Simple Messengers for Simple Messages

Armodoxy for Today: Simple Messengers for Simple Messages

One of the great disservices we do to our Faith is when we overdramatize or fictionalize the characters of our faith to the point that they represent a fantasy. Accordingly, they lose meaning and relevance for us.

We tend to overdramatize religious ideas and concepts. Think of miracles. Hollywood would have us believe that miracles occur with thunder and lightning, and while we’re looking up to the heavens for these spectacular sights, we miss the true miracle of a smile in our child’s eye, or that paper-like fingernail on a newborn or the delicate pedal of a rose both of which cannot be duplicated by any machine or person. In other words, we lose sight of real miracles when we downgrade the word to fantasy.

This weekend the Armenian Church celebrated the feast of the Archangels Gabriel & Michael. The word angel means messenger. Angels are the ones who reveal a message to us. Think of all the different ways we have overdramatized angels, from Old Testament imagery to Church iconography, to stained glass windows, all the way to the Hollywoodization of angels with wings, harps, bows and arrows, white robes, halos, to the point that they enter the category of fantasy, and their purpose and message is forgotten.

We have images in our head of guardian angels, and certainly on Valentines day, we exchange cards and candy with images of those cute little angels – the cheribs – and we awe and feel good. Imagery is important.

But an angel is simply a messenger. The angel was sent to Mary to let her know that she is with Child of the Holy Spirit. The night Jesus was born, the angels brought a message: Peace on Earth, goodwill toward one another. That’s it. It was that simple. It’s what the message of Christianity has always been. The carrier of the message cannot be more complicated than the message!

As we celebrate the angels keep in mind the simplicity of a messenger – one who is honored to deliver news, a message to another person. May we be inspired to become messengers of faith, hope and love as are the angels. And now take a look around you – NOT UP – but around you, to seek and find beauty here, and find the connection between us all. For Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you”