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I love the midnight service in Church with its tangible awe as we gather from the blackness of night to celebrate the birth of Christ with a special moment as the white candle representing Jesus' entry into the world is lit in the Advent crown. I have discovered that some churches only add the white candle to their wreath on Christmas Eve when it is ceremoniously brought out from the vestry. It creates a pause helping people focus on the poignancy of Jesus' birth and anticipate his eventual return.

No one knew the time of his birth before it happened and no one knows the time of his return. We simply wait expectantly for his second coming. But we do know that Jesus, this special baby fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah, and that whilst we long for Christ’s return we are to continue to act as lights in the darkness. And that our faith in Jesus should be at the centre of everything we do.  It feels so appropriate that at the end of the Midnight service of celebration full of hope, peace, joy, and love we are sent back out into the dark.

If Christ returned now, would we regret how we have behaved? Would we recognise where we have wasted opportunities to say and do the right thing? Are there unresolved mistakes for which we have yet to take responsibility? Is there anything God is calling us to that we are ignoring? Do we have any relationships that need to be reconciled?

While we wait for Christ, we are building and waiting for a Kingdom that will come to fruition and we have a role to play.

May you anticipate a wonderful Christmas full of love.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 

John 13:34:

In our final week of Advent, we light two candles in our crown. The first is the candle of love which is also known as the Angel candle and purity with the second being the Christ candle lit in midnight Christmas service.

Love plays a vital role in the Christmas story.  It was Joseph’s love for Mary that prevented him from rejecting her when he found out she was pregnant, and with what he thought was the child of another man, Mary’s motherly love for Jesus a love that will be most manifest at the foot of the cross, God’s love for everyone demonstrated in his act of sending his son to earth and Jesus’s ministry epitomised in love.  Jesus said the two greatest commands are to love God and love your neighbour. God is love.

The Bible has a lot to say about love. It appears 100-300 times throughout Scripture!

But we can bury that message of love. Christmas is a busy time for many and we can get lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, cooking, decorating our homes, and organising our celebrations. Some become anxious and frustrated, searching for the perfect gift, trying to ensure they fit in all the necessary visits.  Christmas calendars quickly fill up, stress levels begin to rise and the real meaning behind Christmas is lost. It is so important to pause to celebrate the coming of our King to absorb the incredible love demonstrated by the birth of Jesus. 

So here are six suggestions for ways to bring the love of Jesus closer this Christmas.

Invite a friend, neighbour, or family member to come with you to Church particularly those who have had a difficult year. Hurting people can feel that church isn’t for them but the message of that first Christmas was those who were frightened and in desperate need of good news and great joy.

Whether someone comes to church out of curiosity, a willingness to try something new, or in desperate need of someone/something to believe in, your invitation could lead them into the love of Jesus.

Use an Advent calendar to remind you to prepare your heart for his arrival. Pray arrow prayers daily for those who don’t know Christ, that they may know His love. Praying is one way we show love for other people. 

One of the best ways you can reflect the love of Jesus is by giving back to those in need. Run through your wardrobe, and take out the items that you have not worn for some time, and donate them to charity.  

Too often the elderly, housebound, and those in assisted living are forgotten at Christmas. Display the love of Jesus by spending quality time with those who may not have visitors over Christmas.  One Christmas Eve I took home Communion and a gift to a housebound parishioner. My thought was for all the preparations for services I had ahead. I rushed the service and was embarrassed when the person apologised for taking valuable time out of my day but requesting that I would slow down next time. I have never repeated that mistake and lack of care. There are lots of different ways help an elderly neighbor.  There was a lovely clip on breakfast television last year of neighbours surprising an elderly man by delivering a pre-decorated Christmas tree and lots of other treats.  His pleasure was palpable.  Simply being a companion for a while can make an incredible difference more than you may ever know.

During Christmas, you can feed the hungry by donating to the Food Bank volunteering in a soup kitchen, or by delivering meals to the housebound, buying a coffee or lunch for someone who is homeless. For some Christmas may be the only time of year that they get a special meal, and you can help in facilitating this.

Christmas should be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many this time of year may be depressing, stressful, or simply go by unnoticed due to more pressing problems. Jesus’ love will be reflected through your giving. Charities rely on help this time. Donate a Christmas present to a child who might not otherwise get one or a moment of happiness to a child undergoing a stressful situation, whether it’s poverty, illness, or a natural disaster.

Christmas is one of the best times of year to be a witness of the love of Jesus to the world. Any day is a good day to show the love of Jesus, but people seem to be seeking more, hurting more, and feeling even more alone at Christmas. Your actions may seem small to you but can make a huge difference in the lives of others.

I end with a quotation from George F. McDougall a Christian Missionary…

"Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God."

The word peace is the Hebrew word shalom which means completeness or well-being. Shalom continues to this day as a Hebrew greeting that wishes someone well.

One of my favourite hymns is ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ which is a common choice at funerals.  Although I confess to preferring Townend’s version to Crimond's.  The words of Psalm 23 are so beautiful with their reference to green pastures and still waters, reminding us that in life or in death — in times of plenty or want — God is good and worthy of our trust. It uses the metaphor of a shepherd's care for his sheep to describe the wisdom, strength, and kindness of God.

Sheep are very difficult to steer but despite the popular belief that sheep are stupid, they are intelligent. They have very impressive cognitive ability and like humans, they form deep and lasting bonds with each other, they stick up for one another in fights, and they grieve when they lose a friend. However, they can be skittish, defenceless, and fearful and must be constantly watched because they are prey for wolves and eagles, and nowadays stray dogs, motor vehicles, and thieves.

I wonder why Jesus calls us his sheep. The metaphor feels more comfortable when we recognise that sheep possess reasonably good cerebral functioning and can form relationships.  But it also works when we look at all the messes that we make, how fearful we are, and our fickle and wayward we can be.

Thankfully God sent us a Good Shepherd, who is gentle when he finds us far from home, but firm when he needs to be.

It was the shepherds who were chosen to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth. That first Christmas was a sign of peace with God that would last for eternity. Our Good Shepherd paid a high price for that peace.

This week we are invited to reflect on areas where we don’t always have peace in our lives (Not getting along with members of family or friends, overloaded schedules, finances, etc.), and about things that can keep us from having peace with God.

I don’t know about you, but I am very grateful that I have a shepherd to guide and protect me.

Sunday 10th December

• 8:30am Inkpen: HC-BCP
• 9:45am Kintbury: Commissioning Lay Leaders
• 11:15am West Woodhay: Carols
• 4pm Inkpen: Christingle

Tuesday 12th December

• 3pm Inglewood: Communion

Wednesday 13th December

• 7pm Kintbury: Carols in the Square

Friday 15th December

• 4pm Inkpen: Crib & Nativity

Sunday 17th December

• 8:00am Kintbury: HC-BCP
• 3:00pm Combe: Carols
• 6:00pm Kintbury: Village Candlelit Carols
• 6:30pm Inkpen: Readings & Carols

Saturday 23rd December

• 4:30pm Kintbury: Christmas Nativity Play

Christmas Eve

• 11:30pm Kintbury: Midnight Communion

Christmas Day

• 8:00am Avington: HC-BCP
• 9:45am Kintbury: HC-CW
• 9:45am Inkpen: HC-CW & Christmas Family Service
• 11:15am West Woodhay: Family Service

Sunday 31st December

• 9:45am Kintbury: Benefice Service

Merry Christmas from everyone in Walbury Beacon Benefice.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Hope is so important.  It helps us to maintain positive relationships and physical and emotional health. Even during times of uncertainty and adversity, hope can endure and even thrive.  It is available to everyone.

Researchers have noted that when fear is paired with looking toward the positive, it becomes hope and can provide us with new possibilities. 

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1959), who survived the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, claimed there is always a choice, and that emotional health is influenced by the attitudes we choose, the decisions we make, and the desire to look forward rather than backward. When we believe we have the capacity, a plan, and the resolve to reach a goal it can shift us from wishful thinking into action.  

Attending to the glimpses of goodness in our lives offers opportunities for hope and renewal. Experiencing the beauty and warmth of the sunshine, a flower emerging through the cracks on a pathway, sitting back comfortably in our favourite chair, sorting through photographs that evoke positive memories, or listening to a special song are some possible examples.

Research has shown that being appreciative has emotional, physical, and interpersonal benefits.  These positive effects can be enhanced by keeping daily in a gratitude journal. 

Christian hope is something even greater than we can create ourselves.  It is a confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will.

Faith and hope are overlapping realities for me: hope is faith in the future tense. In essence, most of faith is hope.

The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). 

This implies that hope, like faith, is strengthened by listening, reading, studying and internalising the Good News contained in the Bible. 

The Canadian Evangelist said the “Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.

When we are facing difficult circumstances, we are invited to look to Christ, look to his promises, and hold fast to them. Christian hope comes from the promises of God rooted in the work of Christ.

Revd Annette

If you enjoy sung Compline - Radio 3 is broadcasting a weekly service on Monday evenings during Advent, 9:30pm, from different venues around the country.  Last Monday's was a traditional language version - you can find an order of service on the CoE website.  

Jenny

Last week I returned from a one week visit to Cairo at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop of Alexandria Dr Mouneer Anis. He asked me to give a number of lectures about the controversy over the Trinity in the fourth century that led to the Nicene Creed (325AD) which we say most weeks in our Communion Services. Earlier this year I published a book entitled Defining God: Athanasius, Nicaea, and the 4th Century Trinitarian Controversy (available from Amazon!), hence the reason for the invitation.  I spoke to an audience made up of Anglicans from All Saints Cathedral in Cairo as well as some Copts and Muslims. In their context defining who God is, is fundamental to understanding the differences between Christianity and Islam (and for that matter Judaism too – the three Abrahamic faiths so talked about in the present tragedy of the Middles East). But, more positively than simply describing differences, it was a chance to say that `at the heart our faith is a God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that is the glory of the Christian faith. About 80 came to the lectures and there were many questions.

In particular, I spoke about Athanasius who was the Coptic Bishop of Alexandria from 328-373AD and the principal advocate of The Nicene definition of God, that the Son was of the same substance (homoousios) as the Father. He was said to stand Contra Mundum ie against the world which, in the Eastern Mediterranean, wanted to make the Son subordinate to the Father. But Athanasius in a famous work called De Incarnatione (About the Incarnation) argued thar the divine word (Logos) took on human flesh as John makes clear in the opening words of his Gospel.  In fact, towards the end of that great work, Athanasius said “He, Christ, became as we are that we might become as he is” (para 54 De Incarnatione).

As you can see the Incarnation lies at the heart of what we will celebrate at Christmas. It is that God himself took on human flesh (John 1:14). He became like us in order that he might save us from our sins (see Matthew 1:21).  And in these next weeks of Advent, we prepare ourselves to celebrate that great truth. What struck me in Cairo was the reality of these questions for the audience.  Athanasius was their bishop, albeit many years ago. He battled for this truth. And when we say the Nicene Creed, we are joining with Christians around the world to declare the mysterious truth of the Incarnation which we especially remember at Christmas. 

Patrick  Whitworth                          

My cat Amber’s bleating sounds like a baby crying. It sometimes has the power to startle me out of a light slumber reminding me of the sleepless nights of parenthood.  She cries for attention, for treats and to have the kitchen door open so she can stand, breathe in the air, and catch a glimpse of what she might be part of if she was brave enough to venture out.

In the summer she sat on the mat at the door we left open, her presence blocking the dogs from either entering or exiting as they worry about walking past her. She teases our two Labradors walking elegantly across the lounge room as we relax in the evening, jumping up onto the coffee table and lying on her back.  I swear she is watching TV.  

She annoys guests by being determined to try and make herself comfortable on their laps, giving me the choice of shutting the door to keep her out or endlessly removing her from the claimed position.  It is embarrassing but she shows no remorse. 

We chose her from a cat sanctuary as a kitten. She is now 14 years old but looks and acts like a kitten.  When she runs and jumps about upstairs it sounds loud enough to be a person, yet she can move with utmost grace.

In our old Rectory, she would spend most of her time outside in the garden hunting.  We would see the spoils of her adventures. Fortunately, she would eat most of what she caught making the killing somehow more palatable.  She was independent, more of a rather arrogant, demanding visitor than an integrated member of the family.

But there was a change when we moved to the Vicarage in Kintbury. For most of the first year, she rarely ventured downstairs, remaining upstairs hidden under the beds, and sneaking into corners of wardrobes. We discovered that if we left our bedroom window open, she would creep out onto the roof over the office and sit there watching life from a position of safety.  It was rather sad to see her so unsettled by her new environment.

Then early this year our very elderly, eccentric cat Lucy, who slept most of the day in the front room had to be put to sleep. We were convinced that Lucy thought she was a dog because she would follow the dogs everywhere. Daisy, our chocolate Lab would often groom her.  She would try to reciprocate but as a Labrador is a bit more of an ask, it was limited to Daisy’s inner ears and her front paws. I think she adored the dogs and they certainly appeared to enjoy her company.

After Lucy’s death, we noticed an almost instant change in Amber.  She started to venture downstairs more often to wander into the front room and hide behind the settee. It was not long before she let her presence be known, chasing around in the hallway and even at times playing with the dog’s tails as they walked past.  It has been a very surprising transformation. 

Now she runs the house.  Well, at least she thinks she does. And the dogs seem to believe her.

It seems to me that having a pet may fall into the category of God-saturated fascination and joy. God created animals, blessed them, and called them good and one day they will be part of His restored perfect kingdom.  Thank God for pets. 

Rev. Annette

That patriotic First World War song written Lena Guilbert Ford is incredibly evocative. I first came across it when I was in the sixth form, we were invited as older girls to augment the cast of the boys’ school’s Old Time Music Hall production. The opportunity to finally meet socially with a group of same-aged boys was too much to miss even for me as a very reticent performer!  My debut was as the cast in the pub singing, ‘Om-Pah Pah’.  

Home for most people is a place of safety, rest, and peace. It is reassuring that many people who are terminally ill can remain in their own homes where they feel comfort and peace supported by medical professionals. The death of Layla on Eastenders surrounded by her family and friends was beautifully portrayed without ignoring any of the pain of loss.

Home is the space where we should be free to be our truest selves. 

It is heartening to watch a tired, neglected house being renovated to become a new dream home for someone, and not surprising that people spend so much time searching for the right property to make their home. Dave and I own a house in Suffolk where we had imagined returning to spend our final years.  Then our children moved away to secure jobs. We have already spent a great deal of time exploring potential areas near here that we could envisage as a home for when we eventually retire.  It is not easy to seek the right place.

Sadly, for so many people home is not a place of hope, safety, or peace. When we look at the wars raging across the world and the rise in natural disasters, it can generate deep concern, anxiety, a sense of loss, and accelerating horror.

We all hope that as many people as possible may feel supported and safe as we endeavour collectively, and with open hearts to build a world with less hate, less suffering, and more peace and justice. That is a long process.   In Mark 13, the image of birth pains is used to describe several terrible and painful kinds of events, strife, earthquakes, and famines. I think it is because giving birth is painful, a process that once started cannot be stopped, over which you have limited control but that ends in new life.

When life’s circumstances feel overwhelming, they can begin to attack hope moving people from hope to despair and even depression.

But God came to dwell among us and to make a home with us through his son Jesus. That knowledge gives us a great reason to hope. It reminds us that God’s heart is always with us. We are never forgotten or alone. God is faithful and will complete what He has begun. 

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is hope. It is what God’s promises are designed to do – to inspire patient hope. To provide us with the ability to look at any situation and know that regardless of how it may appear God is going to come through. This is the essence of what hope is. 

Our true home is not in a building, a space with a roof and four Walls. Our real home is with Christ, in God.

This week I paid a lovely visit to Notrees residental home in Kintbury to carve smiley pumpkin faces and to share childhood memories with some of the residents. It was a very messy job removing the insides of the fruit with our hands or spoons before we could start, resulting in a lot of laughter. At least two of those taking part had never carved a pumpkin before.  I was inspired by the enthusiasm, even though some had weak and stiff joints in their hands they found a way.  The activity resulted in a disparate collection of illuminated lanterns with broad, toothless but rather joyful grins. 

What I really loved was as we worked and supported each other the conversation flowed naturally.  We covered topics from loss, remembrance, isolation, and sadness to childhood anecdotes, Christmas, and visits to church.  We are making an Advent Wreath in November with the organiser of the Church Flower Group and God’s Eyes in December (so if you have any spare wool please pass it on to me)!  At the end I gave them a bookmark with these words:

Pumpkin Prayer

{cut off top of pumpkin}
God, open our minds so we can learn new things.
{remove innards}
Remove the things in our lives that don’t please you.
Forgive the wrong things we do and help us to forgive others.
{cut open eyes}
Open our eyes to see the beauty in the world around us.
{cut out nose}
we are sorry for the times we’ve turned up our noses at the good food you provide.
{cut out mouth}
Let everything we say please you.
{light the candle}
God, help us show your light to others through the things we do.

Amen

The benefits of social connections and good mental health are numerous. Proven links include lower rates of anxiety and depression, higher self-esteem, greater empathy, and more trusting and cooperative relationships.  I certainly felt the benefit from my morning.

I am conscious that men have fewer opportunities to gather. Some Churches are getting involved in projects to create Men's Sheds. These are community spaces for men to connect, converse, and create. The activities are often like those of garden sheds, but for groups of men to enjoy together. They help reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly, they're fun. 

Dave my husband has often returned home after walking the dog sharing his delight at being invited into a garage or shed to admire a motorbike, car, or sit-on mower. He is always enthralled by engineering and reminds him of his biking days.  At fetes, he will disappear for long, animated conversations with owners of vintage vehicles benefiting from those engagements.  It does mean I then have to talk him out of buying a motorbike as I am too conscious now of the danger!  

Have a lovely week ahead,

Revd. Annette