Angels We May Be On High



"Heavenly Hands" by Greg Olsen (click here)



There is one thread that weaves through the entire Nativity story—the angels. The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” A messenger is someone who carries a message from one person to another and these messengers carried the Glad Tidings or Good News from God to man.

First the angel Gabriel delivered the message to Mary that she would be the mother of the long awaited child. Next Joseph received a visit from Gabriel and was told to “fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).

But when we think of angels at Christmas time, we usually think of the angel who appeared to the shepherds tending their sheep in fields near Bethlehem. He delivers his message, “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. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

As soon as he made the announcement the heavens opened—as if the joy was more than heaven could contain any longer—and suddenly a great multitude of angels burst forth in song.

For a moment imagine with me that you were one of those angels—a messenger. You knew that your Savior had been born. You knew that because of that birth the misery, depravity, abuse, and horrors of a mortal world now had a cure. The Light of the world had been born to put all things right and the joy of that knowledge filled you until like an erupting volcano the joy spewed forth. Imagine how you felt. This wasn’t just good news; this was the greatest news of all time. And you couldn’t contain the happiness you felt. As the heavens opened you sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). 

What a choir that must have been—the sound of heaven rejoicing!

But you don’t have to imagine. The same thread that ties the Nativity story together, ties you to the story. You are the angel--the messenger! Christmas is the opportunity for you to sing, or pray, or shout your praises or in any way you can to convey the Good News to all those around you that a Savior has come to save the world.

Christmas Angels



"Heavenly Hands" by Greg Olsen (click here)



There is one thread that weaves through the entire Nativity story—the angels. The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” A messenger is someone who carries a message from one person to another and these messengers carried the Glad Tidings or Good News from God to man.

First the angel Gabriel delivered the message to Mary that she would be the mother of the long awaited child. Next Joseph received a visit from Gabriel and was told to “fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).

But when we think of angels at Christmas time, we usually think of the angel who appeared to the shepherds tending their sheep in fields near Bethlehem. He delivers his message, “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. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

As soon as he made the announcement the heavens opened—as if the joy was more than heaven could contain any longer—and suddenly a great multitude of angels burst forth in song.

For a moment imagine with me that you were one of those angels—a messenger. You knew that your Savior had been born. You knew that because of that birth the misery, depravity, abuse, and horrors of a mortal world now had a cure. The Light of the world had been born to put all things right and the joy of that knowledge filled you until like an erupting volcano the joy spewed forth. Imagine how you felt. This wasn’t just good news; this was the greatest news of all time. And you couldn’t contain the happiness you felt. As the heavens opened you sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). 

What a choir that must have been—the sound of heaven rejoicing!

But you don’t have to imagine. The same thread that ties the Nativity story together, ties you to the story. You are the angel--the messenger! Christmas is the opportunity for you to sing, or pray, or shout your praises or in any way you can to convey the Good News to all those around you that a Savior has come to save the world. 

The Nature of Angels

The dictionary gives several definitions of the word angel, two of which are: “A spiritual being superior to humans in power and intelligence,” or “An attendant spirit or guardian.” We do recognize that angels occasionally minister to people in this life, but when we think of them we usually are thinking of citizens of the next life. However, our word angel comes from
the Greek word, angelos, which means “messenger.”

"Heavenly Hands" by Greg Olsen

When you stop to think about this, you realize that a messenger of God doesn’t have to be a citizen of the next life. We don’t need to wait until death to become angels. Instead we can be messengers of God or angels 
right here and now.

In his conference talk in April 1986 Bishop Robert D. Hales prayed that, “you and I might realize that we have the power and responsibility to help those in need, as ministering angels for the Lord Jesus Christ.” There are many “needs” around us. Some need encouragement, some need food, some need social skills, some need financial help, some need love, and some need to know more about their Savior. Thus, any time we are helping anyone in need, 
we are angels.

My heart tickles delightfully when I see myself as an angel. It helps me remember what I am on earth to do and it makes me feel closer to my Father in Heaven. I am His angel, and I am very grateful for the many angels He has sent into my life.

Celebrating Christmas—Angels

There is one thread that weaves through the entire nativity story—the angels. The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” And messengers are important threads that weave the story together. A messenger is someone who carries a message from one person to another and these messengers carried the message or Good News from God to man.

The angel Gabriel told Mary and then Joseph that the baby would be coming. An angel appeared to proclaim the glad tidings of joy to the shepherds and as soon as he made the announcement it was as if the heavens could not be restrained—the joy was more than even heaven could contain and suddenly a whole multitude of angels burst forth in song.

Close your eyes and imagine with me that you were one of those angels. You knew that your Savior had been born. You knew that because of that birth the misery, depravity, abuse, and horrors of a mortal world now had a cure. The Light of the world had been born to put all things right and the joy of that knowledge filled you until like a volcano it erupted out. Imagine how you felt. This wasn’t just good news; this was the greatest news of all time. And you couldn’t contain the happiness you felt. Breaking into song, you praised God by singing your gratitude and joy. What a choir that must have been—the sound of heaven rejoicing.

Heavenly Hands by Greg Olsen

But now you don’t have to imagine. You can rejoice. You can sing or shout or pray your gratitude to God. Today you are the messenger—the angel carrying the Good News from God to man that a Savior has been born. 

(painting can be found at: http://susuangels.com/pro867954.html)

Fear Not!

One of my favorite Old Testament prophets is Elisha. The name Elisha means “God shall save,” and Elisha’s entire life exemplifies how God will save us. One of my favorite stories is when Elisha confronts the Syrian army. The Syrians are fighting against Israel and Elisha sends a message to the king of Israel telling him where the Syrians will be and how to outsmart them. Baffled by how Israel knows what he is going to do, the king of Syria calls his men together and asks who the traitor is that is telling Israel his plans. One Syrian soldier speaks up and tells the king that no one is betraying him. Instead a prophet in Israel, Elisha, knows the secrets of the king’s heart and tells Israel what he is going to do. Outraged, the king of Syria takes his armies, horses, and chariots by night and surrounds the city of Dothan where Elisha is staying.

The next morning Elisha’s servant awakes and finds the city surrounded by the armies of Syria. Filled with panic he asks Elisha, “What shall we do?”

Calmly Elisha comforts him, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

You can imagine what the servant thought. Hundreds of troops around the entire city and Elisa says not to fear that the two of them are more than this army! But Elisha prays and asks the Lord to open the eyes of the servant, and suddenly the servant sees that the entire mountain is covered with horses and chariots of fire ready to defend the prophet.

Like Elisha and his servant, we are never alone if we are following the path of righteousness. Even though we can’t see them, chariots of fire are there whenever we need them. Angels attend us daily. We just need to learn to trust that they are there.