By Mark A. Taylor
Many of us witness costumed actors portraying angels in this month”s Christmas plays and pageants. But I”m pretty sure our versions don”t look much like the real angels of Luke 1 and 2.
Years ago I attended the “Glory of Christmas” production at Southern California”s Crystal Cathedral, where the angels stole the show. There must have been a dozen of them, suspended through the vast expanse between the auditorium”s ceiling and the crowd below. Flowing gowns and ballet poses made these performers look ethereal and attractive, but that”s not how Luke describes the angels in his story.
My church used to host a children”s Christmas Eve service in which the kids were the stars. Every child was invited ahead of time to volunteer for a role in the drama, and you might guess that all the little girls wanted to be angels. The children”s minister wisely came prepared with a couple dozen white frocks and tinsel halos to accommodate everyone who wanted to join the heavenly host.
The resulting onstage gaggle was wonderful and memorable””but it didn”t approach the angelic impact Luke describes.
He tells us that Zechariah was “gripped with fear” when Gabriel appeared to him in the temple (Luke 1:12), so the angel at once told the old man, “Do not be afraid” (v. 13).
Mary was “greatly troubled” when confronted by the same messenger (Luke 1:29), forcing him to encourage her with the same charge, “Do not be afraid” (v. 30).
Surrounded by the brilliant glory of the Lord, the shepherds were terrified (Luke 2:9). And once again, God”s messenger said, “Do not be afraid.”
I”m glad the accounts record the fear of these believers, because God”s work and his will may strike fear in our hearts too. We may never have seen an angel, but like Mary, some of us have been baffled by God”s call. Like Zechariah, some of us have questioned God”s plan. Like the shepherds, some of us have been so surprised by God”s truth that we had no choice but to go prove it for ourselves.
The beauty of this story is that God never disappoints. Elizabeth and Mary, contrary to all natural law, bore sons, just as Gabriel said they would. The shepherds in simple obedience discovered that reality exactly matched the angel”s description.
Christmas reminds us that God does not condemn our fear. Indeed, he may even expect it. But he will carry us through our fear to show us he always does exactly what he has promised. We can believe that, even without an angel to tell us!
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