The Children's Society

Glad to be supporting the Children's Society at our #Christingle service this morning. 

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk

There's no sermon to share, as I spoke off the cuff at this, but we thought about the importance of listening and being listened to. Mary, a teenage mother who no one would have thought was important, found that God had taken notice of her when the angel came to her. He had listened to her and people like her, who needed his help in a world where they were at the mercy of powerful people. She listened to God and understood that, though she might be frightened at the thought of bearing God's son, God loved her and was doing something good for her.
Listening is at the heart of the Children's Society's work - listening to children and young people, refugees and migrants, children who have run away from home or care, children who have disabilities or problems. If you don't listen, you can't help. The Christingle too, speaks to us (not literally - that would be rather worrying!) but through its symbolism. The orange reminds us that the world is in God's hands. The cocktail sticks tell us that whatever season of life, or corner of the world we are in (interpretations vary!) God is with us in them. The sweets remind us that God is the giver of all good things. The red ribbon reminds us that helping others, as Christ did, comes at a cost, but that suffering isn't a sign that something has gone wrong - God can be with us in that too. The candle tells us that God can shine in the darkness, however deep it is.

Christingle service this Sunday at 10am

December and January Parish News from Seal Church

Christmas is just on the horizon, and this month's parish news from Seal Church contains details of the services and events here at Seal over the coming weeks. We hope there is something for everyone, from the quiet small-scale services of "Breathing Space" Holy Communion on Thursday evenings (8,15,22 Dec at 8pm) , candlelit and containing times of silence, to the (probably rather chaotic!) Christingle and Crib services which attract large numbers of families with children.

There are also opportunities to reflect online through our "One Word" reflections, which you can find on the blog here.

To get you in the Christmas mood, here is a slideshow made last Christmas.

At the time of writing, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and the rest are homeless on the nights of Dec 11, 12,13,15,17,18,19,20 and 21…

I’m referring to our church travelling crib set,which is currently making its way around Seal School. If you would like to host it for a night, let me know. It will be brought to you by whoever had it the night before and you will need to pass it on to the next person on the list. You can use it as a focus for prayer, for telling the Christmas story. You can sing, have a party... it's up to you!