Everyone knows what angels are, right?
They are pleasant-looking women in wings and flowing white robes and glimmering halos.
Wait. No. They are chubby little preschoolers who float around plucking mandolins, like the cherubs in the Renaissance paintings of Raphael.
Hold on. They are human beings who have died but return to earth to earn their wings. You know, like the sweet and simple Clarence in the old Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life.
No, that’s not it. They look like any one of us and have come to earth to experience what it’s like to be human. Like John Travolta’s angel in Michael or Nicholas Cage in City of Angels.
Hang on. That’s not it. They are muscular male warriors in an unseen army, like the angels of Milton’s Paradise or the angel Tal and his forces in Frank Peretti’s popular Christian fiction, This Present Darkness.
So…maybe this job of describing angels isn’t so easy.
It’s always helpful to compare our imagination to the Bible and see if it measures up. The Bible mentions angels over 300 times, and from those references we can draw some conclusions about what angels are. This Sunday, we’ll look at five characteristics of angels according to the Bible.
Why should we take the time to study about angels?
For one, it’s a point of connection to our secular world. Even people who aren’t religious find the subject of angels intriguing. Maybe that’s you. If so, I hope you’ll join us each Sunday this April as we discuss this topic.
And if you’re a believer, there’s a greater reason to study about angels. We’re told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is inspired of God and profitable. And if Scripture gives us picture after picture after picture of angel encounters, there’s something profitable there. Let’s find out what that is.
Would you forward this email newsletter to someone? Maybe someone you used to see at Hillcrest but you haven’t seen in a while. Or maybe someone you think might be interested in joining you in a study of this fascinating subject.
See you at 10am this Sunday!
Tom
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.