One of my favorite things to do when visiting friends at Christmas is to look at their nativity sets. Each nativity set is different, depending on who made it and in what culture. They all have baby Jesus at the center, but some also have donkeys, sheep, wise men, and shepherds. And some even have angels.Angels in nativity sets are usually very ornate, with long hair, and long white gowns. Sometimes they have halos; sometimes they have wings. But they always look at peace, and none of the other figures ever seem surprised to see them.

But can you imagine what it was like seeing the angels in the sky the night Jesus was born? It must have been terrifying. Can you imagine the shock of the shepherds? They had definitely never seen anything like those angels lighting up the sky. No wonder the angels’ first line to them was “Fear not!” They needed the shepherds to not be afraid, because they had a message to pass along. That was the job of the angels: they were the messengers bringing the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

The angels brought the good news that first Christmas, and now it’s our job. Like the angels, we need to help people move from fear to joy. The world can be a scary place, but knowing Christ keeps us joyful. Let’s be messengers of joy this Christmas, sharing Jesus with all we meet. 

This is Luis Palau.