From the Rectory
I
have just looked back over eight years of Christmas letters written for our
Church Newsletter – if I am honest I wondered what to say this year. I am struck by how curmudgeonly I have been
on occasions – sorry! As I was reading,
a line from that great old film ‘The Sound of Music’ popped into my head- it is from the bit where the Mother Superior
at the Convent sends Maria back to the Von Trapp household with the line
‘Whenever
God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.’
Well,
God is closing the door on the time we have shared together in Turvey ;
I am sure He is right to do so, just as I am sure He was right to
open the window when I arrived eight and a half years ago. I am, of course incredibly sad to be leaving
(sorry to be repetitive here!) but it is time for someone new to take the
church on to renewed witness to the Christian message. And what better time than
at Christmas?
The
incarnation, the appearance of God on earth in the form of a human baby, was
such an amazing event it turned the whole of what went before completely on its
head. I expect those early followers of
Jesus, who were brave enough to risk accepting that he was indeed the Son of
God, must have felt both excited and nervous about their new beliefs. Change is, for most people, at best
unsettling and at worst extremely difficult.
But accepting the faith of Jesus is not like opening a small window at
the back of the house to let in a bit of air, it is like throwing all the doors
and windows open to let in the whole of the spring sunshine with all its light
and warmth. This is what we should do at
Christmas. It is a time for going
forward – for giving thanks for the blessings of the past - but for embracing
once again the amazing gift of the Word made flesh and all it can bring into
our lives.
As
I write I am aware of a frisson of excitement about what God might have in
store for me next. It will need to be
something pretty big to compete with Turvey – and I
may be guilty of even more curmudgeonly behaviour before he makes His
intentions clear. But, just as I know
God has a plan for me, so I feel excited about the plan he has for you! Christmas is proof of God’s overwhelming love
for us all – and nothing has changed through the ages.
Thank
you for accepting both Rob and me into your lives. Thank you for sharing so much with us and
making us so welcome both in the village and in Church. We have been incredibly happy in Turvey and will miss being a part of life there. I hope that friendships can be maintained –
and you are welcome to call when you are in Olney – but our life as Christians
is not about hanging on to the past, however good it may have been, it is about
going forward in faith and growing in our Christian life. Rob and I both wish you a happy and peaceful
Christmas – and a very good New Year, full of the light and peace of Christ
Yours
in Christ
Jo
Please pray for...
Christians
throughout the world as we celebrate Christmas
Those
who have not heard or received the Christian message
The
Churchwardens, responsible for our church during the interregnum
Coffee Morning
Last
month’s coffee morning raised £152 towards church funds. A big thank you to Glen and Russell De Ville
for hosting the event and to everyone who supported it in spite of the many
other activities taking place that morning!
There is no coffee morning in December, so the next coffee morning will
be on the 8th January at Homelands, hosted by Anne Claypole
White. We are now planning the programme
for 2011. If you would like to host a
coffee morning next year please phone Anne (881661) who would be delighted to
hear form you! The events are held on the second
Saturday of each month apart form
August and December. February is already
covered. Thank you.
Congratulations Nancy!
On
Sunday 21st November, we presented Nancy Waters with a medal from the Royal
School of Church Music for long and devoted service to All Saints Church Choir. Nancy joined the choir (as a very little
girl!) in 1942 when many of the adults were away fighting. She has been in the choir ever since – and we
hope she will be there for a good few years yet! Thank you Nancy
A Good Wedding Cake
4lb
love
1lb
butter of good youth
1/2
lb of good looks
1lb
of sweet temper
1lb
blindness
1lb
of self forgetfulness
1lb
of pounded wit
1lb
of good humour
2
tablespoons of sweet argument
1
pint rippling laughter
1
wineglass of common sense
1oz
modesty
Put
the love, good looks and sweet temper into a well furnished house. Beat the butter of youth to a cream and mix
well with the blindness of faults. Stir
the pounded wit and good humour into the sweet argument, than add the rippling
laughter and common sense. Work the
whole together until everything is well mixed and then bake gently for ever .
Christingle
The
Christingle Service in aid of the Children’s Society
will take place on Sunday 12th December at 11.00am. The usual Christingle
candles are available if you would like to use them for giving to the
Children’s Society. Please return them
to church no later than Christmas Eve.
Thought for the Month
Give
when you need to “GET”
Where
there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.
Where
there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work
through it.
Where
there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience and
renewed strength.
Where
there is fear, I wish you love and courage.
Author
unknown
Thank you to all who donated
shoe boxes
Although
Nationally the donation of shoe boxes is down,
probably due to the recession, I am glad to say that we managed to collect 38
boxes this year. This reflects about a
50% increase on our donation of 25 boxes last year. Well done and a big thank you to all who
donated shoe boxes this year. The boxes
have now gone to the depot for dispatch and will go to Romania in time for
Christmas.
Life
is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is learning how to dance in the
rain!
Loving
God, the birth of your Son Jesus Christ brought great joy to Mary and
Joseph. We give thanks to you for
everyone whose birthday we celebrate this month. May they ever grow in your faith, hope and love. We ask this in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Flower Arranging Rota
After
many years ensuring the population of the flower arranging rota and appropriate
floral arrangements in place for all the major festivals of the church year,
Anne Claypole -White is taking a very well deserved
rest. Thank you Anne and we continue to look forward to seeing your floral
arrangements in church. Jacqui Darrington is taking
over from Anne in this role and her contact number is 881566. The rota for 2010
will be going up on the notice board in the porch shortly – please do not
hesitate to sign up or contact Jacqui, should you need to do so!
Rotary Swimathon
Congratulations
to Sandra Nightingale, Nessie Elliott, Lucy Taylor,
Chris Knell, Rob Spray and Abi , a friend of Lucy, for
raising more than £500.00 in the Rotary sponsored Swimathon
in aid of St John’s Hospice, Moggerhanger . It was a very good afternoon and we were
delighted that All Saints was so well represented. The swimmers swam more than eighty lengths of
the 25 metre pool at Bedford School – and all received medals!