God’s messengers

We live in an age of astounding communication advances. The power and complexity of ways to share information and connect with people have exploded in our lifetimes. Words, images, and videos fly around the globe at near instantaneous speeds.

In the biblical era, there were only two ways to communicate: orally and through handwriting. God’s Word was transmitted in that way through the generations and spread outward through patient human-to-human communication. On special occasions God used a third channel: angelic messengers. Interestingly enough the word that God chose for his heavenly assistants from which we derive the word angel, ángelos in the Greek New Testament, means “messenger.” Perhaps communication was the angelic function God most prized.

The angels’ most famous message was given to some livestock handlers working third shift and heralded the stupendous events in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve: “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord’” (Luke 2:9-11).

God could have told the shepherds the astounding news himself. But it pleased him to let the Christmas gospel come from his ángeloi, his heavenly messengers.

They were talking to you too, you know.

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