“Angels Among Us”
Scripture Psalm 80: 1- 7 read responsively and Luke
1:26-38
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 27 First
Sunday in Advent
INTRODUCTION
TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm
80: 1- 7 read responsively. The season
of advent welcomes the faithful, even beckons the faithful to cast a new vision
amidst a world swallowed up in the sounds and images of completing claims. Whatever the original historical setting of Psalm
80 was, it belongs to the afflicted people of God on their way through troubles.[1] It is not a safe place or time for soldiers
let alone babies. Yet our Messiah came
to us not a conqueror but a little child.
God’s amazing plan to save all the children of God is hard to hold onto,
when you are afraid of the future. May
this lament open your heart to God’s message of hope even in the midst of
despair.
1Give
ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are
enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2before Ephraim and Benjamin and
Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Angel the Bible calls Gabriel has a remarkable position in our cultural because he plays an important role in more than one major religion. He is referred to in the Old Testament as appearing to Daniel to explain the frightening visions Daniel has had. In Islam he is renowned for dictating the Holy Koran to the Prophet Mohammed. And for we Christians he announce the birth of John to his father Zachariah and Jesus to his mother Mary, which is our reading for this first Sunday in Advent. All angels and even the term angel have a primary roll as messengers of God. As you listen to this familiar passage see if you hear Gabriel providing more than a message.
26In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth,27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of
the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.28And he came to her
and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”29But she
was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might
be.30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God.31And now, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.32He will be great, and will
be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his ancestor David.33He will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34Mary said to the
angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”35The angel said to
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called
Son of God.36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has
also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be
barren.37For nothing will be impossible with God.”38Then
Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to
your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
SERMON
The song by Alabama, Angels Among Us comes to mind with this passage. We will get to that but for now just set it aside. And let us consider Gabriel in relationship to Mary. Here is a young woman shocked by God’s message to her. “You want me to do what?” This response has been a common question when God calls us to service. The angel as messenger seems to have more than a delivery boy role in the communication. The angel is to assure the recipient of the message that it is true and worthy. The comfort these rather awe inspiring beings can bring is an assurance that you really are being called to service and God will provide your needs.
I
find this painted by Henry Ossawa Tanner,
Annunciation, very revealing in what is does not show. There is no image of Gabriel except as a beam
of light. The angels among us are here
to keep us on the path of God’s will.
They are our assurance that God is with us. For Jesus the angels cared for him after his
encounter with temptation in the wilderness and in his spiritual struggle of
Gethsemane. Where have God’s angels
come to you with a message of hope and new life?
Last
week Annie came to me while Andrea was playing the beautiful offering of “While
Sheep Safely Graze.” She climbed up into
my lap and for a brief moment I was visited by a messenger from God. Now Annie is no more angelic than the rest of
us. What made it an encounter with God
was God’s intention that I had the rare presence of mind to notice. I firmly believe God is constantly trying to
communicate with us. Sometimes I can
read a passage year after year and it just does not touch my soul as it does
when others journey with me. Those who
study scripture in small groups have often experienced angels among us guiding
our understanding.
I
have told you the story of Esther’s surgery on her hands at Children’s
Hospital. A young teenage from Jordan
was waiting on the gurney in front of us.
She was all along and I am sure scared.
Then one of the other youth rolled up in her wheelchair. She had the halo screwed into her head for
traction. So she literally looked like
an angel. She promised her companion in
suffering that she would be waiting for her when she came out of surgery. She was an angel among us. My own brother was in a fox hole in WWII when
an in-cinerary bomb went off. He
remembers the fire and that someone pulled him out, but he never knew who. Was he saved by an angel, he always believed
he was. I sat at a traffic light while
the woman in front of me never moved when the light turned green. No one waiting in line even honk our
horns. Suddenly coming over the hill was
a semi-truck and still we did not move and right behind him came another truck
barreling through the intersection. It
was like the hand of God saying stay, peace, be patient. But terrible things happen to good
people. Where are our angels then? Even Jesus from the cross cried out in
abandonment.
Gwendolyn
talked about the long nightmare of Vincent’s death at Riley. But she also remembered the angels that
brought food to the Ronald McDonald House where they slept. Churches in
Indianapolis came with whole meals and brought them in for the families who can
barely care for themselves let alone make a meal. Angels were among them ministering to them as
they did Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Angels rarely take the pain away, but care for us in our suffering. I have seen congregational members of Unity
go way out of their way to care for another during the pain of health concerns
or death. You have been angels among us.
The
last refrain of Alabama’s song is:
They
wear so many faces; show up in the strangest places, to guide us with their
mercy in our time of need. Oh, I believe
there are angels among us sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hour to
show us how to live, to teach us how to give, to guide us with a light of love.[2]
God’s
mission for Mary is not one for celebration.
She was a young unmarried woman who is already betrothed to Joseph. Getting pregnant could have gotten her stoned
to death outside the city gates. Gabriel
not only brought a message from God, but the strength to withstand the risks
that came with the message. Think about
making choices in your own life that you have felt called by God to
fulfill. It seemed impossible that you
could take the risk. But there have been
angels of assurance that you are worthy that you’re are meant for this
mission. Some of you have encountered
heavenly beings who have guided you to God’s will for your life. Others have encountered human beings who have
guided you with heavenly direction. What
is important is your openness to God’s activity in your life. Never stop believing there are angels among
us. Amen.
[1] W. Dennis Tucker, Jr.
Associate Professor of Christian
Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, TX
See: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=11/27/2011&tab=5
[2]
Becky Hobbs - Don Goodman Recorded by: Alabama
