Although they are not omniscient, they have been around for a long time. Since they were first created, the angels have watched God carry out His plans for the rest of creation. As the Spirit prompted and inspired prophets throughout the ages, the angels heard those words and could see, from their vantage point, how the work of God was unfolding. And when they were commissioned to bring a message to the people God had created, the angels must have had some understanding of the words they shared.

This means that we might learn something about Christmas from what the angels said to those who were involved in the arrival of the Messiah.

Gabriel told Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

That she would conceive in a miraculous way
That she would bear a son
That she should name him Jesus
That he would be called the Son of the Most High God
That he would reign as a Davidic King over the people of God forever

An angel told Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25)

That Mary was going to have a son
That the son was miraculously conceived
That they should name him Jesus
That this son would save his people from their sins

Angels told some shepherds (2:8-20)

That a child was born in the city of David
That this child was to be a savior
That he was the promised Messiah
That his arrival would usher in peace for those with whom God was pleased

When we think of the birth of Jesus, we can easily import our understanding or perspective on what that birth meant into the Christmas story. We can read into the accounts what we know from elsewhere in Scripture. But how might our sense of wonder and amazement be better shaped if we considered Christmas from the angels’ perspective?

Christmas is about . . .

• A historical event that happened, not just a “nice holiday story”
• Where a human child was born, but so much more than just human
• A birth that would fulfill prophecies about what God was doing in His creation, and not some wonderful but whimsical event
• A child who would inaugurate a fresh dimension of the reign of God, not starting something entirely new but advancing God’s eternal rule
• A king born who would rule and rescue and save and bring peace, so much more than the coming of “our friend Jesus”

If we run too quickly to what we think we know about this first Advent—that Jesus came to die for our sins so that we can be forgiven so we can go to heaven when we die—we might miss the magnitude and impact of this “good news of great joy” that the angels knew and announced (Luke 1:10).