It is our joy (and burden) to live in an age of multiple means of communication. You can get your thoughts to another person through speech, handwritten note, snail mail, e-mail, tweet, social media, text, and phone call.

It pleases God to reveal information to people in quite a variety of ways as well—the spoken word directly, prophet spokesmen and women, dreams, and written text. Once he had a miraculous, mysterious hand write a message on a wall. He also liked to use angels on really significant occasions. In fact, that’s what their name means—the Greek word from which angel comes from (ággelos) means “messenger.”

The very first words spoken as the New Testament era dawned were from one of these heavenly messengers to a priest on duty in the temple: “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John’” (Luke 1:11-13). That special son would be charged with nothing less than the ministry of preparing the entire world for the coming of the Savior in human flesh.

Pay attention to these angelic visitors. Their words are for you too.