“SAINT MICHAEL FIGHTS FOR US”
Saint Matthew 18: 1-11
Saint Michael and all Angels: 25 September Anno Domini 2016
Father Jay Watson SSP
“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy…for unto you is born… a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” [Lk. 2]
By asking The Lord “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” the “12” were making the sinful mistake that all flesh makes…worrying and fixating over power and glory. The Disciples were looking at themselves and not at The God/Man. These future Apostles—Bishops and Pastors, were indulging “old Adam” rather than receiving The New Adam Who stood in their midst bringing them the veritable “Kingdom of Heaven” with His Word, Body, and Blood.
Sinning daily is not your core problem. Being a sinner in your fallen nature is the damnable condition. You do wrong things yes, horrible things yes, but the trespasses that Christians commit have all been purged and paid for in Jesus’ Blood. He died for all, yes, but you have been given Grace to receive His merit by faith. So when you sin it is all the more tragic. It saddens the angels. This is why they rejoice over one solitary sinner who repents. Repent!
It’s not your sins against His holy angels that grieves the heart of Christ; it is your sins of omission and commission against God, and against your neighbor.
Today we honor and laud the angels of God. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name” [Ps 103.1] You should love angels; they love you. Your own individual guardian angels love you with a pure and ever love. Think of the love a faithful dog has for its owner and magnify that times infinity. We honor Saint Michael the archangel, Saint Gabriel, Saint Rafael [Tobit] and all the others whose names we will know when we join them in singing the Trisagion (Holy, Holy, Holy) at the heavenly banquet of The Lamb—the feast of victory for our God.
You love angels because you love The Lord and all His creatures and creations. You hate angels because your sinful self hates God and all His creatures.
Jesus shows you a perfect way, The perfect way, to be great in His kingdom, in Himself. He doesn’t just show you or tell you in an instructional way but He speaks and feeds TODAY in a present active way! Become converted, turned, as a little child—a babe. The 8-day old infant at the font is the greatest disciple in Christ’s sheepfold for that baby simply and passively receives all of Jesus—His absolution and His Atoning Blood in the drowning + flood of rebirth. Not by guile, intellect, reason, works, or steadfastness as a discipline, but by Grace through faith in Jesus alone.
Jesus alone is the message of the angels. Jesus is the “Good News” of God—in the Flesh. Jesus is the ev-angel—the good message. He is The Angel of The Lord—The Angel of The Trinity sent to give you His message of Peace by giving you Himself…Peace. His messenger spirits, His flames of fire [Ps. 104.4]—Seraphim, Cherubim, Dominions, Principalities, and all the rest, are like the Blessed Ever-Virgin, content to be constrained to point to Him, as did The Baptist, and say… “Behold, The Lamb of God” [Jn. 1.29], worship thou Him!
Good confessional Biblical exegetes have said that the little child on Christ’s lap was also meant as “type” for His Apostles as well—that they too must always put their brother first and their flock’s needs ahead of their own. If Jesus came to serve and not to be served [Mt. 20.28] would His ambassadors be expected to do any less? “He who hears you, Peter, John, Pastor Watson, hears Me. And he who hears Me, hears He Who sent Me.” [Lk. 10.16] “Whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted.” [Jn. 20.23] Pastors are angels…good messengers. If they do not give you the Evangel they are not angels but demons to be abjured and banished.
The Seraph [Is. 6] placed the hot burning coal from The Trinity’s censor on the tongue of Esaias that He might receive the purifying Grace of God—showing the future reception of Christ’s very and true Body for the forgiveness of sins.
The Blessed Virgin, John the Baptist, Apostles, Lutheran Pastors, little baptized babies, all cling to Christ The Head and point to His work and His mercy. We are all to be angels one to another in serving God and serving our neighbor. We thank Jesus this morning for His angels…spirit beings of light and protection, and most important, trumpets of the Good News of Christ Crucified, and your forgiveness of sins. “Fear not.” [Lk. 1.13, 30] “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find [Him] wrapped in swaddling [chalice and ciborium], lying [on the altar]. And there is with [this] angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” [Lk. 2. 8-14]
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost
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