Originally scheduled for Dec. 6

And the angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel and I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news.’ Like 1:19

Angels are everywhere at this time of year. And we have so many conflicting ideas about them. A bell rings they get their wings, someone dies and they become one, a little one has a box of earthly toys, cherubs are cute and cuddly etc. etc. But what can we discover about them if we actually take the time to look at scripture and only scripture? Quite a lot, it would seem and much more than can be discussed here, such that but a few I will be able to mention. The term ‘angels’ is from the Greek ‘angellos’ meaning ‘messenger’. We know they are created beings, a species of their own and when someone dies they do not become one. Scripture tells us that some are specifically charged to watch over children. They have been around since before God created the earth and showed emotion by shouting for joy. While there are a myriad of them-John records seeing a ‘thousand times a thousand thousand’ in his Revelation (in this time ‘thousand’ was the largest named number, so ‘thousand times a thousand thousand’ would have been an uncountable number) we know of only two specific classes, Cherubim and Seraphim. And while they do appear in human form to relay messages from God in scripture, in their natural form they are not cute, plump and full of love. Scripture describes the Cherub as having multiple faces, human hands and wings and eyes all over. One at least brandished a sword and guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden. Elisha’s servant, when his eyes were open saw a vast number of warrior angels surrounding Jerusalem. Seraph are recorded as having 6 wings-two to fly, two to cover its face and two to cover their feet. We know that they can appear in human form, but at every instance they start out by saying ‘fear not’ or ‘don’t be afraid’. They have come from the presence of God so the glory of God must shine on them, as it did on Moses when he returned from talking with God. They are servants and not to be worshipped, and we shall judge them in our eternal home. But for now, these creatures stand in the presence of God, ready to to His bidding. As we stand before the manger scene, we must ask ourselves if we, too are ready to stand with these angelic beings and do the bidding of the Lord, whether as the Christ child or the One who ‘Was, and Is, and Is to Come’.

‘Angels over the fields were singing, singing hymns from Heaven on high’

-Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes, 19th C. Traditional French carol