As I have been reading the accounts in the Bible of the first Christmas, I have noted the place of angels in these stories. It seemed that the incarnation, one of the most important times in history, was marked by the appearance of angels.

We will look at the angelic appearances. But first, let us record a few things about angels.

ANGELS

Angels are mentioned in the Bible nearly 300 times, yet we hardly hear much about them in the Western world. Angels are messengers of God, who are instruments to carry out His pleasure. As such, they are for comfort, protection, direction, provision, deliverance, judgment, revelation, warning, or ministry.

A SON IS PROMISED TO ZACHARIAH

In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, we have the first appearance of an angel in the Christmas story. Zachariah, a priest, was married to Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, but they were childless. After Zachariah was chosen by lot to go into the temple to burn incense, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right side of the altar. When Zachariah saw the angel, he was gripped with fear. The angel spoke to him, saying, “Do not be afraid, Zachariah, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. . . And Zachariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years” (Luke 1:13-18).

And the angel, not pleased with his response, declared, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

Well, this we know. Elizabeth became pregnant and, in time, had a son, John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord.

What lessons can we learn from Zachariah’s encounter with an Angel? Even though there were examples of miraculous births in the Old Testament, such as Abraham and Sarah, Zachariah acted in unbelief. We should respond in faith to the message of an angel when it lines up with Scripture. We can also learn that, like in this story, an angel can bring a rebuke.

THE ANGEL AND MARY

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when the angel Gabriel came to a town in Galilee to a virgin named Mary, who had been pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. Gabriel spoke to Mary, saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Now, like Zacharias, Mary was greatly troubled at these words and wondered what all that they meant. However, she didn’t say anything nor question the angel’s greeting. The angel went on to say, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” There followed a description of all Jesus would do.

Mary, in turn, asked the all-important question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary was not questioning what Gabriel had said, as was the case with Zachariah’s. She was simply seeking to find out how this would take place. The angel explained that it would be the work of the Holy Spirit, declaring, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” To which Mary replied, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word,” as she submitted herself to the Lord’s word for her.

What lessons can we learn from Mary’s encounter with an Angel? Firstly, God does not want us to be afraid in the midst of the supernatural. Also, we are to be like Mary, completely submitted to the word of the Lord, waiting for the word from the angel to be fulfilled.

THE ANGEL AND JOSEPH

Joseph was betrothed to Mary, but tying the knot was not completed. There was one major problem. Mary was now pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Now, Joseph was a faithful and righteous man who did not want to disgrace Mary. So, while he was considering what he should do, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, telling him, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” When Joseph woke up, he was obedient to the word of the angel, took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son, and he called His name Jesus.

What lessons can we learn from Joseph’s encounter with an Angel? Firstly, we should note the faith and obedience of Joseph. Picture yourself in his place, asked to believe what seemed like the impossible – the virgin birth. But this, he did. Secondly, consider the character of Joseph. He did not want to disgrace Mary, so he was considerate of her and her situation. Joseph must have been a remarkable man.

THE SHEPHERDS AND THE ANGELS

We now come to the story of the angels appearing to the shepherds. These shepherds were watching over their flocks at night when an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. Now, once again, the appearance of angels caused fear. The shepherds were terrified. The angel spoke, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” So, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to find the newborn baby Jesus.

What lessons can we learn from the shepherd’s encounter with an Angel? We are to learn that revelation leads to worship. When God moves in our lives, it should be to bring us to worship.

ANGELS TODAY

Hebrews 13:2 states, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” 

David Jeremiah shared this story, “When he was younger, a friend of mine spent a decade pursuing his passion for riding his road bike – the kind of bike ridden in races like the Tour de France. One day, competing for space with traffic on a narrow, two-lane highway, his wheels slipped off the edge of the pavement, and he crashed, breaking his collarbone (“Operator error,” he called it.) After a few weeks of healing, he was back on his bike. But this time, he began employing a new safety strategy. As he pedaled out of his neighborhood, he would pray that God would send angels to protect him on the road: an angel ahead and behind, an angel to the right, and an angel overhead. Happily, he never had another crash on his bike. 

We don’t build theology from anecdotes, of course, but what would you say? Was his prayer biblically based? Note that my friend didn’t pray to angels—for which there is no biblical precedent. Instead, he prayed to God, requesting the protection of angels as he rode his bike. Verses like Psalm 91:11-12 and Hebrews 1:14 seem to support the idea that angels are sent to protect God’s people in times of need.” (Turning Point by David Jeremiah, October 2023)

ONE MORE STORY INVOLVING ME

As I have been preparing this Langstaff Letter, I have been contemplating the possible events of angels in my life. During my lifetime, I have had seven or more occurrences when I could have met with death and yet was saved.

About 60 years ago, I was pastoring a church in Sydney. It was school holidays, and we had been holding a vacation bible school at the church. Realizing that I had left something at the church, I returned to collect the items. The church was near the corner of an intersection of two streets, and the parsonage where we lived was further up the road past the intersection. As I walked back home past the intersection, I heard a terrible crash as a huge truck, failing to stop, crashed into a car. The normal reaction would have been to turn around to see what had made such a noise. Instead, I immediately began to run away, feeling like I was being pushed by some unknown force. Upon impact, both vehicles had headed on a direct path to where I had been standing. The truck crashed into a brick wall, and if I had not instantly moved but rather still been standing there, it is possible that I could have been killed. I can’t prove that this was the case, but I think that it is possible that an angel was the force that pushed me out of the truck’s path.

What am I saying in all this? Let us be aware of the place of angels in our Christian walk. They are not just found in the Bible; they may be at work in our lives more than we realize. Let us not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.