A Thought For The Week Of February 5, 2018

"It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them." (Acts 12:1) I was reading Acts 12 a few days ago, and that chapter got me thinking about angels. Angels are all the rage for a lot of people today. Based on what I see and hear I think it's possible that more people believe in angels than in God. I'm not sure why - but that seems true. And the popular image we have of angels makes them seem like the sort of creatures we'd like to hang out with. Cute, a little chubby perhaps, flying around on little wings - a bit cupid-like I might say (especially with Valentines Day not far off.) Scripture, of course, paints a different picture of angels. I'm one of those who gets routinely irritated when I hear Christians (well-meaning, I admit) who say to someone who's just had a loved one die, "God needed another angel," or words like that. I've always assumed that if God really did need another angel God could create another angel without having to take someone's life. Actually, that strikes me as a rather monstrous image of God. I prefer to think of those who die before us simply being taken into God's care. But it does strike me that while we're still alive, God might choose to make us angels. The actual word (άγγελος in Greek) means "messenger." And there are several references to angels in the Scripture which could actually be references to human messengers of God - which, in fact, make more sense as reference to human messengers of God. The angels of the churches in Revelation 2-3 come to mind. But also Acts 12. In this chapter that begins with the mention of Herod persecuting the church, there are three references to "angels." The first is an angel who helps release Peter from prison (v.7), the second is the assumption that when Peter knocks on the door of Mary's house, it can't be Peter but it must be his "angel" (v.15) and the third is a disturbing reference to Herod being "struck down" by an "angel" after giving a speech that angered the people - something that sounds strangely like an assassination. In all three cases, the actions said to be by angels seem to make more sense if these are humans acting (or claiming to be acting) for God rather than spiritual beings. I'm not sure what to do with the third reference - although it is a reminder that "angels" are not the cute and cuddly beings we generally think of them as. I don't actually accept that God "strikes" people down - but I do understand that sometimes people act violently in the name of God. But even if this is out of my comfort zone, this chapter convinced me that the authors of Scripture may have understood "angels" as not just spiritual beings, but very much as human actors playing a role in the unfolding of history as God's plan works toward fruition. So in light of chapters like this, and Revelation 2-3, I'm willing to say that perhaps God does call us at times to be "angels" - messengers, bringing forth a message. Not after we die, but while we're still very much alive, and bringing forth for all to hear the message of love and grace which is the heart of the message of Jesus himself.