Sermon for St. Michael and All Angels

I suppose it is good that I am running behind this week. This is my sermon from Sunday and it is Wednesday before I get it posted. But today is the 29th, which is actually the day to celebrate St. Michael. Hear, hear for tardiness!

St. Michael and All Angels
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sept. 26, 2010
Luke 10:17-20
“For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down”

In the name of Jesus, amen. “Just do what you’re told!” “Because I said so!” “Because I’m in charge!” Those emphatic statements have rung in our ears, and they likely have come out of our mouths. When we hear those statements, we probably hang our heads a bit. And when we say those words to others, it is later that we hang our heads as we realize how abrasive and even abusive we portray ourselves to be.

The Sunday for St. Michael and All Angels gives us a wonderful opportunity to focus on the work of God’s angels, his blessed creatures who serve the Lord day and night, never ceasing, never tiring to do the work of the Lord. Angels do what God tells them to do. The Lord says what they are to do and the Lord reaffirms that he is in charge of all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and the angels delight to carry out the will of the Lord. Praise God. Praise God for angels. Praise God for the work that the angels carry out.

The Revelation lesson and the Gospel lesson are likely describing the same event. You can read some of the commentaries in my office and come to the Sunday Bible class to discuss more about it, but theologians think that the same event is being talked about.

The archangel, aka the chief prince, aka the commanding officer Michael, given charge of the heavenly army, fought against the great dragon, the devil, Satan, the awful accuser, the dreadful deceiver of the whole world…and Michael won. The great dragon and his evil horde lost and they were cast out of heaven.
St. Luke says that the 72 disciples came back to Jesus and reported all that was taking place. Demons were being cast out in Jesus’ name and Jesus said, “I’m aware. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority over the enemy and nothing shall hurt you. But do not rejoice in this, that the evil spirits are subject to you, but instead, rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

It was probably a decade ago that angels were all the rage, with TV shows and movies featuring the work of God’s created beings. It is not that I am finally getting with the times, but all the attention was interesting, because the Church of God has always been celebrating the work of angels.

Our hymn of the day gets it right- the angels do their work and to the Lord God we give all praise. And the hymn of the day recounts the Biblical record that the angels are deployed by the Lord God to work against the old Satanic foe and all the forces of the devil. The roaring lion is unceasing in his work to devour and tear up the people of God. But the angels are watchful. They are ready as they follow Christ their master to guard the lambs and sheep of God wherever they go.
For this, praise and thanks are given to God. Praise and thanks to God is the default position of the Christian. And you know why this is so.

It is so because the power of Satan is strong. The devil’s might is terrifying. The accusations of the cunning and slick serpent find the chinks in the Christian’s armor and effect great destruction. Satan never rests going after the children of God.

Satan creates dissension within the family of God. This happens when disagreement over and issue becomes less about the issue and more about personalities. Disagreement over an issue is fine. Disagreement that becomes personal can tear apart the family that God has knit together.

Satan creates division within individuals and great spiritual turmoil is created when the devil leads a person to believe that some sins are less egregious than others, or that some people are less deserving of God’s love than others. Christians have deluded themselves into thinking that their individual sins are not as bad as the sins of those people over there. Judgmental attitudes reign and they are destructive. Self-justification is a big problem because Christians put themselves in God’s position, breaking the first commandment, and start to order God around- Do what I say, when I say, and if I don’t need you, just stay in that box over there, just stay in that baptismal font, just stay on that altar in those silly symbolic acts. I’m in charge God, so please stay out of my and let me run things.
We believe we know best. And what we know best, through the school of experience, is that the division and dissension created by the devil is devastating. Through our sinful actions brought on by our sinful activity, we are divided from our spouse, our children, from our brothers and sisters, from the other lambs we share this fold with. The accuser of our brothers has a field day by pointing to the long laundry list of our sins.

But the accuser of our brothers, the fiend who accuses us and deceives us into doubting God’s certain Word, God’s unconditional love, God’s pure mercy, the accuser has been thrown down. Michael and the heavenly hosts, the Sabaoth, the angelic army, did battle with Satan and Michael won. Of course they did. Was the outcome ever in doubt?

The 72 declared that the demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus. There is the certainty of the outcome. Jesus. Name above all names. Name at which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess in heaven above, on earth below, and in the realm below the earth, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is the Name, the glorious Name, the Name that is love and peace and strength and renewal. The power of the Name drives the demonic away.

There was another angel who did what the Lord told him to do. This was the archangel Gabriel, who showed up in Nazareth on March 25, and told a young virgin girl that she would have a child, a son in fact, and that her son would be the Son of the Most High God. Then Gabriel went over to Joseph’s house, woke him from his sleep and said that his fiancée was pregnant, not to worry, and that Joseph would call his son Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

The Name. The Name that saves. The Name that is placed on us. Jesus is the name we wear and bear to the world. Hearing the blessed name of Jesus reminds us that the accuser of our brethren has indeed been thrown down. The accuser has no more power to accuse since Jesus has ascended the throne of the cross, carrying your sins and mine, carrying our delusions and doubts. The accuser can no longer point his finger at us and accuse us of our sins since the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ looks at us and sees us wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness. The devil has been cast down. Christ has triumphed.

Do what you’re told! The angels do what the Lord tells them to do on our behalf. We do what the Lord tells us to do. Rejoice, that our names are written in the book. Rejoice that you are cleansed through the waters of Holy Baptism. Rejoice that you are fed at the table of the Lord. Rejoice that your sins are forgiven. Rejoice that the mercy of God has reached you for the sake of your neighbor. Rejoice. That is what we are told to do. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. SDG