Saint Michael and All Angels

The Collect of the Day
Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
~BCP pg. 244

The Psalm
103:19-22

The Readings
Genesis 28:10-17      +      Revelation 12:7-12      +      John 1:47-51

And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it . . . Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!"
~Gen. 28:12,16

Perhaps it is because the ubiquitous angels of Hallmark cards and popular imagination bear so little resemblance to the (also ubiquitous) angels of Scripture, but I suspect many of us in the church think rarely, at least with any seriousness, about angels. Yet angels abound in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. They feature both frequently and prominently. They bookend the Gospels, as well, from the Annunciation to the empty tomb. And though the word "angel" literally means "messenger," we see them also in a variety of additional roles--manifesting God's presence to humans, interpreting visions to God's prophets, defending God's people, commanding God's armies, perpetually offering worship in God's presence. These are the roles for which they have been created, as the day's collect reminds us. Incidentally, the church has never taught that humans become angels--rather, both humans and angels are creatures, deriving their life and purpose from and in God.

Though the presence and ministries of angels are a given throughout the Bible, it may be that we simply find it challenging today to think of angels as they are depicted there--to think beyond the rather vague and sentimental ideas in popular culture. But as Christians we profess Sunday by Sunday our trust in God who is the creator "of all that is, seen and unseen." In the Eucharist we join our voices "with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven" in their unending hymn of praise to God (see Isaiah 6:1-3 and Revelation 4:6-11). To trust in the God we come to know in Scripture, in the Creed, and in the liturgy, is to trust that life has depths unseen; depths no less real for our inability to behold them with the naked eye. To trust in the God we come to know supremely in Jesus, the One who himself bridges heaven and earth, is to trust that we will come to see and know greater things than we have yet imagined. Surely, we could not number the times already past, when the Lord was in this place--and we did not know it!       

Closing Prayer
O Lord God of hosts, thank you for surrounding us in our journey with companions both seen and unseen. As you have appointed your angels to guard our bodies, grant us faith that our minds and spirits may also dwell secure. Amen.

An icon of St. Michael the Archangel, defender of the faithful. 

(In celebration of the day, I couldn't resist also sharing one of my favorite hymns: Christ, the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels.  It's hymn no. 282 in The Hymnal 1982. Sung here by the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys.)

Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

The Collect of the Day
We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
~BCP pg. 244

The Psalm
119:33-40

The Readings
Proverbs 3:1-6      +      II Timothy 3:14-17      +      Matthew 9:9-13

Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.
~Matt. 9:13

Jesus' response here to the Pharisees who question the disciples about their teacher's willingness to eat "with tax collectors and sinners" may seem pretty straightforward, but the more I read it the more layered it becomes. One way to read his response is with an ironic twist--that Jesus is not in fact affirming a divide of "the righteous" and "the sinners," but is undermining that kind of binary thinking. Of course, we can't read the tone of Jesus' voice here, but it's difficult not to hear some irony when he tells his critics that they, by implication, being already well "have no need of a physician"--in other words, they don't need him. Taken literally, that would make Jesus superfluous to all those who are "already righteous" in God's sight. It would make Jesus not a universal Savior, but an option for all the screw-ups who can't make it on their own steam. (In other words, you know, everyone.)

But before the irony becomes too think, I want to pull up and remind myself that, while no one is perfectly righteous, still we're not all on a level playing field, or at the same place on our journeys. There are gradations of righteousness and sinfulness, of spiritual health and spiritual sickness, across our varied lives. We all need help, but some need more help than others; some need it more clearly or more urgently than others. Maybe these are the ones Jesus calls because these are the ones who are not too proud to hear him. These are the ones who don't harbor illusions about having it all figured out, with well-planned lives proceeding right on course. They can't hide their soul's need behind an outward façade of put-togetherness; they know they need a physician, and so with ready heart and will they answer when Jesus calls them to follow. In truth, the pictures the Gospels paint of those who gather around Jesus show a pretty shabby bunch. But these are the ones who listen to him; these are the ones who flock to him. And for his disciples, to be with Jesus is to be with these "tax collectors and sinners." We may sometimes think we would prefer more polite company, but if we're eating with Jesus, these are the ones with whom he is pleased to break bread.

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for calling us to be your disciples. Thank you for welcoming us in love and fellowship. Help us to follow wherever you go, and to embrace all whom you embrace. Help us to live like you, and make our lives a sacrifice of mercy to God, whose mercies never cease. Amen.

            

Holy Cross Day

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
~BCP pg. 244

The Psalm
98

The Readings
Isaiah 45:21-25      +      Philippians 2:5-11      +      John 12:31-36a

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
~John 12:32

Many are accustomed to thinking of the Christian faith in terms of exclusion, either implicitly or explicitly--who is in, who is out; who is right, who is wrong; who is going to heaven, who is going to hell. This is hardly surprising, given the often  popular depiction of Christians, and the actual behavior of many Christians who tend to speak certain parts of Scripture through a megaphone, implying that the whole of Scripture must be organized around a fundamental of exclusion. If that is how we are accustomed to thinking of Christian faith, then the readings for Holy Cross Day, taken one right on top of the other, can come as quite shocking.

The Psalmist proclaims that, not only has it been witnessed by all the world, but God's victory is a cause of rejoicing for all nations and even the earth itself. In Isaiah, the LORD calls all the ends of the earth: "Turn to me and be saved . . . To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." The language is echoed in the letter to the Philippians. And in the Gospel, Jesus declares in no uncertain terms that he will draw all people to himself.

Did Jesus really mean all people?

What might it mean for us to take these readings to heart as truth? Imagine for a moment that these readings are a core, on which the whole of Scripture is organized around a fundamental of salvation. Resist the urge to say, "Well, of course that sounds great, but . . ." and instead simply sit and embrace for a while these scriptures. And let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for embracing the cross for our redemption. Help us to follow in your way. And give us ears to hear the word of salvation that you speak, and a heart to believe it. Amen.