God in company
Michaelmas: 28th September, 2008
Fr John Davis, Vicar of St Peter's, Eastern Hill
One of the best books I have read this year is one from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Our Canterbury Readers group has gone through it chapter by chapter. It is called Tokens of Trust. It works through the central propositions of the Apostles Creed in a way that is especially accessible for those coming fresh to the faith, or for those looking for refreshment in the faith. It is available in our Bookroom. One of the phrases he uses as a chapter heading has absolutely stayed with me. He explores the centrality of the idea of our experience of the faith as being the experiencing of 'God in company'. For a couple of months now the richness of this idea has been with me — and not the least now as we come to celebrate Michaelmas: St Michael and All Angels.
Because as our liturgical year unfolds, it happens that this weekend is the time when this intriguing possibility that goes against so many of our presuppositions is put to us: there could yet be another level of support and communication available out there to be taken into account, that is important and potentially helpful. The witness of tradition and the Scriptural witness is rich. And this other level of support and communication goes under the shorthand name of angels.
Today's wonderful festival urges us to take seriously something very important. The assertion is this: there is a highly complex and layered sense of community existing in this creation. This is 'God in company' in a striking way. This is a dynamic sense of a reality that goes far beyond that which we can see, such as ourselves and each other. It extends to all those other people we know exist now, but never meet or see. It extends too to our awareness of those who are part of our continuing sense of community, but who do not share this time. We can still feel much of a common bond or support from them. Community across time and space. Possibilities of realities beyond the immediate and obvious. Extra dimensions of communication, protection and purpose. Is it then possible for us moderns to take a deep breath and enter into the spirit of this day, to allow for the possibility of taking angels seriously?
Most of the churches I have served in have given considerable attention to the place and ministry of angels. St Peter's has a very considerable number praising God with Our Lady in the Lady Chapel, and here standing guard with wings unfurled.
And whatever they might be thought to look like, the presumption of the existance of angels is amply attested to in the Bible. There are many of them. They have things to do. Lots of them are what the simple reading of their Greek name angelos means — a messenger, an envoy. They are certainly said to surround God in Heaven, where they offer praise and do God's will. Their song accompanied the Lord's birth; they ministered to him in the wilderness. They were there at the passion and the resurrection. They were available as reinforcements. They will assist at the Second Coming. In popular understanding as well, there remain thoughts and hopes about individual watchful guardian angels.
St Michael specifically has a warrior image, either as the helper of Christian armies in their battles, or as a helper for individual Christians at the time of death. He is represented with a sword standing over or fighting a dragon, as in our epistle today from Rev 12. There are icons and posters available featuring the big four Archangels of Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel. Both Michael and Gabriel are featured in our own iconostasis above us at the head of the nave.
At All Saints' tide we will rejoice and reflect on the communion of saints, that whole company of heaven that is there to populate our spiritual awareness, to encourage, to inspire and to guide. On this festival, St Michael and All Angels, we celebrate a similar sense of company and companionship, at even more extended levels — going further than many of our more rationalist brothers and sisters would care to travel. 'God in company' indeed.
But consider. That image of the heavenly streets paved with gold can be understood to be an indication and illustration of God's most wonderful glory reflected in what was round about. We need not get too hung up with the specifics of that image to understand the point being made.
Now what about all this angelic imagery and narrative? Angels are presented as messengers, worshippers, and active forces in the created order, working to do God's will. They are presented as working alongside us and working to help the rest of us in our same tasks of communicating and worshipping and being actively involved in this world. We do not need to become too hung up with the specifics of the imagery to get this further basic point: there are all sorts of levels of spiritual support on offer for us.
This then can be understood to be yet another indication and illustration of God's most wonderful and active reaching out to the whole of Creation. The ultimate expression of this identification of the Creator with the creation was to be found in the Incarnation of Jesus, the Christ, and his unfolding work of salvation and redemption.
The idea of angels has much to say to us then about community and companionship, about shared vision and shared varied tasks, about our not being alone either in responding to God or in facing the challenges of life. These are by no means insignificant things to consider.
The Scriptures tell us the story of the people of God through many centuries. The Children of Israel, even the prophets who from time to time felt very exposed, the disciples, the first generation of followers of the Way — they were none of them alone. This then is always a corporate vision. People together, gifts together, life together, new life together. And this stretches over the generations and the centuries. The interweaving into this concept yet more levels of community and companionship, going into other levels of meaning and the created order is not so breathtaking.
We are never alone. This is the case in the particularly human sense, but also of course the point is made again and again that we are not alone in a spiritual sense either. God the Holy Trinity is never absent from the People of God, in every time and place. And then there are the angels and the saints. God in company. This is a rich vision on offer. May we be able to share in it.
Today we are honouring another connection: the fact that this city church and its vicar Canon Handfield was in at the beginning of the work of the mission to the streets and lanes which the Bishop of Melbourne, Bishop Moorhouse, initiated in 1888. The future Mother Foundress of the Community of the Holy Name, Mother Esther, came from England to join with two Australian companions, Sr Ellen and Sr Christina. They were to work in the slums and brothels a couple of blocks from here at the top of Little Lonsdale Street and then Spring Street. Sr Ellen and Sr Christina were ordained here at St Peter's Eastern Hill in April 1890 as deaconesses. At that time that was a remarkable step in the formal recognition and advancement of the ministry of women. This was one of the first such ordinations in Australia.
The formal charter for this new Australian religious order was to have to wait until granted by Archbishop Lowther Clarke in 1912. The particular focus of the community was with women and children, with the sick, with unwed mothers and of course the poor of the city slums. The continuation of these ties between parish and community has been for us personified in the ministry and witness lived out here these past almost five years by Sr Valmai CHN. We honour that ministry today and give thanks to God for it. Sr Valmai has previously served in succession to Mother Esther for some 9 years as community leader. Our farewell for her is also a welcome amongst us for Sr Avril CHN and Sr Jenny CHN. The tradition continues. St Michael and all angels join with us.
The Lord be with you.
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