We hear a lot about Christmas angels but nothing about New Year's angels. I for one hope they don't go back into the box on January first along with the silver one that we stick on top of the tree.

Angels, as you know, are created beings who are limited to life in the spiritual realm. [In contrast to Spiritual Guides who may have been human at one time.] They are as distinct from us as cats are from dogs. They never become human and we don't turn into angels when we reach the other side. Their job is doing the gut work in heaven, and helping us fulfill our earthly goals.

A psychic friend of mine, David, is in touch with his angel, whom he calls Marcus. Marcus says some interesting things about their relationship. He told David that they "came off the assembly line together," that he has been David's angel in every one of his incarnations. Together, they form a closed energy system. When David is afraid or excited or in need of information, he emits energy, which attracts Marcus. Marcus then conserves that energy within their joint system and uses it to respond to David's need.

In the Bible, we hear the same phrase every time an angel appears -- "Be not afraid!" Well, I should think so! If one ever appeared to me, I'm sure I would be overcome. But David says something startling. From his conversations with Marcus, he has discovered that angels are in awe of us, because of the difficulty and the significance of what we are doing here on earth. Marcus said to him, "You have no idea what is in store for you. God has prepared the Kingdom just for you, because of what you are doing as human beings."

We volunteered for this job. No one, including God, said that we had to do it. But what we are doing is essential. One theory is that the physical creation is the beehive of heaven. Here, instead of honey, we are manufacturing love. It is love which we export to heaven, and which helps to fuel the heavenly machine. We blithely say that God is love. But if we are part of God, how is God's love generated? It is not a static commodity. As we know, love is something you do, not something you feel. So, in order to generate love, we have to be doing something. Love is the distillation of the daily events of our ordinary lives. And heavenly beings cluster around us to aid in that effort, much as the workers single out and coddle the queen in a hive.

When I was in seminary, I was in chapel one morning, singing with the student congregation. The words of the hymn that day were, "Come, labor on, claim the high calling angels cannot share." That phrase never made sense until I heard what David had to say. Marcus does research that helps David complete his task. It's clear to David that angels don't know everything simply because they are in the spirit world. Our work enlightens them, just as their work aids us.

Let us visualize the angels of those millions of victims of the tsunami working overtime to help the suffering survivors whom we are seeing on television. Let us pray that both earthly and heavenly forces will work in concert to help alleviate this dreadful calamity.

Posted 1-01-05

Copyright: John W. Sloat 2005