Emmanuel Hudson

What color is your Angel?

Many years ago I had a dear friend whose lifetime hobby was to make angels out of white thread. Each angel was similar in that they had a halo, wings and a cone shaped body. After she finished knitting them they were starched over a form so that they never changed in shape and could be hung as a Christmas tree ornament or placed to stand on a flat surface without toppling over. 

Mamie would give these angels to everyone she came to know. Inside of the presentation box she would include a piece of paper with the the words of Psalm 91:9-12 printed on it.  9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, ..."

As a young pastor I received one of these angels from Mamie. When I learned of her mission and hobby I asked her how it was that she got started with her favorite passtime. She responded with a story about how when she was a young woman she had had a baby without being married. She told how ashamed she had felt, and how she was encouraged to place her son for adoption. At that time she related how noone was allowed to know where her baby ended up, who its adopted parents might be, and she was not allowed to have any contact with him. So she decided, after reading the psalm passage above to keep him in her prayers and memory by knitting these little angels and then giving them away.

I asked further why she always used white thread. She said that it was because all the holy angels were confirmed in their bliss as they served those who were the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. As heirs of eternal life those little ones were covered by the robe of Christ's righteousness and had white robes.Then her voice changed, it qivered with emotion, and she spoke very quietly, "Pastor, before they took my baby away from me, I baptised him with the water from the drinking glass in my hospital room." I know I will see him again. I buried Mamie, and to the best of my knowledge she never learned any fuurther details about her son. 

White is usually thought of as the color of holiness and purity. We all have an angel who is present with us by God's command. Sometimes, however, it seems that we might compromise our faith by saying or doing things that we know we should not do. Then, I wonder, do we soil the image of God's special ministering spirit? I think not because all those good angels are holy and they are confirmed in their happiness as the Lord has made them. Like Mamie's memorial angels they are always white.

More on angels next time. I want to write about their numbers, and their activities as described in the Bible.

 

Are there two kinds of theology?

One time, as I was about to conduct a funeral service, I happened to hear a mother trying to explain to her daughter what it meant to die. Standing next to the open casket of a beloved grandmother, the little one was told by the strugglinig mother, "This is only grandma's body, her spirit has left and gone to heaven. She's become an angel and will watch over us until we go to heaven to be with her."

Unfortunately this very emotional setting provided an opportunity for the sharing of serious misinformation. It was not, in my opinion, the right time for me to step forward and to instruct the little girl or her mother. I prayed that the Lord would provide a more appropriate venue.

While time passed, and this subject was on my mind, it happened that within a short period of time I heard the notion repeated several times by different individuals. It occurred to me that it must be a popular idea among many when they try to explain to small children the many questions that come up at the time of a death, especially when it is that of a dear family member.

Some weeks later, while attending a ladies' auxiliary meeting, the young mother was present and she came to me to express her appreciation for the funeral service we had had for her mother. As we visited, I mentioned that I had overheard the conversation she had with her daughter about what happened to grandma. She responded by saying that she didn't actually believe that her mother had become an angel, but that she had just said that to answer the question of her daughter. she went on to say: "When she gets older, I'll tell her what the Bible says."

I'll discuss the characteristics of angels in another post, but what I wanted to share with you here is the often heard and frequently practiced idea that there are two kinds of theology, one for adults and another for children.  One of the popular examples of this is the concept of having two sermons in a Sunday service, one for the children and another for the adults. 

Even though there is an advantage to using simple words and expressing profound ideas in a teaching setting by giving simple examples and/or drawing commonly understood comparisons, there is a disservice given to young and old alike when they are lead to believe that there are two different sets of theology or biblical teachings.

A better way is to simply get out the bible and with patient instruction read the word of God's answer to the questions that are being asked. A good study Bible with a concordance, or dictionary included should be on the table in every home. It should be read as a part of a regular routine, and discussed and explained in the presence of all who are present. Prayers should be offered as well, not to a departed relative or angel, but to our Heavenly Father himself.  I have a Kindle that is always at the ready, other members of my family use an iPad. We use these modern tools as they prove to be handy and modern. When our family was young we had devotion time, and every child had their own Bible from which they were given opportunity to read as their skill set allowed. Sometimes we used the meditation booklet that we had from church, other times I would have selected sections of the Bible that taught specific lessons.

I encourage this practice today so that adults and children may grow together in the knowledge of God's love.

The Angels

When I was much younger I would lay down in our front yard and gaze at the sky. As the clouds drifted by I would imagine seeing in them the shapes of different creatures. Sometimes I would do it with a friend or two and we would watch together as the cloud formations would change and our imagined images would come and go as the upper air moved them about.

One of our favorite invisible creatures we imagined to see we called angels. We would spend hours in this activity and looked forward to partly cloudy days to engage in our visioning practice. I am reminded of this by two things: 1)in my study of the Apostles' Creed, even though quite comprehensive, does not mention angels, and 2) in a magical moment with my grandchildren at the lake this summer, I overheard them as they floated on their inflatables talking to one another about seeing angels in the clouds of the sky.

We had a picture like the one you see here in our home while I was growing up. I can remember that I often wondered about angels and what they were, where they ate and slept and how big their angel families were.

In the next few blogs I'll be sharing what the Bible says about angels, and look at some non-biblical references to invisible creatures as well.

If you have any questions about this fascinating topic please ask them in your comments.

In the Bible the angels are the foremost invisible creatures. What is more we learn that there are two kinds of angels, good and evil.  Matthew 25:31 tells us: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory." And speaking of the good angels we hear:  Hebrews 1:14 "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"

The reality of angels is clearly affirmed in the Bible. So when we talk about them and what they do we are not dealing with myths, fantasy or make believe. They are real and worthy of our study.

 

I Believe that God made all of Us

In a recent edition of "Answers" a magazine published to illustrate the importance of Genesis in building a creation based worldview, I came upon an article entitled "Reaching Muslims, Part 1."

The paragraph that caught my attention goes like this: "THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE IN EVERY CONVERSATION. Before you begin a conversation with Muslims, remember that each person evaluates all "evidence" in light of presuppositions. Presuppositions are those underlying beliefs that drive how we think and interpret the world around us. A muslim's presuppositions, usually ingrained in him since childhood, will color the way he interprets everything you say." (Answers Magazine, July-Sept. 2011 page 37,)

The title to this blog has embedded in it one of my basic presuppositions: "I believe in God as the Bible reveals HIm and call him my heavenly Father. What is more I further believe that God the father is the Creator of heaven and earth. (In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. 1:1.)

By heaven and earth I mean all creatures, visible and invisible (By Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible. Col 1:16.)

These faith statements have some pretty far reaching implications. Simply it means that none of us were accidents. What is more it means that there is a supreme being, a personal God, who not only is almighty, but in his providential care continues to provide for all the wants and needs of all creatures.

In our edition of Luther's Small Catechism we put it this way: I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them;" (Apostles' Creed, First article, Creation, What does this mean?)

If you'd like a copy you may order one from NPH or contact me and I'll send you the details for online examination.

 

Presupposition of Faith

I went to a conference once where I heard a pastor scold another pastor for having presuppositional thinking. He maintained that the other man was wrong, not because what he had said was inaccurate, but because he had assumed something to be true before he began his presentation. He had actually started out with the words: "I believe..."

I'll write about pastoral conferences and the scholarly presentations that I've heard presented by some very gifted thinkers, both men and women, but let me save that for later.

When I say "I believe" that means that I know, and accept as true, what the Bible says of God and trust in Him and rely on Him with firm confidence. For example, when I speak or teach at conferences or in small groups about the concepts of CREATION I always start out with my presuppositional statement: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."

Many other theologians do the same. In fact, over the years since the time of Jesus living here on earth there have been developed faith statements to help summarize the answer to the question: "What does this mean?" What does it mean when a person confesses that they believe in God? My answer was already given above.

I may ask you what your world view is, or how you think about the creation that we share, when I do what I'm really asking you is: "What do you presuppose to be true in order to explain the way things are as you know them?"

I will talk a little more about creation, the world, theories and the scientific method in later blogs, but let me reemphasize that my explanation will be presuppositional.

Faith and the Apostles' Creed

This whole matter of religion presents an interesting topic to be discussed and a challenge to keep from becoming an aggravation. Before I get too far into the ideas of "Creed" and "faith" I'd like to make sure that you know where I'm coming from.

First of all let me tell you that I am a Christian by accident of birth, and then a Christian as a result of a long time study of the religions of the world. That means my parents were Christians and I have a B.A., M.Div., and MAG with an emphasis on the arts and human spirituality. 

After a life time of learning I have chosen to be and remain a member of an organized church which is Christian, Lutheran, and part of a fellowship group that is called the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). I am also a professional clergyman and serve a local congregation in the city of Hudson, Wisconsin named Emmanuel. www.emmanuelhudson.org

My approach to having knowledge and sharing it is usually organized and presented in an orderly way following lesson plans and limiting a discussion to a certain amount of time with little variation from the topic. This blog will not, I hope, be so much like that. I'd rather keep it simple and personal. this way I can invite input and have exchanges of ideas on the topic of Christianity without becoming stuffy and authoritarian.

I will try to sort out ideas and present them in a fashion that will be more anecdotal and follow general themes of discussion. That's enough about me and my plan.

Back to church and the question about the word "creed." After the initial question about the definition of the word creed, I found myself sitting, enjoying a cup of "decaf", and talking to a group of folks during the fellowship hour that follows each worship service, when this same inquisitive young fellow came up to me and asked politely, "Pastor, who are the apostles?" My answer was simple and direct: "The Apostles were a group of men that lived a long time ago and who we learn about from the Bible. We call the creed we used this morning the "Apostles Creed" because it is a short statement of the teachings of the Apostles found in the Bible." We use it in our church service because we agree with what it says and it lets everyone in that service know what we believe.

 

 

 

What is a Creed?

Recently I finished my sermon and as the congregation stood in response, I invited them to join in the confession of faith by speaking together the words of the Apostles' Creed. This is a regular activity in most confessional churches as it gives those who are in worship at the time an opportunity to express publicly a faith position that they hold in common.

After the service, as I stood greeting the individuals who were in attendance that day, a young boy was pushed forward by a young mother with the command, "now ask him." He looked a little frightened and annoyed that his mother obviously betrayed a confidence that they shared by making him include me and a private conversation they had just had.  He stammered out: "Pastor, what's a creed?"

I answered quickly and quietly so as not to add to his embarrassment: "A creed is something we say together to tell others what we believe." I was so proud of myself, and then the lad turned to his mother and asked,  "There, now we both know, can I go get in line for a cookie?"

It occurred to me that there might be something here that is often overlooked by the church leadership. It is a strong possibility that we may use words in our conversations or in our church services that are not easily explained and or understood.

So I'll try for the next few blogs to explain further the meaning of the word and the practice of reciting or reading a creed in our public worship services. For now I'll start with this: A creed is a statement of what we believe and teach.

 

Perspectives on Daily Living

"It all depends on how you look at it." I've heard that response zillions of times when I've asked for opinions about all kinds of questions. Half empty...half full. Opptomist or pessimist. Towtruck or Wrecker!These are some of the attitudes or frames of mind that one may be able to sort out when he or she stops the hectic pace of life, sits back, and takes a thoughtful look at the way things are going on around us.