Devotional for the Week

Heavenly Hosts

Devotional for the week of September 29, 2024

When angels show up in the Bible, there is a good chance they have arrived to stir things up. They are a sign that a surprise is in store and that God is nearby. In scripture, angels are messengers of God. They protect us, guide us, minister to us, and point us toward God’s power and might.

The angels we meet in today’s reading from Revelation are not porcelain cherubs to put on a shelf. They are mighty, battle-hardened warriors. It is hard not to be swept up in John’s mystical vision of this great battle in heaven. It is like a good fantasy novel: an army of angels, led by Michael, face off against a great red fiery dragon, with seven heads and ten horns.

This struggle is not confined to an ancient past or a distant future. It occurs whenever and wherever the faithful face down the powers of injustice, sin, and the forces that defy God. The seventy sent out by Jesus had done just that. Where do we see this confrontation play out in our world today? How might we equip ourselves to join in the cause?

The ultimate victory over evil is won not by a human army but by a celestial one. The dragon knows its time is short because love always wins. We do not have to save the world by our own power because God and all the company of heaven do it for us. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has already won. As Jesus tells his first followers, “Your names are written in heaven.”

Michael and All Angels is sometimes described as a festival of strong will and courage. Positioned just a few days after the fall equinox as the days become shorter and colder, it’s a reminder that we do not have to face the enemy alone. Michael and his angels in Revelation demonstrate that Christ’s love and protection accompany us every step of the way.