The Gateway To Heaven

(Based on Genesis 28: 10-22)

What are angels? What do they look like? What role do they play in the world? Do I know any?

Questions like these are abundant in many people's minds. Some try to dismiss the issue as not important, some deny their involvement in this world and yet others seen them as warriors on a mission. I wonder what Jacob felt when he was confronted by a vision of the interface between heaven and earth and the angelic beings that passed along it. What do we feel when we read that account? Images of films such as Michael, City of Angels and yes, dare I say it, Highway To Heaven come to mind. At a service entitled STRANGERS AND ANGELS, we looked at this issue from a variety of angles (sorry for the play on words). This meditation may help you to make your mind up.

You come to this place full of stress, fear and loneliness. Crushed by the events of your life that are forever out of your control. This is a place of solitude, an oasis, an escape from the dangers outside. As you fall to your knees, the tears start to fall, racking your body with the desire to be consoled. You are exhausted by trying to be someone you are not and in hunting for acceptance that you will never get. You are in need of grace. Eventually, you fall into a fitful sleep, cried into slumber like a little child.

Then suddenly you awake with a jolt! You look around and find that the church is empty; everyone has gone home. It is dark, the lights have been turned out and the building has been locked up. You have been forgotten. Then you notice the beautiful moonlight glow streaming like a shimmering carpet from the stained glass window. The light captivates you, so calm and appealing. Then as you look more closely, you start to notice things that you hadn't seen before. At first, they appear as flickering pinpoints of bright light. In constant motion, purposefully travelling along the ladder of light, which, you now realise has its origin in the hands of Jesus the Lamb. The lights appear to be moving towards and away from the Hand of God, along the aisle and through the church door. You realise that just like Jacob thousands of years ago, you are witnessing the Gateway to Heaven, the celestial ladder along which God's Angels travel to carry out their duties among men.

As your eyes move to the top of the ladder, to the image of Christ, the light becomes so intense it almost blinds you. Suddenly your senses are bombarded by layer upon layer of sound, a crescendo of voices singing in harmony. An angelic chorus worshipping the Eternal Creator, the source of all things. As the intensity increases to an almost unbearable pitch, an overriding voice reverberates around you and within you. A voice that is so powerful, it makes you tremble and yet so attractive it captivates you. The voice of God himself.

"I am your God. I am the God of your father and mother. I am the God of mankind and have been since time began. I am your God and you are standing on holy ground. I am with you and I will keep you; I will protect you; I will guide you and I will comfort you. Look, I am sending my angels to accompany you on your journey. I am your God. I will never leave you and my promise is to you and all who come close to me."

Then suddenly, all that remains is the shimmering moon streaming through the window. You realise that you have been blessed, touched by the Eternal One. You arise and leave the church through the door, which has strangely been opened for you. The ladder is no longer there; the angel lights are not to be seen. You move through the streets on the way home wondering about what has just happened. Occasionally, you stop as you thing you catch a glimmer of light in a doorway, at a bus shelter or in the car park of a pub. The feeling of loneliness has gone, you have been assured by God himself of His continual presence and the companionship of his angels. You are at peace!