ST.
PHILIP’S E-NEWSLETTER
23
DECEMBER 2011
COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR
Not long till the big
day.
In the midst of the
activities may you find some time and space for peace and a quiet joy.
THOUGHT
Our last in a few
snippets from the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar reflecting on the
incarnation.
Christianity makes the claim to be the ultimate
expression of God and consequently his final self-giving and
self-revelation. This cannot be
transcended because God, who is ‘all things’, here out of love goes not only
into that which is other than him,
into the creature, but also that which is contrary
to him as he gathers up the sin and the lostness and the abandonment, gathers
it up and transforms it. God does not
thereby cease to be himself; indeed he shows precisely through this what he is
in himself, what he is and what he can do.
God can be dead without ceasing to be eternal life and he can, acting in
this manner, prove finally that he is life and love and the goodness and grace
which pours itself out in selfless self-giving.
What is the consequence of this?
It gives meaning to the futility both of our individual existences and
of the history of the world; it gives hope to those who live under the rule of
death, hope in a life with God which overcomes death. The way forward is for the individual, and
for humanity as a whole, a way towards a final meaning. A way to a peace as the world cannot give
because it is first and foremost peace between heaven and earth, between God
and humans. It is from this peace that
we are sent out to work with all our power for the peace of the world.
WORSHIP
There are loads of
services coming up to celebrate Christmas.
Rather than provide
the details of each service your editor has simply chosen to provide the times
and basic description.
Christmas Eve (Saturday 24 December)
4pm: Carols for Kids
We share a few songs
known to children and adults and a simple retelling of the Christmas story.
6.30pm: Family Service
We sing some well
known songs but we have two treats.
Our Breakfast Club
will present a Silhouette Nativity Play narrated
through the eyes of a couple of the apparently less important witnesses.
During this play our Junior Choir will sing for us two
songs: ‘Sweet was the song’ and ‘Gaudete’.
11.00pm: Community Carols
Our very own Andrew
Booth and his lovely assistants Sarah Wilkins and/or Fraser Rennie will lead us
with the usual array of light-hearted Christmas Songs and silly jokes, ending
with the longstanding favourite, the 12 days of Christmas.
11.30pm: Watchnight Service
We move smoothly into
the quiet watchnight service for a bit of quiet reflection as we approach the
birth of Christ.
NB: We will be taking
a retiral collection
at the Christmas Eve services for two charities. One will be Asha,
who do such excellent work in the slums of Delhi
and with whom we are establishing some links, and 500
Miles, whose founder Olivia Giles recently spoke at a Guild meeting and
inspired all with the work done to provide mobility to people in Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Christmas Day (Sunday 25 December 2011)
9.30am: Communion
A quiet
communion. Your minister may just read a
favourite story.
10.30am: Family Service
A lighter service
with a couple of readings, some great songs and a chance to share some of our
gifts.
Boxing Day (Monday 26 December 2011)
11.00am
Your minister will
still be asleep.
EVENTS
- Ø The Magazine: There is no January edition of the church
magazine. Contributions are invited by Sunday 22 January for the February
edition. These should be emailed to pmidonaldson@blueyonder.co.uk,
put in the magazine pigeonhole or handed to Pam or Ross
Donaldson in church. - Ø Shopping for the Homeless and Freshstart: The Grassmarket Community, who help the
homeless in Edinburgh,
have asked if people would be willing to add a bit extra to their shopping
basket. Stock cubes, self raising flour,
salt and pepper are always needed as well as sugar, tea and coffee. A separate box has been added for cleaning
materials for Freshstart. Freshstart
always need cleaning materials particularly basic items such as blue cleaning
cloths, scouring pads and cleaning products.
In addition to this they are always looking for household items and at
the moment they are particularly short of tumblers, single duvets, cutlery
(mainly table knives and teaspoons) and pillows. Donations of these items can be left in the
Flower Room. - Ø Fundraising Penny Tubes are available
today for your small change. Please take
one. Full tubes can be returned to the basket on the shelf at the back of the
church and a new one taken to start filling again! The penny total is creeping up and has now
reached £884!
Saturday, 14th January 2012
- Ø Family Fun Event on Saturday, 14th
January from 2pm – 5pm, a fun afternoon with board games and table games for
everyone from 5 to 100! For more
information please contact Lilian Warwick
Sunday, 22nd January 2012
- Ø Joint Service at St Martin: The will
be a joint Parish Grouping service on
Sunday, 22nd January at 11am at St Martins Church. At this stage we do not yet know if the 9.30
service will be held at St. Philip’s or St. Martin’s. Watch future orders of service for more
details!
JOKE
Grandma and Grandpa
were reading the nativity story to their youngest grandson.
They got to the bit
where Mary and Joseph are in the stable and Mary gives birth to Jesus.
The grandson asks,
‘What’s a stable?’
They pause for a
moment, thinking of a way to explain it in terms that a young boy who has grown
up in a city can understand.
Then Grandma says,
‘It’s a bit like your sister’s room but without the TV’.
Happy Christmas!
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