September 29, 2002
A sermon by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma
Today is an unusual day in the church year. There is no other day like it. It is the festival of St. Michael & All Angels. It is always celebrated on September 29th and since the 29th is a Sunday this year, we celebrate it today. It is one of the oldest festival days on the church calendar, and it is the only day in the church year on which we honor the angels. In other words, it is a festival in honor of the angels. The day is meant to remind us of all the unseen forces in the universe and the whole world of beings called angels. The Michael who is mentioned is an archangel and is mentioned four times in scripture. He is regarded as the protector of Israel and the church (in the book of Daniel), and he is the one who led the heavenly forces against Satan and the rebellious angels (Rev. 12).
Who are the angels? Well, here is the story of the angels in a nutshell: 1. They are a body of spiritual beings in between humanity and God (Ps. 8:6). 2. They are created beings (Ps. 148:2, 5; Colossians 1:16-17). 3. They are ministering spirits meant to forward God’s plan of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). 4. The name “angel” means messenger, but this is not their essential function. Their essential function is to assist God in forwarding the plan of salvation. Obviously, that can involve a great number of activities (Job 1:6, 2:11; Matt. 18:10). 5. There are bad angels as well as good angels. The Bible tells us that there was a rebellion against God, led by an angel named Satan (Rev. 12). The reason for the rebellion is not known, but some have surmised that Satan was jealous over the creation of humanity (Genesis 3).
In our Gospel today Jesus speaks of the relationship of these spiritual beings to him and to his disciples. He is heading toward Jerusalem to his ultimate act of sacrifice, and he commissions 35 pairs of disciples to go before him to prepare the way for his coming. He gives them a list of instructions as to how to go about their activity of proclaiming the reign of God. They pretty much follow the pattern of his ministry--preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out demons. Our scripture reading today describes their return to Jesus following their ministry and Jesus’ response to them.
The disciples are absolutely exuberant: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us.” Do you hear the ring of disbelief in that? It’s sort of like they are saying, “Lord, we knew things would happen when we exercised the authority of your name, but we never anticipated anything like this!” And Jesus affirms their joy by saying that he saw Satan falling from heaven. Hard to say exactly what that means. It could be a historical reference, that Jesus saw the event described in Rev. 12. Or it could be that Jesus saw in their activity the beginning of the end for Satan’s rule on earth.
In any case, they discovered that in the name of Jesus they had power over the forces of evil. It’s sort of like Jesus is saying, “I told you so.” “I’ve given you authority … over the power of the enemy.” Use it and you will see even greater things.
Of course, all of this raises an interesting question: Do we have that kind of power today? Certainly we do. Sin is overcome; and the promoters of sin, Satan and his minions, are overcome every time we use the power of Jesus’ name. Every time we hear the word of God, every time we confess and receive absolution, every time someone is baptized, every time we receive Communion, every time we pray for someone, Satan falls from heaven. In one of the most insightful and touching passages I’ve ever read in this regard, John and Paula Sanford talk about the billions of sins that are washed away every time we worship, and how the power of Satan is overcome every time we do these things, and we do not even realize it; and, conversely, how the burden of sin and the power of the Devil increase in the lives of those who don’t. As terrible as life can be, how much more terrible could it be without those people who claim the power and authority of Jesus’ name?
It makes such an incredible difference in our lives and in the lives of others when we use the authority that is in the name of Jesus. But nothing happens if we don’t trust enough to use Jesus’ name. One pastor talks about it in this way. Someone can give me a check for a million dollars, but that check is worthless. It’s just a piece of paper unless I cash it. Jesus has given us some thing of vastly greater worth, but unless we trust him enough to use the authority of his name in activities like prayer, studying and listening to his Word, Holy Communion, Baptism, confession and absolution, and witnessing, his name is worthless for us.
Do you think that the reason that the church is so weak in so many places and that lives of so many Christians seem so weak is that we are not using the authority of the name of Jesus, we are not cashing the check, we think we have more important things to do, we think that Jesus can’t really accomplish the things that he says? When we live faithlessly or put our faith in something other than Jesus, we diminish ourselves and our relationships and we become easy prey for the Devil.
The other promise that Jesus gives, in relation to the Devil, is that when we live our lives in his name “nothing will hurt us.” Now, what sane person would not want to receive the benefit of that promise? But it is important to understand exactly what Jesus is talking about here. He is talking about our eternal relationship to God and the preservation of our essential being. He is not saying that there will not be trial and suffering when we oppose Satan. He is saying we will have eternal life and he will be with us and support us in our trials. He is even saying we can find joy even in the midst of those trials.
In his very last sermon in 1535 Martin Luther talked about his experience of Jesus’ presence with him especially in the most trying moments of his life when his very life was threatened. He said that it was like the experience the people of God have always had when they used the authority of Jesus’ name. He talked about St. Agnes when she was being led away to be killed for her faith who said that God made her feel so joyous that she felt like she was going to a dance. In other words, she had no fear at all just exuberant joy. Here are the words Luther has Jesus saying, “If evil befalls you, I, the Christ, will give you the courage so that you will even laugh about it all, and the pain shall not be so great for you, and the devil not so bad. I will give you the heart to laugh.”
Luther believed that in the face of trial we could all personally claim the promises of the Psalms. Psalm 34: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers him.” And Psalm 91: “For he will give his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways.”
And if these promises to his disciples aren’t enough, there is even more. Here is the greatest promise of all: “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” What does that mean? It means that God’s will for everyone is to be part of his family and to share in eternal life with him. He wants everyone to know the power that can be theirs when they use the authority of his name. First Timothy 2:4 is the major reference here: “God desires everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Have you claimed that name for yourself? Have you committed yourself to Jesus? If you have, are you using the authority that is in that name? It is the only way to clear the garbage of sin out of our lives and defeat the power of the Devil.
copyright 2001 by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma