The Angel’s Mass (A Christmas Story)

Oh, yes, Heaven was quite atwitter!  Anticipation was high mind you, that night so long ago. But not just anticipation, there was also some consternation and even a bit of apprehension and concern amongst the Angels.  And with good cause you might say.  After all, their Captain was no longer seated on His throne. In fact he had gone missing!  Some sort of “secret mission.”  But still, it had been 9 long months since they had seen or heard from Him.  And, well, they couldn’t just march up to God and say, “uh, excuse me Sir, but your Son, our Captain, we seem to have lost Him… and don’t know where to find him, could you please clue us in?”  No, that wouldn’t do at all.  And they couldn’t very well say, “Do YOU KNOW where your Son is?”  He was, after all, “GOD”, you know, the all-knowing One. So, obviously, He MUST know, but they still couldn’t quite grasp this secret mission that He had sent Him on.

As a matter of fact, let’s listen in on some of their conversation.  I am sure it will be quite enlightening to see all this from an Angel’s viewpoint, wouldn’t you think?

“Gabriel, tell us one more time, about your assignment that sent you down to earth to that place, what was it called again?

“Nazareth! It is called Nazareth. How many times do I have to tell you boys?” Gabriel sighed.  For if the truth be known, even though he had recited it to them half a dozen times or more, he still didn’t quite understand it himself!  Gabriel was the High Messenger.  He took orders directly from the top and carried highly classified documents with special announcements attached.  He had been dispatched one day about nine months ago, to earth, with a highly unusual message.  The person he had been sent to was a young Jewish girl by the name of Mary. Very sweet and pure Mary was, but also very strong and with a passionate disposition about many things, including serving God.  It seemed just like yesterday when he had come into her room…  

“Gabriel, you’ve got that look in your eyes again!”  The other angels said, interrupting his reverie.  “Don’t just think about it, TELL US about it again, please!” they wheedled.

 After all, Gabriel, and possibly Michael the Head Warrior Angel, were the last ones to have seen Jesus, before He disappeared.  Imagine!  How could He just take off, and not take all of them with Him?  They always went on assignments, with Him leading the way.  Now all of a sudden He’d gone solo on them. 

"Well," Gabriel said, "it was like this,  I was summoned to the Throne Room.  When I got there God and Son were talking, so I stood respectfully at a distance, until they motioned for me to come closer.  But even though they spoke in hushed tones, I could still hear some of what was being said." 

“And, what exactly was said,” the others coaxed? Well, they were discussing architecture. What? What do you mean architecture, the others queried?  Seems, Gabe had failed to mention this in his previous recountings.  Well, they were talking about the Foundation laid before the beginning of time… and the time had come. Time for what, they all wondered?  Well, guys, Gabriel said, when we lay foundations in Heaven, we are usually building a house, a mansion of some kind. Oh! So, God is building a house? What kind of a house? And who was going to live in it? God was going to move to earth to live? They were all speculating, what could this all mean?  Gabriel, tell us again the message and what you saw there in Mary’s room.  Oh and Michael please stay and fill in your part of the story, like you promised to do when the “time was right.” Since we are all on “high alert” we figure the time must be right! Go ahead Gabe, tell us!  

Well, let me back up just a bit.  First, I was sent to the house of Zacharias the Priest. I delivered wonderful news to him that he and his wife's barrenness would be no more!  I actually gave this joyful news to him in the temple while he was serving his turn before the Mercy seat.  Such happiness was in my heart to tell him that THEY, both him and Elisabeth had found mercy and favor and were part of a great Plan to bring Salvation to not just Israel, but the whole world,  Gentiles included! Their son was going to introduce this One that was coming.  So, I gave the Old Priest the news. Trouble was, Zacharias didn’t BELIEVE me!  And so I was forced to do something drastic!  I had to think quickly, so I made him mute for the next span of time. That way, he couldn’t’ go talking doubt and unbelief and talk himself out of the miracle. 

Then, when Elisabeth was 6 months into her pregnancy, I was once again summoned to deliver another message.  I had checked on Elisabeth from time to time, keeping a watchful eye on how my proclamation to them was progressing.  She was nicely rounded, and faring along well for someone who was in her upper years and having their first child.

So, upon entering the throne room, they were in deep communion with each other, about this "lamb" being prepared before the Foundation of the world. And upon this foundation everything would lie.  Jesus looked very solemn and God himself seemed quite in pain. He was saying something about, “My Creation…”  Michael, what do you make of that?

"Well," Michael began,  "I was there when God created everything. I watched as He and Jesus and Holy Spirit planned it all.   They were quite animated and took such delight in all of it.  Holy Spirit was sent to hover upon the face of the deep, even as a mother hen would cover and hover over her chicks, brooding until they were formed and hatched, hardly ever leaving the nest. I watched as God spoke and His very words sent energy hurling forward at a tremendous speed, to accomplish exactly what He has said. “Light BE,” and His words traveled forth and burst into a thousand pinpricks of light illuminating everything with His own Light that is within Himself.   But when it came to forming man, well let me tell you, all I can say is, “What is this man that He is so mindful of him?”  He bent over the dust and began to work with His hands, and there was such a look of tenderness and love all over His face and then joy and exultation when He was finished!  And as He formed and molded that clay, He was singing!  When Jeremiah penned those words, I knew he had tapped into the Holy Spirit, because how else would he have known that God the Creator sings over them?  But let me get back to nine months ago.

So Gabriel was dispatched with His message, and I was also summoned and dispatched with an assignment of my own. Let Gabriel tell you his part, then I will tell you mine, now that the time is almost upon them, (nodding towards Earth and Mary and Joseph) I can tell you my part. Go ahead Gabriel.

Thanks Michael. So God says, I have an important assignment for you today Gabriel.  Well, I thought, this isn’t anything new. All Your assignments are important God and I always complete them just as you ask!  But when He told me the details, I realized that all other assignments paled in the complexity and immensity of this one assignment!  

 He said, “You see this young girl?”  And he waved and Nazareth appeared and there was Mary going about her daily chores, singing praises to God and moving gracefully and cheerfully through her day. I want you to go tell her something for us.  Oh, and Holy Spirit is going to accompany you.  “Holy Spirit is going to be part of this?!! Wow! What kind of message is this, God? “ One, that will change the world, Gabriel, One that will change the world.  Especially her world for starters.  First hers, and her dear fiancé, Joseph-who is soon to be her husband.   It’s going to rock their little world.  But I know I can count on you to explain things to them and Holy Spirit will help them understand.  I have chosen her from among all the women in Israel to give birth to the Messiah.  Emmanuel, God IS with them!  Go tell her she is highly favored and I AM with her.  And that she shall name Him Jesus. And He shall be their Saviour. 

“Oh, I see God, you are going to name him after your son! “  No, Gabriel, she is going to give Birth to My Son!  “Okay God, please explain this to me, because she is surely going to ask me, “How can this be?!” Jesus is here with you, how is she going to give birth to Him? And besides, she is a virgin!”  Yes, I know that Gabriel. Don’t you remember the prophecy? I’ve been painting this picture for a long time… it is time to unveil my masterpiece.  In the ages to come, they will come to call this event, “Christmas.” Because it will be a Celebration, indeed a Mass to remember and point to the moment in time, when God became man and stepped out of Eternity into the confines of time and space and matter and took on the frail shell of humanity and walked among them. 

You mean that Jesus is leaving Heaven and going down there?!  Yes, Gabriel that is exactly what we mean. This was coming now, from Jesus Himself to me. “Yes sir,” I said. “But HOW are you going to do this?”

Just leave that to Me, Jesus said. Go now, and I am coming right behind you.  You are?  I was totally blown out of kilter, trying to comprehend all this!   So, I flew down to earth and brought the announcement to Mary.  She was totally overwhelmed as you might well imagine!  Bless her heart, the message I gave her was much more enormous than the one I had to give to Zacharias. But, do you know, she never balked?  She trembled at my greeting and was startled.  But she never once doubted, she only asked me “How can this be, since I have known no man?”  Obviously, we were talking out of the realm of the ordinary, and she knew that.  So she naturally, wanted to know how this thing would happen since she only knew how it normally happened! 

 I said to her, “Be not afraid Mary.  The Holy Spirit of God will over shadow you and His very Presence will indwell and that conception that takes place in the brightness and intimacy of His Glory covering you, will be a Holy, pure thing. And the child will be His child in you.  A Holy offspring, you are partnering with God to conceive a God-man that will take away the sins of the world!”  And then she gave her consent. And the Holy Spirit’s Presence flooded that room.  I could not look, it was so intimate and beautiful, I could only bow my head in awe.

Jesus said He was right behind me, but I never saw Him.  Michael, you said you were summoned just after me, what happened? Where did Jesus go?  Michael picked up the story: “I came into the throne room at Their summons. Jesus stood up. God and Son embraced. Then Jesus took off His crown and sat it on the seat of His Throne.  He turned and said, “I’ll be back Father when it is finished.”  And then He said, Michael, I want you to accompany Me.  Except that at one point I am going to become no longer as you see me, a spirit being. I will become molecules and atoms and I will be summoned into Mary’s womb by The Holy Spirit at her conception. I am laying down all my powers as God, and I am limiting myself to the constraints of Humanity.  Therefore, you will be my Guardian Angel to protect Me, when I cannot defend or protect Myself.  You and Holy Spirit will be my only link to Heaven Michael.  Can I count on you?”

What could I say?  Here was my Creator, my Master, now putting Himself into a form I could not conceive of in my wildest thoughts!  A human?!! And not just a grown up human, but an embryo! An embryo that would grow and become a baby!  Jesus was going down to earth to become a baby. That is where he has been for the past 9 months;  in Mary’s womb.

And that brings us to tonight fellas!  You must be ready to go at a moment’s notice.  Because the gestation time for a human baby is nine months. And that time is now up.  Jesus- Captain of the Angel Armies, Creator of Heaven and Earth, is about to be born of a virgin!  And I for one can’t wait to see what He looks like!  

Come on Gabriel, let’s go! Gotta make sure, everything is prepared.  I don’t know why, but God says that He must be born in a cave that has been turned into a stable.  Of course, lambs are kept in the stable to keep them safe and warm and the choicest first born ones are chosen for the sacrifice.  So they are treated special, with extra care.  I wonder what kind of care these humans will give to Jesus?  Letting him be born in a stable, doesn’t seem very welcoming to me!

Don’t worry Michael, Joseph and Mary are fine young folks.  They are really very special.  They will care for Jesus and love Him with all their hearts.  God wouldn’t have chosen just anyone, you know!  Oh, and Michael, do you know who we have been assigned to tell?  We are going to make this grand announcement to the shepherds in the fields! Imagine that! Shepherds! Strange choice to make the announcement to, but that is the way They wanted it. The lowly shepherds will be the first to know.   I have my celestial choir all tuned up and we are ready to burst into song!  The hills will be blazing with the radiance of God’s Glory shining all around us as we sing.  Oh it will be so good to see Jesus again even if He is a baby!  There’s been no other baby, like this one being born tonight! Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest!