Angels hold a very special place in our cultural and collective mythology and psyche. They are to be found everywhere and can bring immense comfort. Faith in God and church attendance may be too great a leap for many, but the presence of God’s angels brings peace and hope. Images of guardian angels in all kinds of forms can be found everywhere.

Angels are the messengers of God, coming to us to bring hope, peace, messages, and healing. It feels to me that we should celebrate that God’s angels can bring that to people who are often far beyond the reach of conventional church. To me that’s just another example of how God transcends barriers and reaches out to us.

Over the years I’ve heard some amazing stories from people about how they have encountered things far beyond “normal”, which they attribute to angels. A person who appears to save someone’s life, and then vanishes without a trace. A chance encounter that changes a life, and no normal explanation fits. A word of peace or hope in the midst of despair. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews in the bible encourages us to welcome strangers, for some have entertained angels without knowing it. Wings and white robes don’t have to be part of the uniform all the time!

Angels are made by God as his messengers and servants, sent to help us in the world. There are all kinds of stories about them, and a lot of church people can get quite nervous about the whole topic, fearing to stray too far into medieval myth and away from the bible. And it is also clear that there are good and bad angels! And that you can’t always tell from appearance – though the same could be said of humans.

One thing is clear, and from Jesus himself – that we all have a guardian angel, given to us by God to help us. The guardian angels of children in particular are able to see the face of God in heaven. They are one of the ways that connect us directly to God, and the bible is full of such stories, of visits and help from these heavenly beings.

In the end, it’s not the angels themselves who matter – all the details of their names, hierarchy and whatnot – but the messages of peace and hope which they bring, helping us know we are not alone, that we are loved, and that God gives them to help and guide us, often in complete anonymity. What a wonderful gift!

Revd. Talisker

Photo by Bradley Gossett on Unsplash