Luke 2:8-14
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. There were terrified, 10 but the angel of the reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven-praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
That's our beginning, an angel bringing the good message, like the Christmas song goes, "born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth." This is the herald, the starting gun of the beginning of telling the world that the redeemer has come. Likewise, after the crucifixion of Christ, when Mary and…well Mary are headed to the tomb, they meet an angel who brings us the second good news.
Mark 16:1-7 1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,[b] who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
Both of the accounts of angels brought, essentially, the same good news. One was for what was to come, the Savior and one was for the fulfillment of had come, Jesus' resurrection. I know everyone was mourning in the second part but their tears were dried with the good news that, Christ had been resurrected. Both these events changed people. Hope and fulfillment of hope is what Christ brought. How do we, in today's culture view it? Is it hope or a burden?
