Do You Believe in Angels?
Angels at Christmas
by Alison Thurlow (revised, originally published in 2017)
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the angels in the Christmas story as messengers.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Do You Believe in Angels?) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Angels from the realms of glory’ and the means to play it during the assembly. It is 5.02 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/PrLoWt2tfqg
- Optional: you may wish some students to read from the Bible during the ‘Assembly’, Steps 4 and 6, in which case they may need time to rehearse prior to the assembly.
Assembly
- Tell the students that you are going to ask them three questions, and you would like them to consider how they would answer them.
- Do you believe in angels?
- What do you think angels might do?
- What do you think angels might look like?
Optional: you may wish to listen to a range of responses or pause to allow time for discussion. - Many religions talk about angels. Christians believe that angels are God’s special messengers and, in the Christmas story, angels bring special messages to various people.
There are many ways in which we might send someone a message today; in the Christmas story, angels were the messengers who brought very surprising news! - First, an angel called Gabriel appeared to a man called Zechariah to tell him that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby. This was a big surprise because Elizabeth - who was Mary’s cousin - was too old to have children.
- Next, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby sent from God, even though she was a virgin.
Optional: you may wish to ask a student to read the following passage (Luke 1.28-37).
He said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you . . . Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end . . . The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ - A short time after, an angel appeared to Joseph, telling him to marry Mary and look after both her and the baby.
- Some time later, a large number of angels appeared to some shepherds on a hillside outside Bethlehem, announcing that baby Jesus had been born. The shepherds were frightened at first, but after the angels had gone, the shepherds hurried off to find the newborn baby.
Optional: you may wish to ask a student to read the following passage (Luke 2.8-15).
The Bible verses say, ‘And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
‘Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
‘When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”’ - After the wise men had visited Jesus, an angel appeared again to Joseph, telling him that he needed to run away to Egypt because King Herod wanted to harm baby Jesus. Joseph did what the angel said and only returned home after Herod had died, when he was certain that Jesus would be safe.
Time for reflection
We’ve heard how angels played a key role in the Christmas story. Many people have tried to represent the appearance of angels in paintings.
Show Slides 1 and 2.
Both slides depict the angel Gabriel’s visitation to Mary.
- Slide 1 shows The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner.
- Slide 2 shows The Annunciation by John Collier.
Ask the students to consider the paintings and consider which they like best and why.
Show Slides 3-5.
All of these slides depict the angels’ visitation to the shepherds.
- Slide 3 shows The Angel Gabriel Appearing to the Shepherds by Alfred Morgan.
- Slide 4 shows The Annunciation to the Shepherds by Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp.
- Slide 5 shows The Annunciation to the Shepherds by Nicolaes Berchem.
Ask the students to consider the paintings and consider which they like best and why.
Whether we believe in angels or not, they certainly played a key role in the Christmas story. It will be hard to avoid seeing angels decorating Christmas trees and shops in the next few weeks!
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the special message that the angel gave to Mary.
Thank you for sending Jesus into the world.
Please help us to remember Jesus in all of our celebrations this Christmas.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Angels from the realms of glory’, available at: https://youtu.be/PrLoWt2tfqg (5.02 minutes long)
