Each year at Christmastime, my family would act out the Nativity story. I am the second of 12 children, so every couple of years a new sibling would join the family and stand in for the baby Jesus.
One year, when I was around 10 years old, it was my turn to be an angel. I proudly wore my mom’s long white wedding dress and took my role very seriously — almost too seriously, when I scolded one of my younger brothers for not paying attention as our dad read from the scriptures.
Since that brother was playing the role of Joseph, and my dad was reading Matthew 1:20 — where the angel talks to Joseph in a dream — the moment technically worked. Still, my parents used the opportunity to teach me more about how angels might behave.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, Luke 2 tells us that “the glory of the Lord shone round about them.” More angels arrived, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
The angel told the shepherds where to find Jesus Christ. And the shepherds went to see Him.
President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said in his October 2008 general conference talk, “The Ministry of Angels,” that throughout time, God has sent angels to bless His children.
But miracles have not ceased (see Moroni 7:29). Angels are still sent to help us today.
“When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil,” President Holland said. “Some of them we walk with and talk with — here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods.”
In 2023, the Light the World initiative from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took over Times Square in New York City for a night. When the billboards lit up with the Nativity story, many people were particularly drawn to the images of angels. On social media, people commented how grateful they were to see angels of all ages and ethnicities — angels who looked like them.
Now, in 2024, the Light the World theme is “Be someone’s angel.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said when the Light the World initiative began, its intention was to help people feel the love of the Savior as they approach the Christmas season.
“The angel in Luke 2 declared, ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’ This message rings as true today as it did over 2,000 years ago,” Elder Stevenson said in November at the launch of the Light the World Giving Machines.
At the same event, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson outlined how the Giving Machines and Light the World bring people to the Savior.
“How do we receive the Savior’s relief? By giving His relief to others. I can say that with confidence because it is the case for me,” she said. “How can I feel the love of Jesus Christ? By doing something for someone else.”
The new Light the World video from 2024, titled “A Worldwide Celebration of Jesus Christ’s Birth,” has scenes from all over the world where the Nativity story was projected onto buildings, billboards and walls, just like in Times Square. Words on the screen say, “Angels declared it to the world.”
A series of short videos on LightTheWorld.org and on the Church’s social media accounts feature people around the world talking about angels — real-life angels around them every day such as grandparents, siblings, neighbors and friends. During December, others can take a moment to recognize those angels around them, too.
Since my stint as an angel long ago during my family’s Nativity activity, I have seen how angels are in my own life around me. The Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 said, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
In a social media post, President Johnson explained that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).
And anyone can be an everyday angel in the life of someone else. Simple acts of service or a kind word might be what someone needs to know where to find Jesus Christ and to feel close to heaven.
President Johnson invited everyone to continue their angelic efforts to minister to others: “I know that as you do, you will feel a deeper connection to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and inspire those around you to light the world with His eternal love.”
— Mary Richards is a Church News reporter.
