Why the Angels Worshipped at Christ's Birth

Ever see a frightening angel in a nativity scene? Or in any scene for that matter? They're always portrayed as cute and gentle and beautiful.

But biblically speaking, angels were frightful creatures, not because they were frightening to look at, but because of the strangeness of an encounter with a heavenly being. The most common response, throughout the Bible, to such an encounter with a angel was FEAR! Nearly every episode resulted in the human falling prostrate on the ground! Thus, we hear the frequent refrain, "Fear not."

Clearly, angels are not to be taken lightly.

Such was the case when the angels visited a group of shepherds tending their flocks on the night of Jesus Christ’s birth. Those shepherds trembled with fear. And the angel appropriately said to them, "Fear not." Then, those messengers of God delivered the most amazing message.

The Christ, the Messiah, had been born that very day—see Luke 2:8-14

The response of the angels, the very messengers of the good news, is instructive as we move into another Christmas season, because upon delivering their message, they worshiped GOD—not just because of who He is, but because of what he had done and why He did it.

So as we draw into the Christmas season, remember the right response to the Christmas story isn't, ‘how cute are the angels’, but, ‘how Good is GOD’

A.W. Tozer: Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the Cross, and rose from the grave to make worshipers out of rebels