The Angels, Oh WOW The Angels

The Christmas story played out the way it did with God's use of his angels. They made the unbelievable, believable, even though at first it was unbelievable, even "troubling" what people saw.

Let's look;

In Luke 1, we learn that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, are righteous, but are childless and old. Then, one day, as Zechariah is in the temple burning incense, the Angel Gabriel appears with a message: Elizabeth would soon get pregnant and give birth to John the Baptist. 
The Angel Gabriel had this to say when Zechariah wondered how his wife would become pregnant at such an elderly age:

I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

We see Gabriel approach Mary in Nazareth, and say, Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

The Bible tells us that Mary was “greatly troubled”. Ya think?  The Angel Gabriel told her, though, not to be afraid and that God was with her. In the end, Mary and the angel’s discussion ended with her proclaiming that she is “God’s servant.”

The next angel encounter belongs to Joseph, in Matthew 1:20-21 
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

“An angel of the Lord” appears to shepherds who are keeping watch over their flocks. And that angel has a message in Luke 2:10-12 
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  

Then there was quite a light show! An entire host of “Christmas angels” emerges alongside the first angel and they begin praising God over Christ’s birth. We will spend eternity in the presence of these heavenly hosts.

In Matthew 2:13 we are told that an angel later appeared to Joseph after Jesus’ birth and warned him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt and to stay there, because Herod wanted to kill Christ.

Angels are the real deal!

Billy Graham wrote several books about angels. Here are some of his thoughts.
"God created the angels before the worlds began—but unlike us, they will never grow old or die. They are sinless spiritual beings, and throughout eternity they will continue to serve God and praise Him. Even those demonic angels that joined Satan in rebelling against God will never die, but will be cast “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

Occasionally angels become visible, the Bible tells us. Sometimes they appear as ordinary human beings, and we may not even recognize them as angels. This apparently happened to Lot in the Old Testament, when two angels came to rescue him from God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 19:1-21). 

At other times angels have appeared in great beauty and splendor, giving people a glimpse of Heaven’s glory. This happened, for example, when the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds outside Bethlehem (see Luke 2:8-20).

Angels are essentially spiritual beings who were created to serve God. They especially are called to watch over God’s people—to protect us and serve us, often in hidden ways. The Bible says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

One of the Bible’s greatest promises is that when we know Jesus, God sends His angels to surround us and protect us. We aren’t to worship them, but we should thank God for them."

Let's thank God for our angels right now and pray for them to be strengthened in the battles they are fighting for us in the spiritual realm.

The Song  "Angels we Have Heard on High" by Andrea Bocelli 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5iaV989_5M