At the shops this week I asked a women to explain her tattoo for me. It was an angel. The art was really beautiful. She was eager to tell me it was her mother. That got me thinking.
Five things I like about her answer: she believes in an afterlife, has a sense of her mother being alive, thinks of her as close, believes in angels and dares to put her feelings out there.
Five things I want to challenge (but didn't): people don't transform into angels when they die, angels in the bible are male, wings are unlikely, too much adoration of angels is not good (Col. 2:18-19) and angels are messengers - don't celebrate the herald and miss the good news.
Angels feature prominently at Christmas. In Matthew and Luke they bring good news and offer comfort. They come to enlist participants in God's salvation story. Their focus is God's cosmic work.
In the bible angels protect people (Dan. 6:22, Acts 12:7-11), bring messages (Zech. 1:14-17) and worship God (Heb. 1:6, Rev. 5:11-2). They are servants of God's purpose. They have a will and some even rebel against God (2 Pet. 2:4).
So, will you have an angel in your life this Christmas? Possibly! But if you do, two things are likely. First, you probably won't even know. Angels often appear as strangers so beware (Heb. 13:2). And, second, it will be about God's work of justice, renewal and peace in the world. Angels usually don't help us find our keys, think up great facebook posts or lead us to an empty car park at the shopping centre. Instead they form choirs and sing God's praise - and every few millennia a handful of shepherds hear them.
If you need an angel this christmas I believe God will send one. But don't wait for it, wish for it or wonder too much about it. You have something better. You have Jesus himself who said - "I will never leave you!" (Matt. 28:19) That's enough.
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