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.
The illustration with the angel and two children is one of my favorites. It always reminds me that I'm not alone and God sends His angels to watch over us.
Posted by: Ann Winkler | August 16, 2011 at 09:21 PM