Today’s scripture: Matthew 2:19-23 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
When I was a teenager there was a popular song by Amy Grant called “Angels” which played over and over again in my cassette player (this was just when CDs were becoming the coolest trend). One day as I was listening and singing along to the song, the words took on a different meaning than what they had held before. Amy and I sang together in my bedroom “Angels watching over me, every move I make, Angels watching over me! Angels watching over me, every step I take, Angels watching over me!” During this particular occasion, an image flashed through my head of several angels hovering over me there in my bedroom watching me and listening as I sang along with Amy. Because I knew that singing wasn’t my gift, I immediately grew self-conscious and stopped singing. In fact, I jumped to turn off the song and then stood quietly in my room, creeped out at the thought of heavenly beings stalking me. And if the song was right, there was no escaping this voyeurism because they were watching my every move and following my every step! Weird!
So, I naturally started thinking about all the things I’d done recently, which I was now certain the angels had observed. Were the angels watching while I made fun of my neighbor? Were they watching when I lied to my mom about why I was late? Were they watching when I took a shower this morning? Super creepy! I did the only obvious thing I could do: I jumped under the covers of my bed to hide from these stalking angels!
With all that as background information it might be easier for you to understand why I’ve always been skeptical about the guardian angel idea. Some seriously bad stuff has happened to me and to so many other people of faith without any angel intervention.
So, when I read today’s gospel passage about the repeated intervention of angels to save the Christ child I’m left wondering, what happened to my angel during my difficult times? Why didn’t I have an angel come to me and tell me not to get into the car before the accident? Why didn’t my angel remind me that I forgot to lock the door behind me? I mean, according to Amy Grant, angels are supposed to be watching over me, right?
But as I meditated on this Scripture for a few days something completely incredible happened: I heard from my angel! At first I thought it couldn’t have been the same way Joseph heard from the angels, but now I’m not so sure; maybe it is the same.
After my angel spoke to me, I took some time to reflect on those previously mentioned difficult times in my life. Once I did that I remembered that I had felt uneasy about the drive that morning, so many years ago. I felt in my gut that I should have waited one more day to return to school. Likewise, there was a voice inside me telling me to check the door on that night when I had forgotten, but I dismissed as unnecessary. These little things that I had dismissed may well have been my angels. Angels don’t have to appear as glowing winged creatures. They may instead be that gut feeling, that voice that speaks from inside you. Indeed, maybe that was the angel that spoke to Joseph.
Why does it matter? Well, I can only tell you why it mattered to me. It mattered to me because it’s something that Jesus and I have in common. If the angels chose to speak to Joseph in order to protect Jesus and they also choose to speak to me then, like Jesus, I must be pretty special to God. Like Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, God has given us all the guidance of “angels”. Listen to the wisdom of that voice and remember that it is a gift from God. It is a gift from God because you matter, just like Jesus.
Thought for the day: What are my angels telling me? God, give us the wisdom to hear the voice of your angels. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.