If you could choose when to be born and who your parents were: what would you choose? Certainly I would want midwives and doctors present with an excellent hospital near by. I would want to be born in an age of comfort, in a place of peace and prosperity.So why on earth did God choose Palestine of 2,000 years ago? Perhaps because his values are not our values. In this Advent Season let us take time to reflect on our lives. Are my priorities God’s priorities? So often we are selfish and self-centred whereas God calls us to be outward looking and considerate towards others. Mary didn’t consider herself when she answered the call of God to be the mother of Jesus. In todays terms Mary was a young girl probably aged between 14 and 16 and when presented with the challenge simply said yes. She didn’t know the full picture but kept taking the small steps that God called her to, steps that would lead her eventually to the foot of the cross and to witness the barbaric death of Jesus, her son.So what about us 2,000 years later. Do we make Mary so special and so important that we don’t need to follow in her footsteps? What is God calling you to do in your life? Remember Mary didn’t leap from the birth of Jesus to the cross, she made small steps trying to work out what God was calling her to do and be and not always getting it right. We must do the same, look at your life and ask yourself, ‘What can I change?’ Often the changes which are most dramatic appear at first sight to be small and insignificant. Who knows where God will take you in this new Church year.Have a happy and blessed year, and celebrate the birth of the Christ Child with a promise to try to listen more and more to what God is calling you to do and to be.May God bless us in this challenge. Andrew SSL
‘Restore us, O God. Let your face shine, that we may be saved.’ (Psalm 80:3) Hymn: Tell out, my soul...Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10‘The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.’ John 1:9Let us confess our sins: Most merciful God, we acknowledge our failings. Forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Eternal God, as Mary waited for the birth of your Son, so we wait for his coming in glory; bring us through the birth pangs of this present age to see, with her, our great salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Luke 1: 39-55Please see the message from the minister.In joyful expectation of his being with us we pray to Jesus:Come to your Church as Lord. We pray for all to come to know your love, now and always. Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for peace on Earth.Come to our community as a family member. We pray that our relationships will thrive.Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for those on our hearts and minds today. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever.Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember those we have loved and lost.Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with all of your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.We join together in the words of the Lord’s prayer:Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.Hymn: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came...May God himself, the God of peace, make us perfect and holy, and keep us safe and blameless in spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.As we await our coming Saviour, let us go in the peace of Christ. Thanks be to God.
Just come along to the church. We have lots of costumes if you would like to take part in the Nativity, or you may sit and watch.
Zephaniah 3:14 – 20 Philippians 4:4 – 7 Luke 3:7 - 18There may only be ten days left until Christmas but we are still very much in the season of Advent. Advent, like Lent, is a time for reflection, for reviewing the state of our hearts and souls. Are we holding onto any grudges or nursing any resentments? Is there someone we need to forgive? Do we need to accept forgiveness for something, knowing that God has already forgiven us? Are we anxiously anticipating an unknown future or are we trusting in God to show us the way ahead, even if it’s only one step at a time? We can only start from where we are but the good news is that Christ always meets us in the present! We can’t return to the past or fast-forward into the future but we can always begin again with God right here and right now.Our readings today give us some clues about how we might navigate this season, as we prepare to say goodbye to the old year and to welcome the New Year with open, trusting and faithful hearts.Both the prophet Zephaniah and Saint Paul direct us to rejoice in the Lord. Zephaniah reminds the people that God is in their midst and that God is rejoicing over them with gladness. He paints a picture of mutual joy and the divine and human exchange of exuberant love. St Paul sounds as if he is paraphrasing Zephaniah, when he tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord and says that the Lord is near. He tells his readers not to worry about anything but to pray and give thanks and to let God know what is on their hearts and minds.The message from both these passages is clear: look to God for everything, be thankful, be joyful and trust in God’s love and carefor you.When we turn to the Gospel, however, we enter very different territory! Luke is telling the story of John the Baptist, preaching to the crowds who had come to hear him and to be baptised by him.John can tell that they want a quick fix, a simple ritual that will make them feel better about themselves until the next time they chose to ignore God. The implication is that the people had not fully repented in their hearts, they just wanted to make up with God in the easiest way possible and they’d heard that John could help. Instead of being all loving and pastoral, John confronts them with their own wilfulness and superficiality. Recognising the truth of John’s words, they then ask what they must do. John tells them how to mend their ways and how to live honest and righteous lives.Perhaps this Advent we need to be aware of both approaches: rejoicing in the love and goodness of God and acknowledging our sins and how we have fallen short. We need to take our own moral and spiritual inventories while throwing ourselves on the goodness and steadfastness of our loving God. We need to do all this and prepare for Christmas too! But if we do this, we will indeed be truly ready to welcome again into our hearts the baby in the manger and we will also be ready to meet with Christ, crucified, risen and glorified, always and forever coming into our lives.Revd Christina Rees
