Trouble with Angels

The summer of 1999 I was asked by my church to develop a concept design for a stained glass window for our new sanctuary. It was no small task. The finished window is sixteen feet tall and twenty feet across. We chose for the subject of the window Jesus in the Throne Room of God; a majestic endeavor. Needless to say the design would include its share of angels. That is where the trouble began.

There is so much misunderstand about angels. You would think the scriptures have nothing to say about them. They do, in fact they have a lot to say. However, because a picture is worth a thousand words, artists throughout the ages have done much damage to the correct understanding of angels. What do they look like and what are they? The Rococo artists of the Pre-French Revolution having broken from the confines of the church, painted to please the aristocracy. They borrowed heavily from Greek and Roman art and culture. They turned angels, God's heavenly warrior, into the cute cupids that are so popular today. The truth is if we saw an angel we would be scare to death, literally. If we saw one, we would die. Art of the Rococo period was all about decoration and pomp, not Biblical truth. The portrayal of angels in today's culture finds its roots in this period. They make Biblical scholars shake their heads. While scholars remain quiet, artists speak loudly.

The best book ever written about angels is Billy Graham's "Angel's God Secret Weapon." It is a comprehensive study covering every reference in the Bible about these heavenly beings. Graham wrote the book in 1954 and there no reason for anyone to write another. Millions of copies have been sold and it is still in print. Every sermon I have heard on angels has referenced this book. When I designed the stained glass window for my church I used it as a reference. I wanted the design to be Biblical.

This desire led to a disagreement with the stained glass artist whose original drawing had very feminine angels in it. I told him, "Make the angels look like men. Angels are warriors."

As a result of my objection the design includes Gabriel and Michael, the only two angels name in the scriptures. The rest of what is commonly believed about angels is tradition and myth. I was adamantly against the cupids that the artists added to my concept design. I wanted them removed. With that request we came to a still in the design process; they refused to take the cupids out. My Pastor played the peacemaker and told me kindly, "I thought about it, Ruth and I realized the next first time I do a funeral for a child in the new sanctuary those figures at Jesus' feet will be a comfort for the parents. It will remind them their child is in presence of the Lord." So I backed off.

The first child to be laid to rest was Rachel, a beautiful young woman who grew up in our church. Making it all the more prophetic was the fact that the window was paid for by a memorial fund started in Rachel's grandfather's name. The family had been a wonderful support to me in the window design process and its implementation.

So those cute little creatures in our window I was resigned to admit represent children and the innocent in the loving hands of the Father. The angels rest at Jesus' feet, the place where Jesus himself requested that his disciple allow the children to occupy.

After Rachel died I kept this story in my heart until I had the opportunity to share it with Carolen, Rachel's sister. It is one of those stories that God writes so you know His hand was in the design and even in the trouble.