St. Michael and All Angels (Observed)
Our Redeemer, Newark, DE
September 30th, 2012
Grace, mercy and peace....
Introductions, etc...
Today we observe an unusual day in the
church calendar, St. Michael and All Angels day. We are in some
ways, perhaps well acquainted with angels. At least culturally
speaking:
We have “Touched by an Angel” and
“It's a wonderful life”, books and movies, and a song by
Aerosmith. We have angelic precious moments figures, and a guardian
angel motorist club. Angels are all around us, but just how biblical
are these cultural images and uses?
Scripturally speaking, an angel is a
heavenly being which speaks and acts as an agent of God. The good
angels are numerous and powerful, and they are ministering servants
sent to help God's people in various ways. They are not to be
worshiped, nor do we become angels when we die.
But perhaps the most important thing to
know about angels, is simply what the word angel means – literally,
“messenger”. It's the same word which makes up the ev-angel of
evangelism – the good-message or good news. Angels are messengers.
And as such, it's not so important who and what they are as it is
what they do and especially what they say.
Especially in the New Testament, when
God's plan of salvation in Christ takes a major step forward, angels
make an appearance, as if by their very presence to highlight the
importance of the message: “Glory to God in the highest, for born
this day to you in the city of David is the savior, Christ the Lord.”
Angels minister to Jesus in the toughest moments of his work for us,
in wilderness and garden. Angels bookend the empty tomb and proclaim
the Easter message, “He is not here. He is risen, as he said!”
And the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God will
announce Christ's second coming, when all his angels accompany him,
and the final victory celebration is announced.
To be sure, there are false angels,
with false messages. Satan himself, a fallen angel, is the father of
lies. He wants nothing more than to distort and pervert the true
word of God, and turn the good news into bad news. He would tell you
that your salvation isn't sure. That it depends on your own good
works. And that your sins are too terrible even for God to forgive.
He would pollute the Christian message with all sorts of mixed
messages to unfix our eyes from Jesus. And his goal is ultimately to
drive you to despair and unbelief. Preserve us from the evil foe, oh
Lord! Send your angels to strengthen us, and keep us steadfast in
your word.
If an angel is a messenger, and what's
important is not so much the messenger, but the message, then there's
another way to think of angels.
Pastors, are God's angels – his
messengers, to you, his people. In fact there is some good reason to
think that when John writes, in the book of Revelation, to the angels
of the seven churches – he is really addressing their pastors.
Now, I've known Pastor Loesch long enough to tell you that he is
certainly no angel, but I also know the message he preaches is Christ
crucified for sinners like you and me. I know you hear that message
week in and week out, a message of Law and Gospel, sin and Grace. A
message which keeps Christ always before you, and which points you to
Christ's means of grace: word, baptism, supper. He is your minister,
your servant, in this place, to bring you a crystal clear,
life-saving, life-changing message of salvation in Christ alone.
But others need to hear this message,
too. Some who live in far away places, other continents, even in
Singapore. There God also sends messengers so that Christ's message
can be proclaimed. The same message to people who have the same
problem of sin and death. The same savior crucified and risen for
all.
And you people of Our Redeemer, like
all of God's people, also bear the message. You do it in a different
way than a pastor or missionary or heavenly angel – but you witness
and give answer for the hope that is within you. You speak a message
when you confess your faith with other Christians, kneel to receive
Christ's body and blood (you proclaim the Lord's death until he
comes). And your actions of Christian love and service speak
sometimes louder than words about the love that you have first known
in Jesus. God has called you to various stations and roles in life –
parent, friend, worker, citizen, spouse. In all these callings you
are God's agents and messengers to bring his message and his gifts to
your neighbor. In this sense, you are angelic. Thanks be to God.
But there would be no angels were it
not for Christ, the chief messenger of God. The agent of creation,
the living word of God, the original (though uncreated) angel. He
appears in the Old Testament as the “Angel of the Lord”, and
accomplishes God's purposes. In Jesus Christ, the word, the message,
is made flesh and dwells among us. Thus he is both the messenger and
the message, the author and fulfiller of our faith, the content and
the conveyer of our salvation. It's all about Jesus. And Jesus is
all about procuring and proclaiming our salvation.
What a joy to share this message with
you today. What a blessing to know we believe and proclaim the same
message. That together with angels and archangels and all the
company of heaven... with pastors and missionaries and all the people
of God on earth.... and through the blood of the one who is both
messenger and message, even Jesus Christ himself, we have heard, and
we believe, and we will live and praise him forever. In Jesus Christ
our Lord, amen.
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