The Christmas Angel

This is another tradition within my family that I wanted to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy this, and see the REAL meaning of Christmas.

On the night Jesus was to be born, all of Heaven was busy with the preparations, but God had one final task that needed to be done. This was an important task, and He needed someone that could not only be faithful, but also humble. He called an angel over to him, that was only a child by our standards, and his name was Nicholas. He was having doubts about his place as one of God's angels, and felt that the others treated him differently because he was so small. Upon hearing that God wanted to speak with him, Nicholas was concerned over what this was about. He had not been around long, and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't late. When he arrived before the Lord, he immediately felt at ease, and the Lord let him know that He had an important task for him that night. "Nicholas", God gently said, "I have a very special job for you tonight." The Lord smiled, and said, "As you know, tonight My Son is being born, and there is one thing that needs to be taken care of tonight. There are some shepherds in the fields just outside the city of Bethlehem, and I have chosen them to hear the news. Tonight, I have chosen you Nicholas, to make this important announcement. Nicholas' eyes widened with awe and surprise. He was honored to be the messenger of the Savior's birth, but he was also very nervous. Nicholas asked, "Lord, I'm rather new at this. I don't feel like I'm worthy of doing this because I'm so small. This is a very big undertaking, and I don't know if I can do this. What if I make a mistake? What do I say?" The Lord gently calmed the little angel down and assured him that he would do just fine. He further said, that all he had to do was simply trust Him, and He would give the little angel the words to say. Nicholas then humbly said, "Very well, Lord, I'll trust you." With a tearful thank you, little Nicholas went about to do the important task the heavenly Father had for him.
He then went down to earth, to make his announcement, and as he did, the shepherds became very frightened, so he asked the Lord to give him the courage to say the words that He wanted him to say. As he opened his mouth, he said the following: "Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And it shall be a sign unto you that ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger." With tears in his eyes, he watched with joy, as the heavenly choir sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men."
After he had appeared to the shepherds, little Nicholas came back to Heaven without making a scene, but God had other plans. The Lord and all the angels of heaven gathered around to congratulate the little angel who had so eloquently and passionately announced the birth of the Son of God!! The Lord Himself thanked Nicholas, stating that what he had done tonight was important, and that it would be remembered throughout history. Little Nicholas thanked the Lord, standing there with tears in his eyes again, because he then realized that even though he was small, his service to the Lord truly mattered.
Throughout the years, the story of the Christmas Angel and the Savior’s birth, became widespread thanks to the shepherds. But like all aspects of this night, the story was changed to suit what other people thought Christmas should be. In their attempt to make it the way they wanted it, they focused more on the angel than the Savior, because they wanted to leave God out of the picture. They turned the angel into Santa Claus, so they could celebrate this special day, and not have to acknowledge Jesus at all. Despite all attempts to do so, the facts are still clear; it’s Jesus that makes Christmas special. However, there was an angel who made sure the world knew!! To this day this angel continues to proclaim the birth of Christ, and remind us, that Jesus IS the reason for the season!! WILL YOU?

Merry Christmas!!!