Gabriel and an Angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus Christ.
Angels are messengers. Gabriel is an Archangel. An Angel of the Lord is a very special Angel representing God – who some believe actually is God.
Clearly these are very special messengers who announce the birth of Jesus Christ.
Common reactions to angels in scripture include great weakness, fear, and often an inclination to worship.
So to receive such announcements is no small thing. Angels make a strong impression and can even be terrifying to those who experience such messengers.
And to receive such a message from the Archangel Gabriel or an Angel of the Lord — must only multiply and make even much stronger an inclination to worship, to be filled with terror, or both.
Powerful messengers give powerful messages and powerful experiences.
Take a moment and imagine what it may be like to receive such a message. A message actually announcing the birth of Jesus Christ.
We’ve heard or read the story so many times that we probably have forgotten, even if we had some idea, forgotten what it must have been like to receive such a message.
And the message itself, delivered by angels: announcing the birth of the Savior of our world! To people who probably had heard prophecies of this, but who had not lived their whole lives like we have with this birth being an established fact.
Powerful messages, by powerful angels. The experience of a lifetime. Provoking awe, possibly fear, and probably a desire to worship.
The mere idea of this as I consider the importance and value of such an announcement brings tears to my eyes as I write this. No doubt a very weak reaction compared to the people who received such messages.
And only a hint of the glory of the delivery of such messages, as to the birth of Jesus Christ – the Savior or our world.
And for Gabriel, a high honor to give such a message. And for the Angel of the Lord — I cannot begin to understand what it was like for the Angel of the Lord to give such a message.
I do know this: considering what it may have been like to receive such a message, and considering what it may have been like to deliver such a message — deepens my appreciation for such events. And brings to me a bit more awe and a bit more sense of the holy, and the Holy One who is Jesus the Christ.
And I pray the same blessing for you. Take a moment to pause in the Presence of God, of Immanuel, God with us — and give thanks.
