“War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9, NRSV)
The archangel Michael is pictured as a prince and a general of the heavenly army, defeating the dragon (the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan). It is important, though, to see in Revelation 12:11 that God’s victory ultimately comes by Jesus’ death and the testimony of his followers. The power of God’s truth gives us confidence in the face of evil on earth, even in the face of our own death.
Sunday’s Worship Music
Traditional Worship Hymn of the Day: 424 Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones – Today we are focused on Michael and all the angels as we sing about “bright seraphs, cherubim and thrones, [raising] the glad strain: Alleluia!” We join our voices in praise of the one true God who at the end of all things is triumphant.
New Day Sending Song — Whom Shall I Fear – In New Day, our Worship song offers these words as a refrain … I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. Powerful words that remind us of our powerful God, who promises to always be with us.
For Further Reflection
Sleight-of-hand magic is based on the demonstrable fact that as a rule people see only what they expect to see. Angels are powerful spirits whom God sends into the world to wish us well. Since we don’t expect to see them, we don’t. An angel spreads its glittering wings over us, and we say things like, “It was one of those days that made you feel good just to be alive,” or “I had a hunch everything was going to turn out all right,” or “I don’t know how I ever found the courage.” — “Angels” — Frederick Buechner in Wishful Thinking, A Seeker’s ABC
