Angels
Please take a moment to pray with me. Good and gracious God, I am honored and a bit nervous to be up here today, help me to feel your peace. May the messages the youth and I share today be true to your word and touch the hearts of those who hear according to your will, we pray. Amen.
Just so that you are ware, the scripture texts that we will use today will be acted out for you a bit later in the sermon, they will be announced by narrator before the scenes begin.
Mommy……..”Have you ever thought about being an angel?” My little girl asked me one day while we were out running errands. Her question surprised me, and I had to admit that I HADN”T actually thought about BEING an angel, although I’ve given quite a bit of thought to it ever since. As I pondered Kaitlyn’s question more, I realized that I was actually pretty enchanted with angels as a little girl and that I’m still “drawn” to angels as an adult.
For instance, I always wanted to be the angel in the beautiful white gown and gold halo at our Church pageant on Christmas Eve, they were so beautiful, and so peaceful. One of the prayers I learned to pray as a little girl when I was afraid was about angels, perhaps you’ve heard it. “Angel of God my guardian dear to whom God’s love commits thee here, ever this day or night be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and to guide.” There was even a guardian angel picture that hung in my home where I grew up, it was passed down to me and now hangs in my home. It’s of two children crossing a rickety old bridge in a thunderstorm, with a guardian angel above them, keeping them from harm. As a teenager, I drew pictures of angels in sketch books and doodling on notebooks in school.
Several years ago, I walked into a home decorating store, and was immediately drawn to the angel picture you see displayed on the altar; it now hangs on a wall in our bedroom. My favorite Christmas decorations to put up are the angels. On the rare occasion that I get to watch T.V., of course some of my favorite shows would have to be “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched by an Angel”. When I tuck my kids into bed at night, one of my favorite songs to sing has a refrain that says, “I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us, from some where up above, they come to you and me, to teach us how to give, to show us how to live and to guide us by the light of love.
As you can see, I’ve had a kind of attraction to angels through out my life, in pageants, pictures, decorations, songs and more. As I’ve given more thought to the question Kaitlyn asked me, several weeks ago, I wonder if perhaps she was on to something, that perhaps angels CAN and SHOULD go beyond the pictures, pageants, songs and more, that the idea of BEING an angel is what we are called to do as Christians. Let’s look for a moment at 3 stories from the Bible that involves angels, they’re even appropriate to this time of year in our church calendar. All of the texts for these angel scenes are taken directly from the Message Bible. We’ll start with the angel Gabriell appearing to Mary:
Narrator: LUKE 1: 26-35 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary, Gabriel greeted her:
Angel: Good Morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.
Narrator: She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her,
Angel: Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, he will rule Jacob’s house forever—no end, ever to his kingdom.
Narrator: Mary said to the angel
Mary: But how? I’ve never slept with a man.
Narrator: The angel answered
Angel: the Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you, therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.
Meg: Then there was an angel who spoke to Joseph in a dream.
Narrator: Matthew 1: 18-23 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph was a noble man and wanted to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure out what to do, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream;
Angel: Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit conceived. God’s Holy spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth and when she does, you, Joseph will name him Jesus—God saves.
Meg: in the final scene there are angels who appear to Shepherd’s…
Narrator: Luke 2: 8-16 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said,
Angel: Don’t be afraid, I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, world wide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and master. This is what you’re to look for, a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.
Narrator: At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Angel Choir: Glory to God in the heavenly height, peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
Narrator: As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over.
Shepherd: Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.
Narrator: Please join us in singing the 2nd and 3rd verses of Angels we have heard on High.
Meg: Three different stories with angels, but one common thread, ….the angels all have a message to share. They may not be the easiest messages to tell, or to hear, but they have a message to share none the less….Gabriel’s message to Mary had to be a bit of a shell shocker to say the least!!! To tell a virgin that she was going to have a baby, and that he would one day be king. I don’t know about you, but I think I’m glad I didn’t have to deliver that message. The angel in Joseph’s dream isn’t given a name, but his message is one of comfort and encouragement, to go ahead with his plans to betroth Mary, and to name the baby Jesus. Perhaps a little easier message to deliver, perhaps not, they would be the talk of the town…not married yet and having a baby. The choir of angels, proclaiming their news to the shepherds tending their sheep, share a message of joy and hope in a world that desperately needed it, and still does. I could have delivered that message! Couldn’t you?
So, let’s get back to thinking about BEING an angel, it would seem that the key to being an angel, is having a message to share. So now I ask YOU, have you ever thought about being an angel? Have you ever thought of yourself as a messenger for God? We can be a messenger of the good news that was proclaimed all those years ago, in our world today! That’s what BEING an angel today is all about. Each of us has a different messages to share. Each of our situations are unique. We have different friends, different talents and different jobs. We are a part of different social groups, some of us are single, and some of us have families, we are young, old or in between, but we all have a message to share.
As I thought more about this, I wondered, does how I live my life reflect the message I want to share? Do I treat others as if they are an important, beloved child of God, just like me? Do I take the time to stop and help some one when I see they need it? Do I give of my time, treasures and talents for the good of all? Do I take care of the planet that I’ve been entrusted with for future generations? Do I give to the needy? Am I working for justice? Is the message I give to others of love, generosity, compassion, hope, friendship and peace?
Those are tough questions. If I’m honest with myself, there are lots of times, when I’ve fallen short…short of the message that I want to share as an angel. The good news is that we get to keep trying. We get to make a choice every day to put on our angel wings and do the best we can to share our messages in our little corners of the world.
The world needs us to put on our angel wings. Let’s take the spirit of Christmas with us though out the year, by choosing to BE an angel, by taking the time to make a difference in someone’s life every day we’re alive. I believe there ARE angels among us, they’re all around you. The youth will be giving out white feathers to anyone who wants them. Our hope is that it will remind you, of the angels you are, and the message that you have to share. You can give it to a friend if you’d like. I’d bet you could stir up a lively conversation by asking, “Hey have you ever thought about BEING an angel?”
