Hidden Angels…

a Christmas Story

Baruch and Aliza knew that their little son was a gift from God as soon as he was born. They had heard of other ‘invisible angels’ in the past but never dreamed they would have one of their very own. All throughout history these secret messengers of God had roamed throughout the heavens doing work that was seldom noticed, but which had great effect. And especially down on the earth these mysterious messengers had worked wonders amongst the children of God, literally ‘not showing up’ but having a wondrous and beneficial effect whenever and wherever the Spirit of Grace had sent them.

        So, shortly after their little angel child was born they knew he must be called Nistar…literally meaning ‘hidden things or secrets of God’. Now I say ‘shortly after’ the moment he was born, for you see, little Nistar was only invisible when he was calm and at peace. So when he was first born he was anything but invisible! But as soon as he was placed in his mother’s loving arms he calmed down and disappeared from sight altogether.

Astonished, Aliza called Baruch over to see what had happened. They both could feel and touch their child but could not see him at all…so strange, and somehow so wondrous. And so, recounting the tales of ‘hidden angels’ from the past, they knew they had to name him Nistar. Their fervent hope was that when he became old enough he might be able to join in with the community of invisible angels known as God’s League Of Wonder’ or G.L.O.W. for short. These heaven-appointed emissaries of love and mercy went all about through God’s Creation, enabling grace and love to be revealed in unexpected and surprising ways…often without the recipients even knowing they were there, leaving behind only a warm feeling of goodness and hope.

        But that was far into the future. Baruch and Aliza needed to figure out right then and there how to raise their son without being able to see him all the time, even though he was right there in their midst. Talk about ‘tripping hazards’! And in the beginning, they did not know what made their son glow and light up the room other than his being upset. But with time, they realized that whenever Nistar was happy or joyous he glowed the brightest…evidently it was their son’s emotional state in total that determined when or if he would become visible. And when I say that he glowed brightly, I really mean it! It seemed that when Nistar was the most happy or joyful, he literally lit up the room with dazzling light…even the next door neighbors knew when Aliza’s son was in his element!

        And so the early years of Nistar’s life were filled with light…mostly because his parents worked hard to keep him happy and laughing. However, as we all know, there are times, oh yes there are times, when life is less than fun, and Nistar was just like any other youngster when it came to his responses to his parent’s gentle, yet persistent guidance and instruction…in other words, they were very much able to see their son most of the time…and not always for reasons they were happy about.

        But little Nistar’s life was about to get a bit more complicated, as he became old enough to attend Young Angels Training School, where he first encountered other angels his own age. Now, going off to school was very exciting for Nistar, so much so that for the first few weeks or so, he glowed brightly all day long. The other angels found his bright and glowing nature a bit annoying, but did not think much about it.

        After a few weeks or so however a couple of things came together which resulted in making the little invisible angel’s life much more interesting…and much more difficult. The first of these was that he became much more at peace in the classroom as he settled into the daily routine, a routine that was regular but not stressful or exciting. And the second thing was that Nistar became very aware that by controlling his emotions, he could actually determine when he wanted to be visible and when he would rather disappear.

        Which may seem like no big deal, but the first time he started to fade away in class, the other little angels immediately took notice. And, being not unlike their human counterparts, they were both jealous of Nistar’s special ability, and at times, not very nice or welcoming towards anyone who was different than themselves.

Now the teacher knew of Nistar’s special gift and took pains to ensure that her young charge was treated with all due respect and kindness. She knew that his early years were going to be challenging as the young angel grew into his talent and eventually into his calling as a special envoy of God. However, in spite of the Teacher’s warnings, the other angels in Nistar’s class found plenty of opportunities to tease their classmate, much of which made him mad and caused him to glow even brighter, which of course made them tease him all the more.

And it wasn’t too long before mean little nicknames cropped up as his classmates called out, ‘Hey Flash’, or ‘Good Morning, Your Brightness’, to name a couple of the less offensive ones! Some even started calling out his name as evening fell and the shadows lengthened…loudly asking where their ‘nightlight’ was…oh well, for a while it was a tough go for the little invisible angel. Not too unlike the treatment a fabled little reindeer suffered in our own times I suppose.

Unless, unless he was all by himself and not too excited…at those times he felt free to roam around and enjoy close up looks at things no one else was often able to see, beautiful scenes of multicolored hummingbirds in their nests, or butterflies just beginning to emerge from their cocoons as they first flexed their rainbow wings and took flight.

Fortunately, in spite of all the teasing from his peers, Nistar had also mastered the ability to control his emotions pretty well, so that when it got real bad, he could just disappear, which of course made his classmates even more jealous and even more determined to single him out as ‘definitely not one of them’.

And so our little angel suffered his way through his early years, alternatively showing up, or fading away as the occasion called for. And all the while, his parents suffered along with him, for they knew the challenges their son had to face each day. With time however, they became friends with the parents of other invisible angel children, and together they arranged for their children to get together in a supportive environment. And you can hardly imagine the laughter they shared as they watched their children play together in a spirited game of hide and seek!

And still Baruch and Aliza held out hope that one day God would see fit to call little Nistar into heavenly service, for that was truly something they could be proud of. And surprisingly they did not have to wait as long as they thought they might. One cold winter’s evening they heard a soft knock on the door and upon opening it they saw an angel dressed in a fine and flowing white robe. At first they did not recognize him, but on closer look realized it was Gabriel, the most renowned of God’s messenger angels.

‘Excuse me Baruch and Aliza, but would you be so kind as to let me come in and speak with you for a moment? I have a very important favor to ask of you’, began Gabriel. Embarrassed for not already asking the angel inside, Aliza quickly said, ‘Of course, of course, please do come in Gabriel. We were not expecting anyone tonight, but we are so humbled to welcome you into our home.’ ‘Thank you Aliza’, said Gabriel. ‘As I mentioned, I have come to ask about your son Nistar, to see whether you might permit him to accompany me on a special mission this evening’.

Surprised at the request, and somewhat concerned at the lateness of the hour and the cold of the night, Baruch at first hesitated. Sensing her husband’s hesitation, but so anxious for her child to be of service to the Lord, Aliza quickly spoke. ‘Of course we would be honored to be of service to our Lord Gabriel. But how can our son help you on such a cold and dark night as this’? Which of course made her wince as she said it, for what other use could a super bright little angel have than providing ‘light’ on a dark and cold winter’s night?

Undeterred, Gabriel continued, ‘ I have been sent to you by our Lord tonight for several reasons. And the first is to commend you for the grace and love with which you have raised your son. Ensuring that his inner light has never diminished and that he is in such careful control of when he is and is not able to be seen’.

Which of course was nice to hear, but it did not really answer exactly why they were chosen for this evening’s visit. And the way Gabriel answered did not really allay Baruch’s earlier concerns either. ‘And the second reason’, Gabriel continued, ‘is that there is a need this night for a really bright light to accompany the Heavenly Choir to a remote little town in Judea, in order to light up the night sky, both to allow the choir to read their music, as well as to provide a great show to the audience in the fields below. We have been practicing for this night for centuries and everything must be just right to be sure our Lord’s message is both seen and believed. And the Lord feels that your son Nistar is the best little angel to do this for Him. He has been watching him since he was born, and having him help out tonight was in the plan from the very start. Now, our Lord won’t be there with us tonight, but I will be sure to keep a close eye on Nistar and get him back to you safe and sound as soon as it is over.

Amazed and greatly humbled by the angel’s words, Baruch and Aliza both began to speak at once. Aliza first began to blurt out, ‘Of course…’, while Baruch , still cautious, began with, ‘just who is this choir singing for? And why does it have to be on a night such as this’? Obviously Baruch’s query was a bit more long-winded, and so his was the question Gabriel responded to. ‘Well, that is a good question, Baruch. You see, it seems that our Lord has gone a bit off script, at least in our opinion, and has decided to present our angelic concert to a bunch of shepherds out on the hills above the town of Bethlehem. We think it is a bit anticlimactic, but that was what we were asked to do. And as Bethlehem is such a small town, there won’t be any noticeable light coming up into the sky from there, so we really do need a bright angel like little Nistar to help us pull this off’.

Surprised, confused, and yet still somehow excited at Gabriel’s request, Nistar’s parents still hesitated for just a moment. However, determined to have her son enter into the Lord’s service, Aliza spoke up first. ‘Of course Gabriel…’.

‘YES, I WANT TO GO!’, exclaimed Nistar loudly. He had heard the Angel’s knock on the door and had calmly walked downstairs where he listened quietly…totally invisible as he tried to understand what this all meant. However, sensing his parent’s hesitation, he decided all on his own that he definitely wanted to go along with Gabriel on what sounded like such a grand adventure. Of course, the fact that the audience was just a bunch of shepherds did not faze him one bit, for he did not yet know of their colorful reputation.

His loud exclamation however revealed just how excited he had become and the room immediately filled up with a light so bright, the others had to shield their eyes for a moment until they adjusted. Seeing their son’s excitement and determination, both Baruch and Aliza realized that this was the moment they had prayed for all along, and so they told Gabriel to take good care of their son, as Gabriel and Nistar made their way out into the dark of night.

Quickly the two made their way over to the concert hall where the angelic choir was going through some last minute practice and warm ups. After a brief introduction they all filed out and began to make their way over the hills to a dark little hillside above the City of David. Gabriel had cautioned Nistar to keep his emotions in check as they approached, telling him he would give him a heads up when they needed him to shine his brightest.

And then, just as the clock struck midnight down in the fields below, the Angelic Choir Director picked up his baton, and raised his hands in the air. ‘Now Nistar, now!, whispered Gabriel to his little, still invisible charge. And with that, Nistar became so excited that the whole sky literally lit up as his special gift illuminated everything…allowing the choir to see their music, and bathing the fields below with a brilliant white light…especially surprising the half dozen or so unkempt shepherds watching over their flocks below.

And you would have thought that the little angel’s light could not get any brighter, but as he listened to the words of the angel’s song, he began to sense just how wondrous this moment really was. He realized that he had been asked to be a part of the fulfillment of a promise made ages before to God’s people on the earth below…a promise that he would send to them a Savior who would bring them all into an awareness of the vast extent and beauty of God’s intense and amazing love for them.

And then, just as quickly as it began, the choir’s song finished and Gabriel again whispered to Nistar, ‘Okay, calm down son, turn off the light! It’s time for the shepherds to ponder and wonder about all they have seen, and then to go down into Bethlehem.’ Doing just as Gabriel asked, Nistar then turned to Gabriel to ask if he had done alright, only to realize that he was completely alone there…invisible once again, and hovering in the now quite dark night above sleepy little Bethlehem.

Not knowing what to do at all, and surprised that Gabriel seemed to have abandoned him after promising his parents that he would take care of him, Nistar turned his attention to the shepherds below and was surprised to see them hurrying off down the hill towards Bethlehem, led by a young shepherd boy who looked to be as young as he was. In a moment, Nistar decided to follow them in order to see where they were headed, and so, swooping down close behind them and being careful to remain calm so as not to reveal his presence, he traveled along with the Shepherds until they stopped at the entrance to a little stable on the outskirts of the town.

As he was still invisible, Nistar made his way carefully into the tiny little stable where he was amazed to see a little baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a rough-hewn manger. In a flash, (yes, pun intended!) Nistar realized who this was and was not able to contain his excitement. Immediately the little stable was overfilled with the most amazing bright light, dazzling all who were there…other than the baby’s mother, who it seemed was not at all surprised that grace such as this would shine down on her little boy.

As they all stood there, now surrounded by a brightness as of noonday, the shepherds excitedly began to tell the young parents of the baby of their strange encounter out on the hillside, of the huge choir of angels, and of the angel’s amazing tale of a Savior who was Christ the Lord…one whom they said could be found in the town below. But most of all the shepherds were amazed at the brilliance of the light that had fallen on them out there, the same light which seemed to be present once again inside the little stable…a coincidence that convinced them that the promise of the angel choir was true indeed.

And so, after they had finished telling their tale, the shepherds said to one another, ‘We must go out and tell the whole world of this night! We are so blessed to have witnessed the glory of God! Let us go and share the wonders of this night!’

And with that the shepherds departed and Nistar was left all alone there in the stable. Wanting to stay, and yet, also wanting to go home to share this amazing night with his mom and dad, Nistar was not sure what to do. Suddenly, Gabriel appeared in the doorway and motioned for Nistar to come outside. Looking around, the little angel, now fading into invisibility went outside where Gabriel said to him, ‘Come my little one, it is time for you to go home’. ‘But I want to stay and keep the light on the little baby’, protested Nistar. ‘Look back inside Nistar’, Gabriel whispered. And turning around Nistar saw that indeed the stable was still bathed in bright light, just as it had been when he was in there. Turning and looking questioningly at Gabriel, the angel told him, ‘My son, you were so bright tonight, that the stable will glow for a long time…and eventually, the baby himself will begin to provide light for the whole world to see…come let us get you home.

And with that, the two angels flew off once again towards the heavenly places, both of them knowing that indeed this was a night to be remembered for all time.

And you know…those little invisible messengers of God’s grace are still around today…in fact, anytime you see or even feel the slightest warmth of a light that you just cannot explain, think of that little angel..he just might have been sent to you!

…amen

Merry Christmas!

2024