Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Angels appear in the Bible so often that you might imagine the angelic appearances were somewhat common. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Angels are sort of the CEO Christians who appear at Christmas and Easter Only. At Christmas, angels light up the sky over Bethlehem announcing the birth of Jesus, and at Easter, the angels are seated on a stone announcing Jesus’ resurrection.

Angels are a powerful, divine order of creation which is seldom seen. They are beings of spiritual energy who interact with human beings as God’s servants, often as messengers.  The English word angel actually derives from the Latin angelus which means “messenger” or “envoy.” Then there are the specific kinds of angels identified in scriptures. There are the Cherubim who are flank God’s throne.  And there are the Seraphim who sing God’s praises in the heavenly throne room. They are all a part of a heavenly order of encouragement, protection and praise that we seldom see. Still one truth must be underscored, we do not worship angels nor do we become angels when we die. As recorded in the Psalms, mortals are created a little lower than the angels, but my friends, that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t wants us to act less than his angelic host.

This morning I would like us to meditate on the stories of Jacob and Nathanael and their encounter with God’s holy angels.  In their stories, I believe we may discover God’s ladder to heaven encouraging us to live a more angelic life.

Jacob was facing difficult challenges and choices. His father Isaac, the fabled son of Abraham and Sarah, was dying and was going to give his blessing to his eldest son Esau. But Jacob, Esau’s brother, tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing instead. Esau, understandably, was livid about this because he was to inherit nothing.  Esau spoke of his plan, “The time to mourn my father’s death is near; then I will kill Jacob.” Rebecca, Esau and Jacob’s mother, overheard what Esau was planning and warned Jacob and told him to go and stay with his uncle in Harran.

So Jacob left his home in Beersheba and fled running for his life. And that’s where our journey with Jacob begins. He was scared, tired and lonely. He was also carrying deep pain inside, feeling guilty and remorseful for what he had done. Apart from his family, he had no shelter.  He chanced upon a spot to Harran with a stone as a pillow, where he slept in the open. Here he dreamed a dream which promised great change. He dreamed of “a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God … ascending and descending on it”

Surprisingly, this ladder was not for Jacob to climb, but it was a means for God to come to him. And God came down to Jacob amidst the messiness of all he had done and gave him two wonderful promises.  First, the Lord confirmed to him the same promise that was given to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, namely, that all the earth would be blessed through him and his offspring.  And God made a second promise to Jacob for the meantime–to be with him wherever he went, to protect him, and to bring him safely back home.  The Lord said, “I will not leave you.”  God broke into Jacob’s world to comfort him and to put his mind at ease–not because Jacob deserved it, but because of God choose to call even ordinary fallen people like Jacob to carry out his plans.

Nathanael was on a lonely journey as well, though not with the same drama and dangers as Jacob. Nathaneal wasn’t certain what he was looking for in life, but he knew that he was feeling empty and without direction.  Nathanael’s friend Philip who had met Jesus first, tried to introduce him to Jesus. He announced, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus the son of Jospeh from Nazareth.”  Nathanael, however, was extremely skeptical and said to him, “Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” When Jesus finally met Nathanael, he said, “Here is truly an Isarelite in whom there is no deceit!”  Nathanael was astonished and asked Jesus, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  It was a transformative moment for Nathanael.  He too had been seen on his journey. In ancient times, the phrase “under the fig tree” meant quiet reflection. It was a private spot for prayer, meditation, reading holy texts all in search of ultimate meaning.  It also meant that God noticed a person’s honest faith and quiet longings, even when no one else was watching.  Nathanael was amazed as he heard the rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, declare “you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Interestingly, both Jacob and Nathanael were running for their life.

Most of us, I suspect, know what it is like to live life on the run. Some of us are running from our past, trying to escape guilt, regret, failures, disappointments. You may be trying to get away from the pain, losses, and brokenness of life. Sometimes we just want to leave behind the parts of our lives or ourselves that we dislike. At other times, we are running toward the future. For you, life on the run is a search for something or someone new; a job, a relationship. Maybe it is the search for answers. Who am I? What is this life all about? What’s my purpose? Surely what you are looking for is out there in the future somewhere if you can just get there, and so you tell yourself, “As soon as I get there, well….”  Thank goodness for God’s angels.

For Jacob, the angels offered encouragement and hope. For Nathanael, the ascending and descending angels were messengers of God’s abundant light and goodness were offering him a sense of direction.  Angels, you see, are not simply the divine unseen protectors and guardians of this world.  They are important bearers of God’s light and goodness and truth.  And because God has created such an innumerable host of angels surrounding us, it means that they are everywhere even in the lonely stretches of life when you are on the run.

My friends, that should be good news to you whether you are a lost Jacob searching for hope and promises in a sad story of your own writing, or if you are a searching Nathanael who is trying to find meaning in a complex, uncertain world.  There is no place so remote, or corner so isolated, that God cannot find you and his angels surround you. We do not dwell in a cold and lonely dark universe, with a remote and aloof deity watching over us, who stands afar off, detached from our daily lives and the challenges and choices we experience.  No, our God sends his holy messengers, his ascending and descending angels to you, bringing the news of Jesus steadfast love and grace to your life.  Jesus is that stairway and his innumerable angels are surrounding you, bearing God’s light, love, and presence to lift you up when you are down, to encourage you when you are confused, and to give light when all seems dark.  And you are called to do the same in this world as an angelic force for your neighbor.

At the conclusion of Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address given on March 4, 1861, he spoke of angels. It was just two weeks after Jefferson Davis had been inaugurated as president of the Confederacy and the potential of secession and war and the fight to preserve the Union was great. To this troubled nation Lincoln said,

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

One of my favorite passages in scriptures is Hebrews 13:2. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without know it.”  Just as angels were silently present and protected God’s people in the past, we can be assured that they are present and watching over us even today. But my friends, I believe there is a twist to that passage. I believe that it is also God’s invitation to you to live a more angelic life as a force of good for those around you so that they may feel God’s presence in their lives.

You may never see an angel appear in your life ascending and descending upon a ladder.  Perhaps no heavenly messenger will speak to you while enjoying the meal you have set before them.  Perhaps no winged guardian will embrace you until your darkest hour. But do not doubt their presence. Whether you ever see God’s messengers or not you may be a “better angel” to those around you with the certainty of God’s promise that he is with you always.  Yes, with heaven looking on, in your home and at your table, surrounded by family and friends, you may be the “better angel” giving hope, light and encouragement to a troubled world. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.  Amen.