Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Psalm
103
The Readings
Genesis 28:10-17 + Revelation 12:7-12 + John 1:47-51
And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it . . . Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!"
~Gen. 28:12,16
Angels feature frequently and prominently in the Bible. We find them from Genesis to Revelation. They bookend the Gospels, also, from the Annunciation to the empty tomb. And though the word "angel" literally means "messenger," we see them in a variety of roles--manifesting God's presence to humans, interpreting visions to God's prophets, defending God's people, commanding God's armies, perpetually offering worship in God's presence. These are the roles for which they have been created, as the day's collect reminds us. Contrary to popular thought, the church has never taught (and the scriptures never imply) that humans become angels--rather, both humans and angels are creatures, deriving their life and purpose from and in God.
Though the presence and ministries of angels are a given throughout the Bible, we may find it challenging today to think of angels as they are depicted there. But as Christians we profess our trust in the God who is the creator "of all that is, seen and unseen." In the Eucharist we join our voices "with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven" in their unending hymn of praise to God (see Isaiah 6:1-3 and Revelation 4:6-11). To trust in the God revealed in Scripture, in the Creed, and in the liturgy, is to trust that life has depths of reality that we do not always see. This seems to me an important truth to remember in these days when so many of us feel isolated and alone. Because the truth is, we are never alone. To trust in the God we come to know supremely in Jesus--the One who himself bridges heaven and earth in today's Gospel!--is to trust that we will come to see and know greater things than we have yet imagined. Surely, we could not number the times already past when the Lord was in this place--and we did not know it!
The Psalm
103
The Readings
Genesis 28:10-17 + Revelation 12:7-12 + John 1:47-51
And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it . . . Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!"
~Gen. 28:12,16
Angels feature frequently and prominently in the Bible. We find them from Genesis to Revelation. They bookend the Gospels, also, from the Annunciation to the empty tomb. And though the word "angel" literally means "messenger," we see them in a variety of roles--manifesting God's presence to humans, interpreting visions to God's prophets, defending God's people, commanding God's armies, perpetually offering worship in God's presence. These are the roles for which they have been created, as the day's collect reminds us. Contrary to popular thought, the church has never taught (and the scriptures never imply) that humans become angels--rather, both humans and angels are creatures, deriving their life and purpose from and in God.
Though the presence and ministries of angels are a given throughout the Bible, we may find it challenging today to think of angels as they are depicted there. But as Christians we profess our trust in the God who is the creator "of all that is, seen and unseen." In the Eucharist we join our voices "with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven" in their unending hymn of praise to God (see Isaiah 6:1-3 and Revelation 4:6-11). To trust in the God revealed in Scripture, in the Creed, and in the liturgy, is to trust that life has depths of reality that we do not always see. This seems to me an important truth to remember in these days when so many of us feel isolated and alone. Because the truth is, we are never alone. To trust in the God we come to know supremely in Jesus--the One who himself bridges heaven and earth in today's Gospel!--is to trust that we will come to see and know greater things than we have yet imagined. Surely, we could not number the times already past when the Lord was in this place--and we did not know it!
Closing Prayer
O Christ our God, the wisdom, the power, and the glory of the Father, who dwelt among us as the Word made flesh and, having overcome the prince of darkness, returned to the eternal joys of heaven: Grant us, even now in the midst of this dark world, the full outpouring of thy splendor, and appoint thy holy angels to be our defenders, to guard our going out and our coming in, until by thy mercy we stand in the eternal light, where thou dost live and reign, world without end. Amen.
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