Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

 

Here are the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry. All are most welcome.

See the Parish of Wickford and Runwell website for more information. To find out more about Christingle Services, see The Children's Society website.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy 2023. Love from Revd Jonathan, Revd Sue, Revd Steve, and our Licensed Lay Ministers, Emma and Mike.

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Graham Kendrick - Song For Christingle.

Youth-led All-Age Christingle Service (2)

The All-Age Christingle Service planned and led by our Pathfinder Group at St John's Seven Kings included a Christingle demonstration, Human Christingle, sweet sharing, information about and prayers for the Children's Society, 'Show me the way to shine for Jesus' song, and a Christingle procession. Our thanks go to the Pathfinders and their leaders for leading us in worship so well this morning.

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Tim Hughes - Here I Am To Worship (Light Of The World) .

Advent update

Advent to date at St John's Seven Kings has included Advent Reflections, Tamil Carols, Brownies Got Talent, Christingle Service and Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight. Today added the Christmas Party for the Downshall Pre-School Playgroup plus Carol Singing around the Parish. Later in the week Downshall Primary School will come for their Christmas Assemblies. We have raised funds for The Children's Society through our Christingle Service and for Haven House Hospice through our Carol Singing. 

The choirs of St John's and St Peter's Aldborough Hatch have led our worship in the Advent Service for the Seven Kings Fellowship of Churches and also at our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight. The two choirs will join forces again this Sunday evening for a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at St Peters.

The latest creation of our banner group - a cover for our organ with a text from Psalm 57 - was dedicated during our Christingle Service. The dedication prayer we used was:  We dedicate this organ cover to the glory of God in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We thank you for the gift of music, the abilities of musicians and singers and of those who make and maintain the instruments we use in worship. May this organ cover be both a protection to our organ and a reminder to all of the contribution which music and musicians make to our worship. Amen.

Our church website is currently part way through a significant upgrade. The new format is in place and the next stage is to update the content. We are very grateful to Doug Feather who has maintained our website over a number of years and helped transition to the new format. Also to Senthur Balaji and colleagues for their work in redesigning the look of the site. 

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Sufjan Stevens - O come, O come Emmanuel.

Christmas: Giving or Getting?

Today, at St John's Seven Kings, the number of people able to get to our services was understandably affected by the snow which makes the church look beautiful in the early morning light. Nevertheless, those of us there thought about the work of the Children's Society and, using their Christingle resources, the extent to which people are prepared to give up things in order to achieve something else.

We said that giving up things is something that we are all generally prepared to do if it means we can achieve something that we want. Sometimes, the something we achieve is for others but more often it is for ourselves.

The difference that we see in Jesus and one of the reasons why we still remember and follow him today seeing him as the light of the world, as symbolised by the Christingle candle, is that when he gave something up, he actually gave up everything – his very own life, when he died on the cross – and he did it not to achieve something for himself but instead something for us and for all people, that we might be saved from the wrong things that harm us and our world and become part of God’s family. That is what the red ribbon on the Christingle reminds us of and it is the reason why we are here today and the reason why we love and follow Jesus.

Around this time of year it’s very easy to get distracted by the things we’re hoping to get at Christmas. It’s very easy to think of Christmas itself as a time of getting rather than giving or as a time of giving so that we will get. But we need to remember that, when Jesus was born as a human baby, he gave up everything that he had had previously as God in order to become human and that, when he was a man, he gave up everything once again by dying in order to save us.

Christmas is therefore primarily about giving, not getting. We need to remember that the measure of Christian’s life is not what we get, but what we give, and what we give up for others.

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Jon Boden and Sam Lee - On Christmas Day It Happened So / Lisa Knapp - Coventry Carol.

Lights of Advent

Here are photos from our Lights of Advent event at St John's Seven Kings where we serve mulled wine and mince pies to passers by while giving out information about our Christmas services and activities. Our Christmas leaflet this year has the following meditation and information:

still
be still
be still and know
God
born
still God
still man
still born
still born among us
God
in flesh appearing
defenceless
helpless
needing us
all-knowing
un-knowing
all present
confined in space
a child
God child
incarnate
incarnate still
be still
be still and know
(written by Revd. Alan Stewart)


Saturday 4th, 6.00pm - Tamil Carol Service

Sunday 5th, 10.00am - Peace and Justice Advent Reflections Service

Sunday 12th, 10.00am - Dramatised Nativity Service and 6.30pm Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight - traditional carols and readings

Sunday 19th, 10.00am - All-age Christingle Service - a colourful service of music and light (collection for The Children’s Society) and 6.30pm Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at St Peter’s Aldborough Hatch

Monday 20th, 7.00pm - Carol Singing around the Parish - wrap up warm. Collecting for Haven House Hospice.

Tuesday 21st, 2.00pm - Carol Tea – Mothers’ Union (All are welcome)

Christmas Eve
Friday 24th, 5.00pm - All-age Nativity Service - dressing up and tree lighting - fun for all. Bring a present to leave under the tree for children helped by Barnados. Collection to the Haven House Hospice.
11.30pm First Holy Communion of Christmas

Christmas Day
Saturday 25th, 8.00am - Holy Communion - Book of Common Prayer; and 10.00am Christmas All-age Holy Communion - children, bring a gift you have received to show others

New Years Eve
Friday 31st, 11.30pm - Watchnight Service - welcoming the New Year in prayer and reflection

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Robbie Robertson - Shine Your Light.