Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “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. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:26-33, NASB)
A recent Bible study mentioned the prominent role of angels in the story of the Advent of Jesus. Whether by name, or by mention, they played a key part.
The archangel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias as he was performing his priestly duties, to announce that he and wife Elizabeth would, in their old age, become the parents of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:11-20) Next, Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the Messiah, the mother of her Savior. (the Bible verses above)
Next, “an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream,” to tell him not to be afraid to marry Mary, who was pregnant with God’s Son. (Matthew 1:19-24) Then, “an angel of the Lord” appeared to some shepherds on the outskirts of Bethlehem, to announce the birth of the Christ Child, and tell them where to go to find Him. (Luke 2:9-14) And finally, “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph [again!] in a dream,” and told him to flee to Egypt with the Child, as Herod was trying to kill Him. (Matthew 2:13)
It’s a common occurrence in the Bible when a person encounters an angel, to have the angel tell them to not be afraid. Either the appearance of angels is frightening, or their showing up is so unexpected, that the angel gives this reassurance.
The other day on The 700 Club, Gordon Robertson was discussing angels. He told the audience that the Bible says that “angels” are appointed to watch over us. He said that’s at least two!
The angels in the Christmas story add a sense of wonder as we read. As followers of Jesus, we not only have the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Teacher, we have at least two angels watching over us! I think we should not hinder all of them from doing their work!