In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The more that you read the Bible, the more that you come to realize just how many stories there are that have to do with angels. From Genesis to Revelation, there is hardly a single page of sacred Scripture that does not at least make mention of these magnificent and mysteries creatures. For example, the Bible tells us that an angel was placed at the entrance of the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned in order to guard the tree of life. It says that angels visited Abraham and Lot and safely led Lot’s family away from Sodom and Gomorrah before God destroyed it. An angel protected Hagar and her son Ishmael when they were cast out into the wilderness. Angels appeared to Jacob in a dream, ascending and descending on latter to heaven. They also accompanied Moses when he gave the people the Law at Mount Saini. An angel stood in the way of Balaam and prevented him from passing by on his donkey to curse the Israelites. An angel came to Elijah and fed him after he ran away from the wicked queen Jezebel and fell sleep under a broom tree. An angel appeared to Zechariah, and Mary, and Joseph announcing the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, and giving them directions of what they were supposed to do afterward. An angel broke the chains off Paul and Silas when they were in jail at Philippi. An angel guided Peter out of prison and led him to the house of the other disciples in Jerusalem. And Jesus tells us that when He returns in glory, all of the angels will come with Him. It is impossible to believe that the Bible is the literal Word of God and not believe in angels.

So, on the day in the Church when we are given to think more deeply about the angels, namely, the Feast of Saint Michael and all angels, which we celebrate today, let us simply consider together why God tells us about them at all. What is the benefit of the teaching of angels?

The first benefit of the teaching of angels is that it humbles us by reminding us of God’s majesty. When we look around at all of the things that God made which we can see, it is overwhelming for us to think about already. The earth that we live on is massive. Outer space is enormous. There are stars and galaxies and planets which are so far away from us that we can barely view them with a telescope. And who knows how many thousands of lifetimes it would take a person to travel to one of them if that were even something that was possible to begin them. And yet, God reminds us in His Word that all of that is merely a small picture of everything that He has actually created. In fact, there is an entire world that exists alongside our world, which, without His help, we are not able to see at all. And that, of course, is the world of the angels. It is the spiritual world, filled with these spiritual and heavenly beings. 

Not only does the Bible teach us very clearly that angels are real, but it also tells us that there are a great number of them, and that all of them are extremely powerful. As Saint John says in the book of Revelation, “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” Sometimes angels are depicted today as cute and cuddly creatures. But that is not true at all. Even though there are so many of them that only God can count them, a single angel by itself can do more than a whole host of men combined. Remember how it was that a single angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in just one night? Or remember how a single angel struck down all the first-born sons of Egypt, also in a single night? The Bible tells us that angels can cause earthquakes and move oceans. They can travel the span of the earth in a solitary second, and they can disappear and reappear before us in the blink of an eye. 

Truly, when we stop to think about the angels, we cannot help but be filled with wonder and amazement toward God who made them. When we consider the vastness of God’s creation, both visible and invisible, how could we not be overwhelmed by the majesty of His glory and the great power of His might? In the span of six literal days, God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them, including the angels. And yet, at the center of His creation, the only thing that He says that He made in His own image and likeness, is us lowly humans. 

The second benefit of the teaching of angels is that it comforts us by reminding us of God’s loving care. Even though the angels are so great and powerful, the Bible tells us that God made them to serve us, and that their chief task is to watch over and protect us. In Psalm 34, we read that the “angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him.” And Psalm 91 tells us how, “[God] will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Likewise, the author of Hebrews writes, “Are not [the angels] ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” While the Word of God is unclear whether or not each one of us has our own personal guardian angel, what is certainly clear is that none of us are without the help of angels. As Jesus tells us in our Gospel lesson today from Matthew eighteen, referring to children and all those in special need of God’s care, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

In addition to all of passages from the Bible that tell us how God promises to use angels to help us, there are also many wonderful accounts from the Scriptures of this actually happening to real people in the past. When Daniel fell into the lion’s den, who was it that closed the mouths of those ferocious beasts throughout the whole night so that they did not devour him? It was the angels. When Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace who was it that stood with them in the midst of the flames so that not a single hair on their head was singed? It was an angel. And in perhaps the most inspiring account with angels from the whole Bible, there is the story of Elisha and his fearful servant. When Elisha was trapped in the city of Dothan, completely surrounded by the Syrian army, and his servant trembled at the sight of the enemy, Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his companion, and when he looked up what did he see? The mountains around them were filled with angels. As Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

The teaching of angels gives us Christians comfort at every moment of our life.  If we are afraid to travel, and get nervous when we or our loved ones have to leave home, the teaching of angels reminds us that there are always those who accompany us along the way. If we are scared of the dark, and get worried about the safety of our little ones at night, the teaching of angels helps us to sleep it peace. It assures us that our beds are never left unprotected, and that even if we can’t stay awake and watch, there are always those who can. The angels are with us when we are tempted and they come to our aid when we suffer. After Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness, the Bible tells us that it was the angels that came to minister to Him. And when His agony was so great in the Garden of Gethsemane that He sweat drops of blood, the angels were there too. Even in the hour of death, the God’s Word assures us that God’s holy angels never leave our side. As we learn from the account of poor Lazarus, when a believer dies, it is the angels that come and carry our souls to heaven. 

And finally, besides humbling us and comforting us, the teaching of angels also encourages us. It encourages us to live a godly life by reminding us that we are never alone. We may not always be able to see the angels, but the angels always see us. They see the good things that we do, and they also see the bad. If we actually do believe what the Bible says about the angels, and the spiritual world that surrounds us, how could that not change the way that we live? When we consider just how great and powerful the angels are, and yet how they willingly and loving use that strength to serve us, how could that not enliven our hearts to serve others too? In fact, the Bible even tells us that in serving others, it is possible to serve the angels themselves. Remember what we read in Hebrews chapter thirteen, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”

God’s angels watch us when we work, and they also watch us when we worship. Their presence teaches us to take things like church seriously. When the women in Corinth, for example, refused to cover their heads during the service as a demonstration that they did not have to submit to their husbands, Saint Paul told them that they were offending the angels. And the same is true whenever someone takes God’s Word and Sacraments lightly today. It is with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven that we laud and magnify God’s glorious Name in worship. From the moment that His Name is spoken at the Invocation, to the moment that His Name is in placed on us at the Benediction, the angels of God are there. And their presence encourages us to keep God’s Name holy. It encourages pastors teach the Word of God in its truth in purity, and it encourages the children of God to lead holy lives according to it. 

In fact, that is what the angels care about the most. There is nothing that makes the angels in heaven happier than when a sinner confesses his sins and looks to Jesus for forgiveness. There is nothing that gives them more joy than repentance. As Jesus Himself tells us in Luke chapter fifteen, “there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” If you are thinking about or planning to do something than you know is wrong, and that God’s Word forbids, then think instead about the angels. If up to this point in your life you have lived in your sin with little or no attempt at stopping, then consider again the angels. And if you are sorry for the things that you have done, and want to do better, then remember the angels too. Remember the things into which the Bible says that even “the angels long to look.” The angels long to look at Jesus. They long to behold the face of the crucified and risen Lord, who died for the sins of the world, and they want nothing more than for each and every one of us to do the same. 

And for those who mourn their sins and put their faith in Christ to forgive them, one day, we will. One day, all those who trust not in themselves or their own works, but in the merit and blood of Jesus alone, will see Jesus face to face in eternity. No, we do not become angels when we die. Angels are spiritual beings without bodies and we believe in the resurrection of the dead. But even though we do not become angels when we die, we do become like them: confirmed in bliss, incapable of sin, completely united with the will of God, and singing His praises in the heavenly choir forever. May God grant it to all of us for Jesus’ sake. And may He use the teaching of angles to strengthen our faith along the way. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.