Day 11: The Light Of The World Has Come ~ Advent Readings 2021 by Eve S

11^th Day of Advent – December 8^th, 2021

Week 2: Preparation (or waiting or prophecy) ~ Light 2 purple candles

 

Angels' Errands of Love by ems

Advent Hymn 🎼 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear🎶

Edmund Hamilton Sears expressed his faith in God’s messengers when he wrote his carol, The Angel’s Song –It Came Upon the Midnight Clear in 1849. As a young boy he had a talent for creating poetry as nurtured by his father. Growing up on a farm in western Massachusetts, he shared with a friend that he imagined the hilltops touched heaven and that angel messengers rested on the hilltops between heaven and earth on their errands of love. Here are two of the four verses he penned:

Verse 1
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing.

Verse 2
Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats
o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains,
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o'er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.

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“¹³ Now when they (the magi) had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” ~ Matthew 2: 13-16

Angel’s Errands of Love

 

Heavenly beings, God’s angels, have interacted with humans in various ways throughout the ages. They are God’s messengers who not only share God’s powerful words but also provide protection.

 

There are many different hierarchies of angels, yet only four are named in the Bible. Gabriel, the mighty angel of God, appeared to Zachariah before John the Baptist’s conception and to Mary six months later to announce she would give birth to the Messiah. Angels are entrusted with God’s power to do His will on earth and bring messages of hope and words of warning.  

 

Shortly after the Magi visited the family of Jesus, Joseph was warned in a dream by an angel of the Lord to flee to Egypt because of King Herod’s plan to destroy the Child. Egypt was still under the rule of Rome but far out of the reaches of King Herod. So, during those early years, it became a place of refuge to fulfill the Scripture from Hosea 11:1.

 

 

The manifestation of a myriad of angels around Christ’s birth impresses us with the importance of God’s plan of peace. They are also active in our own lives today, yet, often unbeknown to us. We have at least one angel assigned to us at the time of our conception and others who serve us during our lives.

 

They, like us, are created beings, yet they do not know the joy of salvation. Christ came to redeem human beings from sin by living a sinless, perfect life. Isaiah informs us twice that this Child born of a virgin will know enough to refuse evil and choose good before he would even eat solid food! (Isaiah 7:14-16)

 

How has God been a refuge for you? Are there specific instances when you have felt His mighty hand in your life? We are told in Hebrews 13:2 “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without even realizing it!” 

We can live in peace and confidence knowing that God loves us so much and has provided each of us with angels of love.

 

Prayer:

 Heavenly Father, Your power is evident in the beauty of Your creation, and I am reminded how in love You provided angels to protect and be envoys as we travel through the joys and dangers of this life. Thank You, that I, like Jesus, can be at peace even in the midst of trials knowing You are always present, are all-powerful and all-knowing, and that you have blessed us with angel friends!