Whats the Buzz?

Dear Friends,

Grace and peace to you as we begin October! I hope you are well.

On September 29, St. Paul’s celebrated the Lesser Festival of St. Michael and All Angels.

People have a wide variety of beliefs and attitudes about angels. For some, angels are an

important part of their faith and their sense of being connected to God’s protection. For

others angels are from the realm of fantasy, with little connection to a lived faith. For yet

others, angels are what loved ones become after they die. These various perspectives can

lead to a question of what the Bible communicates about angels.

From a Biblical faith perspective, angels are messengers from God. The stories and

references to angels are found through the Bible. Sometimes angels are seemingly human,

other times they are as close an encounter with God one might have. The first message of

angels is “do not be afraid,” an imperative found over 300 times in the Bible. Of course, the

appearance of a human or heavenly being can be quite alarming! Yet the message is given

as people throughout time often find themselves living in frightening situations. Angels come in all kinds of ways, all kinds of situations to comfort our fears, defend and protect us from evil, and to offer encouragement and support. In the stories, angels also bring a call to action that moves the stories of our lives and of the life of the world forward, revealing great truths about God for us. In the Biblical stories (Revelation 12), the archangel Michael is depicted as a prince and general of the heavenly army, defeating the dragon (the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan). In the prayers on September 29, we prayed that God would “mercifully grant that as Michael and all the angels contend against the cosmic forces of evil, so by God’s direction, they may help and defend us here on earth through, Jesus Christ.”

Our prayer is that you and all people may know the power of God’s love and protection

through the work of angels in your midst. For the angels come to defend, protect,

encourage, support, and keep us grounded in faith and life, in the midst of all the

circumstances of our lives.

Another worship celebration you may be interested: in addition to our regular Sunday

morning (10:15 AM) service celebrations, on Sunday, October 27, we’ll be marking the

Reformation of the church (and our lives of faith) in the free gift of the good news of Jesus,

for us and for all people. Or perhaps you may also be interested in joining our regular 3 rd

Thursday of the month at 12 Noon in the church’s Fellowship Hall. . Certainly in any time

and place, please know you are loved, cared for and protected through the work of angels in your midst! Have a wonderful August, and God bless you! 

Grace and peace, Pr. John