A Messenger From God
Children's sermon
Here Comes The King
Sermons And Children's Lessons For Advent, Christmas And Epiphany
Today, we are going to talk about angels. Angels are messengers, the messengers of God, but they do other things, too. In the front of the church to which I belong, just above the altar, there is a painting of Jesus - not the baby Jesus, but the grown man who had been crucified, died and was raised from the dead on the third day. He is sitting on a throne and has begun his reign over heaven and earth, as we sing in our worship service, "The Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia!" On this Sunday just before Christmas, Christmas trees are placed below and on either side of this painting. They remind us that Jesus was King at his birth, which we are about to celebrate again.
One of the interesting things about this painting is that there are angels flying all around the head of Jesus. They are small angels, no more than little children, and they are obviously praising Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They were made that way to resemble one type of angel, which is a cherub or cherubim. There are other kinds of angels - nine different kinds, according to some authorities - and all of them are citizens of heaven itself.
Now, the angels we read about in the Bible, angels who appeared to people, were not infants or little children; they were grown people - men, for the most part. Many of them had names. Michael is one we remember in September, and Gabriel is in the Christmas story. Actually, we sing about them and we also sing the angels' song - the Christmas song - quite often in our worship, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth." Some people speak of having guarding angels, as Jesus himself once did, but the business of most angels is praising God in heaven.
But angels have other work, too; they carry messages from God to people, telling them what God wants of them, or what he intends to do with them. Angels are messengers which God sometimes uses to touch and change the lives of people. Such an angel - Gabriel - visited Mary, the young girl who lived in Nazareth a couple of thousand years ago.
The angel told her that she was to become the mother of Jesus. She was extremely happy when she learned this news, and so the stage was set for the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, on the day that we now call Christmas.
One of the interesting things about this painting is that there are angels flying all around the head of Jesus. They are small angels, no more than little children, and they are obviously praising Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They were made that way to resemble one type of angel, which is a cherub or cherubim. There are other kinds of angels - nine different kinds, according to some authorities - and all of them are citizens of heaven itself.
Now, the angels we read about in the Bible, angels who appeared to people, were not infants or little children; they were grown people - men, for the most part. Many of them had names. Michael is one we remember in September, and Gabriel is in the Christmas story. Actually, we sing about them and we also sing the angels' song - the Christmas song - quite often in our worship, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth." Some people speak of having guarding angels, as Jesus himself once did, but the business of most angels is praising God in heaven.
But angels have other work, too; they carry messages from God to people, telling them what God wants of them, or what he intends to do with them. Angels are messengers which God sometimes uses to touch and change the lives of people. Such an angel - Gabriel - visited Mary, the young girl who lived in Nazareth a couple of thousand years ago.
The angel told her that she was to become the mother of Jesus. She was extremely happy when she learned this news, and so the stage was set for the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, on the day that we now call Christmas.
