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Dear friends

Angels feature in our scripture readings during Advent and Christmas, quietly at first, with Gabriel’s meeting with Mary and later reaching a full crescendo with the heavenly hosts proclaiming the birth of Christ and singing Gods praises to the shepherds on the hillside. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

And according to legend, on the night of Christ’s birth, so too did the animals. By an ancient tradition, for that one night only, animals were given the gift of speech to give joyful praise to God. The beautiful ‘Nativity’ stained glass window, by John Piper, in Iffley Church, Oxford, depicts the remarkable event with five animals proclaiming the good news of the Saviours birth. At the top, a cockerel calls out not ‘cock-a-doodle-do,’ but ‘Christus Natus est.’

This year the Cathedral is inviting our Hampshire communities to services and events at the cathedral with the words ‘Let heaven and nature sing’ by Isaac Watts, our local hymn writer, from his Carol ‘Joy to the World.’  Watts was born in Southampton in 1674 and became a Free Church Minister in Stoke Newington. He wrote many hymns, still sung today, including ‘When I survey the Wondrous Cross’ and ‘Our God, our help in ages past.’

The carol ‘Joy to the World’ combines in a very affecting way, the deeply personal ‘Let every heart prepare him room’ with the vast ‘And heaven and nature sing…’

In his papal letter, Laudato Si, Pope Francis encouraged us to care for the earth our home, to remember our responsibility to protect the natural environment and be mindful of the fact that we are part of nature, not aloof from it. Isaac Watts’ lovely carol also reminds us that the birth of Christ affirms Gods love for his created world. In Christ, all barriers are broken down including those between earth and heaven, the physical and spiritual, the created and uncreated.

As we realise more fully the need to live gently on the earth, and more gently with one another, may God bless you richly in this season of Advent and Christmas. May we all be ready to offer him room in our hearts and lives, experiencing the joy of Christ’s Nativity.

I’ll close with an Advent prayer,

God of all hope and joy,
open our hearts to you,
that your Son Jesus Christ as his coming
may find in us a dwelling prepared for himself;
that heaven and nature may sing in joyful harmony
and the whole world know justice and peace,
in the name of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
Amen.

With blessings and best wishes,

The Very Revd Catherine Ogle

Dean of Winchester