Do you believe in angels? I want to share my story about an angel. When I was the pastor at St. Ambrose parish I was preaching to the school kids on the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Some kindergarten girls were dressed up like little angels with feathery wings and were sitting in the front row. I wanted to make the point that angels were spirits and did not have wings or feathers. I told the kids that pictures of angels were misleading. I said that angels don’t really have wings or dress in long gowns. I said that they didn’t look like human beings, male or female, at all. I told them that we drew pictures of angels so that we could explain what they were like. They had wings in pictures, because they were as swift as thought. In reality, they were spirits and did not have bodies at all. That is still Catholic teaching, as far as I know.
Anyway, at the end of mass, I blessed the kids and their teachers and went to genuflect in front of the altar for the procession out of the church. As I stood up, I looked up and saw one single white feather floating down and landing on the altar where I said mass. I picked up the little feather, turned to the kids and said, “Ok, maybe I’m wrong.”
Angels play a key role in the story of the Bible. In the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation there are more than three hundred references to angels and many of them take place in the Christmas story. The Christmas story is filled with angels.
Angels in the Christmas Story
Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was offering incense: “When Zechariah saw him he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.” Luke 1.11-12 Gabriel told Zachariah that he and his wife Elizabeth, would have a child name John and that he would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Then Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the birth of the Savior. The angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to a man whose name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel said to her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Having heard this Mary was troubled. And the angel said to her, “Fear not.” Luke 2. 26-28, 30
Then an angel appeared to Joseph with the greeting, “Fear not.” Matthew 1.20
At Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, angels appeared to shepherds, “And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said, “Fear not!” Luke 2.9-10
Sensing a pattern here? Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds were all afraid of the angels’ message.
Who are Angels?
Who are angels? Angels are created beings like human beings, but they’re not human beings. They’re not people, nor are they people who have died - you don’t die and become an angel, they are two different orders of being. Angels are not people, but they are persons, which is to say, they’re individuals: each angel enjoys a distinct personhood, with an individual intellect and free will. They are also spirits, pure spirits, which mean they don’t have bodies. Human beings are united body and soul. Angels are spirits that can appear as humans, but in their essence they are pure spirits. Isaiah Isaiah is probably the greatest of all the prophets, because he pointed to the coming of the Christ. Isaiah wrote at a stormy time when the nation of Judah was under attack and in very bad shape. A foreign nation was threatening their destruction and their situation seemed utterly hopeless. God seemed far from them. So Isaiah spoke out on behalf of Israel told God: “Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” Isaiah 63.17
And while Isaiah wasn’t blaming God here, he was wondering why God let it happen. Ever been in that situation? You get in a bad situation, you have a mess on your hands and in your heart you know it is your fault, you have no one to blame but yourself, but at the same time you are asking God, “Why did you let me do that?” Debt, difficulties in family, difficulties at work, or maybe you feel like you have been let down by God. Maybe you see the part that you played in your own sin and misfortune. That’s what Isaiah is doing here. But he doesn’t stop there, eventually, he moves on and asks for help, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for.” Isaiah 64.1
You hear the sound of desperation and longing in Isaiah’s words. You hear it coming deep from his soul, this heartfelt prayer. Oh God, that you would do something. Oh God that we would see your intervention in some way so that we could know it was you and return to you. Isaiah begs God to get involved and intervene in a big way because otherwise the situation is hopeless and there is no way forward. Fear about the future kicks in.
While angels often appear fierce and formidable, when what we fear is the distance between God’s ways and ours. Angels, when encountered, reveal the difference, the divide between God’s ways and ours, at least they give us a glimpse of it and it is frightening. But they also bring comfort. The God who is the God of angel armies, the God who created these fierce and formidable creatures goes before us and commands these angels to protect us and watch over us.
Angels, their existence and the stories we hear in Scripture are reminders to us that God does not leave us all alone and unaided. God is still working in our world and angels are often the delivery system. So this is the biggest reason for us to get to know angels. As God’s creations, when we discover the truth about angels, they will ultimately point and lead to God. They will help us to grow in our relationship with God and see his power in our life.
Mark reminds us to be alert!
This weekend is the start of that annual period of preparation and anticipation for Christmas that we call Advent. The gospel reading, taken from Mark’s gospel, brings the basic Advent message, “Be watchful! Be alert!” Mark 13.33 That of course is exactly what didn’t happen at that first Christmas. Except for those unlikely few, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, nearly everyone missed out on what God was doing.
As Advent begins, I want to challenge you to simply come back to learn more about angels and what they reveal to us about God and what they can mean in our desire to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. If you are a regular, invite a friend or family member who doesn’t have a church to be a part and to join us on Christmas. For many people this is a fascinating subject. You may be surprised by friends or family members or co-workers who will give this series a shot because of your invitation and their interest in angels.
It is in hopeless situations that God loves to get involved. And, often he does it by sending angels. Angels are all around us all the time, nearer than you think, and a lot more useful than you probably imagine.