On this final night of Advent, the world holds its breath. The waiting has thinned to a whisper, and into that holy hush comes the angel.
In Scripture, angels rarely arrive gently. Their first word is often “Do not be afraid.” Not because fear is foolish, but because what is about to happen will undo what we think is possible. Angels appear when heaven presses close to earth—when God’s purposes can no longer remain unseen.
In 2025, we know what it means to live with constant alerts, warnings, and noise. We are surrounded by messages that inflame fear, urgency, and division. Against that backdrop, the angel’s message feels almost subversive: peace, good news, great joy for all people. The angel does not shout over the chaos; it speaks truth into it. Not denial, not escape—but assurance that God is still at work, even here.
Angels are messengers, not the message itself. They do not draw attention to their own brilliance but point beyond themselves to a child wrapped in cloth, lying in a feeding trough. Glory delivered through vulnerability. Hope born into the ordinary. Salvation announced not in palaces but to shepherds working the night shift. The angel reminds us that God’s most world-changing work often arrives quietly, carried by trust rather than spectacle.
Tonight, the angel’s voice asks us a question: What message do we need to hear as Christ is about to be born again among us? Perhaps it is reassurance when the future feels uncertain. Perhaps it is courage to believe that love can still interrupt violence, that light can still pierce fatigue, that God’s promises have not expired.
As Advent gives way to Christmas, we are invited to become angel-bearers ourselves—not winged, but willing. Speaking peace where fear dominates. Naming hope where despair has settled in. Pointing, again and again, to the presence of God-with-us.
On this holy night, may we listen for the angel’s message—not only in the sky, but in the quiet places of our hearts. And may we be unafraid to receive the good news: Christ is near. Christ is coming. Christ is here.
Inner Altar 