Coming out of a season where angels sing and make announcements to the poor, most people are weary. Weary of the holiday hype. Weary of hearing messages of extraordinary visits from heavenly beings when "real" life is full of the humdrum. Buy groceries. Take kids to school. Go to work. Come home, eat supper, do laundry, put kids to bed and if you're lucky, you'll have a moment to breathe or read, but most people crash from exhaustion. The cycle starts again. No angelic announcements just the rhythm of life coming on and going, going, gone.
A new year begins and even after the hoopla, there is the same thing day in and day out. Morning, noon, night. Sun rise, sunset, moon rise, moon fall. There are sometimes mystical moments when a body can steal a moment of quiet or take time to pay attention to the sound of the moment, the movement of the wind in the trees. A bird lights on a limb and seems to peer into your soul or a light shines in your heart that was long forgotten. Yet, it's so hard to meet these mystical moments, find time to pray or breathe.
But then, there stands before you a child with arms stretched out to hug you. A friend from long ago writes a message just to "see how you are" and to tell you she cares. A buddy calls you up to listen to your tale of woe, he just heard of the prognosis and wanted you to know you aren't alone. You ask for prayers for healing and someone sends a breathing machine to you, knowing you don't have insurance. We just celebrated a season of glad tidings where glorious beings came down to make announcements of good news to the common man and woman.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The story is not complete however; doesn't end without you. For there are angels still here reaching out to you. What you often miss is that they have human faces. While you were waiting for the heavenly throngs, you may have missed that loving look from your partner. A smile from a stranger on a day when you thought you were invisible. You are the angel too for another. Good news comes through you each time you are kind. God speaks each time you breathe. God loves each time you love. There are angels all around they have faces that look like you, that look like me.
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