Feathers fluttering
Angel wings unfurling hope
Grasps the weary world
Haiku by Rob Wylie
‘Midnight Clear’ by Mary Fleeson
Welcome to the second Sunday of Advent were we will be gathering at the Tavern and Gallery at 7.30pm.
Recap from last week’s reflection on ‘It come upon a midnight clear’ verse 1: David encouraged us to not be afraid and to still ourselves to look for the ancient song of old.
This week we continue to reflect upon the hymn and its second verse:
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heav’nly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hov’ring wing,
And ever o’er it Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
Here is the first two verses that we recorded with Marriners and Marras
I have to be honest and say that when reading this verse I had to search some of the words like, cloven and unfurled as well as what the mean of Babel sounds may mean.
Still through the cloven skies they came, – Cloven means 1. Past participle of cleave and 2. To split or divide into two. When you then look at the meaning of cleave is to split or sever (something), especially along a natural line or grain. This makes me think of those places where people have felt the presence of God, what is called the thin place, where heaven and earth connect. Here above the Shepherd a thin place appeared where heaven and earth connected.
With peaceful wings unfurled – Unfurled means to make or become spread out from a rolled or folded state, especially in order to be open to the wind. This gives a very visual image of the angels descending through the split sky and they wings unfolding to have the wind of the air uphold them. As the angels arrive they heavenly music continues to float over a weary world.
The world at this time of the hymn being created was weary from the war that had ended and the unsettledness of other countries stirrings of revolution. There still today feels that weariness, the tiredness of the world. People have not gained the spirit of life back since the covid pandemic 4 years on, the endless wars in other countries , the infighting within our own country and the weariness of life for each individual. At these times I find myself overwhelmed by it all and I think at this time of year there is even more pressure to be cheerful.
As people who know me, this time of year is my favourite yet, I am struggling with the lack of Christmas spirit I am feeling at this moment. The world to me as I look and observe those around me is weary, its tired and its hurting. Like the sad and lowly plains in the hymn.
Yet, the angels ‘they bend on hov’ring wings’, over the fearful shepherds, the weary world, the sad and lowly plains, and over us, the people. This image reminds me of a nature real I watched this morning on Facebook, where it showed mothering birds holding they wings up like umbrellas over their young when it was raining or snowing. I imagine the angels hovering over the world and having unfolded their wings now bending them it a way of gathering and protecting, dismissing fear, bringing comfort to the weary with hope. Despite the babbling sounds, the many voices shouting loud, the voice of commercial Christmas pressure to be this and that, to have this and that, and the internal voices, what I call the chattering monkeys that don’t shut the **** up. Despite all the voices that want to drown out the ancient song of hope, the angles keep singing, singing of the hope that was, that is and is to come. They keep singing regardless if they were being heard.
Are we stilling ourselves enough to shut the babbling voices up so we can hear that ancient song of hope being sung over us today?
Questions:
- Who is the loudest person you know or know of? An example for me is Brian Blessed!
- What reflections do you have of the at work by Mary Fleeson?
- Where is the place you go to find stillness, that thin place where you connect with yourself, God and the universe. What is it about this place that brings that connectedness?
- How does the ‘Bending of wings’ feel for you?
- What could you do during advent and Christmas to be still and listen for the ancient song of hope being sung?
Sue.
