The duty and the delight of the angels

The angels that succor us at every moment do so, in spite of our unworthiness, because of the Father's command: they do always behold his face; and they also do so because of what they continually attend to, as is clear from Scripture: the birth of Jesus, his temptation in the wilderness, his ordeal in Gethsemane. They stood at the ready, when Jesus advised Pilate that they could have come to his aid; but he called them off, because he wanted to suffer for the sin of the world. And  they were present at his resurrection, rolling back the stone, and announcing the tidings to the women. They see, better than we do, that we are redeemed and justified for Christ's sake. And they are especially attendant as we sing their songs in worship: the Greater Gloria and the Sanctus. They sing with us, they rejoice with us, and  they will carry us, as  they did Lazarus, to the bosom of Abraham.  Sermon for Michaelmas.