Christmas.
Dear all,
this week's worship comes from the Bristol Circuit and features carols and prayers from a number of well known local landmarks - I wonder how many you can spot. It has been put together by Rev Mandy Briggs from the New Room and edited by David Alderman, the circuit superintendent. It will be available from 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
You will be able to find the carol service if you cut and paste the following address - I don't have the link yet but will send it when it arrives:
(2) Bristol & South Glos Methodist Circuit - YouTube
and if you'd like to join me on zoom for a cup of tea before or afterwards from 4.30 to 5.30 or so that would be great - just drop in for a quick hello or stay the whole time:
You might also enjoy Carols for Bristol which has been produced by a a whole lot of Bristol churches - there is a great poem half way through if you click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1oa9STmP1Y&t=2013s
Monday lunchtime prayer will be taking place this week at 12.30 on zoom,
The Newsletter and worship sheet is below (and attached). Happy reading!
If you would like to send a Christmas message to the church, do give me or John Seward a ring/pop a note in the post/send an email and we will include it in a special Christmas edition of the newsletter. Deadline - extended to Thursday 16th December
“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, he has made him known.” John 1.18
News and Worship Sheet
13th December 2020
Welcome to our weekly news and worship sheet for Totterdown, St Peter’s, Knowle and Bedminster Methodist Churches.
We continue with worship online via youtube or zoom, and continue to send out the weekly newsletters by post. Another way to keep in touch is to join the South Bristol Methodist Church facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthBristolMethodist
If you would like to receive this sheet and the SBMC video or access to our online worship by email, please contact me. The videos and livestream are
also available on our website, southbristolmc.org.uk and on youtube at SouthBristolMethodistChurch.
Reading
Luke 1.26-38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’
‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’
‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.
Reflection
This is a very personal story. It reminds us that God depends on the obedience of apparently insignificant individuals to achieve his purposes for humanity. That includes you and me! I love the story of Mary and Elizabeth meeting up – do read the rest of Luke Chapter 1 – I can imagine them getting their sewing out to get ready for the babies, as they chat about their pregnancies and compare notes – as women have done for thousands of years.
God still uses the insignificant, the ordinary and the people who seem to have missed out on worldly success and glory, to tell his story and reveal his truth. What a privilege to be part of that upside down kingdom.
Rev Sally
Hymn
Mary’s song, Luke 1.46-55
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age to same;
his holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore!
Timothy Dudley Smith 1962
Prayer
Christ the Good Shepherd
Enfold us in love,
Fill us with peace
And lead us in hope,
This day and all our days;
And the blessing of God,
Father Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with us evermore
Amen.
Keeping the flame burning
One change this year for many people is that Sunday morning church is no longer the focus of our lives together – instead of one big circle with little groups around the edges, and a few individuals feeling left out because they couldn’t get to church on Sunday, church is now more like a series of overlapping circles. Even when the pandemic is in the past, I think this may continue to be the case. So many people are excluded from attending on Sundays, either through age or illness, shift work patterns, or family commitments they have no control over – looking after an elderly parent or a disabled child, for example. But we still need our church community to help keep our faith strong.
It raises the question, what helps us maintain our faith?
I would say that personal prayer and Bible reading, worshipping with others in some way, keeping on learning, and sharing our ups and downs and questions, and - of course - making sure we are putting faith into practice, are all essential. For some people a small group may be the main regular commitment and Sunday mornings an extra bonus.
How do you make sure your faith is sustained and you feel part of the church community even if you can’t get to church on Sundays? What would you advise others to do?
Do you know someone who is isolated, or depressed and lonely this Christmas? If so, PLEASE TELL US so we can make sure they are not ignored and they know someone out there cares.
There will be no Christingle services this year, but families can collect ‘Christmas in a Bag’ from outside Totterdown Methodist Church 11.30-1pm and outside Knowle Methodist Church 1.30-3pm on Sunday 20th December.
Janet from Bedminster tells me she has been spending a lot of her lockdown time recently playing Christmas carols – she knows 60 of them not including Christmas songs! How many carols can you think of?
Last week’s newsletter included the first part of a poem written by 13 year old Massimiliano Tortis in 1992. Here is the rest:
This Year I’m not Coming
Listen to me closely. I have but one thing to say:
Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
And you rich ones, pharisees and exploiters, will not enter my Kingdom.
No!
It will be those whom you have treated as beggars,
As human trash, as ignorant, who will enjoy eternal life.
I gave you the Word in order to place it at the disposition of the weak,
But you have made it private property to exploit the humble.
I told you to preach my words,
But you have closed yourselves in large buildings.
Many babies are born in your world, just as I was, in a stall –
A bare and dark stall in which mothers fear that the baby will awake because they have nothing to give it
But you don’t even look at them.
You beat people because of the colour of their skin.
At Christmas, instead of thinking about the poor,
You enjoy yourselves eating and drinking.
You treat the poor like you treated me.
But I say to you: Blessed are those who cry, for they will be consoled.
Blessed are those who are hungry, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are naked, for they will be clothed.
My kingdom will be composed precisely of these.
**********************
62 shoeboxes were blessed and sent off to Eastern Europe via the Rotary Club last Wednesday. Gifts are also being sent to local families via St Peter’s and the East Bristol Children’s Centre, and to those who are homeless via the Methodist Centre. Bedminster Methodist Church will be making a collection of money for the homeless on 20th December. Please get in touch with Bob Bennett if you would like to contribute and won't be attending. Thank you for your generosity.
Carols on your doorstep
A much needed chance to sing - on Sunday 20th December at 5:30pm the whole country has the chance to join in Carols on your Doorstep. All you need is to have a radio at hand. That can be a DAB radio, Freeview on your TV (725) or the Premier Radio phone app. Tune into Premier Radio who will play 3 or 4 carols for everyone to sing along to. Tell your neighbours! Carol sheet attached.
Yesterday and today (4-7pm) there are beautiful lanterns outside Bedminster Methodist Church, and also displays in shop windows along North Street. The lanterns look good! If you are on facebook there are more pictures there.