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BODYGUARDS

It's a familiar scene in lots of movies in which a high profile politician or government official is doing a stint in a dangerous country.

The folks often have children, and in the movies a bodyguard gets dispatched or assigned to drive, protect, guard the kids on the day-in-day-out (think "Man on Fire" with Denzel Washington).

The bodyguard is often guarding the kids not out of their own volition and not particularly because of their inherent fondness for the kids (although their fondness often grows), but because they have been dispatched by parents that have an exceeding fondness for their kids.

The presence of bodyguards is the visible sign of the parents love for the kids.

Something similar is happening in Matthew 28:2-4.

MATTHEW 28:2-4

Jesus has been crucified.

It's the third day in which Jesus has been placed in a tomb.

Two Marys go to see the closed, tomb of Jesus.

However, when they arrive a starting scene takes place:

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid..."

The angel then goes on to give instructions to the women.

It's important to note that the angel isn't here because the angels particularly like these humans, instead, they are primarily here because God has dispatched, sent, commanded them to go to the women and give them these orders.

ANGELIC ACTIVITY

The Bible is filled with the presence of angels from Genesis to Revelation and church history has chronicled angelic activity throughout the life of the church.

When we lean into the Easter season, we remember that the first ones to herald the new of the risen Jesus, the first ones to be close to some of his followers to comfort them in the wake of the resurrection, and the first ones to give instructions regarding this new reality were angels. The angels were sent "concerning" these followers - to protect, instruct, and comfort.

Their being dispatched and sent to these followers acts as a visible sign of God's care for these followers.

In other words, angelic activitity is from God and for our benefit. As a result, we ought not to be fascinated/obsessed with the presence of angels around us, but we ought to be open/expecting that they are present with us and at times may even make themselves visible to us.

An Easter church is a church that embraces the reality of angelic activity around us to spur us on towards the knowledge of the risen Christ and to continue to nudge us towards the mission God has us on.