Angels in our midst - Bishop Glenn Davies
Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King"! Shopping malls around the nation are playing this song in an effort to drum up Christmas spirit (and presumably, to help us spend our money). No doubt it is driving many people crazy as we edge to the checkout in the long Christmas queues.
When you think of an angel, what comes to mind? The decoration topping your Christmas tree? A glowing figure dressed in white? Perhaps the most popular view of an angel is a chubby baby with wings and a trumpet, floating through the sky!
The word "angel' in Greek simply means "messenger'. They are mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible. Angels are usually heavenly beings, but they can also be earthly messengers who spread the good news of Jesus. When angels came to earth, they weren't children but adults. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son and he would be called Jesus. Angels told the shepherds tending their sheep they would find this baby wrapped in a manger and he would grow up to be the king of the whole world. Your local Christian minister is an angel, declaring God’s story - the story of Christmas. In fact, even your Christian neighbours, friends or workmates act as angels whenever they talk to you about God.
Famous carols like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing are sung as a reminder that we can join the angels in celebrating the birth of Jesus, God's Son. To hear angels this Christmas you can go to your local Christian church. The Christmas story will be told just as it was to the shepherds 2000 years ago: "Join the triumph of the skies; with angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem". Have a happy Christmas.
Bishop Glenn Davies is the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney. The region covers from the Harbour to the Hawkesbury and from Pennant Hills to Palm Beach.
