Angels? Really?!

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 12th 2010
Third Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
Luke 1:8-20; Luke 1:26-28; 2:8-19
“Angels? Really?!”

Talking about Prophets is easy. Sure, you have to work against the popular notion that they are just fortune tellers for God. Prophets bring a message from God. That message is rooted in the law and built upon justice for all people. Underlying all messages of prophets is that society’s problems are directly related to how well people care for the poor and how equitably resources are divided in society. While that is a message not all that welcome in our own society, there is still a bit of comfort in talking about a human being with a humane message. Angels are another story all together.
When Presbyterians face talk of angels the conversation can get awkwardly silent. What do we believe about angels? What do angels do? What do angels look like? Are they for real? Most of us can equate modern people with the prophets of the bible. But equating angels with modern day people is a bit more complex. To get at this each one of us will need to come to grips with what we think angels look like and what we believe their role. In order to do this we really ought to start simply with what the bible teaches. Fortunately, the bible is not silent on such things.
But before jumping into the biblical world, I want to share a story that I heard recently. It was a conversation that a parent had with their child. It went something like this. Parent: “What do you think about angels?” Child: “I only know the names of two angels, Hark and Harold. Angels don’t eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows. Angels live in cloud houses made by God and his son, who’s a very good carpenter. My guardian angel helps me with math, but he’s not much good for science.”
The truth is that most of us may have had some notion of this definition in our own lives. And, at some point, we grew up and discarded this way of thinking. Unfortunately, our discomfort, if we have any, may come out of the baggage of such beliefs that are not tempered by the biblical reality. The bible says nothing about guardian angels that walk along with us and keep us out of trouble. The basis of this belief comes from outside our faith and has been co-opted by portions of the church. But, there is much that the bible has to say about angels particularly in the birth stories of Jesus and John.
Zechariah was in the temple. He was a priest and it was his job to enter the most holy place in the temple to offer sacrifices. No one would go in except the priest on his rotation. It was a high honor and as such Zechariah was someone who had spent many hours praying and in contact with God’s presence in the temple. If ever you were to expect to find or to hear a message from God the temple and the holy of holies is the place where one might expect it. As the one chosen to serve God in this way you would expect that Zechariah could be fearful but also filled with joy.
Zechariah is neither. He is paralyzed by fear and overcome with doubt. After all, he had lived a long time. He was well educated and he knew how the world worked. Sure there were folks who talked about such spiritual experiences. And, he knew all the stories of how God had met people and spoken to them through messengers and even dreams. But, Zechariah also knew that the real world worked a certain way. And if he had not seen or heard such things by now, there was no way he was going to believe the good news. The encounter is not shock but absolute doubt.
The angel comes with absolute joyful news. The prayers that Zechariah and Elizabeth have been praying are finally going to be answered in positive ways. They will have a child who will do great things for God. And Zechariah is so trapped by his own way of seeing the world and so trapped that he knows better that such news seems foolish. As a result Zechariah is rendered unable to speak. When he goes out to meet the congregation and cannot speak those who were gathered immediately knew he had seen a vision. They didn’t have to see to believe. They could see what the priest could not.
In the birth of Jesus angels show up all around, in dreams and face to face. The message from the angels is personal for some but also world changing. The message is that God is doing a new thing and those who have had their faces grinded in the dirt by the powerful will be lifted up. God is going to bring about the leveling of society. When this message comes to the shepherds in the field or to an unmarried young woman, the response is joy and wonder. Mary says yes and ponders things in her hearts. While she wants to know how God is going to do such things she does not doubt. The message of the angels most often comes to those outside the expected circles.
Today is the feast of the virgin of Guadalupe. It is a Mexican and catholic celebration. The story is powerful in the way it shows how those inside God’s church are often least receptive to the possibility of God’s actions and message. On December 9th 1531, the peasant Juan Diego saw a vision of a young girl fifteen or sixteen, surrounded my light, on the slope of the Hill of Tepyeyac. Speaking in the local language, the Lady asked that a church be built on this site in her honor. It was then that Juan Diego recognized this was the Virgin Mary. Juan Diego had doubts because he was just a peasant. He went to the bishop who doubted the words of this peasant and said he should go back and ask for a miracle to prove this was real. Juan Diego went back, saw the Virgin again and told him of his troubles. She told him to gather flowers from the top of the mountain. It was winter and no flowers were to be growing. He took them to the bishop who finally believed because he could see. The angel and vision came to those outside so that those inside might see.
For those who are relatively comfortable with the current arrangement, news that it will be coming to an end is not welcome. Even change that will be positive is resisted by those invested in the status quo. But for shepherds, and young girls, and peasants, the message of the Angels is good news of great joy. I cannot say I have seen angels and I would like to believe that I would believe if one met me here in the midst of the sanctuary. But like most of us, I am part of the establishment and would probably come out without a voice for a while. The good news is that God is not finished with those like Zechariah. We might find out that we are called to do a lot more listening than we are used to. It means we need to start listening to the very people we think we know more than to find out that the God we worship usually doesn’t come to folks like us. We are not excluded but instead are called to listen and to look for the way God is still speaking. And when we do, we are called to ponder these things in our heart. And if we don’t, the good news is we just might get to rest our voices for a while. Amen.