St. John’s Lutheran Church
29 September 2024 + Michael & All Angels
Revelation 12:7-12
Rev. Josh Evans
Why celebrate Michael & All Angels?
Because it falls on a Sunday this year and the lectionary says so?
Because it gives us another excuse to highlight the music of the brilliantly talented John Williams in the dragon-adjacent Jurassic Park franchise?
Or maybe because angels are so popular and friendly and easy to understand … and not at all frightening – such that nearly every interaction between angels and humans in the Bible begins with the encouragement to not be afraid? (Take a look at the description of angels in Ezekiel sometime, and you’ll understand why…)
It’s certainly not because of the readings assigned to this day –
enough to make any preacher want to run, not walk, to the nearest exit:
There’s Daniel’s terrifying and confusing visions in an equally terrifying and confusing time of exile and oppression.
Or perhaps Revelation, the equally confusing and often misinterpreted apocalyptic New Testament counterpart to Daniel, which tells, among other things, of a great war in heaven.
Or maybe more perplexing still, Jesus’ brief but puzzling words about snakes and scorpions and Satan in the middle of Luke’s gospel.
Each reading, rich and complex enough on its own,
could be the sole focus of a sermon or Bible study –
and even then, we’d need all day, or even multiple weeks,
to fully unpack and digest their meaning.
Why celebrate Michael & All Angels?
Maybe we can take our cue from the Waldorf Schools, a non-religiously affiliated network of schools that celebrate the story of Michaelmas (‘Michael’s Mass’) annually, often with an all-school play and other activities.
One teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City explains its significance:
“Michaelmas is a festival of community […] Michael is an archangel mentioned in many traditions. As we know, he is depicted as a valiant and noble conqueror of the dragon – that evil being whose forces threaten to overwhelm humanity. Just at this poignant time of year when summer’s lease is over, we have the Michaelmas festival in September: the image of Michael is one of hope and courage that helps us remember that when we unite together, we can overcome things that we cannot possibly do on our own.”
Often called the ‘Festival of Courage’ in the Waldorf tradition, Michaelmas also deepens our connection to the natural world, falling as it does in close proximity to the autumnal equinox. As days grow shorter and temperatures become cooler, Michaelmas calls us to summon the particular courage to prepare for the darker, colder months ahead, “resolv[ing] to carry summer’s warmth within us.” (Bärtges)
On the whole, as the Waldorf tradition teaches,
Michaelmas reminds us:
“We all face difficulties in life, both internal and external,
and somehow we must find the courage and strength to prevail.”
As human beings,
we know our difficulties, both internal and external, all too well.
As people of faith,
we also know we never have to face these difficulties alone.
Enter the story of Michael,
the saint and archangel from whom this day takes its name.
Michael is one of only two angels, together with Gabriel, to be named in the Bible,
and he appears by name three times –
most prominently in the scene of cosmic war of which John of Patmos writes in Revelation – an epic battle between good and evil that plays out in heaven.
In that story in Revelation,
Michael and his angels lead the charge against the dragon –
the ancient serpent, the one who is called Satan – the adversary – and the deceiver.
It’s difficult, if not impossible,
to do justice to the book of Revelation –
a book so often misinterpreted –
in one sermon, but here it goes …
First things first:
Revelation is apocalyptic literature –
a kind of writing that reveals something hidden,
often speaking in metaphors that would have been obvious to its intended audience, but otherwise intentionally “coded,” lest it fall into the wrong hands.
Apocalyptic literature, like Revelation,
often dramatized real-life circumstances in mythic or “fairy tale”-like stories in order to reveal its point.
In the Bible,
such writings were meant to give hope to the early Christian community –
in the midst of persecution by a brutally oppressive empire,
when their world was collapsing around them,
when life as they knew it was falling apart.
Apocalyptic literature, like Revelation,
testified to God’s ultimate victory over evil:
No matter how bleak things got, God and God’s people would triumph still.
Thus, in Revelation,
Michael and his angels defeat the “dragon” –
a metaphorical stand-in for the oppressive empire of Rome,
and for all forces that are opposed to God’s reign of justice and peace –
but this is only the beginning of Revelation’s climax.
In the chapters to come, the battle continues on earth –
but with a renewed sense of incredible hope.
Because this dragon has already been defeated in the heavenly war,
it is already losing the earthly war.
“Though hordes of devils fill the land…”
as Luther writes,
“we tremble not, unmoved we stand;
they cannot overpow’r us…”
Why celebrate Michael & All Angels?
Because in the midst of life’s difficulties –
whether violence and division that plague our nation and our world,
or those struggles closer home, around and within us –
this story emphatically and decisively reminds us:
Those difficulties do not, cannot, will not get the final word.
To quote the English fantasy writer Neil Gaiman:
“Fairy tales are more than true – not because they tell us that dragons exist,
but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
This is the message of Michaelmas,
and the core of our hope as the people of God:
Dragons can be beaten.
Michael defeats the dragon,
and a loud voice in heaven proclaims the victory song,
echoing our Easter proclamation:
Here is the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God!
We have conquered by the blood of the Lamb!
The Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. This is the feast of victory!
Why celebrate Michael & All Angels?
Because Michael & All Angels remind us of the victory of our God,
a victory that gives us hope and courage,
for whatever lies ahead.