Angels and Christmas
Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The birth of Jesus wasn’t quiet. It was quite the spectacular show. Everything God does is supernatural, but not everything is spectacular, but, in this case, Christmas was spectacular. It started with the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and then, another angel coming to Joseph in a dream to assure him that what was conceived in Mary was of the Holy Ghost. Then, Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem was prophesied hundreds of years before it happened. On the day of His birth, a spectacular star came and stood over the building where Jesus was. Then, kings came and brought Jesus extravagant gifts that would help sustain his family in Egypt, which was also prophesied. Nothing God did to bring Jesus to the Earth was quiet, it wasn’t hidden. The star, the kings, the gifts, this wasn’t a covert operation. This was something I am sure everyone in Bethlehem was aware was happening.
Then, our verse; shepherds out in a field and, suddenly, an angel, a messenger from God, comes. First, why shepherds? I think it was because Jesus is known as the Chief Shepherd and was going to become our Shepherd, we were to be His sheep. So, an announcement to natural shepherds that the Chief Shepherd is here seems reasonable. The angel came and said this to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-11, “And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” What an announcement and to be some of the first people to hear this official announcement. What a special moment in history. The angel went on to say, “You will find the Savior, the Christ, in a manger.” That’s probably not what they were expecting, the Christ in a manger, surrounded by livestock. Then, suddenly, the sky must have been filled as a multitude of angels appeared in the sky praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The Prince of Peace had arrived! The angels were giving glory to God because they knew that the Word had become flesh and that God’s man was about to be redeemed. What a celebration! What a show!
When they saw Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had said, they began to tell everyone about the experience they had. What a wonder! What a spectacular show! Can you imagine being one of those shepherds who got to be a part of that great day? For you, this Christmas, I can’t promise that God is going to do something spectacular, but I can promise that He is going to do something supernatural just for you. Remember what the Angel told Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Merry Christmas!