For Wilshire Baptist Church
Do you ever talk to angels? While working in the yard last Thursday before the rains came, I found myself talking to Debra, my first wife, about current events. Specifically, I was asking her about the Coronavirus situation: Is this really a bad thing? Are we over-reacting with all the cancellations? How long will this last? Are folks in heaven shaking their heads and tsk-tsking our floundering and finger pointing?
It may seem a strange exercise, but I find some comfort in posing questions to someone on the other side who my faith tells me may know all the answers or at least has a firm grasp of the big picture. Angels aren’t stuck in the confusion of the moment; they have the gift of forever foresight and eternal hindsight. For example, the last time Debra and I talked face to face, we were in the throes of the 2008 presidential election, and the H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic was lurking around the corner. We survived all that and more, and yet we seem to have forgotten all that. So I find myself consulting with angels, even when they don’t reply, because it helps me remember what we’ve already been through. Also, this questioning of angels feels like a good way to keep the lines of communication open.
One of my favorite artists, Chris Rice, addresses some of this in his fun yet thoughtful song, “Questions for Heaven,” where he talks about the process of posing questions to God, and then he rolls out a list of things he wants to know:
Why did You bother with so many stars?
Do You ever play tricks on the angels?
And what happened to all of those dinosaurs?
Where’s the Garden of Eden?
And what causes de ja vu?
I know God could answer all of those questions and more, but I believe God still deals in mystery and miracles, and in our free will we are encouraged to figure things out on our own. That includes solving problems of our own creation, because in the process we may learn something new or rediscover a truth about living together as a civil and loving society. Although if we put civility and love first, we wouldn’t have half the problems we have.
I have plenty of questions for God too, and I talk to God often enough, especially in church, at the dinner table and in hospital waiting rooms. But when I’m out in the yard, I tend to talk to angels. After all, we read in the Bible that angels showed up at different times in gardens and such and had face-to-face conversations with people.
I’ve received no answers so far, but my questions will continue: Has life as we’ve known it ended? Are we pivoting toward a new way of living after a decade of social-media-driven anarchy and meltdown? Is this the start of a kinder, gentler age? Even without answers, the posing of such questions heightens awareness, stimulates engagement and perhaps helps us pull our heads out of the sand.
A friend texted last night and wondered if only 25 percent of the restaurants in business today will be open a year from now due to the virus-driven closings. That’s a dire thought, but the question prompts me to make sure a couple of our favorite neighborhood eateries continue to get our business. And I believe our angels would tell us that while things may change, we’ll be OK.