Kept--First Thursday in Lent

Years ago in a hard place my wife and son came back from the store. “We got you something. I hope you’ll like it.” I opened up the box and there was this wooden angel with spreading wings—heavily endowed—I closely observed. “We thought we might hang her somewhere close and she could protect us all during these hard days.” We hung her in our kitchen, over our table where she swung day after day.

Since that time that angel has been an important part of our lives. From time to time I look at her and remember. The gift so lovingly given. The reminder so easily forgotten. We are not alone in this mess, none of us. If we are lucky, and most of us are, there are people around us who keep us going. But the grace comes through them when we need it most.

So when I read the Psalms 91 passage about how the angel guards our ways and bears us up—I remember that Jesus in his hard place fell back on these words. Acts reminded God’s people that even when they were in slavery—God was there even though they thought he was a million miles away. Later, God reminded Moses that an angel came to him in the wilderness. He took off his sandals and saw that rocky barren ground with its thorns and scorpions was holy. Ponder the mystery—over all our lives there hangs some angel. Messengers of God, they were called. Whatever. They nudge us forward one two steps forward-one step backward toward the humanity God called us to be. (Psalm 91.1-2, 9-16; Exodus 5, 10-23; Acts 7. 30-34)