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Out Our Way: Here there be angels - Matthew 9:13

'I did not come to call the righteous, but to call sinners.'

Out our way, the old time "cowboy" of legend is mostly gone. Oh, we still wear the boots, spurs, and chaps; still ride horses and carry a lariat on our saddle, but these days we are more likely to be the owners, family, or ranch hands. The prairie is fenced in and we haul cattle to market in big rigs rather than the old fashioned trail drives. Yet Big Mike had Charlie and me as his "cowhands." Except for the round up and moving back and forth between the summer and winter pastures, why did he need us? 

Well, if you have been around cattle you know they are not exactly the brightest critters on God's green earth, and if you have been around the Big Open very long you realize there are a great many other critters out there. Deer and antelope are common as are elk in some areas, but there are also mountain lions, and coyotes.

Fences are great, but fence posts can be knocked down and barbed wire come loose so that cattle can wander off and be lost. And, though few city folks believe it, we still have rustlers who cut fences and steal a few head from time to time. Thus it is that Big Mike sends Charlie and me atop Jet and Doc to ride the cattle trails, explore the arroyos and ride the ridges to keep an eye out and watch over the herd.

Now Jesus made it very clear that God is not some impersonal and distant Being - but rather a caring and loving Father. Read the Lord's Prayer carefully: "Our Father ... . Read the Nativity accounts, and the words of hope first shared with the lowest level of Jewish society: the shepherds, the cowboys of their day. Consider Who Jesus is and why He has come amongst us. The incarnation is the radical affirmation that God is not some distant, indifferent Power, but a caring and loving Father.

That message continues to this day, not only through reading it in the Scriptures and hearing it preached in Church, but in the sending of "angels" into our midst. "Ho ho - angels? I have never seen one!" Ah! That's where you are wrong. You are surrounded by them if you have eyes to see and ears to hear. 

As I have shared before, the word "angel" in both Hebrew and Greek means "messenger." Yes, of course, we think of Gabriel and the Heavenly Host as angels, for such they are. But John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and all the disciples were also "angels," messengers of God. So is that old geezer who offered to take your shopping cart back to the Store for you while you wrestled your toddler into their car seat so you would not need to leave her/him alone even for a few seconds. That lovely teenager who saw you had just a few items at check out while she had an entire cart. Though she was ahead of you in line, she insisted you go first.   

Neither one of those folks would think anything of such small acts of kindness and would likely protest being called "angels," but that is exactly what they are: living messengers of God's love for humanity reflected in the Golden Rule. Whether they realize it or not, God is sending them out to demonstrate His love. The Spirit of God - the Holy Spirit - is manifested in these "angels" as they deliver His message. Because God cares, He sends out His angels in a variety of forms to not just preach love but demonstrate it. We may be totally oblivious to the fact "there are angels amongst us," and even more unaware that often we are the "angel" - messenger - God has sent. 

Charlie and I rode the Tiger Ridge constantly as Big Mike's hands. Though the cattle might not understand it, we knew why we were there: to watch over the herd. And while the cow/calf units might not understand the message that Big Mike was sending as we were dispatched to constantly check the herd, the predators certainly did. Our presence was a message to both herd and predators that these units were Big Mike's and not to be messed with. Even the least of the herd mattered.

The "angel/messengers" who abound in your life, whether you notice them or not, were sent by God for the same reason. You matter. That is why God sends out His angels - especially the ones without wings or halos but every bit as important, if not more so - to deliver that message. You matter. Jesus did not come for the righteous but for you and me. Because, little dogie, you matter! That is why God has so many "angel/messengers" all around you. You need to know.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Brother John

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The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write "Out Our Way."

 

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