Grigori was a cherub, a kind of apprentice angel. His name meant ‘watchful’, but that was someone’s idea of a joke. He was the sleepiest angel you ever saw. He was always late for choir practice, and sometimes forgot his harp lessons altogether.

‘How are you ever going to be a proper angel if you are always late?’ the Seraph in charge of his training asked him despondently. ‘I’m going to be teaching you for all eternity.’ Grigori gave him an angelic look. ‘Won’t that be fun?’ he said.

Singing in the choir and playing harps was only a sideline. An angel’s real job was passing on messages. When God wanted to give a human being a message, the angel had to find a way to pass it on, usually without the person knowing it had come from an angel at all. That was a good game. Sometimes the angel would drop the message into a dream. Sometimes they would creep up behind someone and whisper it in their ear.

And sometimes they would disguise themselves as an ordinary person. Then they could turn up at a park or a party to pass the message on. The cherubs liked when it involved a party, especially if there was jelly and ice cream.

One day Grigori was told that all the angels would be needed for a special show. It was rumoured that the famous archangel Gabriel was going to be conducting the choir. Grigori was so excited he couldn’t sleep. But then, just as the other angels were about to wake up, Grigori found his eyes getting heavier and heavier. And he nodded off.

By the time he woke up, all the other angels had gone. Checking that his wings were in good working order, he flew off after them. But when he arrived, he found just two old shepherds and some sheep. Grigori had never seen anyone look as happy as the two old shepherds. Their faces shone.

‘You don’t happen to have seen a choir of angels by any chance?’ he asked them. ‘Why yes’, they answered. ‘They were here. It was wonderful. The singing was out of this world. They’ve gone now. They sent our young workmates off to Bethlehem to see a new baby.’

Grigori flew off to Bethlehem. Two children were dancing in the street. Their faces shone, too. ‘Did some shepherds come here to see a baby?’ he asked. ‘Why yes’, they answered, ‘they were here. It was wonderful. They gave the baby a lamb. They’ve gone now.’

Grigori went in search of the baby. He found the stable. Inside were an ox and an ass. ‘Was a baby born here?’ he asked them. Now oxen and asses can’t speak, but angels can tell what they are thinking. ‘Why yes,’ they thought, ‘it happened right here. It was wonderful. He’s gone now.’ And the ox and the ass smiled at him. No one had ever seen an ox or an ass smile before, and no one has seen one smile since.

Feeling thoroughly miserable, Grigori flew back home. The Seraph was waiting for him. ‘Late again, Grigori?’ he said. ‘Yes,’ said Grigori, ‘and I missed everything.’  ‘Oh no you didn’t.’ said the Seraph. ‘We saw the baby, but you saw something much more important. You saw how his birth changed people. Sad old shepherds became full of life. Weary children danced and sang. Grumpy animals shone with happiness.’

And the Seraph was right. No one here in this church has ever seen the real baby Jesus, but because he has been here on earth, nothing is the same. Because Jesus lived in our world, we dance and smile and sing, and our faces shine on Christmas Day. And there’s no reason at all why that shouldn’t be true every day.