Angels For All Time

CHAPTER 1

THE GREAT CREATION


“Starlight! Starlight!” called Gabriel. “That is one angel who is always anywhere but where I need her to be,” he thought to himself. Gabriel was the greatest of all the angels in Heaven and it was his job to make sure that all the other angels were doing what God had created them for. Some God chose for singing, they were called the heavenly host, others were picked to be guardian angels and were very special indeed, and the thousands of other angels had positions of all sorts of different responsibilities. All of His angels were important and very special to him, God loved them all the same, no matter what their job, but as well He expected that each of them would obey Him as they went about doing their duties. Starlight, as her name hinted, was one of those chosen to be God’s angels of the creation. Gabriel shouted out one last time for the missing Starlight, finally giving up his search, for now.

“Where could it be?” asked Starlight for the hundredth time. “Can you not remember if you brought the scroll into the garden?”

Sunday’s face wore an expression of such sadness it seemed she might cry. “No, no I told you! I cannot remember. The last time I saw the scroll was when Zachary placed it on the golden bench after he finished reading it.”

Starlight was on her hands and knees, wings jutting upward, as she peeked underneath a hydrangea bush. Standing up she hit her halo against a branch and knocked it askew. “Watch it,” said Sunday, and reaching over she straightened her friend’s golden halo so it once again balanced over her head. “I know!” cried Starlight. “Let’s go ask Glory and Halley. Maybe they have seen it.” Sunday put her arm through her friend’s and together they left the garden where they had searched from top to bottom for the scroll.

“La, La, La,” sang Halley. “Me, Me, Me,” answered Glory as the two little angels practiced alone in their hall. They constantly sang in hopes that someday they would join the angelic host choir, but for now they could only entertain themselves. A knock at their door stopped the rehearsal as Glory ran lightly over to answer it. Upon opening the door she discovered two of their favorite angel friends, Starlight and Sunday, and they both looked very unhappy. “What is wrong, has something happened?” Glory asked.

Halley joined her at the door saying, “Come in and let’s see if there is anything we can do to help you.”

As Sunday fought off her tears, Starlight explained. “God gave Sunday the scroll for the Great Creation, and she has misplaced it. We have looked everywhere for it, but it is nowhere to be found.” Sunday sniffed loudly as Glory and Halley made a quick decision. They would all go and look for the scroll together.

Gabriel had searched every place that he thought Starlight might have gone. Now, approaching the Hall of Scrolls, he saw Zachary and Alexander with their heads together whispering quietly. When they saw him, they suddenly stopped their conversation, and if Gabriel had not known them both so well, he would have thought they looked guilty about something. “Have either of you seen Starlight?” Gabriel asked. “I have been looking for her all day. Our Lord needs her to practice her part in the great Creation.” Zachary swallowed nervously. He knew where Starlight was, and he knew that he should tell Gabriel, but he did not want to snitch on his little friend, actually on two of his friends, for he knew what Gabriel did not. Starlight and Sunday were together, searching for the scroll that he had lost.

Starlight stuck her arm down into the fountain as far as she could; the water was freezing so that her teeth trembled. “Can you feel it?” asked Sunday. “Please tell me that you feel it!”

Glory and Halley had looked under every bush, every bench and in every open space in the garden. “I just don’t think it is here,” said Starlight, as she pulled her arm out of the fountain, empty-handed. “We have been over this garden twice now; I cannot believe we have missed it.”

Sunday hung her head, tears dropping hotly onto her clasped hands. “Stop it now,” said Glory. “Yes, don’t give up hope,” put in Halley. “We know all about getting into trouble. Haven’t we been in our own many times?”

It was then they heard the booming voice of Gabriel. “Starlight! Where are you?” The four little angels spread out over the garden, hiding behind bushes and scrambling to get under benches. Starlight jumped into the fountain and held her breath.

“I give up!” exclaimed Gabriel. “I am just going to have to tell the Lord that I have lost Starlight. Without her, the great Creation will have to be put on hold.” Giving the garden one last look, Gabriel left, muttering to himself, “The Lord already knows. I just hope He is not as disappointed as I am.”

The huge angel of the Lord left the garden and slowly, making sure the coast was clear, the four little angels all came out of their hiding places, heads hung, with Starlight’s gown dripping wet. “We cannot disappoint our Lord!” cried Sunday. “Starlight, you must go on, find Gabriel and let the great Creation take place. Glory, you and Halley must go too, so you do not get in any more trouble because of me!”

Starlight knew that what her friend said was true. “I will go find Gabriel now, but please do not give up hope. We will find the scroll. I just know we will.”

Alexander shook his head slowly in answer to Gabriel’s question. “I do not know what happened to the scroll, Gabriel. Zachary was looking at it one moment, he put it down and the next thing we knew it was gone.”

Gabriel frowned. “So, Sunday believes that she was the one who lost the scroll for the great Creation, and now her and Starlight are looking everywhere for it. Shame on you Zachary!”

Zachary answered, “In my defense Gabriel, the angels would not listen when I tried to tell them. They rushed out of here so fast, I never got the chance. I only told Alexander so he could help me go through all the trunks in the Hall of Scrolls, hoping we would find it before our Lord needed it.”

Gabriel knew that they were being honest, but part of his job was to see that at all times, God’s angels were doing their very best in whatever job that He had given them. Zachary’s job was keeper of the scrolls, with Alexander as his assistant. Now Gabriel said, “God knows everything that is happening, and has it all in His control. These young angels need to learn to trust in Him.” That said Gabriel left the Hall of Scrolls, to once again see if he could find Starlight.

Sunday ran all the way from the garden to the Hall of Scrolls, her little legs going faster than ever before. As she ran she passed Gabriel who barely noticed her he was searching so intently for Starlight. When the angel reached the hall, she saw that her two older friends were still looking for the scroll. Zachary looked up from over the pile of scrolls he had been going through to see Sunday, head down, coming into the hall. “Sunday, where have you been?” Zachary cried. “We have been so worried about you!”

Alexander rushed over and put his arm around her, explaining, “Honey, you must not blame yourself. You did not lose the scroll, we did!”

Sunday sighed, “But it was my job to take care of the scroll for the Great Creation, and so it is my fault if it is lost.” No matter what the two older angels said, Sunday was sure it was a mistake that she would have to answer for.

Gabriel saw Starlight coming towards him, her head bowed as if in disappointment. “So, there you are. You know I have been looking everywhere for you,” Gabriel said to her.

Starlight looked up at him with a frown. “Yes sir, I did know. I had to help Sunday look for her scroll and I am sorry that I put you through so much trouble.”

As she talked Gabriel noticed that something was not quite right. Something was missing, and this time it was not a scroll. It was Starlight’s halo. “Starlight! Where is your halo?” Gabriel exclaimed.

Reaching up with both of her hands she realized that he was right, her halo was gone.

Pacing up and down the Great Hall, Starlight and Sunday flinched at every sound, jumped at every little noise. “What do you think will happen?” Sunday asked her friend. “You are missing your halo, I am missing the scroll of creation; we are certainly in the biggest trouble of all eternity.”

Starlight frowned back at her friend. “Surely, God will understand and forgive us. I think He even knows where our missing things are.”

Sunday wished she could be as positive as Starlight. “But how will He have the Great Creation without the light from your halo, and without the words from His scroll?”

Just then Gabriel came out of the Great Hall and motioned for the two little angels to come to him. Slowly they crossed the hall, heads bowed, and one halo missing. “The Lord has instructed me to tell you that you are to go to the garden, where you Starlight hid in the fountain and where you Sunday have searched so diligently for a scroll that you were unable to find.” Gabriel stood very still, his wings straight and arched perfectly, while scowling down at the two much smaller angels.

“Yes sir!” they cried together. Starlight took Sunday by the hand and together they ran out of the Great Hall and towards the garden.

Gabriel allowed himself a small smile as he watched them go. “God will deal justly with them, and they will learn a great lesson,” the impressive angel said to an empty hall.

The garden was quiet when Starlight and Sunday rushed in, both stumbling as they entered to find they were completely alone. “What should we do now?” asked Sunday.

Starlight stood still a moment, scratching her head and truly missing her halo. “Well, Gabriel said to come here, but he did not tell us what to do. So, I guess we should just wait and see if anything happens.”

Sunday agreed and took a deep breath. “Starlight,” she asked. “Do you see that glow coming from the fountain?” Starlight indeed had seen the light at the very same instant as her friend. Hurrying over to the fountain she looked deeply into the flowing waters and there, to the surprise and joy of them both lay Starlight’s halo.

“It must have come off when I was hiding from Gabriel.” Starlight reached her hand deeply into the fountain and pulled out her golden halo. She carefully dried if off with her gown and slipped it over her head, back onto its rightful place. A strange thing happened when she let go of the halo; it let off such a great light that the two little angels had to cover their eyes from the great reflection. In the next moment Sunday, in the bright light released by Starlight’s halo, saw an image in the water of the great scroll that had been lost all this time. The scroll was under a bench in the Hall of Scrolls, where it had rolled after Zachary had laid it down. Excited, Sunday jumped up and down and shouted out triumphantly to her friend Starlight who herself was all aglow with joy.

A loud but joyful sound echoed throughout the garden as suddenly the Great Creation began. Gabriel entered the garden to find both angels with their hands joined, dancing and singing praise to God who had not only shown them where to find their lost possessions, but had also included them in the Great Creation. Images flashed throughout Heaven as the Great Creation Scroll unrolled before all the angels and as it opened, Starlight’s halo put off such a great light that all of the newly created Earth shown with abundant radiance. All of the angels, including Starlight, Sunday and Gabriel, bowed down as they saw God’s hand working to create the new universe, with worlds that they had never imagined.

Gabriel cleared his throat and tried not to smile as he sternly explained to Starlight and Sunday that God had special instructions for them and that they were to wait here in the Great Hall until they understood what was expected of them. Starlight glanced over at her friend Sunday and winked. They knew that God was an awesome and fair. Just look at the role that He had given to them during the Great Creation; how could they doubt that God had only great and glorious things for them. What seemed like hours, but was really only just a few moments, passed slowly before Gabriel came back into the hall with a scroll from which he read to them; a proclamation from their Lord. He read that God had chosen Starlight to continue her role in shining light to the world whenever it would be in need; and He realized that this would be often and therefore a very important role for her. As for Sunday, she would be next in line to be keeper of the scrolls, another worthy responsibility to be sure, and one that she would learn as apprentice to Zachary and Alexander. There was another important message on the scroll from God, and this one was for Sunday too. In as much that she and Starlight had caused such a commotion on this day in eternity, and God knew after His busy work during the Great Creation that He would like to have a day of rest; God had decided, in His infinite wisdom to name the first day of the week in honor of Sunday; forever now to be a day of rest for those who were born of the Great Creation.