Advent Angels (Advent 4 Sermon After Christmas Cantata)

ADVENT ANGELS

Text: Matthew 2:13-15

Matthew 2:13-15  Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."  (14)  Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,  (15)  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

Have you ever given any thought to the angels in the Christmas story? We see them mentioned in scripture. We see them personified in Christmas pageants by children. We see them in manger scenes. We see them as Christmas tree ornaments. We even see them as figurines that people use for decor. Our house is one of those places. We have a Christmas tree devoted to the theme of angels.

The Bible tells us a lot about what the angels do, but not much about what they look like. Let’s imagine their appearance and explore their performance.

APPEARANCE

What do angels look like?

Since we do not have a detailed description of what angels look like, we usually fill in the blanks. We have likely borrowed from the ideas of Middle Age and Renaissance artist who depicted painted angles colored in white, with feathery wings, and halos. (David Jeremiah. Why the Nativity? Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006, p. 86). This explanantion tells us way we always see angles portrayed as white, bright, and winged with halos on their heads.

What about the imagery of angels with harps?

“It’s quite possible harps are a holdover from ancient Greek times, when the gods were often said to play the lyre….”. https://guideposts.org/angels-and-miracles/angels/why-are-angels-portrayed-with-harps/ Isn’t it also a possibility that the heavenly choir that greeted the shepherds who were tending their flocks by night (Luke 2:8, 13) could have prompted the imagery of angels using harps?.

PERFORMANCE

The Greek word for angels is "aggelos" which means messenger.

1) Herald: These kinds of angels were usually sent by God to tell whatever message God had told them to send. One who proclaims a message that one has been sent to give is what they used to call a herald.

2) Hymn: Hark the Herald (messenger) Angels Sing… reflective of Luke 2:8-14, when the angels came to tell the shepherds of God's glory revealed in His Son.

Where are the angel messengers in the Christmas story?

1) Mary’s father’s angelic encounter: This encounter is recorded in a book not included in the Bible known as “The Gospel of the birth of Mary”. Mary’s father was informed about his wife Anna’s news that she would soon give birth to a girl to be named Mary, who would fulfill the prophesy of the virgin birth (Mary 2:9).

2) Mary’s mother Anna: Anna, Mary’s mother also had an angelic visit telling her that she would give birth to a daughter to be named Mary (Mary 3:2).

3) Zechariah: Gabriel’s announcement about coming birth of John the Baptist who would we be the forerunner of Jesus (Luke 1:13).

4) Mary: Gabriel visits Mary to tell her that she will give birth to Jesus (Luke 2:26 - 35).

5) Joseph: Joseph had two angel encounters through two dreams. An angel visits Joseph to tell him about the virgin birth of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:20 -21). An of the Lord appears in his second dream to warn him about taking Jesus and Mary to escape Herod’s search for baby Jesus because Herod wants to kill Him (Matthew 2:13).

6) Wise men: Wise men were warned to take a different route home. It doesn’t specify, but it is likely that warning that come to them in a dream was likely prompted by an angel (Matthew 2:12).

7) Shepherds’ two angel encounters: The shepherds had two angel encounters. The first angel told them not to be scared because of the good tidings about great joy for all people in announcing the Savior’s birth (Luke 2: 10) . Their second encounter was a multitude of the heavenly---an angelic choir saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:13 KJV).

The message of the angels is that God's Son came to dwell among us. The message is that he came to dwell among us that we might learn about God and His love through Him.

What is the significance of angels for believers?

1) Ministering angels: Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14 NIV).

2) Guardian angels: Haven’t we all heard of guardian angels? God assigns guardian angels to us. Psalm 91:11-12 says "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."