Their Angels See the Father's Face

When was the last time you thought about angels—I mean, really thought about them? There are many things that can trigger your imagination when it comes to angels; I’m sure some of you remember the TV series “Touched By An Angel;” or the character of Clarence from the film “It’s A Wonderful Life;” or the many pieces of art that depict one or two children walking through the dark woods with a beautiful angel shielding them. In today’s Gospel Lesson, Jesus made a fascinating reference to angels. Did you catch it? He said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” The phrase “their angels” makes the ministry of angels personal. Children have angels watching them—Jesus just said so. This is truly some supernatural stuff that He’s talking about.

But why was He talking about it? Jesus mentions the angels at the end of a conversation about human greatness. The conversation begins with a question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” This question had caused quite an argument among Jesus’ disciples. And in truth it is a question that bothers us deeply, spinning off other questions like: Who is successful? Who has more power? Who gets the spotlight? Who gets the credit? Many of us right now might be in a power struggle somewhere in our lives, with these sort of questions at the heart of it.

In his book “Counterfeit Gods,” Timothy Keller has an entire chapter on the idols of power and glory. There he reaches back to the Garden of Eden to say that Adam and Eve were led to resent the limits God had put on their power, and sought to be like God by taking control of their own destiny. Keller writes: “We gave in to this temptation and it is now a part of our nature. Rather than accept our dependence on God, we desperately seek ways to assure ourselves that we still have power over our own lives. But this is an illusion.”

It is an illusion, and eventually, the longing for power will disappoint, as will every idol that you let shape your life. A few years ago, NFL quarterback Tom Brady gave a 60 Minutes interview. At one point, Brady said, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? There’s gotta be more than this.” The interviewer then asked, “What’s the answer?” To which Brady replied, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”There is something more than the worldly idol of greatness. It begins with becoming like a child.

As a living object lesson, Jesus put a little child right in front of his disciples as an example of true greatness in His Kingdom. What makes the child so great? A child is dependent. A child is in the protective care and control of their parents. A child must trust his parents for everything. The right response of a child to a parent is obedience. The look down to a child is meant to shrink our egos and put us in right alignment with God.

Jesus himself would be totally dependent and obedient to His Father. He leaned on His Father in prayer. He was never far from His Father’s presence, words, or heart. And as he died for the sins of the whole world, even for yours and mine—he whispered a prayer, “Into your hands, Father, I commit my spirit.” You and I are called to trust, that, in grace, He has provided everything necessary for new and eternal life. You can put all your weight on Jesus for everlasting life and for the grace that’s needed for daily living. In fact, there’s no other way to receive God’s gifts than to become like child, to shrink your ego, and let Him give to you.

Now if Jesus has his disciples look down to a child to see what greatness really is, He also has them look up to “their angels.” Jesus is saying, “Don’t be fooled by the size of these little ones. Don’t be fooled by their lowly status. These children have mighty angels behind them, who come from the presence of the Heavenly Father.”

Today is St. Michael and All Angels Day, and on this day in the church year we remember the victory of the archangel Michael and the good angels over Satan and his evil forces, which is recorded in Revelation 12: 7—9 . Satan and his demons were hurled out of heaven, eager to lead the world astray. One thing that tells us is that angels are not just little Cupid-y cherubs floating around with harps, but they serve as warriors of the almighty God. They also serve as messengers, such as Gabriel in Luke 1 carrying news to Mary that she will be the mother of the Christ. We celebrate the work of angels that continues to this day; angels that are sent to guard and protect God’s people as described in Psalm 91; angels that are sent to serve in times of dire need, such as their service to Jesus in times of temptation and in Gethsemane; angels that still intervene in miraculous ways today. Just get a group of Christian people together sometime, and if they’re comfortable enough with each other, ask them if they or someone they know has had an encounter with an angelic being. I’ve had people share some experiences with me that would give you goosebumps, like the WWII veteran who was shielded in combat by a tall man dressed in transparent clothing. It should come as no surprise to us that angels are active—the Bible tells us so—but there is still that surge of excitement when we are reminded of their reality.

 Jesus is saying that God’s little ones, the ones who depend on Him for all things, have a greatness beyond what the eye can see. They have angels on their side. Yet even the angels’ awesome powers are dwarfed by the splendor of the Father’s face.  Jesus trumps our desire for power by pointing us to a child. Jesus trumps our desire for glory by pointing us to angels and to God the Father.

The world will teach you that getting power and glory for yourself is what matters. But these are harsh false gods that demand far more than they give. What’s more, hunger for power and self-glorification must be abandoned if we want to have a place in the kingdom of God.

Jesus, on the other hand teaches you that a childlike dependence on God is what matters. We are to let the ego shrink. We are to drop the “God owes me” attitude. We are to let God give to us what only He can give: complete forgiveness of sins; status as a son or daughter of the King; the protection of His angel guard. We are to obey Him, trusting that our Father knows what is best for us, and, more than that, all of his creative power stands ready to help and defend us. Your angels see the Father, and the Father sees you. You have nothing to fear.


Portions adapted from a sermon by Dean Nadasdy in Concordia Pulpit Resources