Four archangels are named in Jewish and Christian tradition. First is Michael, whose name is a challenge: Mee-ka-el translates "Who is like God?" Uriel is next, meaning "God is light" - not a little candle flame but a great blinding light, like that of lightning, of thunder, of the heavens ripped wide open. Then Gabriel, "strong man of God," wrestles with the likes of Jacob in the field and with father-to-be Zechariah in the valley of his soul. Last is Raphael, "God heals."
They aren't gentle, these biblical angels. They aren't sugar-sweet and dimpled. Not whimsical, not pastel, not soft. One of these winged creatures still guards the entrance to the Garden of Eden. He stands there not simply sternly but with a sword, flashing and brilliant with a burning flame so none of us mere mortals can enter and make our way toward the tree of life.
Several angels appeared to the prophet Isaiah in the temple times of the Old Testament. They, too, were flaming creatures and fearsome, with six wings apiece. They weren't singing but shouting so that Isaiah cried out and the temple shook and was filled with their smoke.
You may think you'd like to see an angel, but you actually wouldn't. Ezekiel saw angelic creatures and they had four fierce faces, four strong wings, hands like a human's and burning coals of fire spitting out lightening from the center of their beings (Ezekiel 1:5-14).
The angel Michael is best known for being the leader of the heavenly army. He defeated the great, red dragon found in the book of Revelation, just before seven lower angels are commanded to go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God - bowls of blood, of earthquakes and of fire (Revelation 12:7-9).
No, no you should not want to meet an angel. They are too bright, too fierce, too wild for men and women to stand. And what's more, their bodies glow with the reflected light of God - a light hot like the sun, too hot for ordinary mortals. Much too dangerous for the likes of you and me.
But what if you were a shepherd, living in the fields around Bethlehem and working the night shift, a little cold that night, a little wild-looking yourself, with your hair uncut, your beard rough, your nails stained with dirt, your sheep huddled around you for warmth? You would have been sleeping, as those on call do, with ears open in case a wolf or human thief should be on the prowl. In that case you'd be up in a flash, feeling for the knife in your cloak to defend your flock with your life.
If you were a shepherd that night near Bethlehem, you would not have been asked if you wanted to see an angel. Just suddenly - one appeared!
We don't really know which one it was: Michael, the challenger? Uriel, God is light? Gabriel, the strong man of God? Or Raphael, God heals? But one angel, suddenly, stood before the shepherds. They were wide awake in a flash, every muscle tensed, the hair on their neck on end!
The funny thing is, the angel might actually have been there all the time. It could be, it could be that we are surrounded by angels much more than we'd really care to know about. This one just appeared, standing, on sturdy legs, and shining with the brightness that is part of those who spend much of their time in the actual presence of God.
And the shepherds were not delighted to see him. No, Luke 2:9 says clearly, "they were terrified." The protective curtain between heaven and earth had been lifted. No, actually, it had been ripped in two, and these shepherds - these mind-your-own-business, a little bit grungy, regular guys - were shocked to their deepest core. Because now they knew: Heaven exists. God is. It's all true.
