|
In the film It’s a Wonderful Life Clarence is a Guardian Angel sent down to help George Bailey out of the financial mess that is threatening to destroy both his family and his business. But despite everything Clarence does to help George the latter is sceptical about his celestial helper until an amazing chain of events persuades him otherwise. The film is a work of fiction yet the notion that angels are watching over us is something the Bible consistently makes reference to (Mat 18:10). So, perhaps what is more puzzling is that though we sing about angels in our hymns and read about them in the Bible we seldom mention them outside of this! But do angels have any relevance for us today? The Bible first mentions angels in Genesis 16:7 where a distressed Hagar is searching for water. Suddenly an angel appears telling her to return home followed by a synopsis of her future life. The last reference is in Revelation 22:16 where Jesus speaks of angels being sent to the Church to bear testimony to him. In both instances angels are messengers from God who do his bidding and then depart once their task is complete. So we could say that angels are minds without bodies whose ministry is to help, comfort, encourage and strengthen (Mat. 4:11). But there are occasions in the Bible where angels come in human form which means we can never be sure if, during our daily lives, we have encountered one or not! Yet there are many examples of people who say they have done just that. Joan of Arc for example claimed to have been visited by angles: “I saw them with my bodily eyes as clearly as I see you,” she said, “and when they departed, I used to weep and wish they would take me with them.” And even George Washington, according to his aide Anthony Shermman, is also reported to have seen and heard an angel speaking to him at Valley Forge in 1777. “Looking up,” said Washington, “I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of her presence.” And you may have an angelic story of your own which made an impression on you. And so it was that on that first Easter morning it was an angel, whose appearance was “like lightening,” told the two Mary’s that Jesus had risen from the dead (Mat. 28:1-7 ). So even in 2007 angels are still important in helping us understand the mysteries of life and the ways of God. For when we’re in trouble and don’t know what to do God doesn’t abandon us or leave us alone, he comes to us in some way perhaps directly or indirectly through a helper – maybe even an angel! The helper may come in human form like “Clarence” did to George Bailey – maybe like the person sitting next to you right now! Or it may be that God calls us to be a “Clarence” to someone else in their time of need to offer them something that only we can at that precise moment. Because it doesn’t follow that just because we have angels watching over us we will be spared an ordeal. Jesus wasn’t spared his darkest hour but he was ministered to by angels as he underwent it to strengthen and support him. And because they did it for him they will do it for us too. So look out for angels and don’t dismiss them too readily for you may have unwittingly entertained one yourself without knowing it; at home, on the doorstep, in the supermarket, on the phone, while posting a letter or in a casual conversation. And if God chooses to send an angel to help us don’t resist that helper or be sceptical of him - there’s an angel! Happy Easter.
In Jesus’ name
Derek Marsh, April 2007
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Angelic Encounter?
In July 2006 I was going to the BRI everyday to visit my brother. It was a hot July that year and each day I cycled the same route there and back again. One Saturday afternoon on my way home I stopped off at Waterstones bookshop in Union Street to have a look round. I locked my bike up outside the store and ambled in to unwind after my fretful hospital visit. Then, while browsing through various categorises of books, I happened to pick one up on angels and began to read. The page I had randomly opened to was about Raphael the “healing angel.” Raphael appears in the Second Canon of the Christian scriptures, known as the Apocryphal (used by Roman Catholics and others) but mostly unfamiliar to us. Anyway, the writer said that to summon Raphael all you have to do is call him and ask him to make his presence known. I thought; “Come on! Get real! Just as if! I probably felt like that because at that time there was a lot of illness in my family which had put a lot of pressure on my twin brother and me. I read on a bit further but soon after put the book down and left the store muttering incredulously under my breath about Raphael the so called “healing angel.”
When I got outside into the sunshine it was a very busy afternoon with crowds of people pushing and shoving their way up and down Union Street. So I pushed my bike up the hill on the pavement and then got on it at the top just across from Castle Park. And as I did I was still muttering under my breath the words; “Raphael, Raphael, show yourself; if you’re really here make yourself known.” And then something strange happened. As I crossed the road towards the park I saw him! Yes I really did. There were literally hundreds of people in front of me but in the middle of them all was someone I recognised straight away; someone who stood out from the rest even though he had his back to me. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Was I seeing things? So I walked across the road, quizzing myself as I went, and went up to this person and spoke to him upon which he turned round to face me. And I was utterly amazed to see Raphael Scudamore standing before me!! So I said to him, “hello Raf, your full name is Raphael isn’t it? And he answered “yes.” I then told him what had happened and told him that he was “an angel.” We both laughed and not long after I was on my way again. But it shook me and I haven’t forgotten that day, in fact I’ve told many people about it (I even went back to Waterstones the next day and bought the book).
|
