When our children were in elementary school, our family prepared for Christmas with a nightly devotion that led up to the story of Jesus’ birth. We began on the first day of December and enjoyed sweet time together just before bedtime each eve ning. However, when our children transitioned into middle and high school, we realized this holiday tradition needed some adjustments.
Every night in December was too lofty a goal with school and church activities putting us home at an hour that encroached on bedtime. We decided instead on a weekly family gathering. We have four children, so they each were in charge of leading one family devotion, including a snack, Bible reading, questions, and either a game or a craft. My competitive children attempted to outdo each other in creativity from year to year. They each picked a topic to cover like the wise men, star, or Joseph and Mary. The subject they often desired most (which is a nice way to say they fought over) was the angels.
While the Bible mentions angels more than 300 times, the details regarding them are often shrouded in mystery. The angels’ role in Scripture seems like the theme music in “Star Wars.”
When we hear the music, we know the feature is about to start. When we read about angelic activity, it means the Lord is about to intervene in the affairs of people, revealing Himself to His creation.
My children found this to be accurate in the Christmas story. Angels are cool, but Jesus takes center stage. Angels are not, in fact, winged cherubs with harps sitting on clouds. The Hebrew word malak and the Greek word angelos both define angels as messengers. At Christmas, they brought the best message of all — a Savior is born.
Display of Divine Goodness
The Lord initially declared this announcement to shepherds who were poor, dirty, and often outcasts of society. When we think about the angels in the Christmas story, sometimes the familiar can fade our fascination. We need fresh eyes to experience the message of hope in Christ that angels proclaimed — glory to God and peace toward people.
The radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded the shepherds. These were likely the shepherds who supplied lambs for the temple sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. These men lived in fields and didn’t smell good, yet God surrounded them with His good news and His glory. Glory can be one of those aspects of God’s nature that is hard to define. Author D. A. Carson described it simply as “the display of divine goodness.” This display of divine goodness terribly frightened the shepherds at first. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, fear is a consistent response associated with angelic appearances.
In announcing the birth of Christ to the shepherds, an angel reassured the hearers with the instruction, “Don’t be afraid” (Luke 2:10). This angel had good news to share with the shepherds. The Messiah had been born. The shepherd’s Messiah. Your Messiah. My Messiah. The One who would save us from our sins — God’s divine goodness to His wayward people.
This angel was then joined by a host of angels together proclaiming glory to God and peace toward people. At times these angels have been referred to as a choir singing. Yet, the text uses the Greek word lego — a term that has nothing to do with the building blocks — which means “to say, to speak.” They were speaking, not necessarily singing as the ascribed glory to God and peace to men.
We know that angels do sing — the book of Job tells us the morning stars (angels) sang together at creation (see Job 38:7). Revelation mentions the voices of many angels singing praise around the throne (see Rev. 5:8-11) and angels at the temple praising God with a song (see Rev. 15:2-3). However, according to the text, the angels in the sky announcing the birth of Christ to the shepherds weren’t singing as they glorified God. They were speaking glory to their Creator and delivering His message of peace to us.
Message of Peace
Peace isn’t just a good word for our Christmas decorations displayed on our walls or trees, or spelled out on our fireplace mantels. Peace is found in the presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace (see Isa. 9:6). Jesus came to be our peace. He promised us the gift of peace — in our minds and our hearts (see John 14:27). If we need more peace, then we need more Jesus.
The shepherds told people what they experienced. Good news just begs to be shared. We tell people when we find a good deal on a purchase, get a good job, or hear about people in our community doing good things. In our bad news world, it is always refreshing to hear good news. And there is no better news than God sending His Son to us to secure the forgiveness of our sins.
Because of God’s glory (divine goodness to us), we in turn can glorify Him. We receive His gift of peace by believing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Then we share with others the good news that God has come to earth to restore our broken relationship with Him through Christ. Christmas provides a great opportunity to tell others what the Lord has done in our lives.
The Lord went all out for the outcasts of society with the message of salvation. As we prepare for the upcoming holiday season, we want to embrace His divine goodness and glorify Him. We can look for ways as a family and as individuals to love others well by sharing God’s extravagant love.
Whether the children God has placed in your home are small or moving toward the teenage years or launching, you can find meaningful ways to engage with the Christmas story. As you talk about angels this holiday season, you can help your family understand the angels as messengers who point us to Jesus.
This article by Melissa Spoelstra originally appeared in the December 2025 edition of HomeLife Magazine.
Angels Bible Study by Melissa Spoelstra
Priscilla Shirer draws life lessons from the account of God speaking to the boy Samuel in the beloved Bible story found in 1 Samuel 3. Priscilla relates six characteristics found in Samuel that are applicable to women today as they tune their hearts to hear God’s voice. By listening to God’s voice and obeying Him, women will be drawn into a closer relationship to God that brings a deeper desire to serve Him faithfully.
