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Psalm 103 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, 3 He forgives all your sins 4 He redeems your life from the grave 5 He satisfies you with good things, 6 The Lord executes righteousness 7 He made his ways known to Moses 8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, 9 He will not always accuse us, 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, 12 As far as the east is from the west, 13 As a father cares for his children, 14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; 15 Our days are like the grass; 16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone, 17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord 18 On those who keep his covenant 19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, 20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his, 21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his, |
Angels, aware and unaware
Today we observe the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, usually observed on September 29, which this year fell on a superseding Sunday. So the feast got bumped. Regardless, the feast gives us occasion to think about angels. The psalm appointed for this celebration (see above) mentions angels as just one of the ways that the Lord is blessed. According to the psalmist, they do the Lord’s bidding.
Angels show up all over the Bible. Early in the Book of Genesis, an angel guards the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve get the boot. Fast forward to the Book of Revelation and St. Michael, the archangel, engages in a fierce battle. There was war in heaven. In between, angels show up at critical moments: An angel endows Balaam’s ass with verbal skills. An angel meets depressed and self-pitying Elijah and tells him to have a snack and take a nap. (Good advice for any who are down in the dumps.) Angels announce the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. A sky full of angels told shepherds to head to Bethlehem. Note: King James tells us the shepherds were sore afraid. Angels announce resurrection on Easter morning, again triggering fear.
We see that quite often the opening words from angels: Fear not. What do you think is scary about that kind of encounter? Sure there’s an element of surprise. But the appearance of an angel also suggests that things are about to change. No more same old same old. Transformation is possible. Something new is emerging.
The word angel means messenger. Understood as such, there are angels all around us, spiritual forces doing God’s bidding, bringing us holy messages. Where have you run across an angel?
I do think that I’ve seen angels. Once when I was in college, I was standing alone facing a difficult moment, about to have a meeting to try to resolve a complicated relationship, praying about that, prayer as a kind of last resort. As I was waiting, a disheveled young man in dirty clothes approached. We exchanged pleasantries. Then he asked if he could pray for me. He put his hand on my forehead. I still remember the force of his hand. He prayed out loud for me. And then he left. Never saw him again. It was not the kind of encounter depicted by Fra Angelico at the annunciation (I wish). It was no vision of winged creature, radiant and sparkly. But I’ve always thought this guy might have been an angel. Have you ever had a similar kind of experience?
In the liturgy of Holy Eucharist, one of the most striking, even transcendent phrases suggests that we pray with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. We’re part of that heavenly chorus. (Who knew? Who me?) We’re in this together. We’re not alone. Together in this great chorus, we are invited to do God’s bidding.
This week, keep your eyes open for angels, remembering that in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 13.2), we are presented with the possibility that when we welcome strangers, we may be entertaining angels unaware. And if you catch a glimmer of angel’s wings, consider the ways that you might join them this week in doing God’s bidding.
–Jay Sidebotham
