Jesus himself is the one in whom heaven and earth are finally united and brought into harmony. He is the bridge upon which the angels ascend and descend.
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Because we are united to Jesus when we sing God's praises we sing them in the presence of the angels who, together with us, worship the Father.
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
These are the ones with whom we join whenever we worship the Ancint One.
In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
The angels are not just there for aesthetic purposes. They carry out the will of God. He chooses to work through them in order to carry out the prayers of the saints. If we feel like our own lives lack victory over the devil maybe we need to avail ourselves of angelic help.
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
God loves when we give due honor to his angelic hosts by asking them for their protection and guidance. Neither he nor the angels have any need of us. But they nevertheless delight in the opportunity to show us love when we are in need.
We are reminded this morning that much of God's plan for victory comes about through angels. And we are also reminded that the angels are not far from us. That means that our own victory need not be far if we simply turn to them. In particular, the Church celebrates Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael today. Let us ask that they would each visit us with blessings. Michael, meaning "Who is like God?" can help us to realize that God is utterly unique and that no one else can stand alongside him. He helps us cast down the idols from our hearts. Gabriel, "God's strength", can bring us the strength we need to accept challenging words from God. Raphael, "God's remedy", can bring us the physical and spiritual healing we need.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD
when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD
"Great is the glory of the LORD
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