These two verses are about an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream. I have never seen an angel. But I think it would be very frightening. Usually, in scripture, when an angel comes to a person, the angel says, “Don’t be afraid.” So it seems that they must be powerful looking and awesome.

This was the third time, however, that Joseph had been approached by an angel. I don’t usually remember my dreams. But I think I would remember this one! God speaks to us in numbers of ways, but he had a special message for Joseph through a dream. It was a message of direction and of hope.

It was a message of direction because Joseph and Mary were temporarily “stuck” a long way from home in Egypt in order to protect Jesus. Now they knew they could return to their homeland and resume their lives in a familiar setting. It was a message of hope. Since they were far away in Egypt, they may not have known anything about the death of the terrible man, Herod. Joseph and Mary may have felt abandoned for a while. Or, to use a popular expression, they may have felt “marginalized.” But now the mighty angel came to them. God was with them. His hand of protection was on them and they were still part of His plan.

I do not expect an angel to speak to me today. But his message to Joseph is still one I can cling to today. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, the plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The angel in the Nativity reminds us that in a complex and sometimes frightening world, God is still in control. He protects us and His Son is our hope.