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In a previous life before vicarring, I worked for an Aid Agency that funded
conflict-reduction initiatives around the world. I was in charge of liaising with
our in-country partners and I was lucky enough to meet some real angels.
Let me tell you about Denis, Elias, and Yaroslava.
And then we’re going look back at those wonderful words
from the Carol In the Bleak Midwinter…

Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing
O rest beside the weary road
and hear the angels sing.

I want to persuade you Look and Rest and Hear tonight because I believe that the radical and beautiful hope that we see in the Christ Child and in his life is still vital and alive and compelling 2023 years later.

In the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis- a Christian doctor founded a Hospital, specializing in treating women who are victims of sexual violence. He has treated thousands of women since the Second Congo War, performing up to ten operations a day during his 17-hour working days.

Elias is an Israeli Christian and was the Melkite Archbishop, Nazareth and All Galilee. Aside from his work as a priest, he has dedicated his life to fostering understanding and peace between Israelis and Palestinians of different faiths and none. In the face of this impossible task he has faithfully mediated in countless disputes and worked for decades in grass roots reconciliation.

As a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sister Yaroslava has been bringing hope and healing to her land too to those affected by the conflict and displacement since the war in Ukraine began- a decade ago- in February 2014. She rescues families, provides for their needs, and restores their hope. Her ministry amongst the displaced has continued unabated since the second- most recent- Russian invasion in February 2022. In November we held a lantern parade here at the Cathedral and the theme this year was angels.

The cathedral was filled people, who with bamboo, paper, LEDs, and selotape had conjured countless angelic avatars, small and great. The winner however, did not have wings. It was not snowy white or clad in shining armour, a flaming sword by its side. No- the winner was altogether more profound:

A normal person, restless dog in one hand and unruly brolly in the other… and
the caption: ANGELS ARE EVERYWHERE.

ANGELS ARE EVERYWHERE.

That lantern was profound for me, because it actually reminds me
of the most radical claim of Christian Faith- … truly

A truth revealed in this impossible child, soon to be a refugee, born amidst occupation, within an unconventional family and destined to be executed by the state as a threat to the status quo. The truth that being a bearer of that same angelic Hope is the first and most essential practice of Christian faith. Being a messenger. Being an angel.

I don’t think people like Denis, and Elias and Yaroslava are actually angel angels. But their lives and many many like them…

remind us in ways small and great that the Christmas Claim of Hope for this weary world is not just a naïve platitude. (Nice for grannies and little kids). But remains the most compelling force we know.

So…
Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing
O rest beside the weary road – my friends and hear these angels sing.

One patient, a young woman named Amina, arrived broken and silenced by the
brutality she endured. In the operating room, Dr. Denis’ skilled hands worked not just to repair physical wounds but to heal her whole person.

Each suture seemed to stitch back not only her torn flesh but also her stolen sense of self.
Amina, once voiceless, found her strength again, and is now an advocate for survivors, crediting Denis with giving her a second chance at life. Dr Denis Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.

In the intricate landscape of Israeli-Palestinian tensions, Elias waded into the waters of reconciliation, seeking common ground. One poignant moment occurred at a disputed well, where Israeli settlers and Palestinian farmers clashed over the rights to that important source of water. Archbishop Chacour as he was known then, a calming presence, Who lived at the intersection of two narratives and literally stood at the intersection of two roads between the warring groups

Through patient dialogue, he facilitated an agreement that allowed both communities access to this life-sustaining resource. Water became a conduit for understanding, a reminder that shared humanity can transcend divisive boundaries. Archbishop Elias Chacour has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 3 x.

When Yaroslava met a displaced family huddled in a makeshift shelter, the mother, her eyes reflecting the weight of displacement, shared her journey of fleeing conflict with three children in tow. Sister Yaroslava, with a gentle touch, offered more than just supplies; she became a beacon of solace who was there and wasn’t going anywhere.

Through shared tears, she listened to the mother’s tale of loss and uncertainty,
her presence echoing the assurance that even in the darkest times, they were
not alone.

This encounter epitomizes Sister Yaroslava’s profound commitment to not only mending physical wounds but also restoring the fractured spirits of those caught in the crossfire of conflict. She has never been nominated for any prize

You see? Through the cloven skies they do come – with peaceful wings unfurlled.
And still …and still their heavenly music floats, O’er all this weary world.

I’m captivated by the message of these angels and this carol.

Not because it’s some twinkly Victorian antique nice for Christmas but then, not actually believable in the bleak new year…

I’m captivated by these angels and this carol. Because, beyond those gentile opening lines
and behind the sweet melodies there lies a wholly contemporary story, and an enduring truth, that, when we look at it squarely- not only refuses to die but is a compelling reason to hope for the future.

The composer- Edmind Sears, was a person just like us. Really like us.
He wrote the carol during a period of depression…
His life and career blighted by ill-health and disappointment
He write with news of revolution in Europe, of mass migration, and the United States’ war with Mexico fresh in his mind.
Listen again and hear it through 2023 ears…..

O ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow

Doesn’t it sounds familiar?
Anything like your year or this year?
And beyond it’s resonance…. We do hear …somehow…because of some vital faith still flickering within him despite it all…We do hear of that Christmas HOPE
The Hope of ANGELS in the Son of Man.

he pictures them stooping over our sad and lowly plains- bending on hovering wing:
And says to us: to everyone:

Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road
and hear those angels sing.
Friends angels are everywhere.
The Shepherds saw them. Edmund Sears saw them.
I’ve introduced you to three already…

but there are hundreds of them are here tonight
Look at them- gathered around you. (Camera on screens pans to congregation)
Angels in the making.

We are all called- and in this Midnight Meal- equipped
For that first and most essential practice of Christian faith.
To be a messenger of Hope. An Angel.

We are all bidden by the angels to be angels
Bidden by this radical infant
to make a radical daily choice-
and view the world without despair.

To live in this present darkness
with an unshakable belief in the dawn of the Son of Man.

And tonight we are all called to the stable-
to see this Hope with our own eyes
to taste it with our lips
and then to be messengers of this Christmas Gospel:

Fashioning lives that sing out the hope of old
with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold
when heaven and earth shall own the prince of peace -their King
And the whole world send back the song
which now the angels sing.
AMEN