Dear All,
As I write this letter to you, we only have ten tickets left for our second drive-in carol service! The 6pm service sold out quickly, so we are grateful to Go Outdoors for allowing us to put a later service on as well, which has also been popular. It is great to see that the community is keen to get involved with something that is clearly a Christian event. I wonder why?
For some people maybe it is about the tradition of singing carols and starting the Christmas celebrations with the retelling of the Christmas story. For some it is a great chance to celebrate the birth of Jesus. For others it is important to be part of the community life of the village and for others it may just be a welcome bit of normality after a chaotic year. Whatever the reasons for people coming to the carol service, it is important that everyone who comes feels welcome and part of the wider St John's family.
It is also important to make sure that we confidently and clearly tell people the good news. I have been struck this week by the words in Isaiah 61, “bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners”.
This is the reason Jesus came, to bring good news for all people, including those on the edges of society and those whom society might keep at a distance. Let us be a church that looks to bring that good news to all who live in our community, whatever their circumstances.
God Bless
Gareth
A Prayer for Advent
Lord of light and love,
shine your radiance upon us,
be our light in the darkness,
our hope at times of despair,
our joy when life feels dreary.
Come, bring healing, wholeness, and life into our lives this Advent.
We ask in the precious name of Jesus,
Amen.