10: Touched by an Angel

It was December 17, 2023.

I walked into NewSpring Church and admired the beautiful Christmas decorations in the center atrium outside the main sanctuary/auditorium. All the trees and lights looked gorgeous, as you can see below:

I love looking at Christmas trees. One of my favorite things to do is sit in front of the tree at my home, my parent's home, anywhere, and just stare at them. Especially if they have transitional lights with alternating colors or movements. It is so soothing to me to watch the lights change. In this case, I was simply taking a picture of the beautiful trees.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man sitting on the bench just out of view. I didn't take real notice of him at first because he was simply sitting there by himself. I positioned myself to not include him in the pic so he wouldn't think I was taking a picture of him. I did notice, though, he looked over at me as I lined up my camera to take the picture. After taking the picture, I started posting it to my story, as I so often do at church, to recognize the beauty and another week of going to church. As I did this, the man approached me.

Then I heard, "I like that hat."

The words came from the man approaching me, and I looked up from my phone to see him. He was an average-height man, with an average build, about like me, with a slight beard, wearing a ball cap himself with brown and white coloring. He had on a jacket, brownish-to-tan pants and a white-ish shirt. He had a nice smile as he approached me, and I could see happiness on his face. He was very pleasant as he approached me. I had never seen him before at church, which is not hard to believe at a church the size of NewSpring.

I was wearing my Atlanta Braves City Connect hat on this particular day, one of my favorite hats since I bought it. My mind thought maybe this guy is a Braves fan? But I didn't make any reference to the Braves or anything about them. I just simply smiled and replied, "Thank you."

He extended his hand to me and introduced himself, "My name is Thomas."

I looked down at his hand and extended my hand to shake it. I told him my name. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He continued to smile and then released my hand. After that, he simply walked away.

I turned to my wife, and she said, "He seemed like a nice man." I agreed with her. I turned back around to see if he was still there, and he was gone.

I looked around the room several times in the atrium, assuming I would spot him in the crowd somewhere, but I never saw him again. It was like he had disappeared.

Do you remember the show Touched By An Angel? It was a series back in the 1990s that showed an angel going to people on Earth and sending messages of hope and guidance from God at times with those individuals were facing problems, tough decisions, or were at a crossroads in their lives, from the Wikipedia page. 

I do believe that angels are all around us and that the spiritual realm is not far away. Sometimes, angels have visited people throughout history, particularly in the Bible, to reassure, guide, or help individuals at pivotal moments in their lives. One such time was Joseph and Mary's pregnancy with Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 recounts how Joseph became dismayed by the pregnancy and wanted to divorce Mary quietly so as to not embarrass her, but an angel came to restore him and help him understand the good news of Jesus coming into the world as a baby. Then, Joseph accepted Jesus as his son to raise, nurture, and protect him. 

But this story was significant for me, as it was part of the message that day in the service speaking about the visitation of an angel, as God With Us for the lesson of the season. Almost immediately after the man I met disappeared, I began thinking, was that an angel? I told my mother what had happened. She tried looking around some more for the man in the crowd, but we couldn't find him. She believed he was an angel, too. I began to tear up because I believed the angel was sent for one reason: as a message from God to help me.

My stress was rising throughout the Christmas season. I was very worried about the trip, about a number of things. Although I was counting my blessings, I was still struggling with things related to my heart, and in particular, driving several hours away after the same experience months earlier led to something concerning. I didn't want the Afib to return during a trip somewhere, although I needed to remember Covid was a primary catalyst for what occurred. But stress played a factor too, and my stress was ever mounting. I was seriously contemplating canceling the trip, which my family did not know.

But as my eyes began filling with tears as I walked into church, I realized things would be ok. I didn't need to be afraid. It was then that the first song played that morning was Hark! The Harold Angel Sings. I cried more with that utterance. Then, the story of Joseph and his reassurance from an angel was part of the lesson that morning. I cried some more. In fact, I had forgotten that Joseph was visited in a dream, much like I had been visited the previous 2 years through dreams trying to help me. This time, though, the Holy Spirit did something reminiscent of what Jesus encountered in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:43 recounts the moment of Jesus' agony with what lay ahead, pleading with his Father to remove this bitter cup from him. But that was not the will of the Father, nor Jesus' will, as the plan to be carried out was of the utmost importance for all of humanity. For that reason, an angel simply showed up to strengthen him from touch alone.

This moment for Jesus is one of my favorite moments of all time from the Bible and a scene I loved performing in The Journey to the Resurrection at Trinity United Methodist Church many years ago. The garden scene shows both Jesus' human side and godly side. He's both a man and God at the same time because with what he came to face afterward, only God could have carried out.

Why would an angel visit me at that moment to simply reassure me? And the name Thomas. Was that the Apostle Thomas, also known as Doubting Thomas? Well, who knows. How awesome would it be to be visited by an actual apostle? But I don't know that. He was some one I had never seen and was sent for different reasons than those of Jesus or Joseph. I'm certainly no Jesus, and I'm not here for the purpose He was by any means. But I was in a place of uncertainty for my life. The thing about going on this trip is that I really needed to do that for me. To overcome my fear of something that had happened just 5 months earlier. I needed to learn that nothing bad was going to come from this. But perhaps there was more to it. I needed to be reassured that my heart was truly fine because I have lots of work to do ahead. For my family, career, and, more importantly, God. I don't know what lies ahead for me, but I do know I can't move forward to anything with a spirit of fear. 

The reassurance that the angel brought me that day was simply to not be afraid. He was restoring me to where I needed to be, much like Jesus. I wasn't sent here to save humanity or be the father of the savior of the world, but I was sent here for a reason. I'm only beginning to realize that reason as I keep moving forward, and with that, it will take being willing to step outside of fear to actualize what is to come. This image also reflects how I feel about the future:

I love that line from Back to the Future III, but I'd add one thing to it: in Christ. Christ sent an angel to strengthen me for what was to come. Where uncertainty resides now, there is resolve. God is always with us, and I look towards the future now with reassurance.

Tune in for the next segment, 10: Jacksonville.