Night 13 of Advent – Messengers of the Nativity

Night 13 – Our lesson this night was pretty simple: examine the role of angels in the story of Jesus’ coming and then think through what the Scriptures have to say about angels and their responsibilities as servants of the Most High God. Charles started off by asking the boys who it was that announced to Mary that she would have a son. The answer: an angel. Next, we asked the boys who it was that brought Joseph the assuring message that Mary’s pregnancy was of the Holy Spirit and that he should indeed marry her? The answer: an angel. Then, we asked the boys who it was that brought news to the shepherds of Jesus’ humble birth. The answer, of course: an angel. And though we haven’t covered the story of how Zechariah learned that his wife, Elizabeth, would conceive and bear a son (who would many years later come to be known as John the Baptist), we informed the boys that, yet again, it was an angel who was entrusted with this important task.

Realizing that angels played such a vital role in the unfolding drama of Jesus’ coming, we talked together about some of the unique and critical responsibilities angels have. From the Scriptures we learn that angels deliver messages from God, make music, fight in battles with bad, fallen angels (also known as demons) and protect people. We talked about fear being a common, if not universal, response when people are confronted with the presence of angelic beings and tried to think together about some reasons we might be scared if we saw an angel ourselves. But we also imagined together the splendor and majesty that must have marked the night when the shepherds were awed by a multitude of the heavenly host filling the sky and raising their voices in praise to God. What a sight that must have been!