Angels?

Luke 2:13-14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among men!’

Luther wrote, "from this angelic song we learn what angels are really like. Forget what the world teaches about angels, this passage portrays them so clearly you can discern their thoughts and their hearts. First of all a joyful song honors God alone, and they show how full of light and fire they are. They recognize how everything belongs to God, they take credit for nothing, and enthusiastically give God honor. If you wonder what a humble, pure, obedient, and happy heart looks like, just think of these angels praising God. This is their first priority, as they live in God's presence. A second characteristic is that they love us. Just as we are taught to love other people, so also God's angels are taught to love us. You can see what wonderful friends they can be - how their love of humanity is real in that they celebrate our salvation like it was their own! So we have good reason to regard them highly - they act like our best friends! This is the right way to understand angels; according to their essence and not as the world would ! The right way to understand angels, then, is to know their inner hearts, their attitude, and their mind. We might not know what they're made of, but we most certainly do know what their highest desire is, and what they're doing. In Luke 2, we can see their hearts on display!"

Prayer: O God, the world wants to tell us all about angels, but you have already told us what we need to know: angels are your messengers, beings who delight in you, who glorify your holy name and whop bring the best news of all to the world: that unto us, a Son is born! We hear this news, and we join in their song of praise! Amen.