We Call Them Angels
One of the characters from my youth that I found fascinating and mysterious was the Invisible Man.
He was the unseen hero who could fix things and help people without being seen or known. He could even reveal himself, let people know it was he who helped them, and still remain aloof, unable to be found or discovered.
Sometimes I think Jesus was a bit like that.
He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." - John 9:11-12
In a way, we are all like the blind man. We can experience Jesus in the world, even encounter him first hand, and not know him or how to find him.
The Invisible Man has a sad side, though, a loneliness that haunts him, since he is unable to be like those around him.
I wonder if Jesus felt that way. Could he have been standing right there, next to the blind man when the neighbors asked him who had done this for him?
They didn't know what he looked like and certainly the blind man couldn't tell them. He never saw Jesus.
Helping people without being discovered or known is hard.
On our Kairos retreat weekends, we have people come to help us behind the scenes. The guests on the weekend never get to see them or meet them, but they are there, volunteering an hour or two or more to help the team members take care of all the transitions and details that make the weekend a joyful and surprising experience.
We call them Angels.
They are special, not just because they are invisible and yet dedicated to give their time to women they don't know, but because they do it out of love.
At the end of the weekend, we have a closing ceremony, when the guests meet the entire community that supports this ministry. Among them are some of these angels, these invisible men and women who need no acknowledgement for their work. They are just there, witnesses to joy and love.
I think that is what Jesus wants us to be in the lives of those we encounter - not just witnesses, but active, silent, movers and shakers who make things happen without requiring a thing in return, not even recognition.
We call them angels.
Would you like to be one?
More to come...
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