Dear friends,

I hope advent is going better for you than it is for me! As many of you will know, I have not been very well at all. However, I am pleased to say that I am over the worst of it and I am looking forward to joining you again this Sunday for our third Sunday of advent. We are excited to be joined by Archdeacon Christopher Bryan and Rev’d Rosy Ashley who will lead us in worship and in a listening exercise as we continue to try to discern God’s path for us as a church. Christophers sermon promises to be rich and full of encouragement for us as we journey through advent towards Christmas so do join us for the 10:30 service if you are able. Equally, I am looking forward to unpacking our readings this week at the 8:30 service which will, as usual, be a quieter more contemplative space.

I wonder how many of you now have Christmas tree’s up in your homes? Ours is very small this year – perfect for carrying home from our local green grocers. Each year Christmas throws up fresh debate about sustainability and how to engage with our beloved traditions in ecologically sound ways. From wrapping paper to crackers on the table so many elements that help us ask questions about the way we consume resources and enjoy our lives. I am particularly grateful to Clare Hensman for helping us think about our environmental impact in this way as she navigates the Christmas tree conundrum each year. I think our upcycled ladder tree is inspired and I wonder how that sort of creative thinking could be applied more widely in our lives? However you choose to approach Christmas this year, I hope you are able to enjoy it as well as using those places of friction as fuel for your prayers for God’s creation. As creatures ourselves we should never view ourselves as distinct from this creation so when we pray for “nature” and “the environment” we are praying for something we are fully involved in!

The email this note has arrived with also contains the sad news that we will not be able to facilitate this years “Remembering at Christmas” event. I am sorry that this is one of the things that has not been possible this year with my illness as I think it is such an important moment in our advent season. So many of us will be missing people this Christmas and the celebrations and festivities can really emphasis where there are empty seats in the room. To help provide space to hold this in God’s presence we will setup a little station for prayer and reflection in the lady chapel. This will be available before and after our services over Christmas so if you feel you need to take a moment to light a candle, say a prayer or talk to someone then please make use of this.

Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this year’s Christmas Bazaar such a wonderful success. By all accounts it was one of the best we’ve had in many years and the generous donations to the church certainly reflect this. Last I heard we raised nearly £2000 for the life and work of St Martin’s, funds that will enable us to continue to operate on the tight budget we have. Thank you for your generosity and thank you for being part of our wonderful community, I hear there was much laughter and celebration! Our hamper project continues to be a blessing to many local families each Christmas, if you would like to give specifically to this you can do so through our JustGiving page, see your emails for more details.

May our loving creator guide you this week as you tread the path of faith and hope. May you know the love and joy of our intimate God who became flesh to walk among us and may you know the blessing of the holy spirit who inspires us in so many ways this advent. Amen.

Grace & peace,

Phil