I Believe In Angels; On Michaelmas, Protection and Angels (Revelation 12.7-12, John 1.47-51)

 Michaelmas, God’s Protection and Mystery

Today is Michaelmas, the day when the church celebrates Michael and all the angels of God. I wonder what your views on angels are? Perhaps that song by Abba is playing in your head right now? I mean I find them a bit confusing, not Abba obvs, but angels; and biblically accurate angels are often absolutely terrifying.

This from Ezekiel:

⁴ As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. ⁵ In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. ⁶ Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. ¹⁰ As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; ¹¹ such were their faces. 

I think that would be enough even to make the baby Jesus cry. I’m not sure you’d want that in your nativity.  

I have a soft spot for Michael as the church I grew up in was dedicated to St Michael. Michael is the sort of enforcer of God. God’s henchman if you will, or at least that’s what our Bible reading today on the face of it seems to say.

But I’d like to think about Michael and the angels differently.

When the Bible was written, in a time before science, a lot of bad stuff happened. Because people had such gaps in their knowledge of the world and how it works, they would often chalk up bad stuff to being God’s wrath or punishment. I mean it was only natural. Bad stuff, it’s God’s punishment for doing this or that, when sometimes it wasn’t that at all, it’s just the way the world is.

We see through the Bible that people have encounters with angels in lots of different ways. Sometimes negative, sometimes positive. For example the annunciation, when Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her all about God’s plans for her, and about the bringing of the new age of salvation.

There’s the angels appearing to the Shepherds, angels who give messages on God’s behalf (I mean they didn’t have SMS back then did they). Angels fulfil all sorts of roles.

According to the Bible they take an interest in the affairs of human beings and Jesus mentions them multiple times "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15.10) for example.

So what then are we to make of our reading from Revelation today?

 

The thing to remember about the book revelation is that it’s extremely symbolic. The language is very allegorical and it’s essentially a story about the power of Rome, the crucifixion and salvation.

So when it sways Michael fought against a dragon, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is literally true.

When revelation was written the church was being heavily persecuted. They were being hunted down and killed for their faith. So of course there’s going to be lots of disturbing language about warfare.

This war between Michael, the angles of God and Satan represents the war that is going on for them. It also represents the war between good and evil. Right and wrong that is playted out every day, both in our hearts and in the world at large. What’s the moral of this story?

That Christ has the victory. Forever and always over evil. God’s righteousness and love and power triumphs always. That evil has no power anymore. Yet it wasn’t through triumphalism that God has the victory, but through the weakness of the cross and his own love. Isn’t that cool!

This passage is an encouragement to those who originally read it, but to us too. Particularly the poem at the end.

“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters

    who accuses them before our God day and night,

    has been hurled down.

¹¹ They triumphed over him

    by the blood of the Lamb

    and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much

    as to shrink from death.”

They might have power over us now, they might abuse us and mistreat us, but God has the final word. The writer is encouraging them to hold on to their faith.

So it encourages us too. There might be times when we feel hopeless or alone, but evil and the bad stuff that happens to all of us hasn’t and will never win. Those who use their power to oppress have not won. God wins, God’s love and salvation wins forever.

What Michael symbolises is God’s protection. God’s protection on that original community, and on us now. Just because we are protected by God doesn’t mean bad stuff won’t happen to us.

But we have an assurance that through the awful times, when hope feels a thousand miles away, God is there, because God never abandons us and has sovereignty over everything.

So today we thank God for his protection, for his love and mercy. We remember Michael and the other angels and all those who have been God’s servants down the ages.

And if the angels do literally guard us, we thank them, and may they watch over us as God always does, today and always. Amen.

Preached at St Cuthbert's Sprowston. 29/9/21