Michael

"At that time," the author of the Book of Daniel writes, "at that time, there shall be a time of anguish, such has never occurred since nations first came into existence." He is speaking of the end of time. This part of Daniel is a style of Biblical writing called apocalyptic. The Book of Revelation is another example. The passage we had from Mark's Gospel this morning is another example.  Every year we get apocalyptic readings in these weeks as the church year draws to a close. It is a rather stylized form of prophecy that can seem very remote to modern ears.

And yet, as one commentator put it, "The book (Daniel) was written for a time like ours." A time when the end of time seems possible. "The fear of the future loomed large in the minds of the people to whom the Book of Daniel was written." And Daniel describes a fearful time ahead. A time of anguish and tribulation. It’s important to remember that for Daniel this description of a dire future was not a threat. He does not say that hardship will come if the people do not shape up. This coming time of anguish and tribulation at the end of time is a certainty. That is the theology of Daniel and the theology of the Bible.  Exactly when it will come was and is hard to say, but Daniel’s words are a very stark reminder that the stakes are high for us and for the world. If we take nothing else away from these apocalyptic passages in Holy Scripture, we should heed this reminder. The stakes are high.

But that is not the primary message Daniel is offering. Daniel's primary goal is to offer assurance and guidance for people who are facing the uncertain world of the future. Remember the first lines of this morning’s reading. "At that time…" that time of anguish and tribulation… "at that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise." Michael, the great archangel. Michael, the great protector of the people shall arise. Daniel says to the people, "As you step into the new world of the future, fearful as that new world may seem, as you step into that new world you will encounter the great prince and angel Michael."

Which reminds me of a very famous line from Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. The Tempest is set on a remote and mystical island. A young girl Miranda has been raised there by her father the magician Prospero, who is loving, but rather imposing and distant. On the island Miranda has known only her aging father and a half beast of a slave named Caliban until a shipwreck brings other human company to the island. That day is the beginning of a new and previously unimagined future for Miranda. Her whole world changes profoundly and irrevocably when she comes to know that there is a world beyond her island full of human beings other than her father. When she first sets eyes on a handsome man her own age, her words are, "O brave new world, that has such people in it."

O brave new world that has such people in it. I’ll admit it changes the tone and perspective a bit, but I could rewrite Daniel to read, "O brave new world, O brave new time, that has such a being as Michael in it… O brave new world that has the archangel Michael in it."

Most of us probably do not foresee for ourselves a future as stark and threatening as the one that Daniel expected. Certainly not in the short term. Yet we all face an uncertain future. That is the nature of the future. And in small ways and large ways, these are unsettled times. In our personal lives, in our nation’s life, in terms of the survival of the planet. The stakes are indeed high, for good or ill. And every day we step into a new, uncertain world. Daniel assures us that that new world is a brave one.

Young Miranda in the Tempest couldn’t imagine a world with fine young Ferdinand in it until she stepped into that new world and saw him. He will become, of course, her life companion. Can you imagine a world for yourself in which you will encounter Michael, the archangel? That is the brave new world that awaits us all. Michael waits to accompany you through the brave new world of the future.

Angels seem to have dropped at least a bit out of the public awareness over the last few years. That’s probably good, because it allows us to consider angels as they are described in the Bible and how the church understands them, rather than how they are portrayed by Hallmark.

Michael is not a Hallmark angel. Michael is not a smiling, pudgy, "angel on your shoulder pin" sort of angel. Michael is not so much comfortable as powerful, an awesome figure blazing with all the power of heaven.

The words from an 8^th century hymn (283) remind us of the archangels’ power. Michael is the "peacemaker blessed" who will drive from us mortals every striving and hatred within our hearts. A power of peace, mighty and strong enough to still the human powers of violence, enmity and ambition that rage within our hearts and within our world.

In the words of the hymn the archangel Gabriel is described as the "mighty, the herald of heaven." His trumpet blazes forth, by its very power displacing evil and bringing good. And Rafael is "health-bringer blessed, aiding every sufferer, that, in thy service, he may wisely guide us, healing and blessed."

These are the angels’ powers. Ultimately, all of the angels bear all of these powers: peacemakers, heralds of God’s goodness, bringers of health and guidance. "In that time," that time that is to come Daniel writes, "Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, will arise." O brave new world that has such angels in it.

The great archangel Michael and the other angels are our companions, our champions and our protectors as we step into whatever future awaits us. They are awesome beings. Just to make sure you’re not thinking of Hallmark sort of angels I want to share with you a description of angels from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, the worship guide for the church’s celebration of the lesser feast days of the church calendar. We remember the feast of St. Michael and all angels on September 29.

Christians, LFF says, have always felt themselves to be attended by healthful spirits. Not "helpful", but healthful, bringing the true health of God’s presence. They are perceived as swift, powerful, and enlightening. Thus they are often depicted in Christian art with wings to signify their swiftness and spacelessness, with swords to signify their power, and with dazzling raiment to signify their ability to enlighten. Swift, powerful and enlightening. It is indeed a brave new world that has such angels in it.

They await us to accompany us through the future as we make our way through this mortal life heavenward. The New Testament, of course, teaches us of a much greater companion on our life journey, one whose birth we will begin to anticipate in just a few weeks. But for today, hang onto the image of the mighty and majestic angels, especially the great prince Michael, protector of God’s people. He shall arise in this time, to guide and protect us as we enter tomorrow’s brave new world.

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