ANGELS WITHOUT WINGING OR SINGING
Our Christmas celebration is peppered with things that aren’t true. I don’t mean Santa Claus, elves, and flying reindeer. I mean the things that we think of as the biblical, Christian, and religious elements of our Christmas celebrations.
The second verse of “The First Noel” depicts the shepherds seeing the star of Bethlehem. The same stanza says the star “continued” to shine “both day and night”. The gospels don’t say any of this. Whatever the star was, it wasn’t conspicuous enough for Herod to notice it (Matthew 2.7)!
Some carols (and our nativity scenes) depict the wise men visiting Jesus as a newborn in the manger. But Matthew says they visited Jesus in “the house” (Matthew 2.11). Given that Herod ordered all children under two years old to be murdered when the Magi didn’t return with Jesus’ location, Jesus may have been a toddler by the time the wise men arrived!
Some carols depict farm animals surrounding Jesus in the stable. The gospels do not mention any animals – not even the donkey that we were certain Mary rode to Bethlehem! In fact, the gospels don’t even mention a stable!!!
Many carols present the angels as “winging and singing” in the sky. But nothing in the gospels suggests the angels had wings. Angels are depicted in prophetic visions (like those in Isaiah or Ezekiel) as strange-looking creatures with wings. But when angels appear to people, the angels look like ordinary human beings.
The gospel also never says the angels appeared in the sky. They are called “the heavenly host” – which means they are the army from heaven, not that they appeared in the sky. The gospel says that when they left the shepherds, the angels went into the sky, inferring that they had not been in the sky when they appeared.
Finally, the gospels never say that the angels sang anything. Luke says the angels praised God and then records what they said – not what they sang.
Well, there goes about half of the Christmas carols in our hymnal!
What are we to make of this? Have we been deceived? Have we been lied to? Do we need to throw away these traditions, refuse to sing these carols, and refuse to dress our children up for Christmas programs in white costumes with wings and haloes – lest we lead them into perdition?
Nah.
But I’ll have to explain my reasoning next week...
The second verse of “The First Noel” depicts the shepherds seeing the star of Bethlehem. The same stanza says the star “continued” to shine “both day and night”. The gospels don’t say any of this. Whatever the star was, it wasn’t conspicuous enough for Herod to notice it (Matthew 2.7)!
Some carols (and our nativity scenes) depict the wise men visiting Jesus as a newborn in the manger. But Matthew says they visited Jesus in “the house” (Matthew 2.11). Given that Herod ordered all children under two years old to be murdered when the Magi didn’t return with Jesus’ location, Jesus may have been a toddler by the time the wise men arrived!
Some carols depict farm animals surrounding Jesus in the stable. The gospels do not mention any animals – not even the donkey that we were certain Mary rode to Bethlehem! In fact, the gospels don’t even mention a stable!!!
Many carols present the angels as “winging and singing” in the sky. But nothing in the gospels suggests the angels had wings. Angels are depicted in prophetic visions (like those in Isaiah or Ezekiel) as strange-looking creatures with wings. But when angels appear to people, the angels look like ordinary human beings.
The gospel also never says the angels appeared in the sky. They are called “the heavenly host” – which means they are the army from heaven, not that they appeared in the sky. The gospel says that when they left the shepherds, the angels went into the sky, inferring that they had not been in the sky when they appeared.
Finally, the gospels never say that the angels sang anything. Luke says the angels praised God and then records what they said – not what they sang.
Well, there goes about half of the Christmas carols in our hymnal!
What are we to make of this? Have we been deceived? Have we been lied to? Do we need to throw away these traditions, refuse to sing these carols, and refuse to dress our children up for Christmas programs in white costumes with wings and haloes – lest we lead them into perdition?
Nah.
But I’ll have to explain my reasoning next week...