Power Source

I found them at a Christmas shop years ago.
It was something I remember from when I was a little girl.
I would be mesmerized as I sat for the longest time watching.
I would watch the angels move.

The angels would move slowly at first then much faster.
The bells would ring ever so slightly.
Then it would seem as if a symphony of bells were playing all around me.
I wanted to know how it all worked; it seemed so magical.

Angel chimes were brought here to our country at the turn of the century.
Immigrant families from Germany brought them over with them.
The angel chimes have since been made in both Sweden and Denmark.
They are known as Angel Carillon in Sweden and Angel Bells in Denmark.

Angel chimes have a base that usually holds four candles.
When lit, the heat from the candles turns a turbine at the top.
This powers the trumpet-holding angels so they seem to fly around in a circle.
As they fly, they strike the bells beneath them.

The hotter the flame, the faster the angels fly.
The faster they fly, the louder the bells ring.
I have seen some elaborate angel chimes; some even have a nativity scene.
I like my simple brass angel chimes the best.

I was spellbound as a little girl as I watched the angels fly.
I never understood how the heat from the candles made the angels fly.
A scientific explanation was not what I needed.
I had a little glimpse of heaven as I sat next to the table where my mother displayed them.

Sometimes I would run my finger around the turbine top and make the angels fly.
It wasn’t the same thing, though.
When the candles were lit, the angels seemed to fly on their own with no help from me.
I remember taking the chimes apart to store them away until the next Christmas.

When my children were little, we rarely bought toys with batteries.
I did not want to hear the loud bells and whistles of most battery-powered toys.
I came up with a coined phrase using my children’s names.
I would put their name before the word, “powered.”

They were the power that made their toys move, their cars zoom, and their vacuum hum.
They were the ones who provided the voices and the animal noises.
Their toys were imaginative and relatively simple.
They brought their own creativity to the toy, which was different each time they played.

I remember my oldest daughter getting a toy vacuum from my aunt.
She was so excited to clean the house like Mommy.
My aunt proceeded to put the batteries in the front of the vacuum.
I looked over at my husband wondering how our daughter would react.

My aunt turned on the toy vacuum, which made a loud continuous sound.
My little daughter came running over to me burying her head in my lap.
I suggested to my aunt that perhaps we allow her to pretend to vacuum.
I asked my aunt if she minded if I took out the batteries.

She looked at me with a questioning gaze.
I removed the batteries.
My daughter ran over and vacuumed the entire family room.
She made the vacuum’s noises with her mouth and was perfectly content to do so.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Jesus was born to die.
When Jesus died and rose again three days later, He ascended into heaven.
There He sits at the right hand of the Father.
He did not leave us as orphans.

If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – The Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:15-18)

That same Holy Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation came to reside in us.
That same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at our disposal as well.
We can do nothing on our own.
If we have come to Jesus in faith, wanting to be saved, we are Holy Spirit powered.

The heat of the lighted candles created a warm updraft of air.
That updraft of air turned the turbine, which caused the angels to fly.
Light, motion, and sound came together in a captivating way.
It is no different with us.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, He appeared in tongues of fire.
Fire generates heat.
The heat creates an updraft of air, which causes motion.
Motion can’t help but make a sound.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit...(Acts 2:2-4)

Do you hear it?
Do you hear the sound of the Holy Spirit’s power?
Light. Motion. Sound.
Captivating.

Holy Spirit powered.
Generate some heat!

2 responses to “Power Source”

1. Just today I saw 4 heat-generated angels flying at a friend’s home, making a soft bell-like sound. I’ve seen them before, but your story put a whole new slant to the angel chimes. Thank you so much!

   Reply

   • Sue,
     I am delighted that this blog post came to mind. What a gift to have enjoyed that special time and new found memory with your friend.
     Gina

     Reply