Angels are a feature of the Christmas story, beginning with Zechariah’s encounter with one in the temple, then Gabriel’s visit to Mary through to hosts of angels in the skies above Bethlehem. But I want to tell of another angelic visit. This one is not recounted in the Bible, but in the autobiographical writings of an intensely ascetic 14th century German Dominican Prior.

Knowing that ‘the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit,’ Heinrich Suso had sought to ‘mortify’ his flesh with (extremely!) severe practices. (See Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:13). In his later years, he tells how the Lord sent an angel who told him to leave them aside these self-induced sorrows and instead to sing these words, ‘in dulci jubilo’ (with sweet rejoicing) and to join with the angels in a dance.

What a joyous sight that must have been! Perhaps it took a while for this monk who had such a deep sense of his own failings, to let go and find his feet rejoicing with the angels before the Lord whom he worshipped. How lovely that the fruit of his encounter should have given such pleasure to so many during the last seven hundred years! Hosts of singers ever since have recounted the wonders of Christ’s birth with the words that Suso wrote. The song was (and often still is) sung in ‘macaronic’ form – that is, in a mix of two languages. In Suso’s day, of course, that was the vernacular (medieval German) and the language of the Church (Latin). In our English-speaking churches, it is English and Latin. We include here the first verse in the original language and its literal English translation.

In dulci jubilo,
Nun singet und seid froh.
Unsers Herzens Wonne Leit
in praesepio
Und leuchtet wie die Sonne
Matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O,
Alpha es et O.

In sweet jubilation [literally, shouting],
now sing and be glad.
Our heart’s delight lies
in a manger
and shines like the sun
in the mother’s lap.
[You are the] Alpha and Omega.

(These are, of course, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet: Jesus is the Beginning and the End, the completeness of all.)

As for the music itself, many bands of musicians have taken up the beat and set feet a-dancing with its cheerful melody! And all manner of composers have rearranged it, from the 16th century Michael Praetorius to 20th century Mike Oldfield and 21st century Justin Coldstream, who we invited to arrange the piece for it to be recorded by our friends in Berlin earlier this year. He came up with a sparkling arrangement!

There is a balance to be found between rejoicing and mortification. After all, Paul does tell us to ‘put to death the misdeeds of the body’ so that we will live: that is what mortification means: Suso was overly vigorous in applying his understanding of this, for he deeply feared God and the reality of eternal judgement. In our own culture and generation, people are far less inclined to fear either the Lord or their own eternal fate. Instead, our fears are often more earth-bound: environmental catastrophe, war, lack of security, the future . . . And truly, there is much to fear even as we enter 2026. BUT as God’s people, we have ‘put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe,’ and have been born anew into a ‘living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.’ Praise God that ‘this inheritance is kept in heaven for us!’ (1 Tim.4:10; 1 Pet. 1:3)

In the light of this great good news, we can indeed enter upon the new year with ‘sweet rejoicing’ even as we continue to seek God for all who still live in great darkness.