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St Mary’s News – The Perfect Gift Edition

St Mary’s News – The Perfect Gift

This month’s news with Revd Heather’s Christmas Message on the Perfect Gift.  Following this you can find out abougt:

… the usual listings of services and contacts.

Christmas Message from Revd Heather – The Perfect Gift

The Perfect Gift

As I write this, it is the 11th November, Remembrance Day. Yesterday in our churches, we remembered, lest we forget, the sacrifice of so many that we might know peace and freedom in our time. But as is always the way, the world is pushing us on, and we are being bombarded by Christmas adverts on the television and through social media. It seems hard to imagine, that we could ever forget that Christmas is coming.

Exciting Time

It is rightly an exciting time of the year, as Christmas draws ever closer, as more and more doors of the advent calendar get opened, as the advent candle burns lower and lower, that excitement mounts.

If we have children, or grandchildren, nieces and nephews, old enough to be aware of what is happening, then the adverts will be doing their job, and the list of Christmas gifts they want will be growing by the minute.

Conversely, for those of us who are fortunate to already have everything we need, possibly even too much. Then the answer to the question, ‘what do you want for Christmas?’ Gets ever harder to answer, or certainly does for me.

Alternative Gifts

Not having that much time to watch television, I haven’t yet caught many of the Christmas adverts yet, but I did catch sight of an advert for Sainsburys the other day, featuring Roald Dahls BFG (Big Friendly Giant) which spoke about how they are working with Comic Relief, to distribute over five million meals to families experiencing food poverty this Christmas. In our family we give alternative gifts, I have lost count of the number of goats, beehives, school bags and sewing machines I have ‘nominally’ been given over the years, but it is always makes me so grateful and happy to think of the people that will be receiving these gifts.

The Perfect Gift

Nativity

Christmas is of course the time when we remember the perfect gift, a gift for everyone who willingly receives it. Jesus, wrapped in swaddling bands and laid in a manger. Foretold in Isaiah in these words ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Or in the words of Simeon, as he held him in his arms at just 10 days old, ‘he will be a light to lighten the gentiles.’

At Christmas we remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus, the light in the darkness, through whom, we can have the assurance of salvation and life everlasting. May you know the fullness of the gift he offers this Christmas time

May God Bless you. Heather

Christmas Services

We look forward to welcoming you to our Christmas services this year:

  • Sun 8 Dec @ 3pm—Blue Christmas Service.  A more reflective service in the run up to Christmas for those who might be struggling with the joy of Christmas.
  • Sun 15 Dec @ 2.30pm—Carol Service at St Mary’s Old Church
  • Sun 22 Dec @ 6pm— Carol Service at St Mary’s Please note this has been moved from Christmas Eve.
  • Christmas Eve Crib Service @ 3pm Children invited to dress as a character from the Nativity.
  • Christmas Eve Midnight Communion 11.30pm at All Saints’ Church, Great Horkesley
  • Christmas Day @ 9.30am Christmas Celebration at St Mary’s Church.
AI generated image of a child putting a bauble on a memory tree.

Memory Tree in the Church

From 8th December until the 6th January, there will be a special Memory Tree in St. Mary’s Church. Please come along and place a bauble, which will be provided, on the tree in memory of a loved one this Christmas time (the church is open weekdays, 10am – 4pm).

Advent Trail

From 1st – 24th December a different object from the Christmas story will be hidden each day in the little wood between the churchyard and School Lane. Please don’t remove the object but do take a photo of it to post on Facebook and tag St Mary’s Church. The objects will feature in the Crib service!

Food in School Holidays Club (FiSH)

All families are welcome to come along to two sessions over the Christmas holidays:

  • Monday 23 & Monday 30 December @ 11.30am-2pm—crafts, games and a hot meal with dessert.

Please book via the church administrators, see below for contact details, to help with numbers for catering.

Sunday Services

1 December9.30amCommunion
 5.00pmTaize for Advent Service
Tues 3 Dec9.30pmAdvent Compline on Zoom @ 9.30pm— Meeting code 823 4588 0347, pass code 315786
8 December9.30am Messy Church
 3.00pm Blue Christmas service
Tues 10 Dec9.30pmAdvent Compline on Zoom @ 9.30pm— Meeting code 823 4588 0347, pass code 315786
15 December9.30amCommunion
 2.30pmCarol Service at the Old Church
Tues 17 Dec9.30pmAdvent Compline on Zoom @ 9.30pm— Meeting code 823 4588 0347, pass code 315786
22 December9.30amCafé Church
 6pmCarol Service
24 December3pmCrib Service; (NB Carol service moved to Sunday 22 December—see above)
25 December9.30amChristmas Celebration Service
29 December10.30amJoint 6 Parishes Service at Langham

Our Team at St Mary’s

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