Where do you stand on angels? Some believe ardently in their existence and their involvement in the daily affairs of us mere mortals. And some are simply bemused or even scornful about the possibility of their reality, let alone their earthly influence.
Frankly, we tend to think that humanity has pondered the presence of angels among us for far too long for us to simply deny their existence out of hand. Yet, the artistic renderings of scantily-clad, puffy, winged cherubs that hover about in many an old master’s painting hardly seem credible to modern people. We’ve never seen such beings, ourselves. But, if the artists simply meant such representations to be symbolic or imaginative renderings of angelic reality, well then we’re in full agreement with the artists and their efforts. After all, it’s bound to be difficult to visually depict what is so baffling and so wondrous.
How would you go about portraying an emissary of God? That is, technically, what an angel is. It’s no wonder that so many of the messages the Bible records as having been offered from angels to humans begin with the words, “Fear not.” Encountering an angel with a message from God for you could be scary. But then again, maybe the message, and the angel, could bring peace or insight or hope or comfort or inspiration.
Have you ever received a divinely inspired message intended just for you? If so, the bearer of that message was your angel. And perhaps, that angel was not even entirely aware of the lofty role he or she played in your life.
Author Garrison Keillor once encountered an angel in New York City who was utterly innocent of her significant role. As Keillor tells it (in his article from the December 23, 2009 Chicago Tribune, entitled, “A Nebraska Christmas Angel”) it all happened like this. Keillor had entered a deli on 10th Avenue in New York City where he spotted a pleasant young woman wearing a red Nebraska scarf. She was functioning as the guide to eight teenage boys whom she was helping to order breakfast from the woman behind the deli counter. The boys, he noticed, were developmentally delayed, and this breakfast outing seemed to be very significant to them. The young woman helped seven of the boys to successfully order their muffins, and they were all pleased. But the eighth boy wanted a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese. Unfortunately, the deli was out of sesame bagels. When this deficiency was conveyed to the boy, his fragile self-possession crumbled. He slumped on his deli stool and began to cry. Then Keillor reported witnessing something extraordinary. The young woman accompanying the weeping boy leaned down to place her cheek next to his. As a string of his tears ran onto her face, she wiped them away, and then whispered something to him that made him laugh.
Keillor never knew what she said, but watching that girl from the prairie offer tender care and a message of restoration for a sad and damaged life opened his eyes. She must have been an angel, he concluded.
Have you received a word of hope or comfort from someone when your world was crumbling? Or, just as importantly, have you ever taken on the role of being the soothing messenger to someone else in such a difficult time? Perhaps no matter what we look like or where we’re from, if we all could find ways and places to offer some divinely inspired good news to others in need of hearing it, the world would be full of angels, after all!