more than you or I could hope to do. In fact, the angel appears in today’s text as having just finished battling with a demonic angel he calls the Prince of Persia. The angel, Michael, himself is in charge of all the Israelites. It could be, too, that Michael is in charge of taking care of the Church today. Apparently, these kinds of battles between angels and demons happen quite often and last for quite a long time. I can’t even imagine being in one place for three weeks straight, but to imagine that Michael was locked in battle with a demon for three weeks straight, with no break, is pretty incredible.
More than that, the fact that these angels are always prepared to do battle, and specifically battle through the worst of all battles is pretty incredible, too. I wonder if that how the soldiers during WWI felt when they heard it was a the war to end wars. It was mighty, far-reaching, dangerous. The world had never seen anything like it before. And then, some of those same soldiers stood watching WWII happen. I wonder if they thought of this passage from Daniel, a time of trouble such as never has been. But the angels are prepared to fight for it.
You see, the angels are the warriors of God. They’re doing the hard work all around us so that we don’t have to fear. They’re even working to make sure that we are prepared for the day of resurrection. They’re battling all around us to allow us the opportunity to be faithful to Christ. Otherwise, we’d be even more oppressed by demons than we actually are. But, they are fighting around us so that the Word can be preached in its truth and purity, that the sacraments can be delivered faithfully, and that you can feel confident that the Lord has nothing but peace on His mind as He delivers you to the day when you will rise from the grave.
Now, Daniel is kind of a weird book, if you’ve ever read it, but the passage we have today is very nice for us, reminding us of all of this. A hand reaches to Daniel, and he’s scared. When the voice behind the hand speaks, it’s as if he’s saying don’t be afraid. Daniel, greatly loved. It’s a beautiful greeting. Angels are full of beautiful words because they bring messages from the Lord. The message he brings to Daniel is that this angel has been sent to him, even though he’s coming a little later than Daniel had hoped. He has been fighting the good fight against the demon in Persia for three weeks, along with Michael, who finally ended the battle through his great might. But, this angel isn’t coming to recount that battle, he’s coming to tell of the battle to come. It’s going to be bad. It’s going to be really bad. But Michael, who ended a three-week battle with the demon in Persia, is going to fight for you and for all the people of God. And through his work, you will be delivered. Even though you die, you will rise from the dust and live forever and ever.
This is the might of the angels. They are working all around us, under order from God Himself to do the good work to bring the message of Jesus Christ to all the earth. Ultimately, this is one of the many ways that God cares for you. He does in so many ways, but He sends His angels, and this is why we recognize them this day, to watch over you, to protect you, to bring the Word to you (at least in some circumstances). They are always busy and there’s always a lot to be done.
But don’t think that the angels, mighty as they are, are more important or mightier than Christ Himself. He created them; they are subservient to Him. He died to redeem you, the angels could not. He took on human flesh to be with you, the angels watch the mystery of the incarnation with wonder. He forgives your sins, the angels just remind us of that. Our Lord Jesus is mightier than even Michael, the great archangel. He has done the good work that Michael may fight in His name, but it is Jesus who is Lord of the Angels. Michael may fight for three weeks and a battle was done, but Jesus fought for a few hours and everything was finished. This Jesus we serve, this Jesus we worship, this Jesus loves us and has laid His life down for you. He has redeemed you from the cross and will raise you on the last day. Until that time, He sends His angels concerning you, to guard you in all of your ways. He sends them out of love to guard you, to protect you, to watch over you, and even to keep your body safe until the day of the resurrection.
This is why you will never be an angel; they serve you through Christ, not the other way around. They guard you through Christ, not the other way around. They watch over you through Christ, not the other way around. Christ has finished all things for you, and even now sends His armies to be with you as He is with you, even through this time of trouble, a tribulation right now that the world has never seen. It’s been going for 2000 years and it will only stop when Christ returns. And so, with the angels, we pray, Come, Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment