“ Multitude of the Heavenly Host”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men.’” For our Advent and Christmas services during December this year we have
had a sermon series on “The Angels of Advent,” looking at what the Bible teaches
about angels, and their prominent role in the Advent and Christmas story. The word “angel” means “messenger,” and the message the angels proclaim
to the shepherds is a beautiful summary of the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas isn’t just a “winter festival” or a “happy holiday.” It is the
message of God’s peace and goodwill toward mankind on account of his Son. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians, “You who once were far away have
been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our
peace, who has . . . destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility.” Our sin was like a wall separating us from God, but as Paul
says in Colossians, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and
through him to reconcile to himself all things . . . by making peace through his
blood, shed on the cross.” That is the true meaning of Christmas, “and on
earth peace, good will toward men.” “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host.” The word “host” in the Bible is actually an English translation of
the Hebrew word “Sabaoth,” which is included in the Sanctus before Holy
Communion in several of our orders of service. When I was typing this
sermon, the spellchecker put a squiggly red line under “Sabaoth” and suggested
“Sabbath” instead. But, in our Communion Liturgy, we are not singing,
“Holy Lord God of Sabbath,” but actually, “Holy Lord God of Sabaoth.” Like
Microsoft Word, even many church members, who have sung that phrase from Liturgy
countless times, don’t realize these are two completely different words. “Sabbath” means rest, and so refers to the day of rest and worship in
the Old Testament. “Sabaoth” is the Hebrew word for an army.
Originally it was used literally for actual ancient armies. But, then it
took on a symbolic meaning, to describe God’s spiritual army, his angels.
“The Lord of Hosts” literally means, “The Lord of Armies,” or, “The Lord Who Has
Armies.” An advisor to Russian dictator Joseph Stalin once warned him against
getting into a conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, to which Stalin
dismissively replied, “And how many divisions does the Pope have?” But,
God does indeed have an army, mightier than any on earth, an army of angels.
Jesus put it this way in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Do you think I cannot call
on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of
angels?” An Old Testament prophet, Micaiah, described the Lord’s armies this
way: “I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing
around him.” Psalm 103 says, “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty
ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his
heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.” This picture hung above Terry’s bed when she was a child, and
throughout our marriage has hung above our bed. It beautifully portrays a
guardian angel watching over two little children. The Bible does indeed
teach that we have guardian angels. As Jesus said of little children, “For
I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in
heaven.” And in fact all God’s children, no matter what our age, have
“their angels,” God’s guardian angels, assigned to watch over you. As
Psalm 91 says, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all
your ways.” Paul says in Ephesians, “For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
And Peter warns, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking
someone to devour.” Jesus once told Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as
wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”
Satan and his evil forces in this world are very powerful. How can we
possibly win in our daily lives in the constant struggle we face against, “the
powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil”? As we enter upon a New Year, you can be assured that the much more
powerful “multitude of the heavenly host” of the Lord God of Sabaoth is fighting
for you, his spiritual soldiers, his guardian angels, watching over you and
protecting you, in 2019 and throughout your life. That’s what Paul means when he
says in Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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