Luke 10,17-20. St. Michael and all angels

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The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 10,17-20               5019

Michaelmas. 15. Sn. n. Trinitatis 060   

St. Michael and all Angels 

29. September 2019 

1. O Heavenly Father, praised by Your heavenly host; draw our attention to that which is most important – our names having been written in heaven, so that we praise You for the gift of everlasting life in Your presence.  Amen. (Luke 10,20) 

2. »The 72 returned with joy, saying: „Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your Name!“ Jesus told them: „I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to trample on snakes, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing will ever harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in heaven.“« 

3. The existence of angels transcends religions, cultures and time. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all speak of angels in their holy texts. Hindus (devas), Persians, ancient Sumeria, Egypt and Babylon also have a belief in angels. TV shows, movies and books prominently featured angels in our Western culture. The Church has kept 29. September as a feast for Michael and all angels since the 5. century (when a basilica near Rome was dedicated in honor of Michael on 30. September). 

4. Angels appear in the Bible more often than you may think: at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament! We particularly recall that angels where present when Christ was born and when He rose from the dead. The Bible names three angels: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael (in Tobit from the Apocrypha) and Uriel (2. Esdras or Esdras IV in the Vulgate);  Gabriel appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament and foretells to Zachariah and Mary the births of John and Jesus, respectively, in the New Testament; Michael also appears to Daniel in the Old Testament and later casts Satan from heaven in Revelation 12.  

5. The word angel means messenger. God sends them to also protect (Psalm 91,11), guard us (Exodus 23,20; Daniel 6,22), fight for us (Exodus 11,1-12,36) and minister to us (Matthew 4,11; Luke 22,43). Angels execute God’s judgment (2. Kings 19). The angels praise and worship God (Revelation 5,11-12); some of the angels who worship God are described as magnificent and complex beings that exceed our creative imagination (Seraphim, Cherubim and the 4 Living Creatures). 

6. Not all angels are good, as Luke reminds us; there are the fallen angels, the Devil and the demons, who rebelled against God. In the Scriptures, the Devil is often portrayed as a Serpent, a Snake, a Leviathan and a Dragon – all dangerous creatures. Luke reminds us that Jesus has power and victory over the Devil and his rebellious angels: the demons are subject to His Name. The proclamation of Christ and His gospel results in the victory over the Devil (Just 443). The reign of God is now a present reality and the reign of Satan is firmly defeated (Just 444).

7. Jesus tells us that the angels rejoice when a sinner repents (Luke 15,10), and this is why He also exhorts us to rejoice that our names have been written in heaven. This is ultimately what the angels attend to for us on behalf of God: they minister to us His salvation. They point us to Christ and His work of redemption. They fight the devils so that Christ’s gospel is sown among us and reaps the harvest of faith and piety. The angels are simply God’s messengers who minister to us, thus we do not worship them but rejoice and thank God for their service to us. 

8. The blood of the Lamb conquers the Devil, and the word of our testimony to the Word of God overcomes Satan (Revelation 12,11). The angels delight in our triumph over our satanic foe and they strengthen us to delight in it as well. For we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8,37).  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord, praised by all Your angelic hosts; teach us to praise You, so that in praising You we recall Your Providence in our lives.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Just, Arthur A., Jr. Luke 9:51––24:53. Copyright © 1997 Concordia Publishing House. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.