Today we celebrate the festival of St. Michael and all
angels, known in some other countries and traditions as
Michaelmas. Michael, the archangel, is mentioned in the books of Daniel, Jude, and Revelation, as well as other Bible-time writings that we do not consider to be part of our Bible. This feast day was originally assigned solely for St. Michael, but in Reformation times, was expanded to include a commemoration of all the angels. The lessons illustrate the biblical understanding of St. Michael as the captain of the heavenly armies, who leads us into victory on behalf of Christ. Today, let’s take some time to look at the biblical function and appearance of angels.
Angels are depicted in many different ways in art, sculpture, poetry, prose, and movies. Most of these popular images are completely unbiblical. C.S. Lewis wrote: “In the plastic arts these symbols [of angels] have steadily degenerated. Fra Angelico’s angels carry in their face and gesture the peace and authority of Heaven. Later came the chubby infantile nudes of Raphael; finally the soft, slim, girlish, and consolatory angels of nineteenth century art, shapes so feminine that they avoid being voluptuous only by their total insipidity - the frigid houris of a tea table paradise. They are a pernicious symbol. In Scripture the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying "Fear not." The Victorian angel looks as if it were going to say, "There, there." –from the preface to The Screwtape Letters (quoted by Bruce Booher on ecunet meeting Gospel Notes For Next Sunday).
And even more recently, television shows and movies seem
to have a fascination with depictions of angels. Perhaps some of you watch Touched By An Angel. Or the popular television show “Angel”, which has nothing to do with angels; on the contrary, it tells the story of a vampire who battles demons and other evil powers. Charlie’s Angels, the TV series and movie, had absolutely nothing to do with angels at all, unless you think that angels are just good looking women. In City of Angels (Nic
Cage, Meg Ryan), an angel falls in love with a woman and angels can decide to be human under certain circumstances. Michael (with John Travolta), written about our commemorated angel, portrays an overweight, crabby, chain-smoking, beer-drinking being that can do miracles. In Dogma, two angels who have been banished to Wisconsin try to escape to New Jersey in hopes of finding a loophole that will let them back into heaven. The Preacher’s Wife (a remake of the earlier Bishop’s Wife) features an angel who comes as the answer to a preacher’s desperate prayer. It’s A Wonderful Life first introduced us to Clarence, that loveable, chubby angel who informed us “Whenever a bell rings, an angel gets his wings”. But none of these images really reflects the biblical witness about angels, so let’s look at the
biblical responsibilities of angels. What do angels do?
Firstly, angels bring messages from God. The very word
used for angel in Greek and Hebrew means “messenger”. Angels announce God’s judgment, declare the promise of numerous babies-to-be, and proclaim good news to the people of God. An angel called to Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his only son Isaac, telling him to stop and let the boy live. An angel informed Zechariah that his old, barren wife Elizabeth would have a child. An angel appeared to Mary announcing the upcoming birth of Jesus. An angel told Joseph not to leave Mary, because her child was from the Holy Spirit. On the first Christmas night, angels proclaimed Jesus’ birth to mere shepherds out in the fields. An angel sent Peter and Cornelius to one another, so that Peter would accept Gentiles and Cornelius would be saved. An angel sent Ananias to Saul upon his conversion, to proclaim the good news to him. An angel gave the revelation to John on the island of Patmos. While we humans can bear God’s message, we will never be angels in the same sense as these heavenly beings who deliver messages directly from God’s mouth.
Secondly, angels carry out God’s work on earth,
including justice and comfort. In the Old Testament, this work often takes on a morbid tone. 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles describe an angel putting to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. The Psalms describe an angel of the Lord driving enemies away or chasing after them (35:5,6). Angels minister to Elijah while he’s in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Angels also minister to Jesus as he’s in the wilderness for forty days after his baptism and testing by the devil. An angel rolled the stone away effortlessly on Resurrection Day morning. In Acts, Herod did not give praise to God, so the angel of the Lord struck him down (12:23). Angels carry out God’s earthly work, whether it be judgment or comfort.
Thirdly, on a related note, angels deliver the people of
God from difficult situations. In the exodus, the angel of God traveled in front of Israel’s army, until the Egyptians caught up with them, then the angel stood behind the Hebrew people, to keep them safe from attack. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth body in there that looked different, like the Son of Man. According
to the text, this is the angel of God that kept them safe (Daniel 3:28). When Daniel was safe after spending the night in the den of lions, he chalked it up to an angel who shut the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:22). In the book of Acts and elsewhere, apostles are freed from prison chains by the angel of God (5:19, 12:7-15).
Fourthly, angels praise God in heaven. Numerous prophets
plus the book of Revelation include descriptions of angels who fall down at the throne of God in worship and praise. Visions and dreams of biblical writers are often full of angels bringing messages, warnings, and other messages. In dreams and visions, angels sometimes bring someone to a high place to overlook what is happening (Revelation), but, on the other hand, the devil does the same thing in the temptation of Jesus narrative.
What do angels look like? We don’t have any really great
descriptions in scripture, or any pictures left over from biblical appearances of angels. Today’s visual representations of angels are often chubby babies or beautiful women. In the scriptures, there are examples of angels appearing in human form. Three angels show up at Abraham and Sarah’s tent, announcing that they would have a son. They are not identified as angels until much later, so they must have blended in, taking on human form. When an angel appears to announce the upcoming
birth of Samson, his parents see “a man” because they do not realize he is an angel until later (Judges 13:3-16). The writer of Hebrews says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (13:2) Obviously, angels can appear in human form, looking just like the rest of society.
And although angels appear in human form at times, they
are not human, and never have been. According to both scripture and the tradition of the church, humans do not become angels. Our idea of someone becoming an angel when they die comes from somewhere other than scripture. When I die, I will not become a guardian angel to look over my children and keep them safe from harm. Angels are real, but angels are a different part of the
structure of beings that God created. At the beginning of the book of Hebrews and in a quote from the Psalms, the created order is explained. In the book of Hebrews, the writer emphasizes that although angels are superior to humans, they are inferior to Jesus. Angels always point to God, reveal God, and reference God. They do not place themselves above God or Jesus.
Although these supernatural beings called angels can
come in the form of humans, angels in the scriptures can also be downright scary. Even if we discount the terrifying judgments of death carried out by the angels in the Old Testament, consider what happens when the angels come to deliver a message. In Luke, when the angel brings the message to Zechariah about their
upcoming unexpected birth, the angel first says, “Do not be afraid.” When the angel appears to Mary, he says, “Do not be afraid.” When the angels announce the birth of the son of God to the lowly shepherds, out in the fields watching their flocks by night, they say, “Do not be afraid.” Many more angelic appearances begin with the words “Do not be afraid.” The heavenly creatures of the seraphim and cherubim, often seen as heavenly co-workers of the angels, are described in Isaiah 6 as winged, fiery serpents. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want
to come face to face with a seraphim if that’s the description. In fact, Michael is often described as the captain of the heavenly armies. Hardly a pretty picture of a fluffy winged creature whose idea of a good time is strumming a heavenly harp as he floats around the earth looking for people to help.
Angels have many responsibilities and roles in heaven
and on earth. Their physical appearance may resemble that of a human, but they are not human beings that have died and gone on, according to scripture. Angels are important, but they are still subject to the rule and power of Christ. In the book of Colossians, the author helps to define the place and significance of angels. “Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on
visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God” (Col. 2:18-19).
The most important thing about angels is that they do not exist for their own glory, but to glorify and to serve God. So whatever you may or may not have learned about angels this morning, remember that the most important role of angels is to be pointing, pointing, always pointing to God, their source of being.
