by Isla Huffadine

Chapel Matters

This week the Prefects ran an “Angel” Day so we also looked at angels in chapel! Angels are a part of both the beginning and the end of Jesus’ life. They are there to announce the coming of Jesus as a baby – the incarnation – and they also tell the women at the tomb that Jesus has risen from the dead – the resurrection. The word “angel” is a Greek word that means a messenger, and the whole story of Jesus’ life, from his birth to his resurrection, is what we call the Gospel or Good News, a message of God’s love and forgiveness.

Because the word “angel” means a messenger,it can also refer to a person who delivers a message.In Hebrews, we read:“Do not forget to show kindness to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (13.2). In other words, always treat people you don't know, or who are different to you, with kindness because they might actually have a message for you! If we think of people in our community or country who are refugees or migrants, or who have a different sexuality or are differently abled to us, these people might have a message from God for us that we need to hear!

But in the Bible, angels don't just say important things, they also do good things for others.It might be the angel in the Old Testament who comes to Elijah when he is feeling defeated and gently tends to him (1 Kings 19.1-9).Or it might be the angels who cared for Jesus when he was physically and spiritually exhausted afterdealing with the temptations of the devil in the desert (Mark 1.12-13).

We too need angels in our lives from time to time,not just to speak kinds words to us or to tell us something we need to hear,but to show us by what they do for us that we are loved. And of course, that means we can be angels to others, sharing the message of God’s love and forgiveness by what we say and do.