At 6 pm on Christmas Eve we will have our Christingle Service. Christingle is a joyful celebration that brings families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope.
During the service each person makes a Christingle which is an orange wrapped in red ribbon decorated with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on the top.
Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:
The essence of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the love, hope and joy that he brings. It's a time to give thanks for His steadfast love for us no matter what. Also to remember that all people not just Christians are loved by God and that all should be treated with respect and generosity.
Come along at 6 pm for our Carols by Candlelight led by our minister Revd Christine Coram. This service will be followed by Tea/Coffee and mince pies.
Whilst preparing this entry there was a feature on the local news showing volunteers packing boxes to give as a presents to people and families who have very little. It was a stark reminder that even though as a nation we are rich, those riches are not distributed evenly. We thank God for the many charities, organisations and individuals who try to provide help to any in need and pray that we too can show the love of Jesus to those less fortunate than ourselves in whatever way our circumstances allow not just around Christmas time but all the time.
Immanuel God with us. "Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.” Luke Chapter 20 verse 13 (NIVUK) Once the baby was born, God chose shepherds to tell of the birth and its significance. These 'ordinary' men rejoiced and told others, Then apart from Simeon and Anna, the Son of God seems to have remained unnoticed. The Jews living around had been waiting for the Messiah, but this child in their midst remained unrecognised. The identity of the young child was however recognised by Gentiles living a good way off, the Magi were wise men from South Arabia or Persia, who came seeking the King of the Jews.They did not ask if a King had been born but where He was.The city of Jerusalem and indeed the palace is where they expected to find Him. They came a long way to find Him and having done so they worshipped Him and presented gifts.
After the recent Storm BERT many people have been affected again by flooding. Many attribute the changing weather pattern to Climate Change caused by our Western Lifestyle which is dependent on fossil fuels. Apart from supporting the appeals for help for those affected by the floods, both here and abroad, should we be looking at our own lifestyles and taking note of the suggestions being made by the Church Eco Group in helping us become an Eco Church to reduce our Carbon Footprint individually and as a Church. 'The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.’
Genesis Chapter 2 verse 15
As Christmas approaches what is foremost in our minds. Is it 'have I got all the presents?', 'Have I got enough food?'. Or is it 'What can I give for Jesus' birthday?' A special donation to charity, A gift to someone from the All We Can gift catalogue, the gift of time in the coming year, or a deeper commitment to study and prayer. Or as it says in the poem or Carol by Christina Rosetti
What can I give Him, Poor as I am? — If I were a Shepherd I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man I would do my part, — Yet what I can I give Him, — Give my heart.
“Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger
The Service this morning is billed as an Informal "Nativity" Service led by our own worship team so why not come along for 10 am to experience their interpretation of the Nativity story.
The world awaits Jesus' return ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’ Acts Chapter 1 verse 11 (NIVUK) John prepared the way for Jesus, fulfilling the words of Isaiah. A highway was made up to make travel easier for the King. All obstacles were removed. As we seek to live in readiness and in an ongoing good relationship with God, we also need to remove the obstacles of sin and keep our pathway of communication with God open. Let us ask the Lord to search our hearts and show us where we are not ready for Jesus' return.
The Christmas season can often seem full on - a fuller diary, fuller bellies, places filled with more people, spaces filled with more noise. I've often heard advent reflected on as a time to escape all that. We're encouraged to wait, take time out to find Christ in the season, to be still and quiet with him. Indeed, this year Methodist churches are reflecting on the hymn lyrics "O hush the noise..." But on reflection I wonder if advent is more than just waiting and that advent can also be in the activity and in the noise. I believe God also calls us to be watchful - to look out for signs of him and the hope he brings, highlighted at Christmas, like the stars and angels foretold that first Christmas. I also think part of Advent is welcoming. We are preparing to welcome Jesus' birth, but this season also presents so many opportunities to share with others and to encourage others to welcome Christ into their lives. After all the second part of that hymn lyric is "and hear the angels sing". Are we open to God's message, to what God wants to say to us this season and how he wants to work in us? And are we welcoming Jesus and his joy into our lives and the lives of those around us? I pray that this advent we eagerly wait, are watchful in wonder and are full of a warm welcome to Christ and those around us.
Hanna Bevan
Everyone is welcome to join John and the Norton Radstock Good Afternoon Choir with their special Christmas Guests including Children from Welton Primary School in the Church from 1.30 - 2.45 pm. Admission is free but there is a retiring collection for Dorothy House Hospice Care.
Those who welcomed Jesus. In the early chapters of Luke's Gospel a small group of devout Jews are waiting expectantly on the edge of the fulfillment of God's plan. They were a remnant in covenant relationship with God. They were Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Simeon, Anna, Joseph and Mary. They all played an important part but John prepared the way for the Messiah whose life, death and resurrection are pivotal points in the history of mankind. Consider what characteristics made them usable by God and how available and usable we are, and how we can become more so.
This day is the 'Greet and Eat' Christmas Lunch which provides a warm space for people to come and enjoy a home cooked meal and meet with existing friends or make new ones. 'Greet and Eat' takes place every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month and is complemented by the weekly Friday 'Coffee and Chat' . We thank God for the provision of such events as 'Greet and Eat' here at the Church or in the local community which encourage people to meet together for food and social interaction.
The world awaits the coming of Jesus. In Isaiah chapter 49 and verse 6 we read: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth' To begin with the servant of God is the nation of Israel, but Israel failed. Jesus the true Israelite who is prepared to suffer to restore the people to their destiny as a holy people is the one who fulfills the role of God's servant. He is not the military leader who will overthrow the Romans as many Jews were expecting. May we be like Jesus and adopt a servant heart as we journey through life.
The second Sunday of Advent. In the book of Isaiah Chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 we read the familiar 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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. May we all know the presence of the Prince of Peace in our lives in the coming year.
ADVENT = The arrival of an important person. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke chapter 2 v 7 (NRSV) What led up to His coming was far more than a nine month pregnancy. He was there from the time of creation and the whole history of the nation of Israel led to His coming. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. (John chapter 1 vv 1-3) (NRSV) God revealed through Isaiah the good news of the redeemer who will take the form of the suffering servant. Only through him, the anointed one can the saving reign of God be brought to our sinful world.
Scripture Luke: Chapter 3 verses 8 & 17-18 ‘Prove your repentance by the fruit you bear… ‘His winnowing-shovel is ready in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and gather the wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn on a fire that can never be put out.’ (REB) Message The imagery of how chaff was separated from the wheat grain in pre-mechanised days gives a vivid picture of the impact John the Baptist felt Jesus would have on the lives of those who were prepared to listen to him; Jesus as the farmer tossing the wheat into the air to allow the breeze to blow the chaff away from the fruitful grain. We are all like the wheat when brought in from the field, a mixture of good grain and chaff which, if we truly open ourselves - warts and all - to the teachings and example of Jesus will expose the chaff within us to the working of the Holy Spirit and purify our lives. This demands great honesty and courage to reflect on the self-centredness of our ways of life in comparison to the self- sacrificial life of Jesus and to be prepared to allow our ways of life to be changed. The question is: are we really ready to be tossed into the air and allow those things in our lives which diminish our fruitfulness before God to be blown away by His purifying Spirit and sacrificed in His name? Prayer Loving and generous God, each and every day, give me the courage to be completely honest before you; and allow your purifying Spirit to cleanse me of my self-centredness, so that I may follow the Jesus Way ever more closely.
Mike Evans
The Methodist Church's Advent and Christmas campaign for 2024 is called Hush the Noise: Join the love song this Christmas. Christmas is loud, isn’t it? So much expectation. So many voices. Telling us how to celebrate, what to wear, what to eat and drink, what to watch and what to buy. Instead, this Christmas everyone is invited to hush the noise. To listen for the love song that the angels bring, this and every year. They sang it for the first time more than 2,000 years ago, on the midnight clear. They’re just waiting for us to join in. The concept of the campaign comes from a verse of the Carol ‘It came upon a Midnight Clear’ by Edmund Hamilton Sears – Yet with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not The love-song which they bring; O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing. Clearly these ancient words written in the 19th century predate inclusive language and can’t easily be re-worded to be fit the tune. But here’s my paraphrase of the message: The result of generations of selfish and callous behaviour and struggles of all kinds is wide-spread suffering. The angel’s song has lasted over 2,000 years – but who still hears it? Humanity is too busy making war and grasping at wealth to listen to God’s love song sung by the heavenly choir. Stop and listen everyone – be quiet, just for a moment so that you can hear the angel’s message of peace and good will to everyone. You can sign up to a daily mindfulness message for Advent using the following link https://www.methodist.org.uk/faith/hush-the-noise/
Revd Christine Coram (Minister Midsomer Norton Methodist Church)
Julian House is a charity that supports vulnerable and at-risk individuals. These include adults and young people experiencing homelessness, escaping domestic abuse, adults with learning difficulties and people who need support after leaving prison. Based in Bath, Julian House is a local charity which we have chosen to support as a Church. For more information click here. At this time of Advent we recall that Jesus was at times homeless ("foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head") and a refugee (Matthew chapter 2 vv 13-15) so he understands what it is like to be in that situation.
The church has participated in Operation Christmas Child for several years and this year is no exception. Over 100 filled shoeboxes have been collected and sent after they were blessed during the service on the morning of 17th November so are now on the way to the country to which they will be delivered. We thank God for the generosity of so many people in filling the shoeboxes and pray that the children who receive them will experience the love of God in their lives.
In the New Testament book of Acts chapter 20 and verse 35 the apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus said "It is more blessed to give than to receive". The Methodist Relief Agency All We Can has a wide range of gifts which support transformational work in some of the worlds poorest communities. Have a look at https://www.allwecan.org.uk/gifts/
Advent is the period of four weeks in the Christian calendar leading up to Christmas. During that time, we celebrate the promised return of Jesus when all things, including the universe itself will be renewed. The Bible tells us that at that time, Jesus will reign over everyone and everything so that all will be brought under his authority. Of course, we are also preparing to celebrate Jesus first appearance on earth in the baby of Bethlehem – God in human form, born to Mary, a temporary homeless, non-white, single Mum, accompanied by her fiancé Joseph who soon become refugees, seeking safety in a country not their own. Their story has a familiar ring. In this precarious little life, God demonstrated a love beyond belief, and that’s what we are preparing to celebrate. And so, each of the four Sundays in advent, we light a candle to remember the past, present and future impact of God’s decision to join the human race for a while. Most of us are familiar with Advent calendars – opening a door each day to reveal a picture or a chocolate as we count down to the ‘big day’. This Advent calendar helps us to focus more on God’s intervention in the world than the approaching festival of food, decorations and presents. We don’t need to be reminded of the rapid sprint towards Dec 25th – there’s so much to do in these four short weeks! And so, we invite you to pause and take a moment each day – take a breath and say ‘thank you’ to God. Enjoy!