PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 25, 2022

CHRISTMAS ANGELS

During Advent this year the Sunday school class I attend has been studying a book, The Angels of Christmas, by Susan Robb.  Over four weeks we have looked at the visit of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah (Luke 1:5-25), the visit of Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), an angel of the Lord visiting Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25), and the angels coming to the shepherds while they were out in the fields (Luke 2:1-14).  Robb does an excellent job of giving the background for each visitation and encourages the readers to discover where angels may have come to them and how they may become God’s angels.

Following each chapter, Susan has a short section entitled “Angels Gather Among Us.”  After graduating from seminary I did a clinical year at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, which is the location of the MD Anderson Center the setting for the section following the first chapter. Her story caught my interest because of an experience I had at St. Luke Hospital in the center.

One Friday I was making my rounds on the floor to which I was assigned at St. Luke.  In one room there was a man who was unresponsive when I visited.  Checking with the nurse’s station, I discovered that he was near death with cancer.  When I returned to the floor the following Tuesday the room was empty.   When I asked one of the nurses when the man died, she said that he had gone home.  Saturday morning a group from his church following the Biblical injunction to pray for those who are sick (James 5:14) had gathered around his bed.  That afternoon he showed some improvement.  Sunday he was able to be up and when they did tests on Monday there was no evidence of his cancer.  His visitors on Saturday morning had been messengers of healing.

Not long ago, on a Tuesday I was standing in line to checkout at the local Walmart.  There was a man, a woman, and a child in front of me with two loaded carts.  From their conversation, I took it that the man was the child’s grandfather.  As I was watching, I was wondering how much the bill would be and how the couple could pay for it.  The total came to almost $280.  The man reached in his coat, pulled out an envelope, took out what I assumed to be 3 hundred dollar bills, and gave then to the clerk.  As the clerk was giving the man his change, he paused for a moment, took the coins and told the clerk to put the remainder on the next person’s bill.  I was the next person.

The following Sunday I told my story to my Sunday school class and asked if they thought the man was an angel.  If so, to whom and what was his message?  The $20 helped pay for my four items.  The clerk said as she was ringing up my bill, “Christmas came early this year.”  She appeared to be deeply moved by the man’s act of generosity.  When I told the story to my Sunday school class, it prompted one of the class members to tell her own angel story.

One of the hallmarks of the Christmas story is the angels.  These messengers from God come in all shapes, sizes, and forms.  They continue to proclaim the good news of great joy that the Lord is with us and that He is involved in our daily lives.  They are all around us if we have the ears to hear them and the eyes to see them.

Where have you witnessed God’s angels at work in our world?  To whom did they come and what message did they bring?  When have you been called to be one of God’s angels? Let me know at davidh15503@embarqmail.com.