Our Guardian God

Angels are very prominent in the Christmas story and in the celebration of Christmas.  They’re prominent in the Bible’s narratives regarding Jesus’ birth in that they make announcements to Joseph (Matthew 1) and Mary (Luke 1) and to shepherds (Luke 2).  They’re also prominent in the celebration of Christmas as we know it in the modern era.  Just look at the pictures that adorn the front of Christmas cards.  Note the lyrics of Christmas carols.  Notice the decorations on front lawns and you’ll see angels included quite often.

Christmas season or not, many people like angels.  Many people especially like the thought of a personal, guardian angel.  Many like to think about, “my angel watching over me.”  I suppose it’s comforting to think of a heavenly being with no other assignment, no other purpose, nothing else to do than to watch over little ole me.  It’s not in the Bible, though there is something close to that in Matthew 18:10 (… their angels…).

But what if there was a time when every person on earth did have a personal, guardian angel.  What if there was a time when the population of the earth was such that there were enough angels to go around, so everyone on earth could have an angel of their very own.  But what if there are a fixed number of angels?  What if there were a certain number of angels created in the beginning and there aren’t more being added as time goes by?  What if, as the population of the earth grew, there came a time when there were no longer enough angels to go around?  And what if God decided that that predicament wouldn’t lead to a worse thing, but to a better thing?  After all, that seems to be the way God works.  So what if God determined that the better thing would be that rather than everyone having a personal angel, a personal representative of God, they would instead have a personal God?  What if God determined the improvement this predicament would usher in would be that in the Spirit God would spread Himself around and be with every person, everywhere, all the time?

That string of events isn’t in the Bible, but in this Christmas season it’s good to remember that what is in the Bible is that the Savior born unto us is introduced in Matthew’s gospel as Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23).  Better than angels (Hebrews 1:4-14) is the personal guardian of your soul (1 Peter 2:25), who says, “Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).