Angels are always present along the Advent journey! And they have very important messages to bring as they come winging their way from heaven to earth. An angel let Mary know that the Son of God would be born as a child through her body! An angel told Joseph that he would be the one to name the baby “Jesus” which means savior! A whole host of angels sang their way into the hearts of shepherds out in the fields, letting them know that they would be the ones to see the face of God….so, get up and run to Bethlehem!
Our Christmas Carol today is “Angels from the Realms of Glory”:
“Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth; ye who sang creation’s story now proclaim Messiah’s birth: come and worship Christ the newborn King.” (Words, James Montgomery, 1816).
The phrase that keeps echoing for me is “wing your flight o’er all the earth”. Angels are everywhere!
Behold, one night while eating at a sushi bar, my plate suddenly arrived with an angel upon it. And she was all lit up, glowing in the dark. I suppose she could have said something like, “Fear not….try these…they’re really good!” But the message I heard was this…”Pay attention! Angels can show up any place, any time, to any person, and often in the most unexpected ways. They are quite busy “winging their way o’er all the earth”.
One very early morning recently I was lying on a stretcher waiting, anticipating a somewhat minor surgical procedure. Stretchers just tend to make you feel anxious. Suddenly, in the dim light, George appeared by my side. His dark skin, his dark eyes, led me to believe he could have been from the Middle East. He had a very gentle presence about him. He carefully explained everything to me, bringing an unusual comfort and assurance. Then he took my hand and said,”Don’t be afraid.” I smiled. (This is very typical angel language!). It seemed that George was my angel.
I love this poem by Mary Oliver from her book entitled “Devotions”:
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Pondering…
When was the last time you felt the presence of an angel? Have you seen one?
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Week before last, after nurses wheeled my daughter into her Intermediate Care room, after bilateral mastectomy & reconstruction, her brother & I stood at the foot of her bed seeing her for the first time after her eleven hour surgery. I gently laid my hands on her feet & began praying. Instantly I felt angels all around her room, surrounded by an ethereal, golden light. Then I became keenly aware & felt in every cell of my body that my parents & grandparents were present in that room, and peace was palpable. Later my son, Warren, told me he felt like he was being supported on clouds, like walking on air, & also felt surrounded by angels. Truly God was in plain view that day and night. Many miracles occurred as God in his mercy blessed us with many miracles but the best was Shannon’s miraculous healing & is now cancer free. Angels delivered an early Christmas gift! Merry Christmas, sweet friend!
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