Sermon for December 15th, 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.

Rami'el - Thunder of God Hani'el - Joy of God