That morning as I got back from the gym I noticed I had a message on my mobile phone from Rev Angus Parker. Angus is a retired minister living in Tameside. It seems he recently read an article I had written for “The Inquirer” back in September. He was concerned about my well-being and had gone all around the houses to get in touch with me. We had a lovely conversation and then I tried to get on with my work. I could not as Aled arrived to take the toys we had collected to “The Wood Street Mission”. He also had a few other matters to discuss. I tried again to get back to work but seemed to be interrupted over and over again, by people wanting to talk with me. In the middle of this I received a wonderful email from Oliver with a poem he had written in response to the toy service he had taken part in. This led to more conversations with folk at Unitarian headquarters as we might use the material as part of daily offerings to support people at this time . Then Aled appeared again this time with Mrs Khurana and a woman named Katie, they had come baring gifts both for me personally and also for the toy collection. We talked for some time and then I returned to try and get on with my work, all the while Aled was loading up the toys. It wasn’t long before there was another knock on the door, this time it was Barbara again with gifts for the toy collection, again we talked for a while before I returned to my work. I sat and began to smile to myself as a theme for the this week began to form in my heart and mind, my homiletic consciousness had awoken. As I thought about all the conversations I had had I realised that I had been visited by angels, all be it ones without wings. I call them angels because they had visited or communicated messages of love and concern for others and they had brought those gifts to me. It brought to my mind the following verse from Hebrews ch 13 v 2 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers; for by so doing, some have entertained angels unawares”.
Thankfully I was able to show hospitality to all those visitors and everyone of them were angels, they brought messages of love, I had indeed entertained them unawares.
Angels are central to the whole Nativity mythos, actually you will find them throughout the Bible, both in the Hebrew and Christian books. By the way you will also find them in many other religious traditions too. Many people today speak of a belief in angels as well. Do you believe in angels?
Now I have to be honest with you and admit that there is much in the Christmas mythos that I cannot literally believe, but then mythos has never been about historical accuracy and more about universal truth. There is a truth within the stories that can teach us a great deal about how we should live with one another and I count the angels as part of this.
The Hebrew and
Greek words for angel (malak and aggelos) simply means “messenger”. In the
Christmas mythos, the Nativity, it is the Arch Angel Gabriel who delivers the
news that Elizabeth will give birth to John the Baptist and that Mary will soon
be carrying Jesus. These are both described as miracles as Elizabeth cannot
have children and Mary is a virgin. Gabriel appears again to the Shepherds and
it is said during the Easter story too. Within the Judea-Christian tradition
angels are seen as the deliverers of the “good news”.
The Jewish
scriptures are littered with individuals encountering angels. In some of these
accounts it is suggested that not only are these angels delivering a message
from the Divine but may well be God itself. They are sometimes referred to as
“the angel of the Lord” and not just simply an angel.
Angels are holy messengers, delivering a holy message, that has to potential to transform our lives or the lives of others. Now in my eyes everything is holy, for everything matters. Therefore everyone and everything can be a holy messenger. Anyone who delivers goodness, wisdom, hope, who lifts us up when we have fallen is an angel; anyone or anything that delivers the message that everything matters and cares for that matter is delivering a holy message, they are a holy angel, even if they don’t have wings.
You do not have to be a beautiful androgenous figure from a
Renaissance painting, with classical features, flowing long hair, and wings, to
be an angel. You just have to be an ordinary person delivering a gift of love
in some form or other. I was thinking of the children and parents from Mrs Hare’s
dance school who answered the call to bring all those gifts of toys for the
children last week and those from both congregations who brought their gifts
too. I thought of Christine placing Paddington Bear at the top of the bag and
OIliver noticing him peeking out which led to the poem he wrote right there on
the spot. I thought about all those angels that have done small and great
things these last few months, finding ways to help people in their time of
need, despite the truly difficult circumstances that we have all been living
through. As I was writing these words I heard of the 90 year old woman Margaret
Keenan who was the first to be given the vaccine and the second man from Coventry
the wonderfully named William Shakespeare who was the second, I heard of
another wonderful man named Martin Kenyon, again 91 years old who was announcing to
the world that he would be able to hug his graddaughters at Christmas,
something that they didn’t even know yet, but he was going to tell them, what a
beautiful message that would be for the whole family. It is hoped that life
will begin to get back to normal in the not too distant future and save some
many lives from this horrific pandemic. If the vaccine is not a message of
holiness then I don’t know what is. Our lives, everyone of our lives matter so
much. Oh there are angles everywhere, none of which have wings, although they
have certainly earned them.
An angel doesn’t even need to be a living breathing thing either.
Nature has the capacity to lift us up when we feel we have fallen once again,
it can deliver a message of love too. I can feel that message at times in the
wind, whispering a message of faith, hope and love; or in the calm that falls after
the storm; or in one of those red dawn rainbows; or in another heroes sunset as
you think about going home after a long hard day.
Angels come
in many forms, rarely with wings it seems, although the wild geese and the song of
the blackbird certainly teach of the holiness of everything, so sometimes they
have wings. However the message comes I know that I have encountered an angel
when it teaches me of the holiness of everything, that everything matters, every
thought, every feeling, every word and every deed, that all is holy.
The messengers may not be bringing glad tidings of comfort and joy, they may be bringing a message pointing out what is wrong in the world or in our life. One angel might be a friend pointing something out to you, or someone reaching out for your help, or it might be something you see or hear on the news that leads us to respond in loving ways, to use our own holy love to bring repair to the fabric of our world, this is holy work. The messages and messengers are angels for they are delivering holy massages about holy matter and of course life really matters. If the messages awaken in us compassion, love, greater understanding, or a thirst for justice, then they are the holy speaking of what is holy to us. Everything matters, so everything is holy, thus those who deliver such messages are angels, even if they don’t have wings. To repeat those words from Hebrews (Ch 13 v 2) “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers; for by so doing, some have entertained angels unawares”. Even if the message appears unpleasant, apparent bad news please do entertain them, welcome it all in, for it may be delivering something holy to you.
Brings to mind those wonderful words of Rumi “The Guesthouse”
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Jellaludin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks
The message is to welcome them all in, whatever they might be, for they are baring holy gifts. We need to be open to the unexpected, the unknown, the seemingly mundane, for we do not know what gifts of the holy might be in that message. Rumi reminds us that even that which shakes us up may well be clearing us out for some new delight. Do not keep out the holy for it may be preparing us for something wonderful, some holy action, just like those angels did in the Nativity.
The message needs to be heard and then acted upon; It might be to
go on some adventure like Mary and Joseph or the shepherds or in more subtle
ways like the wisemen responding to the star and their ancient knowledge, their
reason and their dream. They sought out the holy infant and did not tell Herod
where he was, they responded to their holy messages. Or maybe its that message
that we need to “bring glad tidings of peace on earth, goodwill to all people.”
Just like the angel brought to the shepherds, a message that we have failed to hear
or at least create.
Maybe now is the time, maybe that is the massage of Christmas, the
universal Christmas, maybe that is the only massage that really matters. That
this is our holy duty, that this is how we make all life holy, that we make all
matter really matter. Maybe that’s what we are all here to do, to finally bring
peace on earth and goodwill to all and then when we do so maybe we will all finally
receive our wings and love will finally be born in the mangers of all our hearts
and lives.
So listen my friends, there are angels everywhere.
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