Outdoor Carol Service

The government's announcement yesterday that outdoor carol singing will be allowed over Christmas means that we will be able to hold a short carol service in our churchyard on Dec 20.

No congregational singing is allowed inside the church, so we can't sing at any of our other services over Christmas, but this will be a lovely opportunity to sing our favourites together, socially distanced from one another of course. The service will last about 30 minutes.

Advent Windows

Look out for a new Advent window around the village each day during Advent.

You can find this week’s windows in the roads below. Look out for a number in the window, like the one on the right. If you visit all the Advent windows, either as they open or all together on a Boxing Day walk at the end, you will find a letter in each one which, unscrambled, will form a message. The windows will stay up until Dec 29.
 
Dec     1.Church Road
2. Church Road
3. Zambra Way
4. Zambra Way
5. High Street (north side)
6. High Street (south side)
 
You can find a map telling you where to find the Advent windows by clicking on the picture below. If you need a printed version and don't have a printer, email me at sealpandp@gmail.com and I will print one for you, or there is a copy pinned to the church gates for you to view.

Sing Christmas Nov 30

 

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

From the Great O Antiphons, 12-13^th C, trans. John Mason Neale (1818-1866)

We begin our meditations with a few carols and hymns associated with Advent rather than Christmas. Advent comes from a Latin word that means “to come”. In Advent we think about those who at the time of Christ longed for God’s promised Messiah to come, and we think too of our own longings for ourselves and for the world.

This hymn draws on a traditional set of responses used at the evening service of Vespers called the “Great O Antiphons”.  They plead for Christ to come, using Biblical images for Jesus that have their roots in the Old Testament. Though the hymn is ancient, the longings of those who wrote it are easily recognisable. They feel they are in exile. They long to come home, to be free, to find light and hope in times of trouble, and to find God’s guiding presence now, just as ancient Israel did when Moses was given the Law on Mount Sinai. The refrain reassures them that help is on the way.

·         Which verse of the hymn speaks to you most powerfully?

·         What do you long for right now?

·         Do you believe God will give you what you need and long for?

Bible Reading: Jesus says: Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking:if you hear my voice and open the door I will come in to you and eat with you , and you with me. Revelation 3.20

Sunday worship podcast links and other news Advent Sunday

Nov 29 Advent 1    Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet         Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet   On Zoom this week  email sealpandp@gmail.com for links Zoffee Sunday Nov 29, 2020 11:15 AM  Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.   Zoom Children’s Choir  Wed 5-5.30pm  Fun singing with Anne Le Bas   Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Sunday services next week: Dec 6 10am               Holy Communion 4pm                 Story Church 6.30pm            Evensong Advent Today marks the start of Advent. It’s the beginning of the Church’s year, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Traditionally Advent was a season like Lent, during which people fasted, or at least tried to clear space in their lives for reflection, before the feast of Christmas, allowing themselves to acknowledge the darkness in themselves and in the world around them, so that the light of Christ was all the brighter when it dawned on Christmas day. In Church, Christmas begins as Christmas Eve turns to Christmas Day. It then continues through the feast of the Epiphany on Jan 6, and beyond that to Candlemas on Feb 2. Of course this year Advent and Christmas will be different for all of us. Many of the things we would normally do in December won’t be possible, in church as well as at home – there are more details of our plans for this year below. Maybe that will help us to see Advent and Christmas in a new light, though, reclaiming some of the stillness which is normally driven out by the parties and noise and crowds, and helping us to see through the trimmings to what really matters, the love which is at the heart of Christmas whatever is going on around us, and which endures when the tinsel and trimmings are packed away and the turkey is all eaten up. It’s this love which will see us through the tough times we are going through, if we will let it.   There are many ways in which we can help ourselves to find meaning in Advent. Lighting Advent candles, opening Advent calendars, giving ourselves food for thought, such as through our daily reflections on our blog, or colouring in the Advent picture, for example - see below for links to these resources. We can also look outwards towards others, making a “reverse Advent calendar” by putting aside some tinned or packaged food each day, to be dropped off in church for the foodbank at the end of Advent, or by supporting a charity. We can reconnect with others – maybe that scrawled Christmas card, usually dashed off in haste because we are busy, could be a bit longer and more personal this year, or we might find the time to phone, Skype or Zoom old friends.   However we observe it, Advent matters. It is a gift, and a blessing, to us, and perhaps this year more than any other we may have a chance to do things differently and make the most of it, opening our eyes to look for the small signs of God at work in us and around us. There is more about observing Advent in the video I included in last week's newsletter - link here in case you missed it then. https://www.wevideo.com/view/1935191905  All Age ideas As well as the ideas in the video above, there are lots of ideas at this link for making an Advent ring, to help you count down to Christmas. https://reflectionary.org/2020/11/16/advent-wreaths/?fbclid=IwAR1Rv4cezP4MgLoRl8e5kc_ty1rlNWz36aM7vbhAVQ_qzKyHua4-anhND_Y   You could make an Advent Angel and hide it around the house each day during Advent for others in the house to find. http://lifencanvas.blogspot.com/2013/12/creating-paper-angels.html Join in our Advent Windows trail. Look for the Advent windows around the village - see below for details. Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com Your email will be read by Anne Le Bas and Kevin Bright, the Vicar and Reader of Seal Church who will hold you in their prayers.  HYMN OF THE WEEK     Christ be our light Longing for light, we wait in darkness Longing for truth, we turn to You. Make us Your own, Your holy people Light for the world to see.   Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in Your church gathered today.   Longing for peace, our world is troubled Longing for hope, many despair. Your word alone has pow'r to save us. Make us your living voice.   Longing for food, many are hungry Longing for water, many still thirst. Make us Your bread, broken for others Shared until all are fed.   Rather than one of the classic Advent hymns, this week I have included this week a modern hymn by Bernadette Farrell, Christ be our Light. (There will be lots of Advent and Christmas carols included in our Advent series “Sing Christmas” which you can find online on the blog – see here for the introduction https://sealpeterandpaul.blogspot.com/2020/11/sing-christmas-advent-reflections.html)  Bernadette Farrell was born in 1957. A Roman Catholic, she has been involved in producing liturgical music for most of her adult life, and has worked in the East End. She was one of the founding members of London Citizens, now expanded into Citizens UK, a grassroots community organisation which works to connect people to one another and work for justice for all.  This hymn reflects her passion for justice, and her awareness of the real darkness with which many people have to contend with on a daily basis. It calls us to look for the light of Christ and share it with others, not just in words, but in action.   How could you find and share the light with others this Advent?

Prayer of the week Come to us, Lord Jesus Christ, Come as we search the Scriptures and see God’s hidden purpose, Come as we walk the lonely road, needing a companion, Come when life mystifies and perplexes us, Come into our disappointments and unease, Come at table where we share our food and hopes, And, coming, open our eyes to recognise you. Donald Hilton (1932-2012)   Advent literally means “coming”, and this prayer by Donald Hilton, explores the ways in which Jesus might come to us. Donald Hilton was an United Reformed Church minister, eventually becoming the Moderator of the National URC church, and was known for his compilations of prayers. This is one of his own composition. CHURCH NEWS ADVENT WINDOWS Look out for a new Advent window around the village each day during Advent. You can find this week’s windows in the roads below. Look out for a number in the window, like the one on the right. If you visit all the Advent windows, either as they open or all together on a Boxing Day walk at the end, you will find a letter in each one which, unscrambled, will form a message. The windows will stay up until Dec 29.   Dec     1.Church Road 2. Church Road 3. Zambra Way 4. Zambra Way 5. High Street (north side) 6. High Street (south side)   You can find a map telling you where to find the Advent windows by clicking on the picture below. If you need a printed version and don't have a printer, email me at sealpandp@gmail.com and I will print one for you, or there is a copy pinned to the church gates for you to view.   If you love a good sing, check out the series of reflections on well-known carols on our Church blog each day through Advent. The series starts tomorrow, Nov 30, and each post contains a Youtube video of the carol to sing along to. We won’t be able to sing in church this Advent and Christmas, but you can belt out carols at home as loudly and often as you like (or your nearest and dearest will let you!)   There is an introduction on the blog today, but then check back (or follow us on Facebook or Twitter) where links will be posted. You can also download a printable version here.      ADVENT COLOURING Drawing and colouring can be a very good way to slow ourselves down and reflect. If you like to do this there is an Advent colouring sheet here. Simply find the “candle ray” for each day, read the Bible verse which goes with it and fill in the space however you would like to. You can write, draw or just fill in the space with colour and pattern. If you would like to, send me a photo of your colouring as you go along or at the end, and I will share it on our social media.     CHRISTMAS PLANS Our plans for Christmas are still in development, as we are waiting for detailed guidance on what will be possible for us in tier 3. We do know that we won’t be able to sing carols in church, and that places will be limited to 39, socially distanced at services in church, but there will be plenty of ways to celebrate, online and offline with Seal Church this year. Current plans include the following - but I will let you know if there are changes or additions.   Dec 20 Online Carol service video, with carols from Seal Choir and readings from members of the congregation.   Christmas Eve Online recorded Crib service video Drop in between 3-5pm to visit the crib and add a prayer to the tree – this is the final “window” on our Advent window trial. 9 pm -  Holy Communion in church (pre-booked tickets will be essential).  Booking will open next Sunday - Dec 6 - and the link will be here and on our church website. We can't sing carols, but we are hoping there will be an organist to provide some live, Christmassy music at this service. There will be no service at Midnight this year. Christmas Day 10 am Holy Communion with a story (pre-booked tickets will be essential). There will be recorded Christmas music at this service, but we won't be able to sing carols, sadly. Booking opens next Sunday, Dec 6.  If the Christmas Day service becomes fully booked, it will be repeated at 11.15am and more tickets will be released for booking later in Advent. A Video of the Christmas Eve 9pm service will be available to watch on Christmas Day, and there will be a special audio podcast which will include this year's Christmas story.   12 days of Christmas Tune in for a daily Christmas story. Every year on Christmas Day I tell a Christmas story. This year, I am recording a selection of those I have told over the years I have been at Seal, and will be releasing one a day on each of the twelve days of Christmas. These will be available as an audio podcast from the church blog each night from Boxing Day to Jan 6 from 5pm - so you can snuggle down for a listen as the darkness draws in and bedtime approaches!  And Finally... Many congratulations to Barbara Arnold, who celebrates her 100th birthday this week on Dec 2. As anyone who knows Barbara will tell you, she is an extraordinary person, who has a wonderfully positive and determined attitude to life, and still has a very acute interest in all that is going on around her. If anyone who doesn’t have her address would like to send a card, please drop it off to me at the vicarage and I will deliver it, with our best wishes.

Sing Christmas Advent Reflections - Introduction

 

Introduction

For most people Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without its familiar music. Even Richard Dawkins is reputed to have a soft spot for Christmas carols. Some Christmas carols have become so familiar, though, that we have stopped noticing what they say. They become no more than background music, and the theological and spiritual ideas which they express are lost.

In our Advent series of thoughts, which starts on November 30th, we’ll take a carol a day and think about its words. There will be some questions and a Bible verse to ponder, and, if you can access the church blog, a Youtube clip of the carol to listen to. Check back here each day for a new carol and something to think about.

What is a Christmas Carol?

Carols were originally folk tunes designed for dancing. The word “carol” comes from French, Latin and Greek roots which all have to do with dancing. Carols weren’t necessarily associated with Christmas, and they weren’t written to be sung in church. They were the songs of the people, songs to be sung when they got together to celebrate informally. Christmas carols became popular first in the 15th Century, but were suppressed after the Reformation. The Puritans, who famously tried to ban Christmas celebrations, took a particularly dim view of them.  

In the 18th and 19th Centuries they began to enjoy new popularity. Catchy tunes and vivid imagery helped them to become the familiar element of Christmas that they now are. Some carols are simple retellings of the Christmas story, like The First Nowell, some are full of profound theology, like Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. Some are loud, even raucous, others gentle and meditative, but all have become popular because they somehow help us to enter into the story of the nativity and enjoy it anew.

The Carol Service in the form we know it now originated in 1880, when Edward Benson, then Bishop of Truro, decided to hold a service on Christmas Eve, allegedly to keep the men out of the pubs. Whether it met that aim is unknown!

Carol singing outdoors is a much older tradition, going back to the custom of “wassailing”, which is probably pre-Christian in origin. Bands of singers went from door to door at mid-winter asking for food and drink in return for a song. Gradually Christian carols were added to the secular wassail songs, but there has always been a sense in which this activity was semi-detached from the Church, and it remains popular among those who aren’t churchgoers.

However we sing our Christmas carols, they give us a chance to think about the story of the first Christmas and find its meaning in our own lives

·         What are your earliest memories of singing Christmas carols?

·         Are there any that you particularly love (or hate!)

Sunday podcast worship links and other news...

 

Dear friends The links to our worship this week, and other news and resources for reflection are below. Best wishes Revd Canon Anne Le Bas Nov 22 Christ the King   Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet         Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet   On Zoom this week  email sealpandp@gmail.com for links Zoffee - Sunday chat on Zoom  Nov 22, 2020 11:15 AM  Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.   Zoom Children’s Choir  Wed 5-5.30pm  Fun singing with Anne Le Bas   Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Nov 22 Christ the King Today is the feast of Christ the king, the last Sunday of the Church’s year. Today’s sermon explores what kind of leader Christ is, and what we can learn from him. The feast of Christ the king was only instituted, by Pope Pius XI, in 1925, partly in response to growing secularism and nationalism in Europe. Above all the kingdoms of the world, he said, was the kingdom of God.   The imagery of Christ in majesty, Christ ruling, is far older though, like this manuscript illustration, dating from around 1220. It was natural for people to imagine Christ in much the same way as they saw their earthly rulers, sitting on a throne, wearing golden robes.   What do you think of images like these? What does it mean to you to think of Christ as a king or ruler? All Age ideas - looking forward to Advent As well as the ideas in the video below, there are lots of ideas at this link for making an Advent ring, to help you count down to Christmas. https://reflectionary.org/2020/11/16/advent-wreaths/?fbclid=IwAR1Rv4cezP4MgLoRl8e5kc_ty1rlNWz36aM7vbhAVQ_qzKyHua4-anhND_Y   You could make an Advent Angel and hide it around the house each day during Advent for others in the house to find. http://lifencanvas.blogspot.com/2013/12/creating-paper-angels.html   Advent is coming! While we still don’t know whether and when we will be able to start meeting in church again for worship, Advent and Christmas are most definitely not cancelled. There will be plenty of ways to share in worship and reflection, as ever, whatever happens to the R rate!   Advent Sunday is next week, Nov 29, and activities to help us reflect during Advent will include a series of blog posts reflecting on Christmas carols, an Advent colouring sheet and Advent windows to find around the village. Look out for links on the church website and in this newsletter next Sunday. The video below may help you to think of other ways in which we can make this season special.t other styles. Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com Your email will be read by Anne Le Bas and Kevin Bright, the Vicar and Reader of Seal Church who will hold you in their prayers.  HYMN OF THE WEEK Let all the world in every corner sing.   1 Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing, "My God and King!" The heav'ns are not too high, God's praise may thither fly; the earth is not too low, God's praises there may grow. Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing, "My God and King!"   2 Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing, "My God and King!" The church with psalms must shout: no door can keep them out. But, more than all, the heart must bear the longest part. Let all the world in ev'ery corner sing, "My God and King!"   This lovely hymn, written by the Poet and Anglican clergyman, George Herbert (1593-1633)  is one of my personal favourites. Philip and I had it at our wedding! I love it’s inclusivity. Everyone is invited. Every part of life is included. ‘No door can keep them out.’   George Herbert was born in Wales, to a wealthy and artistic family. He became Cambridge University’s Public Orator , and came to the notice of King James I, and served briefly in Parliament in the 1620’s.After the death of King James, however, Herbert decided to revisit an early calling to be ordained, and spent the rest of his short life as the Rector of Bemerton. He was a devoted and much loved parish  priest, but was never physically strong and died of TB at the age of 39. He was a prolific and much admired poet, however, and his poems, some of which have been sung, like this one, as hymns are still deservedly popular.  His only prose work, A Priest to the Temple (usually known as The Country Parson )  is a guide for rural clergy. It’s picture of tireless devotion is something clergy ever since have found a struggle to live up to, however!   The tune that this hymn is sung to, Luckington, was written by Basil Harwood (1859-1949) was brought up in a Quaker family, but was drawn to the music and ceremony of the Church of England, and became a noted organist and choirmaster at St Barnabas, Pimlico, and editor of the 1908 Oxford Hymn Book. His tune is a perfect fit for Herbert’s words. .

Prayer of the week   Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   This prayer – the collect, or special prayer for the last Sunday before Advent in the Book of Common Prayer is famous for its opening words. This Sunday is known as “Stir up” Sunday, and it is supposed to be the last day on which you should make Christmas puddings, if they are to mature in time for Christmas! Whether you make your own Christmas puddings or not, though, its sentiments are worth pondering. The prayer asks God to stir us up, so that we will be fruitful people – not bearing the fruit of raisins and sultanas, but of “good works”. It’s easy to become complacent, and shut our eyes and ears to the call of God to serve those around us.   What might God be stirring you up to do? CHURCH NEWS Check out the blog next weekend or follow us on social media to receive the Advent resources referred to in the video above and to find out where you can find the Advent Windows.  As far as possible they will also be made available in paper format to those who receive this newsletter by post. PCC The PCC met via Zoom last Thursday. Our main topics for discussion were the annual safeguarding update and financial planning for the future in a time when we, like many other churches and charities, are struggling because of Covid. We have been very grateful for those who have felt able to give more during this time, and we are making plans to make sure that we "cut our coat to suit our cloth" as we go forward.  We also had the good news that our Tea Station project is going ahead, and should be installed during hte coming month or so. It's just a pity we can't serve refreshments from it at the moment!   And Finally... I notice that Stonepitts Farm are now open for sales of Christmas Trees. I hope Martin Clews will be vigilant in distributing them so that there aren’t any unexpected “bonus items” in them when they are delivered, unlike the company which delivered the Rockerfeller Centre Christmas tree in New York. https://www.itv.com/news/2020-11-20/one-tiny-owls-big-adventure-as-hes-rescued-from-rockefeller-christmas-center-tree  “Never mind the Christmas robin, one tiny owl was determined to have its moment in the festive spotlight when it was discovered as a stowaway among the branches of the world-famous Rockefeller Center tree in New York City. The male saw-whet owl was found clinging to the 23 metre (75ft) Norwegian spruce on Monday after a three-day, 170 mile road trip to Manhattan.   Credit: Lindsay Possumato/Ravensbeard Wildlife Center via AP The bird, now called - what else - 'Rockefeller', was dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise unharmed. After x-rays to check for broken bones, the little (Rocke) fella was given fluids and "all the mice he could eat".   Credit: AP Ellen Kalish, director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York, where the bird was taken, said: "He was the little gift in the tree this year. I was thrilled that he was alert, and looking at me and not just a heap at the bottom of the box." Ms Kalish says the plan is to release him back to the wild this weekend after he's rested up at the centre following his big adventure.”

Worship podcast links and other news...

 

Nov 15 Second Sunday before Advent   Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet         Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet   On Zoom this week  email sealpandp@gmail.com for links Sunday Zoffee - coffee and Zoom chat (provide your own coffee!) Nov 15, 2020 11:15 AM  Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.   Zoom Children’s Choir  Wed 5-5.30pm  Fun singing with Anne Le Bas   Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Nov 15 Second Sunday before Advent The Parable of the Talents   The Gospel reading set for today is the Jesus’ parable of the Talents, in which three slaves are given charge of varying amounts of their master’s wealth while he goes away. The first two put the money to work, and when he comes back are able to give him back double what he gave them, but the third, consumed with fear of losing it, digs a hole in the ground and buries it. Our concept of “talents” – skills or natural gifts – comes from this story, but it’s important to realise that in the original parable, a talent wasn’t anything to do with the ability to sing or dance or juggle. It was a unit of currency, based on a weight of gold or silver, and, as I explain in the sermon, it represented a considerable amount of wealth. This is a story about treasure and what we do with it.   The Gospel reading is paired with an Old Testament reading from the book of the Prophet Zephaniah, who mourns the fact that his people seem to have taken their “treasure”, their relationship with God, entirely for granted. The result will be catastrophe. Zephaniah was writing just before Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians. They had already conquered many other nations, so his dire predictions were entirely realistic – and accurate, as it turned out. It’s a grim reading, but we can appreciate its honesty, and its refusal to sugar-coat a terrible time! All Age ideas Take some time each day this week to talk about the blessings the day has brought. You could make a blessings jar and write down the good things that happen, or put a marble, button or stone in it for every "treasure" you recognise you have been given. A story video I'm missing Story Church while the church is closed, so here is a story I told for Seal School. It's a story we explored in our "Meeting Jesus" sessions a few weeks ago, the story of St Peter's first meeting with Jesus.  Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com Your email will be read by Anne Le Bas and Kevin Bright, the Vicar and Reader of Seal Church who will hold you in their prayers.  HYMN OF THE WEEK This hymn was inspired by 1 Tim 1.17 “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” It was written by Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908), who was born in Aberdeen, and subsequently ministered in the Scottish Church in Chadwell Street, Islington before becoming minister of various Free Church congregations in Scotland. He was moderator of the Free Church of Scotland in 1893. Originally the hymn’s last two verses were slightly different,   Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.   All laud we would render; O help us to see ’Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee, And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart, Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.   The original verses make much plainer the intention of Chalmers in this hymn to remind the singer that though the Bible is important in shaping our faith in fact it is the direct experience of God in Christ which can really show us the heart of God. God can’t be tied down in words on a page. As a Free Church minister this would have been a very challenging idea for his, very Bible-based, congregation. The tune, St Denio, is based on a Welsh folk song.   Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might; Thy justice like mountains high soaring above Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love. To all life thou givest — to both great and small; In all life thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish—but naught changeth thee. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight; All laud we would render: O help us to see ’Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

Prayer of the week   O God, whose love we cannot measure nor ever number thy blessings: We bless and praise thee for all thy goodness, who in our weakness art our strength, in our darkness, light, in our sorrows, comfort and peace, and from everlasting to everlasting art our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, world without end.   From Daily Prayer, compiled by Eric Milner-White and GW Briggs   This prayer begins with a reminder of the numberless blessings we are given. We often talk about “counting our blessings” and there is an ancient Jewish tradition of doing just that. In the Jewish faith there are specific prayers of blessing which are to be recited for almost every situation – on rising, on sleeping, before eating, when doing various activities. The prayer of blessing for bread, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth”  , is echoed in the words many Christian priests say when preparing the bread of the Eucharist.But in Jewish tradition, every moment can be a moment for thanksgiving. Some Jewish people try, literally, to count the number of blessing prayers they can say in a day. The aim is to make it to 100 before the day is out. Doing this helps them be aware of God in the midst of daily life and notice the  “treasure” in them, to go back to the theme of this Sunday’s Gospel reading. It's a profoundly positive and hopeful practice, which doesn’t deny the truth of the challenges and sorrows we may face, but which balances that truth with the truth of God’s presence.   Why not try counting your blessings this week? You could find a jam jar, write each blessing on a slip of paper and put it in the jar, or put a small stone, bean or bead in it every time you think of something to give thanks for. How full will the jar be at the end of the day, or the end of the week? CHURCH NEWS Advent Windows Advent begins on Advent Sunday, Nov 29, just two weeks away. Although we can’t do all the things we would normally do in the run up to Christmas Day this year, Christmas is certainly not cancelled at Seal. One of the ways we’ll be preparing is through our Advent Windows. Twenty four Seal villagers have volunteered to decorate a window each through Advent, starting on Dec 1, each with a different Christmas theme. I will be advertising the address of each window week by week in this newsletter, on our website, blog and social media, and providing a round up, hopefully with pictures as we go along, for those who can’t get out in person to see the windows. Each window will include a letter of the alphabet, which, if you collect them all and unscramble them, will give you a message! We’re really grateful to those who have volunteered to take part in this, and we’re looking forward to seeing our village Advent Calendar unfold as the days go by!   Sing Christmas and Advent colouring. As well as our Advent Window project, I will be re-issuing two resources which people have found helpful in the past to help us ponder during Advent. The first will be a daily carol to sing along with, with some information about it and ideas for reflection. We won’t be able to sing carols in church together, as we would normally this year, so I thought people would appreciate a chance to sing all our old favourites at home through December. The second  Advent resource will be one of the daily colouring sheets, with a Bible verse to think about and space to colour in, draw or write your own response to it each day. Look out for the links to these in next week’s newsletter, or on the website etc next Sunday. Prayer initiative – The voice of prayer is never silent. Have you signed up to pray the Lord’s Prayer with us and for us yet? We’re aiming to get at least one person to pray on the hour, each hour, through the day, (or the night, if you are an insomniac). At the moment I have midnight, 6 am, 7am, 8am, 2pm, 7pm, 8pm and 10pm covered, so there’s still lots of space for more! It doesn’t matter, of course, if we have more than one person praying at the same time, but it would be lovely to feel, as the title of this project that “the voice of prayer is never silent”! Email me at sealchurchprayer@gmail.com to let me know when you will be praying if you would like to. There’s a meditative video here to help you pray the Lord’s Prayer if it helps. And finally... Lockdown recipe book… We’re still looking for recipes for our lockdown cookbook. At Friday Group this week there was some discussion about Nigella’s banana skin curry, in which banana peel replaces the aubergines originally part of the dish. Opinion was not divided – none of us fancied it, and we thought you probably needed to have Nigella’s eyelashes to distract people from the taste…If you have tried it, please let us know whether it is better than it sounds! However, we are still looking for people’s favourite family recipes, the kinds of things that are a sure-fire winner in your household to include in our cookbook. You don’t have to be a great cook to send something in. Whether you are Nigella or Mrs Cropley, whether your cookery skills are reflected by the left hand cake or the right hand version, we’d love to hear from you! Please send recipes to sealchurchevents@gmail.com