Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
During the season of Advent, angels suddenly appear everywhere in our celebration of Christmas. Angels hang from our Christmas trees, shine forth from well-lit yard decor, and are celebrated in words sung in Christmas carols. I don’t know about you, but I generally don’t think much about angels other than during the Christmas season.
This holiday, I’ve begun to be curious about angels in the Bible. According to learnreligions.com, “angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.” They clearly had a defining role throughout Biblical history! In the Christmas story alone, an angel personally appears to Mary and to Zechariah announcing the impending arrival of Jesus and John the Baptist. Angels jubilantly appear as a choir to the shepherds, and appear yet again, to Joseph in more than one dream. And that’s just the Christmas story! There are many other recountings of angelic encounters throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
As a child I was told that each person had their own guardian angel. I remember laying in bed at night, wondering where my personal guardian angel stood to watch over me in my room. Was he or she in this corner, or that one? Or perhaps standing right by my bed? It all felt very mysterious, yet comforting too.
Hebrews 13:2 admonishes us to show hospitality to strangers, for some have encountered angels among us. I’m not sure what role angels play in our world today, but I do know from scripture that their purposes are to protect and to relay information. To me, it is all part of the mystery of God. Perhaps some things are best left unexplained, and yet accepted as part of God’s infinite love for humanity.
Blessings to each of you this week!
Diana Kongkeattikul
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