Br. Randy Greve, OHC
St Michael and all Angels - Friday, September 29, 2017
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| Br. Randy Greve, OHC |
Foursquare around the base, flames of freedom rise in witness to the future. Ascending from the pool, the freedom pedestal is shaped like the double helix of DNA, the key molecule of life. Atop the pedestal a giant crab reminds us of life's origins in sea and struggle. Facing West, a somnolent Moon reflects tranquility from a joyous Sun smiling to the East. The swirls encircling the heavenly bodies bespeak the larger movements of the cosmos with which earthly life is continuous.
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The Peace Fountain |
Nine giraffes—among the most peaceable of animals—nestle and prance about the center. One rests its head on the bosom of the winged Archangel Michael, described in the bible as the leader of the heavenly host against the forces of Evil. St. Michael's sword is vanquishing his chief opponent, Satan, whose decapitated figure plunges into the depths, his head dangling beneath the crab's claw. Tucked away next to the Sun, a lion and lamb relax together in the peace of God's kingdom, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah."
I know not all my brothers share my enthusiasm and devotion for the aesthetics of the sculpture, but none can deny that its dramatic lines and graphic contrasts are visually arresting and are meant to inspire or even provoke some further reflection. It really merits a visit to see all the way around it. I hope you will take the photo and continue to delve into the mystery depicted in the sculpture.
This feast of St Michael and all angels is unavoidably mystical and homiletically tricky because of the cryptic and symbolic nature of the Bible's language of angels and their activities. The other principal feasts of the Church are celebrations of events in the life of our Lord or his Church or doctrines which tend to lend themselves to some clear themes for preaching. Today's celebration invites a cosmic perspective as a reminder that we are part of an eternal drama that is described in metaphorical language yet also says something concrete about our world and our lives.
Today we remember that within the mystery and wonder of God's creation exist beings and activities that are beyond our earth and time-bound selves to see or fully understand.That does not mean we can say nothing at all about angels or their interaction with earth, but that we first must be careful not to say too much, not to stretch the texts beyond their intent to fit our preconceived expectations. We can say that angels are created beings, that they are participants in the heavenly praise of God, that they interact with humans as God sends them to communicate and protect, that Satan is a creature, a fallen angel who once knew the life of heaven but who chose to rebel and fight against God and God's creation but who, through the victory of the cross, has limited power to accuse and deceive until the final redemption of the world which will bring about his annihilation.
The event in the sculpture is obviously taken from the reading from the Revelation to John we just heard. I know that the Revelation makes some Christians nervous because its depiction of a violent God pouring out various kinds of wrathful punishment on rebellious humans is not an appealing image and seems inconsistent with the mercy and kindness of Jesus. It seems like there are two completely different stories going on so being the "either/or" culture we are, a choice must be made. While the violence is there and troubling, Revelations' larger agenda is to describe in the most urgent and graphic way possible the triumph of the kingdom over whatever earthly empires, political forces, or systems and acts of evil that seek to thwart it.
The violence, within the narrative, serves to illustrate the reality of sin and evil and the greater reality of a God who alone can overcome it. As heaven witnesses the justice of God, they praise God's intervention in conquering evil and bringing ultimate and eternal peace. Revelation is the bookend, God's answer to what was created for goodness and fell into sin in Genesis. If the earth is formed from formlessness and void and darkness at the beginning, then Revelation is the final and ultimate undoing and overcoming of the forces and systems that have brought pain and alienation. The war in heaven and the casting out of Satan is one more event in this liturgy of redemption and the coming of the kingdom in its fullness.
Our Holy Communion liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer acknowledges the angels by simply saying "with" before we sing "Holy, holy, holy", which is a reference to Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4, the words of angels and the saints in heaven. In the presence of the meeting of earth and heaven we acknowledge and celebrate that we are not alone - we are not only this gathered community but we are joining in the eternal chorus of heaven already in progress that includes the departed and the angels, a vast company that is, in their life beyond time and space, aware of and attentive to our worship.
So the cosmic drama of redemption sweeps us up into its action and voice in anticipation of the coming new heaven and new earth. This feast is a reminder that the worship due and given to God alone is shared by the living and the departed, humans and angels, across time and eternity, and, because it is created and redeemed by God, all creation as well - sun, moon, earth, wind, water, sky, stars, planets, galaxies - all of it joined in one eternal chorus of praise.
The cultural voice is that spirituality is principally about my individual experience with God based on my beliefs and feelings which meet my needs. The challenge of today is the question, what would it mean to recognize the corporate nature of my prayer and move from an exclusive "What about me?" To an entering into being with angels, archangels and all the company of heaven - not just at the altar, but all the time? To do this means that we become aware of that which does not share in the company of heaven - Satan and his angels. We are with the heavenly chorus which is a chorus of victory.
The two qualities of the Peace Sculpture that most attract me are the contrast of St. Michael's arms - one with the sword and the other embracing the giraffe – metaphors for what has been and what will be. The other is the dragon's dangling head. Satan is disabled, mortally wounded, but not annihilated, he is still there. This symbol of God's power and victory over whatever tempts and harms God's people is also a source of praise. The praise is that we are not mere victims of our weaknesses, we are not powerless in the face of trials, but we are victors with St. Michael in a world where sin and evil are still present, but where pain and alienation are not ultimate and do not have the last word.
When we pray with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we join in their song of the victory that is won, yet not yet fully claimed. We join in the celebration of sin's defeat even as we groan for our redemption and lament our own failures to enter this song and this victory. Both the sword and the giraffe are parts of our praise. This good news does not deny the presence and problem of evil, but sets it within an eschatological context of victory and hope.
As co-celebrants with the angels in their praise of God and the victory over the dragon, we are not merely observers of this sculpture, but participants in its drama - its story is our story and its hope for a new world is the hope that sustains our praise. Amen.
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