Christmas Sermon - Scary Angels
Hi,
I am curious if you were going to do a short sermon (conservative Baptist here) on Christmas Eve on "scary angels" (a working silly title just for discussion here) that intersected our time and space with good news (because they were so overjoyed and heralding to us humans the Good News of Jesus Christ coming to earth!), what Biblical text would you use and yes - what Logos resource would you consult - other than your Bible translation - to gear the message for a Biblically advanced congregation and Pastor?
I want to feature the angels without leading people toward angel worship....but prove they were real and overjoyed....and scary.....but told us to "Do not be afraid" as angels often do. Its an idea I have had for years and requires a decent text and a very precise (but easily expanded) expositional preaching.
Any suggestions or ideas. I know its dumb to work backward and this is more topical...but hoped the Holy Spirit might work through one or more of you to help me write this and present it to others at Christmas possibly.
Comments
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Scary Angels? Christmas? Sounds like a Doctor Who special. [:)]
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Well I am open to considering that its a dumb idea for a sermon too. Perhaps its why I havent written it. Thanks for the feedback or humor. [:P]
I've long felt some make too much or too little of the angels and misrepresent them at female trumpeteers at Christmas time.
Also, I am not deliberately trying to provoke any controversy here....interested in what Logos resources you would use if you were doing this sermon yourself and yes - if you would abandon it as unpreachable.
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I'm interested to see how this thread goes. I'm not sure I would use the title "scary angels" since that makes me initially think about demons but maybe you are trying to be a bit "controversial". On the other hand I think I know what you are trying to say. Those who met the angels we terrified at the experience.
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yes Bruce....shepherds hit the dirt....but the angels reassured them "Do not be afraid".
Its tremendously uplifting (pun intended).[:)]
DO NOT BE AFRAID may be a better title in fact.
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Maybe you could just use Luke 2:9. ("And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear." ), and expand it into a discussion of where their fear came from---with a focus on God's glory contrasted with the sinful unworthiness of mankind. Then lead into God's grace in verse 10. I think the best way to avoid the idea of angel worship is to bring the focus onto the One deserving of true worship.
Anyway, you should use Logos to answer your questions. Look up the all verses where angels appear, read the commentaries you have on those passages where people show fear. Look up angel in your bible encyclopedias.
Darrell Bock in BECNT Luke has some good comments:
"The response to this stirring divine sign was a natural one: great fear. Such fear is emphasized by Luke’s cognate construction ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον (ephobēthēsan phobon, they were filled with fear; BDF §153.1; Fitzmyer 1981: 409). It is like the fear that overcame both Zechariah and Mary when the angel came to them (1:12, 29), and such fear gripped the disciples at the transfiguration (9:34). The encounter with the divine is initially startling and unsettling. With the angel’s coming and God’s bright presence, the announcement follows."
Darrell L. Bock, Luke: 1:1–9:50, vol. 1, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994), 215.MacBook Pro (2019), ThinkPad E540
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Peace to all! *smile*Bruce Dunning said:I'm interested to see how this thread goes. I'm not sure I would use the title "scary angels" since that makes me initially think about demons but maybe you are trying to be a bit "controversial". On the other hand I think I know what you are trying to say. Those who met the angels we terrified at the experience.
My four GrandBoys -- from 12-16 -- would certainly know and use the term "awesome" frequently, methinks ............
How about starting off with "Awesome Angels"
I think you could do a lot with that ! *smile*
Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand..........
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JoshInRI said:
what Logos resource would you consult - other than your Bible translation - to gear the message for a Biblically advanced congregation and Pastor?
Not sure what resource I would consult because I'm not sure why I'd make someone other than Jesus the focus of my Christmas sermon. Or any sermon...
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alabama24 said:
Scary Angels? Christmas? Sounds like a Doctor Who special.
The Doctor Who weeping angels are right there at the top when you google "scary angels". [:D]
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Mr. Mosher, I assure you Jesus is ALWAYS the focus of any sermon I do or would be permitted to do as a seminarian. Thanks for the great reminder, Sir.
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Todd, what a wonderfully thoughtful useful reply (citing Bock).
Glory to God in the Highest...and thank you.
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Dave Moser said:
not sure why I'd make someone other than Jesus the focus of my Christmas sermon.
I read the request differently ... the sermon is using the angels' awe/excitement to highlight/point to the incarnation of Christ/Jesus.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Not sure if this is helpful for a Biblically advanced congregation, but it's one of the first things that came up when I searched for angels NEAR frightening in my Logos Library. You might try that search in yours. Or try angels NEAR (frightening, scary).
DECEMBER 23THE ANGEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT
And the angel said unto them, Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
LUKE 2:10Does it not seem mysterious that God brought the first message of the birth of Jesus to ordinary people rather than to princes and kings? In this instance, God spoke through His holy angel to the shepherds who were keeping sheep in the fields. This was a lowly occupation, so shepherds were not well educated. But Mary in her song, the Magnificat, tells us the true story: “He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away” (Luke 1:52–53). What a word for our generation!
What was the message of the angel to the shepherds? First, he told them not to be afraid. Over and over again the presence of angels was frightening to those to whom they came. But unless they came in judgment, the angels spoke a word of reassurance. They calmed the people to whom they came. This tells us that the appearance of angels is awe-inspiring, something about them awakening fear in the human heart. They represent a presence that has greatness and sends a chill down the spine. But when the angel had quieted the fears of the shepherds, he brought this message: “For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11).
I could preach a dozen sermons on those two verses for they contain so many important theological themes. But note that the angel does not preach the Gospel. Rather, he witnesses to it and demonstrates again the overwhelming concern angels have for it.
The good tidings were that the Savior had come. The people needed somebody who could bring them back into fellowship with God, because the blood of bulls and goats could not do this in any permanent way. But the blood of the Savior could. The angel message was that God had come, redemption was possible, the Lord had visited His people with salvation. What a testimony to the evangel this was!Our Father and our God, I celebrate the glad tidings of the birth of Jesus! Thank You for the testimony of angels who acknowledge and confirm His divinity to faithless people. I treasure above all other things the sweet fellowship I have with You through Your beloved Son, in whom I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: a Daily Devotional (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).0 -
I like your idea. Perhaps you know this already, but I would just like to point out that Luke is contrasting Caesar Augustus who is the most powerful king in the world at that time to Jesus, the vulnerable baby King. Caesar would have lived in a large comfortable palace in the best part of the city. Jesus can’t even get a room at the inn in the countryside and has to stay with the animals. Anything that Caesar wanted he could have at his request. Jesus requires others to provide his basic needs. Caesar’s army was the strongest in the world, and they are protecting him as king. Jesus has an army of God’s angels that appear to the weakest of all guards the shepherds. Caesar conquers the world through violence and physical strength. Jesus conquers the world through love and peace. So you see the “scary angels” are just part of the drama of contrasting these two Kings.
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The weeping Angels were at the top of my thought list when I first saw the thread title. I wouldn't rule out using the idea if it was a means to point to Christ, as the OP has indicated is the intent of the message. Provided the sermon remains Christ centred injecting something from outside the box is worth considering. Using a title like 'Scary Angels' can bring a fresh I interest to the message for the seasoned Christian, and even be something that the unchurched might not be expecting and at least get them thinking about coming to here the Christmas message.
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Doing this around the Feast of Trumpets when He was actually born (September) would be a nifty idea, too.
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Hi Ms. Smith
I liked the direction you went in too and that was more in line with what I would do with the short sermon.
The angels would point to the King of Angels in the end.
I think they unexpectedly and dramatically entered our time and space to those God permitted. Those Shepherds were terrified but they reassured them. The excitement of their news was definitely because of the incarnation. Well done.....your reply reignited this pilot light for me on this sermon.
Perhaps I will mention others (using Logos resources of course) who were also afraid initially but reassured by Angels whose excitement must have been real, overwhelming, and transformational.
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Rosie and Billy Graham - I thank God for you today....you both have landed on precisely where the Sermon needs to go. Others are adding nuances.
You all have correctly identified one or two verses that I would or will use.
Angels cannot be the focus....but they can be the draw and the "exciter" provided Jesus is glorified well, alone, and wonderfully in the end of the message as He should be.
Thanks everyone. Add to this as you like.....and let me know what you find and how you found it in Logos. May God With Us bless you all this HOLY-day season.
joshua
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