Feast of St. Michael and All Angels 2009 (Observed)

THE FESTIVAL OF ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS

27 September Anno + Domini 2009 (Observed)

"You Must Become Like a Child”

Matthew 18:1-11 (Dan. 10:10-14, 12:1-3; Rev. 12:7-12)

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” 

If it sounds backwards, it's only because you have been so conditioned to think like the world.  You have been taught to believe that greatness is something achieved, something earned, something gained by working a littler harder than the rest, something that comes from expanding your mind and increasing your earthly knowledge, something measured by the size of your bank account or the popularity and fame you enjoy.  Those people with all those initials after their names have achieved greatness, you think.  Or, those stars in Hollywood who shine on the big screen.  Or, those CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.  Or, your neighbor who has a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, and whose life appears to be nothing but sunshine and roses all the time. 

You have bought into the world's definition of greatness.  Admit it.  You have.  You know that the old cliché, "the one who dies with the most toys, wins,” is silly and untrue, but you don't always live like you know that.  You find yourself spinning perpetually in the "If only-mobile.”  "If only I had more money . . . If only I had a bigger house . . . If only my boss would recognize my talents . . . If only I could catch a break . . . If only (fill in the blank), then I would be great, and my life would be a breeze.”

Repent!  Even if what you put in the blank after "If only” comes to fruition, it will not make you great in the kingdom of heaven.  The Lord does not measure greatness as the world measures it.  If you would be great in His kingdom, then you must humble yourself and become like a child.  If you would be great in His kingdom, then you must give up your airs, your status, your independence, and control.  You must be vulnerable.  You must turn, repent, be converted and risk all on the simple trust that God is good, that He knows best, and that He will take care of you.  That, dear friends, is the kind of child-like faith our Lord is preaching here. 

And, He's dead serious about it.  He's not trying to be cute.  He's not being mysterious or cryptic.  He means what He says.  He places the child in the midst of His disciples to teach them, and us, about the truth of His kingdom, namely that it is reserved for those with child-like faith. 

What is child-like faith?  Well, consider the little children.  They are helpless on their own.  They trust in their parents to provide for their every need.  They listen to, and believe, what their parents tell them.  They're dependent, not independent.  They fully rely upon their parents.  Without their parents, they are lost. 

So it is with those who belong to the kingdom of heaven.  They know that they are helpless on their own.  They trust in their heavenly Father to provide for their every need.  They listen to, and believe, what He says to them in His Word.  They're dependent, not independent.  They fully rely upon their heavenly Father.  Without Him, they are lost.

So, how do you measure up?  Do you recognize how helpless you are on your own?  Do you trust in your heavenly Father to provide for your every need?  Do you always listen to, and believe, what He says to you in His Word?  Are you dependent or independent?  Do you fully rely upon your heavenly Father?  Do you recognize that without Him you are lost? 

If you're honest with yourself, you will have to answer all of these questions with a resounding, "No!”  I suppose you could answer "sometimes” to these questions, but "sometimes” just means "no,” since the Law demands perfection all the time.  And, to be perfectly blunt and honest with you, no amount of pious platitudes, or self-help talks, or motivational speeches coming from this pulpit will ever move you to the point of being able to answer "Yes” to those questions.  You - even you! - are too corrupted with sin, too set in your ways, too determined to be independent and strive to make it on your own.  You are too wrapped up in your own little world, too happy with yourself, too proud to fully humble yourselves and become like a child. 

There is but one way, dear friends, and that is through faith in the One who is the Way, Jesus the Christ.  He tells you that unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, and that ought to strike you to the core and bring you to your knees, for you know that you can't do it.  But, He can, and He did, for you! 

Jesus is the only One who can honestly answer "Yes” to all those questions.  He is the only Man who ever possessed the kind of child-like faith He demands here, for He is the only-begotten Son of the Father, and lived every moment of His earthly life in full reliance upon His Father.  When He was tempted, He turned to His Father in prayer and trusted in Him to provide rescue.  When He was hungry or thirsty, He prayed and believed that His Father would satisfy Him.  In times of joy, He recognized that all good things come from His Father and offered Him His thanks and praise.  Jesus always relied upon His Father; always trusted His Father; always listened to, and believed, His Father. 

And, Jesus is the only One who ever humbled Himself in the manner He demands here, for even though He is God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, He humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant and became Man.  This is a mystery so deep, so profound, that the holy angels forever long to look into it.  They know who Jesus is.  They know He is their Creator, their Master, their Lord, and yet they see Him lying in a manger, helpless and dependent upon His mother and adoptive father.  They know that He holds the whole universe in His hands, and yet they watch Him go through puberty, they see Him scrape His knees, wipe sweat from His brow, suffer from hunger and thirst, and endure temptations of every sort.  But, as mysterious and wondrous as all that is, it pales in comparison to what they witnessed on that hill outside of Jerusalem, for there the holy angels watched in utter amazement as God Himself, the very Creator of all things, the Almighty and Everlasting One, bled and died. 

And if it were possible for anything to be more mysterious and wondrous as God Himself suffering, bleeding, and dying on a cross, it is this:  That He did it all for you; for people who didn't deserve it; for people who don't love or appreciate Him and His saving work as much as they should; for people who would rather have their way than follow His way; for people who are too busy to give Him their time, too greedy to offer Him the firstfruits of the talents and treasures He has bestowed upon them, too selfish to think about the needs of others, too worried about what others might think if they confess their faith out loud, and too proud to admit when they're wrong.  That's what amazes the angels.  That's what keeps them eager to look into the mystery of the Christian faith.  Their Lord and Master, the Author of Life Himself came to live and die for sinners like you and me. 

This changes everything, dearly beloved, for this means that what Jesus demands of you, He Himself fulfills in your stead and on your behalf.  You can't humble yourself and become like a child, so He does it in your place.  And then - miracle of miracles! - He credits you with what He has done on your behalf.  He takes your failures, your imperfections, all of your sins upon Himself and clothes you in His perfection, His holiness, and His righteousness.  This truly boggles the mind, for now, in Jesus, the answer to all those questions is "Yes!”  In Jesus, you do recognize how helpless you are on your own, you do trust in your heavenly Father to provide for your every need, you do listen to, and believe His Word, you are dependent and fully rely upon your Father, you do recognize that without Him you are lost.   

Jesus makes all the difference, my friends.  He is the way.  He is the truth.  He is the life.  He is your way, your truth, your life.  In Him, you have become like children, for He has washed you clean at the font, clothed you with Himself, and brought you into His kingdom.  He has done it, for you! 

This, then, is what child-like faith looks like:  It looks like sinners who come to the Lord's House to confess their sins and receive Holy Absolution.  It looks like sinners who come to the Lord's House to be nourished by their Lord's Word.  It looks like sinners who come to the Lord's House to kneel at His Table and receive the fruits of the life-giving tree of their Savior's cross, His very Body and Blood, for the forgiveness of all their sins.  It looks like sinners who gather with all the saints and angels in the Lord's House to sing His praises and give Him thanks for all that He has done for them.  It looks like sinners who battle against sin, are sorry when they fail, desire to do better, and cling to Jesus as their only hope.  It looks like you, dear friends, sinners all, but saved by the Blood of the Lamb, who lived and died for you. 

No wonder the holy angels long to look into these mysteries.  If we could see what they see, we would be just as amazed.  That's why we long for the day when our eyes will be fully opened to see what they see.  Until then, we fix our gaze where our Lord would have us fix it:  On the Divine Gifts He delivers to us through His Holy Word and Sacraments.  We come to receive them in repentance and faith, and depart in peace, singing, "Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”  That's child-like faith and it is yours not by anything you have done, but solely by grace.  And with that child-like faith comes the protection of these same holy angels, who guard and guide you at their Lord's bidding.  Even if you often fail to realize how precious you are in the Lord's sight, the holy angels always know.  They have witnessed, with utter amazement, what the Lord has done for you.  They stand ready and willing to serve and protect you, dear children of their Lord and Master, who loved you so much that He left His place of glory to live and die for you.  They will not let you, the Lord's beloved, down.  Thus, we pray in confidence:  Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name.  Amen. 

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.