What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about angels? For me, I think about all of the angels who shared messages for God. Throughout Scripture, we read stories about angels who came to earth and shared certain messages to people from God, from warnings, to pregnancy announcements, announcing the birth of Jesus, and more. Angels are God’s messengers, and they serve as a great example for us today as we think about spreading God’s messages to others.
One of the greatest examples in Scripture of angels being messengers is found in Luke 2. Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, the King of Kings, had just been born, and it was time for God to make it known that Jesus had arrived. Who did He reveal the birth of Jesus with first? Many would have expected it to be revealed to the king, or maybe the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. However, God chose none of these people to reveal the birth of Jesus with. Instead, He sent angels to shepherds who were out in the fields taking care of their sheep. While these shepherds were out, God sent an angel, one of His messengers, to spread the news to them that Jesus had finally come. The angel came and said to the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid...I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (verses 10-11). The angel then told them exactly how to find Jesus. After sharing the message, an entire choir of angels appeared and praised God. What a sight this must have been to behold!
Like the angels spreading God’s message of the hope of Christ, we too are called to be God’s messengers. We are called to spread the message that because of Jesus, we have the hope of eternal life if we place our faith in Him. So may we, like the angels, let everyone around us know the hope that is available in Christ.
Today, our call is to follow the angels’ example and spread God’s message of hope and salvation in Jesus. Find one person today to tell them the good news that there is hope in Jesus. Share your 2-minute story and the difference Christ has made in your life. Tell them that He can make a difference in their life, too.
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
