Advent 4B – Luke 1:26-30, 46-56
I don’t know about you, but I love angels. I’m not quite sure why or how I fell in love with them, but I’ve come to realize that they’ve become a part of my life. Not quite like someone else here in the church[1] who has more angels than I can possibly imagine, but I have garden angels and prissy angels and angels that swirl as though they’re in flight. About eleven years ago, almost without realizing it, I decided that angels should be the predominant decoration on my Christmas tree. A church member gave me an angel that now adorns the top of my tree; she was the catalyst for my Christmas angel collection. So now I have whimsical angels and majestic angels and cherubic angels and all sorts and varieties of angels. And they live quite happily together on my tree; I wish people could live this happily together.
When I was in Houston, Texas, serving as an Interim Pastor, one of the families in the church invited me to a Greek festival. Since I love Greek food, it was a “winner” for me regardless of what else I might have discovered that day. Among other things, there were vendors, and one of them happened to be the man who had done the iconography for the church. He wasn’t a painter of icons but a crafter of icons from metal. And while most of the pictures he was selling had nothing to do with anything religious, here was this angel — and I was fascinated by her. I asked the artist: “What does the picture represent?”; He said: “It’s an angel bringing a crown of righteousness to the good people.” Well, I wasn’t sure I liked his theology, but I loved his angel and so I purchased her.
Angels are a significant part of the Christmas story. In fact, if NOT for the Christmas story, I’m not sure most of us would have ever heard of angels. But there they are, talking to Zechariah and Mary and Joseph and filling the sky with their songs so that they can catch the attention of shepherds in the fields.
Gabriel is associated with the “top tier” of angels, despite the fact that he’s only mentioned four times in the Bible.[2] But I suppose anyone sent to announce the birth of a child who will change the world must be a pretty special angel!
When Gabriel says to Zechariah, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news,”[3] Zechariah could hardly have known that he was among a very small and elite group that received a visitation from Gabriel. And despite this visitation from such a “select” angel, Zechariah has a difficult time believing what Gabriel was saying. Now, if you recall, Zechariah was a Temple priest and his visitation from Gabriel was the announcement that Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant in her old age and would have a son, who would become the person known to us as John the Baptist.
Interesting that a Temple priest doesn’t believe this holy messenger but just seven short verses later, Gabriel visits a young girl, Mary, and while she’s perplexed by his message, she believes him. Maybe that tells us something: maybe youth have a way of accepting things that older people find difficult to grasp….
The author of Hebrews had something to say about angels: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”[4] The show, “Touched by an Angel,” suggested the same thing; you never know just when and where you might encounter angels. There’s also a song about that possibility; it’s entitled: “Angels Among Us.”
I was walking home from school on a cold winter day
Took a shortcut through the woods and I lost my way
It was getting late and I was scared and alone
But then a kind old man took my hand and led me home
Mama couldn’t see him, oh, but he was standing there
I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers
Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love
When life dealt troubled times and had me down on my knees
There’s always been someone to come along and comfort me
A kind word from a stranger to lend a helping hand
A phone call from a friend just to say, “I understand.”
Ain’t it kind of funny at the dark end of the road
Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope
Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love
They wear so many faces
Show up in the strangest places
Grace us with their mercy
In our time of need
Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love[5]
Have you ever encountered an angel who showed up in the strangest of places to grace you with their mercy in your time of need? I KNOW I have and, because of that, I believe each of us can be an angel who can “guide someone with the light of love.” We can ALL be angels — messengers from God. We have an incredible message to share: the hope, peace, joy and love of God. In the words of another song: “God’s angels here are human, not the shining hosts above; For the drum beats of God’s army are the heartbeats of our love.”[6]
But you can’t just think about it, you need to DO it. “OFFERING love is a mere gesture…To become an angel…one needs to BE love…for LOVE is seen with the heart.”[7] So spread love around — this week and every week — and bring the light of love into someone else’s world. And maybe, just maybe, if you’re observant enough, you may even encounter an angel of your own. Amen.
This sermon was written by the Rev. Janet Weiblen, Intentional Interim Minister at Weston Christian Church. It can only be used with permission of the author. revj@kc.rr.com.
