Thought for Today

Psalm 146:5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;  

Habakkuk 2:4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.  

Matthew 8:13 And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that hour.  

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  

“Loving God, thank you for those who have shared their faith with me. Help me live by faith and to share my faith with others. Amen.” (These Days, August 13, 2025)

Two of my favorite Greek words in the Bible are ἄγγελος (angelos) and ἅγιος (hagios). We translate the first word into English as ‘angel.’ The second we translate variously as either ‘holy’ or when used as a noun ‘saint.’

My faith tradition and both of the seminaries I attended required that candidates for ministry study both the koine Greek and the Hebrew of the Bible. We grumbled a lot! Both languages required a lot of work! But, as I studied each, and as I eventually graduated and entered ministry, I developed a deep appreciation for having studied both languages. Knowing the basic understandings of those languages enabled me to find deeper meaning in what I read, to more fully understand scripture.

Interestingly, for both of those Greek words, ἄγγελος (angelos) and ἅγιος (hagios), there are other meanings than those we usually translate. The basic meaning for ἄγγελος (angelos) is “as one sent to tell or bring a message messenger; (1) of persons messenger, envoy, one sent (MK 1.2); (2) of divine messengers and agents of God angel.” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon)

As I read that prayer from These Days, I could not help but think about all of those ἄγγελος who have shared their faith with me. My life has been blessed with innumerable messengers of God who have conveyed God’s message to me in the way they lived their lives and the way they interacted with me. Certainly, first, my parents served as my initial ἄγγελος, teaching me how to live as a faithful Christian. My maternal grandfather was unquestionably God’s ἄγγελος sent to me. Obviously, to all who know her, Greta is my own guardian ἄγγελος.

At almost every level of my schooling there have been ἄγγελοι (angeloi), angels. My high school history/civics teacher whom I also saw every Sunday when I began to worship with Greta and her parents. She was one of the greatest teachers I ever studied with, a caring, concerned person who demanded the very best effort for all of her students. Numerous seminary educators, gifted teachers, men and women who love their subjects and who also demanded the best effort of each of us.

One of those seminary professors who later became the dean of the seminary from which I graduated, in our Introduction to the Old Testament class, began each class by welcoming us with “Good evening, Saints.” Early in that class, he explained ἅγιος (hagios) to us, especially its basic meaning, “as the quality of persons or things that can be brought near or into God’s presence holy; (1) of things set apart for God’s purpose dedicated, sacred, holy.” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon) He told us that the greeting he offered was the same greeting used in the early Christian Church. Nascent Christians would greet each other as ‘Saint.’

Christians are God’s children, God’s angels and those dedicated to sharing the gospel message of God’s love. On Sunday, August 3, 2025, during worship, we sang the wonderful hymn I Sing a Song of the Saints of God. Next time you can, pick up a hymnal and read the words. As I read that prayer above, I thought of the words, “And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, And one was a shepherdess on the green; They were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.” All 3 verses of that hymn extol the virtues of the saintly; but, I especially love the closing words of the hymn, “For the saints of God are just folks like me, And I mean to be one too.”

Stay safe, be a saint, share your faith, trust God,

Pastor Ray