Courage to Listen

Good Morning Bethlehem Trekkers,

“Rev. Joanne, I don’t mean to interrupt. But if you have time, could you come to my class and speak with the children? They have some questions about angels…” And my mind immediately went back about 12 years ago to a children’s moment when I asked the bundle of Christmas energy gathered before me, “What is an angel?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Ben replied, “Dead people with wings!” :) “Yes, I suppose that’s one way of describing an angel…” All of us managed to recover and make it through the rest of worship. But that one remark was the only nugget we carried with us as we left that morning! Once again, I was upstaged by an 8 year old!

That experience gave me the courage and the curiosity to enter the classroom where 2 Kindergartners and 1 first grader were busy coloring paper angels. “Good morning, guys!” “What beautiful angels you’re making!” “I understand you have some questions about angels…” And the conversation went something like this:

“What color are angels?” “Great question, Christopher…” Taking my cue from Jesus’ teaching moments, I quickly answered with another question: “What color are you?” “I’m brown…” “And you, Eli? “I’m white.” “And you, Matthew? Blonde—I think angels are blonde.”
“Well, I think you’ve answered the question yourselves...the way I look at it, God made us and God made the angels; so I think angels are the same colors as we are.”

All the while the coloring continues. “Tell me what you think angels do?” “They fly around.” “They help people.” “How do they know what to do?” “God tells them.” “Do you know what the word, messenger means?” Matthew answered, “Yes, messengers bring messages.” “Good for you…to know that…Angels are messengers…who bring messages…important messages from God…” I think we’re good here…

…Important messages from God…not always with the bold words, “ Greetings, favored one!...Do not be afraid…you will bear a son and you will name him Jesus…” or “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people…” But important messages nonetheless come to us from God. But we are not always aware of them. Perhaps we are too busy or our lives are drowning in noises that distract us.

Perhaps we don’t take the time to listen; or maybe, just maybe…we don’t have the desire to listen…or we are afraid of what we might hear God telling us and then we would have to go and do it! It takes courage to listen, especially to God… For the most part I agree with J. Barrie Shepherd, in his book, Faces at the Manger, “…God’s Word then, comes to us through things as they are…God’s Messengers…appear right at the heart of the everyday. But unless we are listening, unless we are prepared to drop, even for a moment, our busy work of preparation, celebration, we will never hear the angels’ song…”

As you continue to make your way to Bethlehem , be aware of God’s messengers all around you, trying their best on God’s behalf, to reach you in the everyday, in the midst of the stuff of life; with an important message custom-tailored just for you…
“Can you hear Me now?

Blessings, Joanne