THE CCOB MORNING OF COLLECTIVE MEDITATION
Sunday, May 17, 2020, 9:30 a.m.
ANGELS AMONG US
READING 1:
In the New Testament we learn that at each significant moment of Christ’s life on Earth, angels showed up. Whether they were in the air or on the land, these guardians relayed prophecy, celebrated moments of joy, provided protection, and delivered messages of hope.
The angel Gabriel not only told Mary she would bear a son, but what the boy would be called, who he was to become, and how his future was already established (Luke 1:30-33).
Angels rejoiced and sang “Glorias” from the heavens when the baby was born (Luke 2:13-14).
An angel told Joseph he could finally take his son home because Herod and those who wanted to kill the baby were dead (Matthew 2:19-20).
After Jesus endured the Devil’s temptations in the wilderness, the angels came and ministered to him (Matthew 4:11).
An angel sat with Jesus as he prayed in the Garden at Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).
When Jesus was betrayed, he exclaimed that he could have twelve legions of angels to sustain him if he only asked God for help (Matthew 26:53).
An angel rolled back the stone of the tomb of Jesus and another announced his resurrection (Matthew 28: 2, 5-6).
Jesus ascended into Heaven with angels watching nearby (Acts 1:10).
And someday Jesus will send out angels with trumpets to gather his elect from the four winds – from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:31).
Whether we believe in the actual physical embodiment of angels or not, the significance of angels in our lives can be very real.
In his inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln, with a Civil War brewing all around him, spoke of angels. He stated,
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again
