During the month of December, I preached on the “Angels of Christmas”.  I wish I could say I was divinely inspired, but there are four really good angel stories that herald the birth of Jesus, and I needed four sermons.  It was more math than anything else.  However, the whole premise of the series was to get us all in touch and looking for angel encounters – those that are supernatural in nature and those that are more humanly inspired.  I must tell you the stories that people shared with me on both kinds of encounters were amazing!

However, the most amazing angel encounter I experienced was just days before Christmas.  A member of my church died from cancer.  His name was Mike.  I met Mike about 3 years ago when he visited my church for the first time.  He had no family, no job and no home.  Mike was essentially alone in the world. Mike had one thing going for him, he was smart.  College educated in fact, and an Army Vet at that.  So, through help from the VA, Mike got a home, found a job, and my church became his family.  More than family really, they all became angels on earth, especially when Mike died.

Some of those angels called around and instead of burying him in a nameless plot in Potter’s Field, they arranged for Mike to have a proper military burial at the VA Cemetery in Leesville.  On that windy and overcast day just before Christmas, a few of us met at the funeral home for the near hour-long processional out to the cemetery.  It was just the hearse, four other vehicles and one lone motorcycle rider with an American flag attached to his bike.  I didn’t recognize the rider as being from the church, but thought perhaps it was someone Mike had befriended at the VA while he was going through his cancer treatments.

About halfway through our journey, the most amazing thing happened.  On the side of the road were 30 or so motorcycles – waiting for us.  Waiting to join the processional.  Waiting for Mike!  In fact, they took the lead all the way to the cemetery.  Some dressed in denim or leather.  Some with chains hanging from their clothes.  Some with tattoos covering various parts of exposed skin. All of them military veterans.  All of them total strangers to Mike. All of them angels among us, there to pay their final respects to a fallen comrade. 

I never knew angels had tattoos or rode motorcycles, but they absolutely do!

On the Journal,

Ramonalynn Bethley