DAY FOUR: What's the 365 day deal with angels?

I am starting to wish I had never started these Christmas posts. I don’t think I can do them justice in under 5,000 words. Anyway, we’ll keep trying and this is only Day Four.

Let’s talk angels. Angels played a significant part in the Christmas story. So much so, in fact, that many churches dress people in sheets and garland halos for their holiday programs. I am a Christmas angel detractor, myself, because if we are true to the Bible, we may be doing it all wrong. Truth be told, angels are fierce warriors who wield swords, not singers and harp players (there is not one reference in the Bible to them singing or making music). They have, however, eaten food with humans (Abraham and Lot), wrestled (Jacob), obstructed paths (Adam and Eve, and later Balaam) and delivered God’s messages of hope or judgment – revealing the mind and heart of God to humankind.

Angels are really cool creatures, but are nothing like the little cherubs that we wear as guardians on our jackets. The Bible does not describe any baby angels. This concept arose from Greek and Roman mythology. Cherubim in the Bible are described in Ezekiel 10 as having wings and hands, being full of eyes all over their bodies, and with eyes even on their mysterious wheels. Cherubim have four faces pointing in four directions and seem to be symbolic of heavenly realities. Now that I would like to see in lapel pin form.

For our Christmas tale, however, angels influence history at several major moments. First, one appears to Zechariah. Second, an angel appears directly to Mary. Angels speak to Joseph in two dreams. Lastly, a group of angels announce the birth of Christ at night to some shepherds.

As distorted as our understanding of angels is, two things are for sure: 1. they often act as messengers and/or ambassadors for God. Sort of like a reflection of Him and His desires, but they are not God Himself. 2. with almost every appearance, they provoked FEAR.

Examples:

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

So, if they are the messengers of God, and they scare everyone they come in contact with, what do you think God has them say first?

To Zechariah, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah…” (Luke 1:13)

To Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary…” (Luke 1:30)

To the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news…” (Luke 2:10)

As a matter of fact, the words “Do not be afraid” appear 365 times in the Bible. That’s one for every day of the year. Makes for a pretty reassuring 12 months. On days you're having trouble hearing Him, these words might be a great place to start.

Here’s one of my Christmas conclusions. God is a little scary. He seems HUGE and POWERFUL and AWESOME and I believe that a healthy reverence for His bigness, as opposed to our smallness, is definitely in order. Sometimes we read the Old Testament and wonder why in the world He seemed to wipe out whole races of people, why He would send a flood, why He would allow Job to suffer so (remember Day 2?). He is just too big to understand - even His messengers need to soothe the panic of humankind. “Do not be afraid…”

Funny, on the occasion of Christmas, when He chooses not to send a messenger, but opts to come get us Himself, He comes as a baby. A baby is almost the opposite of an angel (not the fake lapel kinds, the real ones). A baby is the farthest thing from scary that I can think of, unless he’s colicky, of course.

Do not be afraid, humankind. Let me help you relax and understand and feel safe. I’ll come as a baby. No sword. No power. No clothes. I’ll take the same path to enter the world as you did. Think of it! We were both babies once, you and Me.