“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid.” St. Luke 2:9 (KJV)
Karen’s mom arrived for Christmas holidays. She was soon surveying the ornaments on the family’s tree and noted several angel ornaments.
“My mother saw an angel when I was a little girl,” she said to Karen. As Karen questioned her mom about it, this story emerged.
“I was young and had asthma. One night I had a particularly difficult attack and couldn’t breathe. Mama prayed and begged God for my life. She suddenly looked up and there in the open doorway she saw a beautiful dark-haired woman. This woman didn’t say a word. She only smiled and gave a friendly wave. Later, Mama said, ‘I think she was an angel sent to let me know that you would live and grow up to be like the woman I saw in the doorway.’”
This story will challenge most conventional ideas about angels. We usually picture them in a particular form . . . glistening white feathers and wings with a halo. And we always expect them to do extraordinary feats. Yet, it is not their form that is important. Rather, it is their service/ministry to us. In times of our deepest need, they come and strengthen us. Sometimes they show themselves and other times they simply supply spiritual strength. Sometimes, their whole mission is to give hope for the future.
During this Advent season, let us remember that the Angel of the Lord appeared to a group of shepherds, during the graveyard shift of sheep watching, just outside the town of Bethlehem in Judea of Israel. His mission? . . . To announce the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. Why this announcement? Because it was the greatest need of mankind.
O Holy God and our Father, we praise you for the gift the angels gave to the world on that marvelous night so long ago. What a gift it was to us and all people everywhere. To announce to us that our Savior had been born. To give us key information for identifying him. O how our hearts do burn with joy. We shout with the angels, ‘Glory to God in the highest!’ Thank you, Father for the peace that Jesus gives us on this earth. Thank you, O God for the goodwill you have shown to each of us and to all people everywhere. Now enable us to remember that he is still the greatest need of mankind. Empower us to announce him to our world. This we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his gift and live in daily gratitude,
Pastor Smith