Difference between revisions of "Sermon for December 15th, 2013"

Revision as of 18:29, 13 December 2013

Luke 2:8-14

(NT page 58) 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

The Joy of Angels

Alright. If we're going to do this, you need to forget just about everything you think you know about angels. There is no Halo. There are no wings. And even though I could stand to shed a few pounds--don't judge--I'm certainly not a chubby little flying baby.

I'm not ever going to sit on your right shoulder while some little red guy with a pitchfork sits on your left one. And no, I will not fly behind your car protecting you while you drive like a maniac. In fact, I hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as a "guardian angel" and there never has been. That's actually His job, and he's pretty good at it.

As an Angel of the Lord, I have one job, one function, one purpose alone in the universe. Like all angels, I am a messenger. That's it. Nothing more. In Ancient Israel, they called us Malakim. It means messenger. In Ancient Greek, they called us Angeloi. It means messenger. Angel means messenger, and that's what I do. Got it? Good. Because I don't have time to repeat myself, especially around this time of year. You think the post office, FedEx and UPS are busy around Christmas time? Try being an Angel of the Lord. I have 3.7 million churches to deliver my message to today. You're number 17.

I know, I know. You're probably going to ask why all the other angels can't help me. I said that all angels are messengers, but each one carries a different message from the Lord. That's why we all have different names. You've probably heard of the angel Gabriel. His name means "God is my strength" and that's his message, too. He comforts the weak and the powerless, and puts the strong ones in their proper place. And you've heard of the angel Michael? His name means "Who is like God?" and that's his message, too.

My name is Hani'el. I'll tell you what it means in a little while. But to get there, I will tell you how I came about my name...because my name wasn't always Hani'el. God changed my name, and he changed my message.

I used to be called Rami'el. It means "Thunder of God." You can probably imagine the nature of my message. Let's just say people generally weren't exactly thrilled to hear from me. I have galloped with the horses of invading armies. I have brought down unshakable walls, and swept away entire cities on the crest of the raging flood waters.

God changed my name that night. He changed my message, but also my outlook, my entire way of seeing the world.