Angels We Have Heard on High


Angels—we see them all around this time of year. All sizes, and shapes all colors and materials. Some are very ornate while others are simplistic and even comical. Our interpretation of them is probably very different than they really are in their visible state.

Angels were created by God, just like we are. They are meant to serve God, worship and honor Him, to be His messengers when needed and to do special tasks for Him, not to be worshipped by us.
In the Old Testament, they were known to appear for specific purposes, but they will also play a big part in the future, since they are mentioned about 90 times in the book of Revelation.

My favorite mention of angels is around the time of Jesus’ birth. In fact, I think there must have been a flurry of activity in heaven during that time with preparations for the magnanimous event. An angel appeared to Zechariah to tell announce the birth of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel also went to Mary to tell her about being chosen as the mother of our Lord. An angel appeared to Joseph to confirm Mary’s story to him and finally angels visited the shepherds to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Luke 2:9 tells us that the angel reflected the glory of God. The angel had been in the presence of God and because of spending time with God, he absorbed the glory of God and spread it to others. Do you think it’s possible for us to reflect the glory of God to others when we have spent time with our Father?

The angel saw that the shepherds were terrified and proclaimed that because of the Good News of the birth of Jesus, there was no need to be afraid. The message is the same for us today, not when we see angels, since chances of us seeing them is pretty slim. But no matter what things we are facing today that might be terrifying, the message is still the same…there is no need to fear if we have Jesus. Will you make the choice to give your fears up and trust Jesus to care for you in your time of need?

The angel announced that a baby had been born and used three important terms to describe that Child—Savior, Christ and Lord. After this unbelievable news, heaven could not contain the angels and all of a sudden the heavens were filled with a multitude of heavenly beings singing praises to God, saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14 

They knew God personally and they couldn’t restrain their feelings for Him. They love Him and wanted to tell others how they felt.  We only have recorded one sentence, but I think they probably said much more.  Some day we will be able to experience the glory of the Lord for all eternity and will probably burst forth in praise of Him also.

Yes, angels are special creatures, but they are not to be worshipped or put in a place of honor. That alone belongs to Jesus, the One who was announced on that glorious night so many years ago.

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