The Benefice of St. Bartholomew

Advent and Christmas Services in the Benefice - 2018

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Written by Tony Gowers

Advent and Christmas will be celebrated at services in Churches throughout the Benefice as follows:

Sunday 2nd December
6.00 pm: Advent Carols - St Leonards's, Semley. Click here for more information.

Sunday 9th December
6.00 pm: Advent Praise - St Mary's, East Knoyle. For more details, click here.

Sunday 16th December
6.30 pm: Carol Service - St Mary's, East Knoyle

Sunday 23rd December
4.30 pm: Nine Lessons and Carols - St Mary's, Donhead St Mary. Click here for more information about this service.
6.30 pm: Carol Service - St Catherine's, Sedgehill

Monday 24th December - Christmas Eve
9.00 am: Said Eucharist - St Leonard's, Semley
3.00 pm: Crib Service - St John's, Charlton. For more information, click here.
6.00 pm: Carols with Lanterns - St Leonard's, Semley. Click here for more details.
11.30 pm: Midnight Mass - St Mary's, Donhead St Mary

Tueday 25th December - Christmas Day
9.30 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Leonard's, Semley
10.00 am: Christmas Morning Service - St Catherine's, Sedgehill
11.00 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Mary's, Donhead St Mary
11.00 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Mary's, East Knoyle

Sunday 30th December
9.30 am: Benefice Eucharist - St Catherine's, Sedgehill
11.00 am: Family Service / Carols - St John's, Charlton

All are welcome - please do come and join us.

*** NEW *** The Text This Week

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Written by The Rev'd Richard Warhurst

Bible study in the Rectory, Semley - “The Text This Week”

On Thursdays at 7:30pm, during term-time.

The first session is on 20^th September 2018 - everyone is welcome.

The idea is that we will explore the text for the coming Sunday (over a glass of wine or cup of tea...)

Come each week - drop in - come when you're reading - it's up to you !

From the Rector - December 2018

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Written by The Rev'd Richard Warhurst

Dear Friends,

Have you ever said or heard the words ‘are we there yet?‘ I know that I have and can think of numerous occasions when driving that I hear Sophia and Tilly utter these words, on repeat, from the back! We always seem to be in a hurry to get places and if there's a short cut on a route I am sure most of us would take it.

In science fiction, we see creative solutions to the question ‘are we there yet?‘ Characters teleport from one place to another, they can jump forward or backwards in time, and I suspect that many of us would be tempted to use such methods if we could to avoid long journeys and satisfy our impatience. However, I believe that if we had the means to transport ourselves instantly from one place to another, we would significantly lose out on what those journeys could have entailed. Imagine arriving instantly at your destination of Lake Coniston having not travelled through the beautiful Lake District scenery. This is how I see Advent - a rich and significant journey which is so often ignored or omitted from our lives as we engage with the commercial belief that Christmas is already here.

I am writing this in November and the shops are already full of festive Christmas cheer. The irony is that while our shops and media begin Christmas early and end it on 25th December, in the Church, Christmas truly begins on 25th December. The Christmas season then continues into January with Epiphany and ends with the last feast of Christmas, Candlemas, on 2nd February (which is why, if you've ever wondered, our Christmas tree remains in the Rectory until then!). By this time the shops have long forgotten it and are stocked ready for Valentine's Day and Easter!

It seems to me that at best Advent is misunderstood and used only as a countdown to Christmas, or at worst is completely lost in the midst of festive shopping and parties.

So, what is Advent all about? Well it is, of course, partly to do with remembering Jesus‘ birth and because of where Advent is placed in the Church calendar, we can't help but anticipate remembering the Nativity. My children have Advent calendars and as they open the doors day by day they do indeed countdown until Christmas but this is not what is at the heart of Advent.

It is helpful to learn a little about the origin of the word Advent to understand it's meaning. The word comes from the Latin adventus which means ‘coming’. If we look back even further, the Greek word often translated to the Latin adventus is parousia. Although the Greek word parousia has a number of meanings, it is commonly the word used to refer to the second coming of Christ, his return in glory which is referenced and foretold throughout the Gospels. So the season of Advent can be thought of as a time of looking to the past as we remember Jesus coming to earth as a baby, and to the future in anticipation of his second coming.

For Christians this changes the way we engage with Advent, it shifts its focus from the past to the future, and in turn challenges us to look at how we live our lives in the present. Advent also marks the start of the new Church year, so while 1st January may seem the obvious date for New Year resolutions, Advent is also an opportunity to do this both individually and as a church.

My challenge is that this year we embrace Advent, make an effort to find out more about what this season means and what we can learn from it. Of course, we need to think about Christmas before the day — shopping, decorations, present lists, nativity rehearsals, cake making and so on — but despite the excitement and anticipation that Christmas brings, there is still room to experience the significance and richness of the Advent journey.

Advent also brings some excitement to our Benefice as we welcome our new Curate, Fr Kevin Martin. We hope you can join us at 10:30 am on Sunday 2nd December at St John’s Church, Charlton for a welcome Eucharist followed by yummy refreshments!

Yours,

Richard

Prayer Cycle and Prayer of the Month - December 2018

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Written by The Rev'd June Lane

The Prayer Cycle is always there - for your requests or thank-you’s. Contact Julia (tel: 01747 829166), The Rev’d June (tel: 01747 828427), Theresa (tel: 101747 829188), or The Rev’d Richard (tel: 01747 830174).

Sometimes it is easy to think that Prayer does not achieve anything, that it is just saying things into an empty, silent space where no one is listening. But, this year there have been some remarkable positive answers to our prayers. We have known those who have recovered from illness and others who have had so much longer with their loved ones than the doctor's thought possible. Those who have found an inner peace and the ability to face their troubles and those who have found new friends and new interests to make life seem worthwhile again.

Of course, sometimes we have not had the answers we would have liked, sometimes we have wondered "Why?" But we in the Prayer Group do believe Prayer makes a difference and we do feel honoured when you approach any one of us and ask us to pray.

Prayer of the Month

This Prayer is inspiring us to look at the past year and pray for the new year to come as we think of the virtues of Saints who followed God all their lives.

You might even get the children to go to the Library and look up some of these Saints as a Christmas Project!

Heavenly Father,
Help us to follow the example of Alden the patient one.
May we walk in the steps of Cuthbert, the gentle one.
Give us the grace to tread the path of Hilda, the wise one.
Encourage us to live as Chad, the willing one.
May we journey on the Pilgrim Way as Cedd, the travelling one.
Amen