In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Everyone these days wants religion to be "nice"-a big, yellow smiley face. Nothing too serious, nothing that requires any sort of real change in my life or my beliefs. Just something spiritual sounding and sentimental and happy. And I think that's why it is that angels have become increasingly popular in our culture in recent years. More and more you see books about angels. Angel calendars and pins and trinkets sell like crazy. This is a way people feel they can show they've got a spiritual side without having to get too heavy into God and doctrine and the Bible. Angel religion is nice religion.

Or is it? Maybe in the mythological world of Hallmark it is, but in the real world of the Scriptures there's nothing terribly sentimental about the angels. Listen again to what we heard from Revelation a moment ago: "War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought." No chubby cherubs lounging on clouds here. What we have instead is a real, cataclysmic battle taking place.

Angels are spirit beings created by God. They are not human, never were, never will be. They are without gender, neither male nor female, for they have no body-though at times certain angels have been given to appear in bodily form as men. God created myriads and myriads of angels in the beginning, rank upon mighty rank to do His bidding. But the angel Lucifer, motivated by the desire to be equal with God and to live independently from God, revolted against His Maker, along with other angels. Now better known as Satan, which means "adversary," or the devil, which means the "slanderer," Lucifer and the other rebellious angels fought against the angels who remained loyal to God, the holy angels who were satisfied to be creatures of God and not to be independent of Him on their own self-serving terms. Led by the archangel Michael, these good angels by God's greater power defeated the devil and his demons, who were cast out of heaven.

The battle is now over in heaven, but it has begun anew on earth. It is written, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that his time is short." Satan tries to lure us now to do exactly what he did, to cause us to seek independence from God, to revolt against our Maker and to run our own lives the way we see fit. Out of hatred for God, the devil attacks the crown of God's creation, human beings. The devil attacked our first parents, Adam and Eve, and there he struck a mortal blow that has wounded all humanity. Our human nature has been corrupted by the destructive power of sin from which we cannot set ourselves free. The devil continues to war against in us both body and soul, with great wrath, because he knows that his time is running out.

Martin Luther once preached the following on St. Michael and All Angels day centuries ago. Listen to this extended quote: "Now, you have often heard that demons are everywhere. All they ever do is seek man's destruction. . . . and it is certainly true, were God not continually to put restraints on the evil foe, the devil would not leave one little kernel of grain in the field, no fish in the water, no piece of meat in the pot, no drop of water, beer, or wine in the cellar uncontaminated, nor would he leave a sound member in our bodies.

"When one, therefore, loses an eye or hand, when someone is killed or contracts a deadly disease, comes down with another illness, these are nothing but blows and thrusts of the devil. . . Against such a malicious, spiteful, cunning enemy, who is continually hounding us, God has appointed the beloved angels, to keep watch so that where the devil suddenly comes and strikes with pestilence, with fire, with hail, and the like, an angel is there to counter it, for the struggle between angels and demons is constantly ongoing. The devil would gladly trigger all manner of trouble, as we see and experience daily, when many a bone is fractured on level ground, many a person falls down a staircase or steps, not knowing how such a thing could have happened. This and similar things the devil would constantly be causing, were God not preventing it through the beloved angels. However, He does at times permit us to experience such things, that we might learn, if God were not there all the time preventing their occurrence, they would happen continuously. And for this reason we ought to pray all the more diligently and thank God for such protection.

"The beloved angels, like a wall, guard and protect us against the devil; we must not become impudent and secure, as if we were alone on earth and the devil a thousand miles away. No, you are not alone, demons are all around you. . . They are all too eager to cause harm to body, to possessions, to the soul, through malevolence, hatred, anger, arrogance, and the like, in order to bring us down with themselves to hell. But we have our God to thank that this does not happen because he wards off the devil through his angels, so that always more good than harm results, more peace than war, more grain at harvest than lost by frost, hail, and whatever else, more houses preserved than burned down, more good health than sickly and infirm bodies. Should the devil strike at an eye, a foot, or an arm, the rest of the body remains sound. So, at all times more people grow old than die by plague.

"Let us learn, therefore, that we are in grave danger every day and night as targets of the devil. He always has a crossbow stretched tight and a gun loaded, taking aim to strike us with pestilence, syphilis, war, fire, and violent weather. But through His precious angels our beloved Lord God sees to it that the crossbow hits the devil and the gun blows up or misfires. On the other hand, He at times allows him to hit the mark, so that we learn that we are not high and mighty, or in charge of everything, and so should pray all the more fervently that God would not let the devil have free reign, but through his angels (God) graciously restrains him." (House Postils, Vol. 3, pp. 375-80)

It is very true, then, what St. Paul says in Ephesians 6, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness. And quite honestly, that's something that we're tempted not to believe or take very seriously. That's one of Satan's best tricks, to deceive us into thinking all this angel and demon stuff is just fairy tale stories for the unenlightened and the gullible. Maybe it's good material for a joke here or there, but that's about it. No, we're enlightened, intelligent people. If we can't scientifically prove it, it's not real or at least not worth paying much attention to.

It is to people with this sort of unbelieving attitude that Jesus says in the Gospel, "Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Maybe it's childlike to believe in angels, or to believe that God became man in Christ, or that Jesus died and then rose from the dead for us. But it is only through such childlike faith that we can enter into the kingdom of heaven. We need to turn, to repent and humble ourselves like a little child and trust in our heavenly Father, that He is good and merciful through Christ His Son, and that what He says is true. That is what faith is about: to trust His Word and keep it simply because He said so, to be nothing but given to by God. That is what defines greatness in the kingdom of heaven. It is only with the humility and wonder of a child that we can rejoice in the angels or any of the gifts of God.
In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that if anyone causes one of these little ones in the faith to sin or to doubt God's Word, it would be better for that person if a millstone were hung around his neck and he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

To doubt the angels is to doubt the Lord of the angels. But to have a right belief about the angels is to worship the Lord of the angels. For is that not what they continually do? It is written in the Gospel, "Their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven." The angels are always turned towards their Creator, beholding His glory and majesty. In Isaiah, we hear of the angels called seraphim who cry out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of His glory!" That is where the angels would have us turn our attention as well, not so much on them but on God, to join our voices with theirs as we do in the liturgy to sing "Holy, holy, holy" to our Maker and Redeemer.

That is the ministry of the holy angels, to guard and protect us from evil, and to lead us to behold our Lord and Savior. It is written in Hebrews, "Are not angels ministering spirits sent forth to serve those who will inherit salvation?" You have your angels, then. God has sent them forth to serve you who believe and are baptized, you who by the grace of Christ will inherit salvation.

When you think about it, the angels are always there as great messengers of the events of salvation. The angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce to her that she would be the mother of the Son of God. The angels announced the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. An angel came to strengthen our Lord Jesus in His suffering at Gethsemane, before He went to the cross to pay for our sins. Angels were there to announce our Lord's victory of death and the devil on Easter morning. Angels were there at Jesus' ascension, announcing that He would come again in the same way that He left. And now angels are with God's people right here in divine service, where the angelic message of the Gospel is being preached, wherever the gifts of Christ's salvation are being given out. They rejoice over one sinner who repents. The angels are here, filling the rafters, unseen, but very real, angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. The devil led us astray with false words and false teaching, even as he attempts to do still. But the holy angels are present to safeguard the proclamation of the true words of Christ which save us and give us life.

For it is by that very Word that they themselves defeated the devil. It is written here, "They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." In the same way that they were given victory, so are you: by the blood of the Lamb of God, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins, and by the Word of Jesus, your Savior. So it is that we sing, "Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. . . For the Lamb who was slain has begun His reign. Alleluia!"

Fellow redeemed, what a comfort it is to know that the same angels who cast the devil and his demons out of heaven are now watching over you at God's own direction. The devil's time is running out; the time of your salvation is near, when, as it is written, "Christ will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His chosen people from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Then the words of the Old Testament reading will be fulfilled, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. . . Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." Thanks be to God for the ministry of His angels!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit