Are angels real, and do they intervene in our lives?

God uses guardians to protect us

The Rev. Angela Lowe, board certified chaplain, Lawrence Memorial Hospital:

History reveals that many cultures have some belief in angels.

Ancient Egyptians lavishly constructed their tombs because of their belief that angels would visit them after death. The existence of angels is mentioned approximately 300 times in the Scriptures. The angel Gabriel informed the Virgin Mary that she would bring forth a son who would be named Jesus.

Angels are real. They may be visible or invisible. They were not intended to be venerated in a manner that borders on worship. They are messengers of God who serve humankind as ministering spirits and bring glory to God. Sometimes they are our companions. We may be entertaining angels without being aware of their presence.

I have a friend who passionately recalls an experience she had in Jordan.

Political unrest was escalating. Americans were told to evacuate the country. She was informed to stay at the mission’s compound until her departure to the airport. Before dawn, there was a knock on her door.

An unrecognizable woman indicated she would be her escort. At the airport, people were frantically scurrying around. My friend recalled that her escort accompanied her from the ticket counter to her departure gate. When my friend was in line to board her plane, she turned around to thank the woman. Much to her surprise, the woman had disappeared.

She searched the multitude of faces hoping to catch a glimpse of her escort. My friend firmly believes that this kind woman was an angel sent from God.

Many of us can recall some dangerous incident when we were miraculously preserved. Though we did not see the angelic force, their presence could explain why tragedy was averted. May we continue to express our gratitude to God who uses these wonderful guardians called angels to protect us.

Send e-mail to the Rev. Angela Lowe at angela.lowe@lmh.org.

Messages can be blessings, confounding

The Rev. Gayla Rapp, United Methodist campus minister at Kansas University:

Angels are written about in the Hebrew Scripture as intermediaries between God and humanity.

The New Testament writers depict Jesus as surrounded by angels during key moments in his life. Angels announce the incarnation and birth of Christ. Angels are present as he struggles in the wilderness. Angels bear witness to the empty tomb on the day of Resurrection. The scriptures also report that there was disagreement in Jesus’ time, between the Pharisees and Sadducees about the existence of angels.

As the early church was being formed, numerous beliefs about angels were developed. Theologians debated about angels’ state of salvation, their rank in heaven and their form and nature.

Study of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and tradition reminds us that beliefs about angels are not uniform and static but are diverse and dynamic.

Angel is derived from the Greek word “angelos,” which means “messenger.” As such, it can serve as symbol as we attempt to describe the indescribable. It can communicate the power, presence and experience of the divine that defies our descriptions.

I’ve never seen an angel that is a heavenly being with wings and a halo. But I have experienced times in my life when a message from God came to me through a person, a passage of Scripture, a book, music or a moment of silent clarity. These messengers of God were real and intervened in my life in a way that both confounds me and blesses me.

Send e-mail to the Rev. Gayla Rapp at Gayla@fumclawrence.org.