The Festival of St. Michael and All Angels
Posted on September 29, 2026 by under
Scripture: Revelation 12:7-12 (NKJV)
12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Devotion
The devil is overcome only “by the blood of the Lamb.” The imagery of mighty angels with swords is inspiring, but the reality of spiritual warfare is far more subtle (and often more disturbing) than scenes of physical warriors and bodily violence. Angels are messengers, who bring words. The devil and his fallen angels bring words of vanity, hatred, and dishonesty; whereas the holy angels of God bring His Word of truth, correction, and salvation.
The devil can also bring the Word of God, but when he does, it is twisted and misused. He brings the Law of God and only uses it to accuse and condemn us. There are elements of truth in his accusation, but he doesn’t want to help us. He doesn’t want to correct us or make things better through teaching. He wants to control us, to distract us, and to spiritually hurt us. Bodily harm is often temporary and easy to avoid. If we see a weapon or a fight, we can avoid it if our vocation allows us to do so. But the fiery attacks of Satan are harder to see, and almost impossible to avoid.
The Gospel of Christ crucified and the Truth of His righteousness are the only way we overcome the devil and his hostile wrath. The holy angels help and protect us from the spiritual attacks of Satan because God’s messengers see His face and bring His Word, which declares the victory of the Lamb who was slain for our salvation!
Collect: O Everlasting God, Who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as Thy holy angels always do Thee service in Heaven, so by Thy appointment they may succor and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Lord, we beseech Thee, grant Thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow Thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
