Christmas starts with Christ

I find this slogan or challenge really helpful at this time of year. It was used last year and has been appropriately resurrected. With all the rush and bustle of Christmas, it is sometimes hard to keep the focus on Jesus.

The commercial pressure seems to get stronger every year. So we now have ‘Black Friday’ when there are bargains to be had, and there is pressure to ‘shop while you can’. I was interested to find out why this day got its name. It is of course tied into Thanksgiving in  America, being the day after. One theory is that because of the great celebrations on Thanksgiving Thursday, record number of people called in sick, hence employers called it ‘Black Friday’.

Most people appreciate a bargain, but when you see the crowds fighting to get into stores and then arguing who got to the bargain first, it is a black day; when selfishness comes to the fore rather than a   generosity that is about finding appropriate gifts for others. Another pressure on us is targeted advertising. Don’t you find it uncomfortable if after you have researched something, adverts for it keep popping up on our computer screens?

We have a number of good traditions that make this a special time; such as giving and receiving presents to show that we care. On the 6th December we have our St Nicholas day service when we bring presents for children who do not otherwise receive much, which are distributed by Barnardo’s. Another tradition is singing carols, old and new that tell the story and encourage us. There are a number of       occasions to join in with that advertised in this magazine. There are some for all different ages and at different times so that at least one should be convenient. Coming together at this time will help us think about not only receiving the gift of Christ afresh for ourselves but also being willing to share the good news and spirit of goodwill. Please take the opportunity to come and join us.

Rev Bill Henderson

This is the time of year when we think about harvest; the good gifts that come from the earth and our gratitude to God and those who work the land to provide for us.

Honouring God’s creation means honouring those who look after it. It’s very easy to go to the shops and buy what we want, as cheaply as possible, without any real thought about where our food is coming from. The principles of Fairtrade are important: to help each person in the supply chain get a just reward. Our choices of where we shop and what we buy can make a difference.

As usual we are encouraging people at Harvest to bring gifts to symbolise our gratitude for what we have. St Peter’s school is joining us in this too. This means that the younger children will bring gifts of food. Some of this will be used by the church to provide a harvest lunch for people in the community (on Tuesday 13th October, 12pm). The rest will support the local food bank so they have enough to give to families that need support. Older children will bring gifts of money. This will go to our Water for Life Project which is helping people in Tanzania.

We have a special link with a village called Sakawa, where we have sponsored a water tank to collect rain water. I was fortunate to be able to visit the village in May and see the tank complete (see my June letter). So we know the money has gone to the right place. The village would like another tank so we are continuing to raise funds for that.

Harvest is when we are encouraged to stop and think but also   celebrate and enjoy the good things that we have and this is much more than the food we can eat. We would like to invite you to join in these celebrations. On Saturday 10th October we are holding an Arts & Crafts Day with various local skills and talents being displayed and demonstrated. If you have a skill to share please come and join in. If not, come along anyway to see the exhibitions. There will be a Ceilidh with a live band in the evening at St Peter’s School (please call the office for tickets). On Sunday 11th October after the morning Harvest Festival service there will be a soup and roll lunch. Please join us.

Rev Bill Henderson