The Better Angels of our Nature
Photo by Jopopz Tallorin on Unsplash
Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
Psalm 80:1-7
It won’t be long now. Soon you will see angels everywhere. Angels enwreathed in lights will adorn neighborhood houses. Your favorite card store will sell a whole host of angel ornaments. And angels will also appear in the texts appointed for the season of Advent. In many cases, the angels we hear about in those verses are God’s ambassadors and emissaries. Angels are messengers who bring hope to a troubled and weary world.
I can tell you my brother and I were not angels. There were some people who said as much. These people were right, of course. In fact, there were certain seasons of our childhood when we were very un-cherub-like.
As I consider our propensity for mischief, I am also reminded that justice was not meted out equally in the Smail family home. I distinctly remember my parents saying terribly unfair things like, “I really don’t care who started it, you will both go to your room and think about what you have done.” Seriously, my parents were Lutheran Christians, how could they possibly perpetuate this kind of injustice? My folks said other absurd things like, “You will both deal with the consequences.” Silly, is it not? I guess my parents were doing their best, none of us are perfect.
When I was sent to my room to “think about what I had done,” I embraced a distinctive brand of reflection. Oh, I thought about what I had done, but I primarily considered what I had done well. And then, after I had justified myself sufficiently, I contemplated all that my older brother had done wrong. Thereby reinforcing my opinion of him, convicting him, holding him responsible for my present predicament. You must understand, this was serious, these were the days before children had televisions in their rooms. So, to pass the time, my only option was to read through huge chunks of the Chronicles of Narnia. The box set was on the shelves above my bed, likely another one of my parents’ bright ideas. Reading C.S. Lewis to pass the time, can you imagine?
Anyway, many years have passed since that time. I would like to believe that I have left the past behind. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” But this can be so difficult to do. Difficult because the temptations that were present in our youth linger through adulthood. And the temptation I am most concerned about in the context of this article is the very real temptation to use the words of judgment we hear in the season of Advent to justify ourselves and convict other children of God. Thereby furthering the division and self-righteousness Christ came to address.
When we approach the sacred text, we often do so while seeking comfort, assurance, and affirmation. So, when we hear words like, “you brood of vipers,” it might not make much sense to lump ourselves in with that lot. Hear the words of Jeremiah from the first week in Advent: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord.” We may be tempted to paraphrase that bit of prophecy in this way: “I sure am glad they are going to get what they have coming to them!” As the Gospel of Luke states, “People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world.” How simple it is to assume “the world” that is mentioned does not include me and those who agree with me. But it does. And trust me, you will want to be included, because that is the world that God is redeeming.
There is more to the story. John the Baptist may have had some reservations about this “brood of vipers,” but the fullness of his message includes a promise, “but one who is more powerful than I is coming…” Jeremiah also points to a brighter future: “In those days I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” And finally, Jesus taught in the 21st chapter of Luke, that when God’s people saw the foreboding signs they should “stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
As we faithfully attend to the fullness of the scriptural witness, we clearly see that we are bound by the consequences of our actions, but by the grace of God, the confinement is temporary. As we journey through Advent, the message will be consistent. And then, the “good news of great joy” will be shared once more. Deliverance is coming, just as it has come. I have been blessed to glimpse a form of this firsthand. Because, you see, eventually my mother would gently open my bedroom door and inform me that I was now free to go. It was a relief, but there were conditions that came along with the freedom, “Now, go apologize to your brother.” There was a lesson being delivered. Just as we shared in the consequences, so too we would share in the reconciliation. Maybe my folks weren’t such bad Lutherans after all.
And maybe our distinctive brand of protestant theology can offer hope and a way forward in a contentious time. In another season when the people of our country were deeply divided, a profoundly prophetic voice articulated a noble hope: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” Interestingly, Abraham Lincoln believed “the better angels of our nature” would help us live into this vision.
“The better angels of our nature.” Hmmm… It won’t be long now. Soon you will see angels everywhere. These messengers will add beauty to this season and may even remind us of God’s plan for the whole of creation: redemption and reconciliation.
Pastor Daniel Smail
Senior Pastor of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Glenshaw
d.smail@belc.org | 412-486-0550