Eve of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Why do we celebrate feast days? We do so out of reverence – reverence like we pay to those who have died in service to our country, or reverence for those who have served our country in some significant way. And yet, it is something more. We don’t worship the Saints, but we do hold them in great regard. And celebrating the saint’s days connects us with the historic church and with our brothers and sisters in the worldwide church; the Prayer Book Feast Days bring to remembrance the true historical events of the lives of the cloud of witnesses that lead us to our faith.  

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels is the only angelic feast day that was retained by the Reformers.  This and other feast days have been part of the Church liturgical calendar for many centuries, and we keep them somewhat like we would keep a family birthday – every year remembering and celebrating them.  Further, keeping this feast day sanctifies time in the Christian calendar year, and encourages our thoughtful meditation. Ultimately, this celebration reminds us of Saint Michael’s ultimate victory over Satan through his devotion to Christ. It is the Word of His testimony that defeats Satan; not the power of Michael’s might. A poignant message for us. Here is why! 

First, who is St. Michael? In the Old Testament, Michael the Archangel is the angel appointed for protection over Israel. In Daniel we see Michael battling against the prince of Persia and in revelation chapter 12 we see him fighting against Satan. 

So, let’s talk about angels. The Scriptures tell us that the angels are holy and set apart by God, and this is one reason we honor them the same way that we honor other saints.  

In the hierarchy of things, Angels are created a ‘little above men’, but someday we will judge the angels. They are always before God, and they minister to us. They are messengers (Angel literally means messenger) just as Gabriel was to Mary. Angels are not cute little cherubic creatures like we see in popular media and art. Angels are terrifying! Every time someone comes across an angel in Holy Scripture, they are moved to fall down and worship them. They protect God’s people, encourage them, heal them, and bring GOD’s message of truth to them. 

Throughout the 1928 Prayer Book, the Collects tie together the readings appointed for the day and help us focus on the message they convey. Today’s Collect for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels is no different. It says: 

“O EVERLASTING God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” 

Everlasting God – This reminds us that God is everlasting, men and angels are not. We and they were created. God is completely separate to them and to us. They are not demi-gods, and neither are we. There is only one GOD, and He is everlasting, and he is separate to his creation. 

Focusing on another part of the Collect, it reads: “Everlasting GOD, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order.” Men have a service in an order – bishop, priest, deacon, and laity. Angels also have their order: Archangels, angels, and all the company of Heaven. Our service, like theirs, is fidelity, and proper worship toward the everlasting GOD. We are also given the service of spreading the Gospel and mediating God’s grace on earth which is the work of the Church and of the Heavenly host of angels. This reminds us of our common vocation of holiness.  

Next, we read in the Collect, “Mercifully grant that, as thy holy angels always do thee service in heaven” The work of holiness and sanctification by the angels is seen early in Holy Scripture. In Genesis the garden of Eden is depicted as a temple. And after the Fall of Adam and Eve, we see angels guarding the border between unholy man and holy God. In Isaiah, we see one of the angelic seraphim flying from the Throne of GOD to Isaiah to touch his mouth with coals from the Heavenly Altar. This action cleans Isaiah’s mortal lips, so that he could speak GOD’s Holy Word as GOD’s holy prophet. Isaiah must remain at a distance because he is unclean – the angel then acts as a minister to purify and sanctify GOD’s prophets, before GOD, and for GOD.  

Now, not all angels are holy, nor do they all seek to seek to spread the Eternal Gospel, nor to keep mankind holy. Those angles, like the Devil who fell because of rebellion against GOD do not have a plan of salvation. Once they fell, they were lost forever. Satan and his minions are some of those angels outside of GOD’s saving Grace. They know their time is short and their condemnation sure – just as our victory through Christ is sure. Satan accuses us because he wants us to be judged the same way he is, without GOD’s saving Grace. We have a plan of salvation; they do not!  

The author of Hebrews says: “For indeed He (God) does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham” (2.16). Maybe that’s why St. Peter tells us even the angels don’t understand this. Referring to the Gospel preached to us by the saints and the Prophets, Peter says, “these things, even the angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1.12).  

Next, the Collect says, that “by GOD’s appointment, the angels, succor and defend mankind on earth…” — God and His angels contend against Satan for us. They protect us because we cannot protect ourselves. 

JESUS said, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their – (THE CHILDREN’S) angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”  We, and children, have angels in heaven. 

And when the angels oppose Satan, they do so with God’s power. From Jude 9 “But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”^. Archangel Michael, the most powerful of the angels, was not arrogant and did not argue with Satan; he only said, ‘the Lord rebuke you,’ and left the judgement to God. We must become like the angels and purge the sin of pride and arrogancy from our lives. 

In the end, Satan is defeated by Michael and is cast to the earth. In Revelation 12 we read: “war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.So, the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12.9). 

In our praise to God, we look to the angels for a pattern on how to worship GOD on earth as they worship Him in heaven. The angels facilitate and attend the divine worship of Heaven in God’s Holy Presence, and that is reflected in the Holy Eucharist when we say the Sanctus. “Therefore, with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, Lord God of, hosts, Heaven and earth are full of thy glory: Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High. Amen.’ (1928 BCP, pg. 77) This is because as the angels worship the Everlasting GOD, so we too must join in that worship of Him with them.  

And even at the end of our lives we see the angels present with us – ministering to us. We are promised that at the end of the age the angels will come back and gather us. But if we die before that, just as it says with Lazarus, they will gather us and take to Christ. “So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.” (Luke 16:22). Due to the consecrated ordering of GOD of men and angels, we do not die alone.  

The Church’s liturgical calendar in the form of the Prayer Book Saints Feast Days, connect us with our ancestors and with each other, making real the history and the actuation of the Faith once delivered to us by the saints and angels (St. Jude 1.9). Let us then rejoice in and revere St. Michael and All Angels today, with praise and thanksgiving to our Everlasting GOD, by saying:  

O EVERLASTING God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

*Dr. Ed Charnock, et al.