Luke 2:10-11 and the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
In the Emergency Room, where I work, I found a postcard advertising a book worthy of reading. The title of the book “Angels on Call” is captivating to me. As I explored the content of this book a little deeper, I found out that it is written by Robert D. Lesslie, MD. He is an emergency room physician with many years of experience, and not unlike my years of experience, he has thousands of stories to tell. He wrote of these stories and is now sharing them with others through this wonderful book. I researched his blog and discovered more amazing things about this book. I found that throughout the book, the underlying theme is to inspire the reader to think how they might be “on-call” to care for someone else and to make a difference. I discovered that each chapter and story is paired with a Bible verse intended to bring the reader peace and to realize that God puts angels where we need them.
In the Bible we often hear about angels; Angels, being God’s servants, chosen by him to bring news of important events. In Luke we hear about the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to tell her about the birth of Jesus. Was Gabriel on-call to do this? I think he probably was. Not only was he sent to tell her about this miraculous event, but he was also sent to bring peace and comfort. Surely this is what she needed to get her through the many days that lay ahead of her before the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful comfort she must have felt. He told her to not be fearful and that she had found favor with God. Mary was a woman of great faith. She accepted his words, and trusted in God. Again, the very night that Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds. They were afraid. But not only this angel, but a whole host of angels appeared and brought this joyous news. How exciting, yet comforting to know that an angel, “on-call”, sent by God, was watching over our Savior. A Savior, who brought eternal life and later died for our sins so that we would be saved.
Now we, as humans, are not really Angels. But, we can show the love and peace of Christ through care and kindness to others. God uses angels to glorify himself. We may not be angels as described in the Bible, but we are on-call and God uses each of us to provide guidance, love, care, and comfort to others. Please take time this Christmas to reflect on how you can be that angel “on-call” for others. God has given us a wonderful gift of eternal life. Put your confidence in Jesus and share the good news with others.
Prayer: Dear God, We thank You for Your majesty and love and for the birth of Jesus. We are all sinners and so unworthy of your love. Yet You have forgiven us. Thank You for Your Son, our Savior, and Jesus Christ. This Christmas, remind us to point our eyes to Jesus and to remember the songs of the angels that so joyously announced the birth of our Savior. Helps us to be the angels “on-call”, sharing the words of Your promise for comfort and peace with those who are struggling this time of year. We pray this through Christ our Lord, the most Holy One. Amen.
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