Michaelmas: praying with angels and archangels

Prayer sometimes feels to me like a lonely activity - not always, but often. When it does I'm encouraged by the thought that no one is ever alone in prayer. 

I sometimes imagine prayer and praise to God to be like a river that is constantly flowing whether or not I dip my toes into the water. When prayer feels hard or impossible, it's good to know others are praying. And that unseen glorious beings are always praising God and ready to act as his messengers.

Today is Michaelmas - a feast so popular in England in times gone by that although other feasts of angels were removed from the Church of England calendar during the Reformation period, Cramner retained the Feast of Michael and All Angels which falls on 29 September every year. And today as at every service of Holy Communion in the C. of E. as in many other churches around the world during the great prayer of thanksgiving we will hear and say:

Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Image Credit: Flickr, CC License