born to be a messenger
Guest Editorial: Pastor’s Message in The Bryn Athyn Post
The Rev. Solomon J. Keal
Assistant to the Pastor, Bryn Athyn Church
I like to reflect on the fact that the word “angel” means “messenger.” When
the Writings tell us that we are all born to become angels, we often think about
that in terms of the fact that we are born to live in heaven. (See True Christian
Religion 612) But we can also think about it in terms of what an angel is: We
are all born to be messengers.
With that in mind, we can ask ourselves: what is the message that we
want to be carrying in our lives? What is the message that we send with our
words and actions? This kind of thinking can help us to examine our own
lives and think more purposefully about what we say and do, and work on the
reformation needed to grow into the angel (messenger) we want to be.
But we can also think about other people as messengers in our lives. This
year, many General Church societies are doing the Mindful Communication
Challenge Journey series. The first week is called, “Am I listening?” A big part
of our spiritual growth is learning how to listen more carefully to the Lord’s
Word, and also to other people’s words.
One way that I’ve found to help me do this is to remember that everybody
in my life is a potential messenger (angel). I can ask myself: what is the message
that this person is bringing into my life today? Maybe it’s a message of love and
compassion, because that person is reminding me about my good qualities
when I’m feeling discouraged. Maybe the message is that I need to keep
practicing forgiveness, and this person is giving me the opportunity to do so.
Maybe the message is about gratitude, because of something that someone
has done for me. Maybe the message is about persistence, because I see
someone who somehow keeps going while facing difficult challenges. Maybe
the message is about self-examination because I see myself reflected in
someone else. Maybe the message is about compassion for others because I see
someone who is in need of care and love:
When people who are perceptive have feelings of compassion they know that they
are being alerted by the Lord to offer help. (Arcana Coelestia 6737)
Whether I’m reading the Word or interacting with the people in my life,
I can ask myself: what is the potential message (angel) that the Lord is putting
right in front of me?
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (Psalm
91:11)
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