Christmas Eve Reflection: Angel Songs
Pastor Tim Phillips
Scripture: Luke 1 and 2
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
An angel appears to both Mary and Joseph to say that the life being born in Mary is of the Holy Spirit. Not necessarily good news for either one of them but it gives each of them some new light in which to see what’s happening to them.
It’s an angel that tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth, in their advanced years, is going to have a baby. Again, not necessarily great news but the message might help them make sense of the life of their son, John, who turns out to be an unusual character.
Angels appear to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and sing a chorus that has become the standard anthem of angelic choirs ever since. These poor shepherds are told that a “Messiah” is being born to them in the city of David – which may be great news for angels but for poor shepherds living in a part of the world were “Messiahs” are killed and their followers killed along with them, this might not be the good news they would go looking for. Still, something about that angelic presence and the promise they offered moved the shepherds to go looking.
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
But as a child of the 50s and 60s I didn’t pay much attention to them. The angels I paid attention to were “The Littlest Angel,” that great story by Charles Tazwell and recorded by Loreta Young about the unfortunate little cherub that can’t quite get the hang of his heavenly duties. But it’s his gift of all the things he loved on earth, hidden in a little box under his bed, that became the shining star in the sky the night Jesus was born.
Angels, it turned out, help us see that what seems common and ordinary and not of much consequence at all can become the greatest gift of all.
Of course there was George Baily in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” ready to cash it all in as his savings and loan looks like it’s going to go under. It’s in that moment that he meets Clarence, Angel Second-Class, who helps George see his life in the light of its impact on his town and his family.
Angels help us see our lives in ways that we might not see on our own, I learned.
Then there’s two of my favorite Christmas movies both with angels: “The Bishop’s Wife” from the late 40s with David Niven as an overwhelmed pastor being helped by a mysterious angel played by Cary Grant. Then there’s the remake in the 90s with Whitney Houston as “The Preacher’s Wife” and Denzel Washington as the angel.
In both cases, the angels try to get their characters to see their lives in the light of what really matters, because humans can be so busy dealing with all the stuff around us we lose track of what is right in front of us.
These were the angels of my imagination who helped me to see my life and the world in a different light.
Then, at some point, I came across another biblical text about angels from the New Testament book of Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” the passage says, “for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
What if angels are not just the golden creatures of scripture or the helpful characters of the silver screen? What if they are the presence of anyone or anything that gets us to see our lives in the light of what really matters.
This time of year, I can’t read that the shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night without thinking about Operation Nightwatch – these are people who are, literally, out on the streets keeping watch over their flock by night. The Executive Director, Pastor Rick Reynolds, tells this story:
Scripture: Luke 1 and 2
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
An angel appears to both Mary and Joseph to say that the life being born in Mary is of the Holy Spirit. Not necessarily good news for either one of them but it gives each of them some new light in which to see what’s happening to them.
It’s an angel that tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth, in their advanced years, is going to have a baby. Again, not necessarily great news but the message might help them make sense of the life of their son, John, who turns out to be an unusual character.
Angels appear to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and sing a chorus that has become the standard anthem of angelic choirs ever since. These poor shepherds are told that a “Messiah” is being born to them in the city of David – which may be great news for angels but for poor shepherds living in a part of the world were “Messiahs” are killed and their followers killed along with them, this might not be the good news they would go looking for. Still, something about that angelic presence and the promise they offered moved the shepherds to go looking.
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
But as a child of the 50s and 60s I didn’t pay much attention to them. The angels I paid attention to were “The Littlest Angel,” that great story by Charles Tazwell and recorded by Loreta Young about the unfortunate little cherub that can’t quite get the hang of his heavenly duties. But it’s his gift of all the things he loved on earth, hidden in a little box under his bed, that became the shining star in the sky the night Jesus was born.
Angels, it turned out, help us see that what seems common and ordinary and not of much consequence at all can become the greatest gift of all.
Of course there was George Baily in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” ready to cash it all in as his savings and loan looks like it’s going to go under. It’s in that moment that he meets Clarence, Angel Second-Class, who helps George see his life in the light of its impact on his town and his family.
Angels help us see our lives in ways that we might not see on our own, I learned.
Then there’s two of my favorite Christmas movies both with angels: “The Bishop’s Wife” from the late 40s with David Niven as an overwhelmed pastor being helped by a mysterious angel played by Cary Grant. Then there’s the remake in the 90s with Whitney Houston as “The Preacher’s Wife” and Denzel Washington as the angel.
In both cases, the angels try to get their characters to see their lives in the light of what really matters, because humans can be so busy dealing with all the stuff around us we lose track of what is right in front of us.
These were the angels of my imagination who helped me to see my life and the world in a different light.
Then, at some point, I came across another biblical text about angels from the New Testament book of Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” the passage says, “for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
What if angels are not just the golden creatures of scripture or the helpful characters of the silver screen? What if they are the presence of anyone or anything that gets us to see our lives in the light of what really matters.
This time of year, I can’t read that the shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night without thinking about Operation Nightwatch – these are people who are, literally, out on the streets keeping watch over their flock by night. The Executive Director, Pastor Rick Reynolds, tells this story:
Third Avenue in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. It's 11:00p.m. on a Thursday night. As I walk along I greet people - the homeless people leaving Nightwatch on their way to shelter, the students out for a lark, the drug dealers in the shadows. From a block away I can see a woman walking in the street, adjusting her clothing provocatively.
Eyes straight ahead. I don't need to see that.
"Hey," she hollers. "Are you really a minister?"
I stop dead in my tracks, the hair on my neck standing straight up. "Yes, I'm really a minister."
The woman crosses over to me, shifts her beer into her other hand, and reaches out for mine. "I'm going to ask you to do something strange."
I was REALLY concerned now. "What do you want?"
Not letting go of my hand, she said, "Would you pray for me?"
"I don't think that's strange at all. What's your name?"
"Lisa."
I stood on the sidewalk holding Lisa's hand, her hard hand, a hand which didn't want to let go. I prayed a short prayer for her healing and comfort and protection in Jesus' name.
Her hard hand just didn't want to let go, like a poor swimmer at summer camp, who reaches the deep water and finds that rope across the middle of the pool, the way of safety for swimmers like me. When I was a kid I would hang onto that rope and pull my way along to the side of the pool.
I will never forget Lisa's hand in mine, finding safety for the moment.
So who’s the angel in that story? Pastor Rick who prays, or Lisa, whose hand becomes an icon for what really matters?
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it,” Hebrews says.
What if, in that moment, they were angels to each other?
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
I’m guessing they all won’t announce themselves like Gabriel,
or sing in a mighty chorus,
or present themselves as cute little cherubs,
or look like handsome leading men.
They might be the person sitting next to you. That stranger you run into on the street. That presence in any moment were you can see yourself in the deeper light of who you are and who we are to each other.
Tonight, in the streets of Seattle, there are shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night.
And I’m going to ask you to be an angel -- to give whatever you have to give not to prove how good you are but to see yourself in that deeper light of who you are and who we are to each other.
Because, the truth is, I can’t imagine the Christmas story without angels.
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“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it,” Hebrews says.
What if, in that moment, they were angels to each other?
It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels.
I’m guessing they all won’t announce themselves like Gabriel,
or sing in a mighty chorus,
or present themselves as cute little cherubs,
or look like handsome leading men.
They might be the person sitting next to you. That stranger you run into on the street. That presence in any moment were you can see yourself in the deeper light of who you are and who we are to each other.
Tonight, in the streets of Seattle, there are shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night.
And I’m going to ask you to be an angel -- to give whatever you have to give not to prove how good you are but to see yourself in that deeper light of who you are and who we are to each other.
Because, the truth is, I can’t imagine the Christmas story without angels.
Click to return to Christmas On Line...