DRAGONFLY SPIRIT

Dragonfly at the Door, Jamestown UMC, NC

I was volunteering with our Shepherd’s Team and working with our Security Guard, Glen, the first thing this morning as we were welcoming and helping folks arrive at our JUMC back entrance by the parking lot.  The two large doors with brass door handles have been decorated with large artificial wreaths.  As I opened one of the doors for a worshiper, I suddenly noticed something out of the ordinary clinging to the wreath on the opposite door.  Closer inspection revealed a motionless bright green dragonfly holding onto a couple stems! 

It appeared that the dragonfly had possibly spent the night in the shelter of the circle drive overhang and found a secure home on the door wreath.  A closer look indicated slight movements of the dragonfly’s head with the large compound eyes looking straight into my eyes.  Dragonflies have excellent vision and their panoramic perspectives are supported by far superior capabilities to see more colors and even ultraviolet light.  Although they have six legs, they cannot walk, but their two pairs of transparent wings give them great maneuverability.

It's been said that seeing a dragonfly could be a sign and message from your angels as they encourage us to transform and become something magnificent.  This remarkable insect that has been around for 300 million years reminds us that hope and infinite possibilities await us!  It lives most of its life as a nymph and only matures into a flying insect for just a limited time, but fulfills its destiny in the process. 

Coincidentally, I had just sent an email to our Sunday class that our first session of the new season would involve our input to a new Vision Team.  They’re inviting input about how we could make changes to proceed on a number of issues to share the Good News of God’s love for His creation!  Perhaps our dragonfly’s visit was perfectly timed for us.

In spite of many folks coming and going that morning and our pointing out its presence, our messenger stayed on the artificial stem for about thirty minutes.  It was then prompted to just move over to the center of the matching-colored wreath.  We observed our mystery visitor remaining there for another thirty minutes as we were called inside for assistance.  When we returned, the dragonfly had vanished.  

 "Dragonflies are known to have curiosity and a friendliness that offers a blueprint for being brave and exploring possibilities. If you open your heart to them, a visit from a dragonfly can offer not just enchantment but even inspiration to live your best life and take bold next steps."

THE MESSENGERS

 

Holy Family and Angels, 

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Israel

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017

Our adult bible class is currently studying a new series by Adam Hamilton on Faithful: Christmas through the Eyes of Joseph.  The Christmas story primarily unfolds with Mary and the virgin birth of baby Jesus.  We don’t give Joseph much attention, but as Hamilton notes, “God’s plan for the redemption of the world depended on one man’s willingness to raise a child who was not his own.”  Some scholars think that Joseph may have been much older than Mary and it could be possible that he may have even died before Jesus’s three-year ministry which is why the writers of the New Testament don’t have much more to say about him.

There are many accounts of angels visiting humans either in person or in dreams.  Angel is a derivation of the Greek word Angelos, meaning messenger.  Mary was visited by an angel to announce her pregnancy.  Joseph received four critical messages from an angel in his dreams.  The phrase “Don’t be afraid” is one of the most recorded messages in the Bible and was the opening phrase for many celestial conversations with human beings.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the angel’s presence scares the wits out of us human beings, but many times they are comforting words for someone in distress.  That certainly was the case of the holy family that was presented with the awesome charge to raise God’s son! 

Renaissance painters and others have long depicted angels with wings, primarily to denote their spiritual nature.  Hamilton reminds us that the writer of Hebrews challenges us to welcome guests into our lives, for some folks have entertained angels without knowing it.  We’d probably notice it if they arrived at our doorstep with wings though!  We too can be instruments of God’s purposes and be seen as angels in the eyes of others.  We too can sometimes be the recipients of the good works of angels on earth when seemingly regular folks give us a helping hand in our time of need.  God generally works through others like me and you these days. 

I personally encountered a man with snow white hair years ago when I was alone outside our church attempting to finish a mission project while in the middle of completing an annual budget for my job.  He appeared out of nowhere on a cold late winter’s day, helped me gain entrance to the building and then vanished.  The next day I described the man to our senior pastor but he did not recognize him.  Later reflections on the encounter still leaves me wondering about his appearance and persona.

Later I had a short conversation with a man whose father died suddenly when he was a boy on the family farm.  He was understandably distraught and walked out into a nearby tobacco field.  Then he was suddenly met by a being that calmly told him not to be afraid and that everything would be OK.  These words of comfort and assurance immediately gave the young boy a sense of warm peacefulness and he went on to enjoy a successful career in business later in life.

Hamilton concludes his message by stating that “As we look for joy during Christmas, we can often find it in being an angel for someone else.  We experience joy when we take our eyes off our situation and focus on blessing, building up, encouraging, or serving others.”

Merry Christmas 2017

EASTER SACRAMENT

Communion Cup, Greensboro, NC

Once again we’ve entered into the season of Lent leading up to the celebration of the resurrection’s power over sin and death. And the Easter sacrament at the epicenter of this celebration is Holy Communion. Because the two primary sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion consist of the physical elements of water, bread and wine, they provide us with a very tangible experience of faith—if we’re in the right frame of mind during these times of worship. By invoking the presence of God, common water in baptism becomes a gracious water of life and a spiritual cleansing. By invoking His presence in communion, the spiritual substance of the body and blood of our Savior are manifested in the signs of divine grace by the bread and wine. Although we use these elements in daily life without giving them a second thought, when they are introduced into the sacraments at worship both our physical and spiritual senses are elevated.

It’s imperative that we enter into these sacraments with a sense of purpose and a right mind. John Wesley has written that to do otherwise is meaningless; “Before you use any means of grace, let it be deeply impressed on your soul: separate from God, it is a dry leaf, a shadow”. I have to confess that I have participated in communion on occasion and returned to my seat without any recollection of the meaning of the sacrament. In essence, I have to reprimand myself because I have just had a light snack and nothing more. The moment was squandered.

I’m reminded of a somber Lenten evening service where I had been asked to assist in serving the communion elements. I was given a basket of bread cubes sanctified as “the body of Christ, broken for you”. As the members and guests were filing up to our station, I was mindlessly presenting my basket of bread to those in worship. After making eye contact and doing this for just a few people, I turned back toward the next person and didn’t see anybody. Then I glanced down into the full gaze of a warmly smiling elderly woman who was looking up in full anticipation of sharing in the sacrament. But this person was gently holding out both cupped hands to receive the body, not take it. Embarrassed that I had not been handing this element to folks, I immediately placed a cube of bread into the woman’s hands and she knowingly passed by. I then made certain that everyone continued to receive the body of Christ.

The small woman with the warm smile must have been a guest that evening, as I never saw her again because I was looking to thank her for the subtle reminder. And we should always be gracious to strangers, as you never know when you might be entertaining angels.