St Peter’s Christingle service is at the earlier than usual time of 4pm on Sunday 13th January 2019 and will be led by Rev Jo Kershaw from St Anne’s, Wrenthorpe (part of our United Benefice)
What is Christingle all about?
The word Christingle means the Christ-light, and the tradition of Christingle goes back to 1747, when the pastor of a church in Germany, John de Watteville, wanted to help his congregation understand about God’s love for the world. He came up with the Christingle, which became popular within Germany before spreading to other countries. Nowadays, the Christingle is an orange with a red ribbon around it. Mounted in the orange are four cocktail sticks, each carrying some sweets. The orange represents the world, and the sweets remind us of all the wonderful gifts that God has given us in our beautiful World: He gave us these gifts because He loves us.
On top of the Christingle there is a candle which stands for Jesus: God sent Jesus into the world to light our way back to God. Finally, the red ribbon stands for the blood of Christ. He came into the world for a purpose: to die in order to take the pain and the sin of the world upon himself. This means that when we do something wrong and feel bad about it, we can go to God and know that we are forgiven.
Today, collections taken at Christingle services are given to the Children’s Society to help its mission to change the lives of vulnerable children across the country who have no one to turn to. Whether they are a young carer, a refugee or at risk of sexual exploitation, there are thousands of children in the UK who need someone who is willing to listen to and support them.
By taking part in a Christingle service this season, you can help to change the lives of disadvantaged children and families in our local communities.
