On Angels; On Fear

Sermon. St Michael and All Angels, Little Ilford. 24 December.

Midnight Mass. 

Luke 2.1-14

I believe in angels. 

I am trying to catch the eye of the choir. Because you are all angels, of course. But also to see if you are tempted to launch into song… “I believe in angels. Something good in everyone I meet.” An Abba classic. One you are all evidently too young to remember. Abba sang of angels many, many moons ago. Even Robbie Williams’ ‘“loving angels instead” is old hat. But what has not gone away is an interest in angels. The latest I heard was Saturday. I caught the very end of Any Questions? on BBC Radio Four. Evidently the final question had been something like: “Do you believe in angels?” And the panel seemed to be deeply divided. There was even one panelist who said although he was a Christian, he did not believe in angels, except when his three-year-old daughter asked him. Make of that what you will. 

It works the other way round as well. Make of this what you will: there are plenty of people who are not Christian, and not religious, and who do believe in angels. A survey in 2016 (quite recent) suggested that about 1 in 4 of the general population definitely believed in angels. And only 2 in 5 definitely disbelieved. Evidently, plenty of people keep an open mind. 

When you press people (frankly, I am guessing inside the Church as much as outside) what angels are like, a pretty constant picture emerges. Angels are beautiful. Either female or with feminine traits. Tender. Good singers. Angels are on your side; they are there for you. In particular, they are there to comfort you in distress and reassure you in doubt. They affirm you; they sustain you on the path you are on; their greatest concern is your self-esteem, if not your success. 

You may guess from the way I am describing things that this is not, quite, the biblical approach to angels. In the Bible, angels are fighters. They come to fight on Israel’s side, and guard their camp. Angels bar the way to people in the wrong. And angels announce news, news which is hard, challenging, shocking. 

Think of the three visitors who come to Abraham and announce that the 90-year-old Sarah is to become pregnant (no laughing matter, you may remember). And think supremely of the story we heard all that long time ago, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent [the morning of the same day], of how the angel Gabriel declares to Mary that she will bear a child - not of her husband - the one who is to give himself for the sake of the world. In short, if the most common thing that angels say is “Do not be afraid” (and it is) we might think that that is because, without such words of reassurance, when we met an angel, a true angel, an angel of the living Gd, we would be afraid, very afraid. Even “sore afraid”. 

“Do not be afraid.” “Fear not.” This the angels say to the shepherds. This Gd says often when speaking to biblical characters. They do say that the heavenly encouragement not to fear comes over 100 times in the Bible. I confess: I haven’t counted. But I am aware that they come so often that it’s easy to let the words wash over me, to barely notice them. Which is a shame. 

“Do not be afraid.” “Fear not.” We can imagine why we might be afraid, on meeting an angel. It is not the kind of fear we would feel when someone has a gun to our back. Or, for that matter, before a job interview, difficult exam, or in court, or such like. It is fear that springs from awe. 

Awe, wonder, amazement, bewilderment. It is hard finding the words, especially these days, These days, this kind of conversation is perfectly natural: 

“I’ve brought you a cup of tea.” 

“Awesome.” 

Here, and typically, “awesome” just means: “that’s good, you are kind, thank you; I welcome or approve of what you’ve done”. But “awe” means so much more than that. It does mean a kind of fear, in the sense that your body reacts as if to something fearful. Pulse racing, perspiration forming, adrenaline flowing. That particular kind of utter attentiveness that comes with being ready for fight or flight. In fact, if you experience real awe, one thing you will not do is say a cheery “awesome”. You are much more likely to be speechless. 

“Do not be afraid.” “Fear not.” This the angels say to the shepherds and this Gd often says when speaking to biblical characters. I do think it is natural to think that this means the angels say: “it is right and natural for you to feel awe and wonder, but there is no need for that to lead on to a fear which will hold you back”. But, having said that, I confess that we don’t have lengthy descriptions of fearsome angels to help us imagine an “awesome” scene. So, at least some of the time, something other than overwhelming awe might be the real issue. At least at times, the call of the angels, not to be afraid, might not so much be about the moment itself, but about the rest of our lives. 

What do I mean? I mean the angel might be saying this: 

“I am here to speak to you - just you - on Gd’s behalf. So this is the time for you to stand outside of your normal way of doing things. No, really. Now is not the time for you to operate on autopilot, for you to be driven by internal habit or external custom. Stop. Be still. Be ready to be present in a different way. Standing as you are in very Gd’s presence and attending to Gd’s very messenger, can you not now see how your normal way of operating in the world is… driven by fear? Not big fears, I grant you. You don’t live from minute to minute terrified. That would be exhausting. But, still, there are so many lesser fears that dominate things for you. ‘Will I get this right?… Will so-and-so approve?… Can I afford?… What if the x-ray shows up something?… Will the family actually get on this Christmas?’ 

All kinds of questions, usually around your comfort (you’re semi-conscious of those), or your status (you’re less conscious of those, as it is more frightening to look at them). Little, persistent, life-directing fears. “And in the name of Gd”, says the angel, “I tell you to let them all go. Just let them fall from you. Attend not to them, but to Gd, and Gd’s will for you. Do not be afraid. Fear not.” 

Of course, “do not be afraid” is never all that the angels say. (That might be just a little bit too like the old sign in the pond. You know the one? It said only, "It is forbidden to throw stones at this sign".) No, the angels today go on to share news, to help the shepherds see more of reality, and to command them to get going (though I admit the command is pretty indirect on this occasion: “You will find…”). And then shepherds are caught up with the angels in the glorious and beautiful and heavenly praise of Gd.

“Do not be afraid.” “Fear not.” Brothers and sisters, I am not going to labour the point. We need to get back to our own angelic singing, and, yes, we need to get on with our own Christmasses. You will realise that I have been suggesting that we are all called to be like the shepherds in one way or another. 

• That we enjoy such experiences of awe that we have. 
• That we are ever more aware of the little fears that can direct our lives if we let them. 
• That we are open to news of Gd and news from Gd. 
• That we are keen to act, to get going, when reality dawns. 
• That we are always drawn back to praise. 

At heart, simply, amid all the busyness of Christmas and all the emptiness which can follow, that we hear in the concrete ways we need to hear it: “Do not be afraid. Fear not.”