Scripture 1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Scripture Luke 2:8-14
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Meditation
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the apostle provides one of the most beautiful (and accurate) descriptions of love that can be found in the New Testament. His first words (describing what he calls “a more excellent way”) reference angels—specifically, the tongues of angels. Paul is saying that someone who approximates the most sublime creatures, with the most sublime voices, saying the most sublime words, is nothing, without love being the foundation of those words.
But first, he is saying, that when angels open their mouths, it is a beautiful thing to hear, beyond all telling. The sounds angels make when they communicate are exquisite.
This may be the closest the scriptures come to telling us that angels sing.
The Hebrew word “malach” means, “messenger,” but not every messenger is an angel. There are human messengers throughout scripture, and the word “malach” is translated differently based on the context. When angels in scripture interact with humans, it’s usually because they carry a message.
But surely, angels also sing. In my first meditation on angels two weeks ago, I recited all the kinds of angels, several of whom have as their entire purpose and role, the job of remaining in God’s presence, and praising God. Wouldn’t they be singing if they were praising God constantly, forever and ever?
So of course I went to our very-well-known passage from the gospel according to Luke, the one we hear every Christmas Eve. There we encounter the dozing shepherds as an angel of the Lord wakes them up to tell them the good news that Christ is born. The first thing they notice is the glory of the Lord—angels, in scripture, are so intimately connected with God that they carry God’s glory with them. Some early church Fathers believed that angels are actually extensions of God—God wills a messenger, and that will appears in angel-form. The glory of God is terrifying, so the first words the angel utters are “Do not be afraid.” Next, the angel tells the shepherds the glorious good news. Then, the angel tells them how to know they’ve found the newborn child—a sign, the sign of a baby swaddled up and sleeping in a cow’s feed-box. Then, an entire hose of angels arrives—“host” means army, an angel army—and they begin to sing.
Don’t they ? I always thought they did. But the passage tells us, they were saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”
Don’t angels sing?
There are a couple of scripture passages that come close to suggesting that angels sing.
Near the end of the book of Job, God challenges his servant,
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)
This might be a case where angels are singing. The words “morning star” in scripture might be a metaphor for angel, and heavenly beings shouting for joy may be about very loud singing. Still. It’s not certain.
In Revelation 5, a “new song” is lifted up to the Lamb upon the throne:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to break its seals…”
But it is sung by twenty-four elders and four “living creatures.” Are they angels? It turns out, they are cherubim, angels with four faces. This sounds hopeful! Then, the narrator tells us,
‘Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”’
But… it turns out the word “singing” isn’t there in the original. It’s “saying.” Saying with a loud voice.
Don’t angels sing?
Here’s what I think.
We sing. In fact, Singing is central to worship for many people of many faiths, and Christianity is no exception. We are moved to lift our voices in the most beautiful way we can, in order to give praise to God. And it’s possible that we have assumed that angels sing because it’s the most beautiful way we know to praise God.
What if the speaking of angels is so beautiful, it is like singing to any human ears that may overhear it—for instance, those suddenly very wide-awake shepherds. It may be that what they do, how they speak, is even more beautiful than singing. Though, it’s hard to imagine something could be more beautiful than singing.
While we’re wondering about angels, I suggest we keep on singing. Hearts full of love, that make sounds as near to those uttered by the tongues of angels as we can, will always be beautiful to God’s ears.
Thanks be to God. Amen.