Circuit Service – 6th November 2022
St Albans and Welwyn Circuit Service for 6th November 2022 – Chris Hancock
Introduction.
There are nearly 360 mentions of Angels in scripture.
A few years ago when on holiday in Barcelona I was struck by the number of images of angels to be found in the city. Not only in the churches but also in the streets on statues, buildings, lamp posts, graffiti and even tattoos. One lady on a bus we were on had a large set of wings tattooed on her back!
It is my belief that Angels are not only among us as in-animate objects and pictures but are present with us in our humanity and as divine visitors.
So what are Angels? The origin of the word is from the Greek and means messenger. So Angels are messengers and can, therefore, come in any way that a message can be received. In dreams and intuitions as a tap on the shoulder or a vigorous push demanding attention. They come as accident and coincidence they come in the beauty of creation, and sometimes they come as friends or strangers who say just what you need to hear at that moment – we ourselves may often act as an angel to others, without even knowing it.
In this service we will spend some time together focused on some different aspects of the Angels who touch our lives. Praying that our time together will help us to recognise them and respond to them when they come?
At the end of each section is an image of a candle which might be helpful for our time of reflection. Please take as long or short a time of reflection as is comfortable to you.
Touched by Angel Wings
Let us pray together.
Loving God we come to you in the quiet. We set aside our busy day to spend time with you.
We need to be refreshed, renewed and reawakened to your presence with us. We pray as we reflect and seek your guidance that you will make clear to us the pathways we should travel. Amen
Section One – Praising God
The Angels often come to Announce things often in surprising and unexpected ways. The sound of trumpets is often
used to announce their arrival and many images of Angels have them playing trumpets. We use a bugle to represent these angels.
Imagine a young girl, safe at home away from the limelight, her days filled with the regular monotonous tasks that any adolescent would be expected to do. An ordinary, regular, run-of-the-mill life. She looked forward to her marriage, but after the wedding her life would be lived just like every other woman in her community.
Then, when she least expected it, an angel broke into her life and told her that her life was more important than she would ever have thought possible. God was with her and in God’s eyes she was very special.
Sometimes it feels that our life is small, obscure and seemingly insignificant. We wonder if the activities of our days, that seem so normal can really make a difference. Does our life count for anything? Does cleaning the house, caring for children, attending meetings, shopping, watching television prove that our life has meaning? Are we concerned that we will feel as though our life has made no difference at all?
Just when we are busy at the everyday things in our lives, an angel steps in to remind us that God is with us and our life does matter. We may be given new task, or told that the tasks we have already been given are the ones through which God will change the world. Are we prepared to believe the angel when we are told how important we are?
Take some time to give thanks to God for the times he has touched your life, whether in small or life changing ways. Give praise to God for those moments and for God’s presence in your life.
To help focus our thoughts here is a Bible passage and a hymn which may be helpful. Please feel free to use these or any other words that are helpful or ignore them completely. This time is for you and God.
Read: Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 – 38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Hymn STF 39 – Angel voices ever singing.
| 1 Angel voices ever singing round thy throne of light, angel-harps for ever ringing, rest not day nor night; thousands only live to bless thee and confess thee Lord of might. 2 Thou who art beyond the farthest 3 Lord, we know that thou rejoicest |
4 In thy house, great God, we offer of thine own to thee; and for thine acceptance proffer all unworthily hearts and minds and hands and voices in our choicest psalmody. 5 Honour, glory, might, and merit Francis Pott (1832–1909) (alt.) |
Let us pray together…..
Section Two – Direction
The Angels often come to give us direction. To change our path or keep us on the path we are wavering from.
We use a map to represent this guidance. We are often unaware of what life holds for us. We cannot know all the things that are about to happen to us and around us.
We make decisions based on what we know, what we can see, what we feel we can predict.
Perhaps this is why we are so stunned and shocked when tragedy strikes, or why we are so amazed and awed when unexpected miracles happen.
In both cases, we try to work out what has happened and change what we do. Because our sight is limited, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that could have been avoided. Sometimes angels step in to give us the knowledge we need.
While angels do not prevent tragedy, suffering, and disaster, they are ready to move into our world and into our dreams to show a new way for us to tread. Are we ready to hear the words of the angels and to act on them?
Read: Exodus Chapter 23 verses 20 – 22
God’s Angel to Prepare the Way
20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
Music: STF 465 – Guide me O thou great Jehovah.
| 1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand: Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore; feed me now and evermore. 2 Open thou the crystal fountain |
3 When I tread the verge of Jordan bid my anxious fears subside; death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side: songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee; I will ever give to thee. William Williams (1717–1791) |
Let us pray together….. for the guidance we look for. For the direction God wants us to go both in our own lives and as his fellowship together here.
We often think of angels with sweeping wings. So for our next two meditations we use a visual help in the form of some feathers.
Section Three – The Love of God
First we think of the love of God and use soft down feathers to illustrate this. We let these feathers remind us of the love of God which surrounds and protects us.
Birds spend vast amounts of time preening themselves to keep their feathers in optimum condition so that they will keep them warm, keep the water out and allow them to fly a bird that did not do this would soon perish. In the same way we nurture our faith keep it fresh and renewed not to keep our bodies alive but to keep our relationship with our God constant.
The bible does not mention the love of angels only the love of God, the angels are a manifestation of that love. So I have selected Psalm 139 as our passage for this section.
Read: Psalm 139 v 13-18
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.
Songs of Fellowship – 825 I sing a simple song of love.
Let us pray together for the loving protection of God as we seek to do his will and follow his pathway.
Section Four: Flight Feathers
Let these feathers remind us that we ourselves are destined to fly in however small a way and that we need the presence of God in our lives as he holds us, allowing us to fly.
Angels could be anyone – anywhere – at any time. They are here to remind us of God’s presence in our lives and in the universe, to care for the needs of our soul, to watch over the situations we get ourselves into, to guide us into new ways of being, to bring a holy balance to our lives.
Because they can be so easily missed, we need to be on the lookout – always prepared to encounter them even in the most ordinary of circumstances. Knowing they might appear at the most unexpected times reminds us to keep our hearts open. We really cannot turn anyone away from the hospitality of our hearts, because that very one may be one of the angels.
When we are tempted to narrow our friendships, exclude those who are different from us, busy ourselves with no one but those who form our small network, then we risk missing the Divine Presence in our midst.
We risk being deaf to the word of God to us – the word that has the potential to completely alter our lives and unlock the gates that keep us enclosed in our safe, but fragile existence. Perhaps the most important message the angels bring is that we are meant to live open-armed, openhearted, open-spirited – because the Divine can be encountered at any instant. Are you poised to welcome the angels who will break you out from the bars of sheltered safety and lead you into the uncharted mystery of God?
Read: Matthew Chapter 25 Verses 34 – 40
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Hymn: STF 738 – Go forth and tell.
Let us pray together….. for the wisdom to see the angels who come into our lives and the situations where God is calling us to be his angels here in our normal everyday lives.
We close with a short prayer
God our Father, in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and people.
May those who serve you constantly in heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.
May they be guides for our feet and comfort to our souls.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and in the power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Copyright Notices
Hymns
Hymn words displayed are in the Public Domain.
Hymn recordings are from Small Church Music. Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Other hymns are from YouTube and covered by YouTube copyright processes.
Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Images
Images are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.
