Sunday Worship podcast link and other news: Nov 28 : Advent Sunday

Join us for worship online, on the phone or in the building today.  with best wishes Anne Le Bas Online Worship podcast       Order of service You can also access this podcast by phoning 01732 928061 In the church building today 10 am   Holy Communion 6.30pm Evensong During the week Wednesday@10.00 am Good Book Club                                  5pm Children's Choir                                  7.15 pm Adult Choir Friday              9.30 am Morning Prayer in Church                             10.30-12.30 Friday Group in the church hall In the church building next Sunday - Dec 5 10 am   Holy Communion & Baptism - please note that the church will be more crowded than usual. 6.30pm Evensong Advent Sunday Today marks the start of a new Church year, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas. Advent is, traditionally, a time for reflection, a time to wake up to God, to ourselves and to one another. Today's sermon explores Jesus command to his followers to "be alert" and pay attention. He was speaking to people who lived amidst tumult and danger - oppression, disease, war and famine. These were ever-present realities, as they are for so much of the world today, times which strip away our illusions about our invulnerability and showing us what we, and others, are made of. Jesus doesn't promise that bad things won't happen to his followers, but he does remind us to look for God's presence with us, which enables us to find the promise of new beginnings - hope even in the darkest of times. This Advent, to help us reflect, there will be a series of daily posts on the church blog, featuring images of Mary, with prompts to help us pray with those images. There are a limited number of printed copies of the reflection in church, but the pictures are best viewed on a computer or tablet. Alternatively you can download the printable version of the reflections here.  You can find out more in the introduction on the blog here.   ALL AGE IDEA Advent invites us to look for God's presence with us. What helps you get through difficult times? What gives you hope? You could write the word "Hope" in large letters on a sheet of paper and decorate it through Advent with pictures and words that remind you of hopeful things.  People of any age can join in with the Advent reflections on pictures of Mary. Children often have very perceptive things to say about works of art, and aren't hampered by adult feelings that they have to be art historians to understand them. Why not look at the images together? ADVENT IDEAS As well as following the "Picturing Mary" series to mark Advent, you could... Find five candles or tea lights (preferably four coloured ones and one white or gold one) and light one of the coloured ones each Sunday in Advent, and the white one on Christmas Day, as we do in church. Here are our Advent candles in Seal Vicarage.  Buy or make an Advent candle with 24 divisions on it. Light it each day and spend some time just sitting still and watching it burn. Create a reverse Advent calendar. Find a box, and put an item of food in it each day to donate to the Loaves and Fishes Foodbank after Christmas. There is a foodbank collection point at the back of church by the font.  Make an angel figure, or use one you already have, and hide it around the house each day for others to find, like "elf on the shelf" but better! Every time you find it, think of something or someone to give thanks for. There some ideas for making angels here. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ajlebas/advent-and-christmas/angels/ Put up a Christmas crib if you have one, or make one if you don't, and talk about the figures in it. Traditionally the baby Jesus isn't put in the scene until Christmas Day, and the  Magi don't arrive until Jan 6, so they could travel around the house until then!  STORY OF THE WEEK  Luke 1.26-56 To tie in with our Advent series on Mary, the stories of the week during Advent will all feature her. We'll start with the famous story of Gabriel's message and Mary's journey to see her relative, Elizabeth.  Try to imagine these stories from Mary's point of view,. What might she have been feeling and thinking as these events unfolded? CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS   CHRISTMAS AT SEAL December 12th at 10 am CHRISTINGLE SERVICE  December 19th at 3.30pm     CAROL SERVICE - Please note the earlier time than our usual carol service! This service will start outside the church with some congregational carols. We will then process into church with the crib figures and hear some Christmas songs from the choir, interspersed with prayers and a Bible reading. We will finish with a final congregational carol inside. These changes have been made  to minimise the time we spend crowded into the church and the amount we all sing together inside.Please wear a face covering inside the church and be aware that we won't be able to guarantee social distancing. There will be a few folding chairs available in the churchyard for those who can't stand for long, but please come prepared for rain, as we will sing outside whatever the weather! December 24th CHRISTMAS EVE  3-5pm  - DROP IN to see the Christmas crib and have a prayer of blessing from the vicar if you would like to. There will be take-home Christmas craft packs available for families too, and a chance to decorate and add a prayer star to our tree. There will be no crib service (Sorry - too many people in too small a space, too much moving around, and too much singing to be able to make this Covid safe!) CHRISTMAS EVE - 9pm.  First Holy Communion of Christmas (aka "midnight mass"!) Note the earlier time - this won't take place at midnight - but will include carols, a sermon and all the usual features of our first Christmas communion, including some carols from the choir before the service starts (from 8.30 ish) CHRISTMAS DAY 10 am Christmas Communion for all ages, with a story in place of a sermon, carols etc. as normal. PLEASE NOTE - all these arrangments are provisional, based on whatever government advice is in place at the time. It won't be possible to guarantee social distancing at these services, so it is especially important to wear face coverings inside the church unless you are exempt, use hand sanitizer and take regular Lateral Flow Tests if you plan to come to services.  RECRUITING We shall need a new Treasurer in a couple of months’ time, and a new churchwarden next year. Can you help? Role descriptions for these jobs are on the board at the back of church, and I will be happy to chat with you if you think these roles might be for you.    ADVENT WINDOWS - JUST 5 MORE WANTED PLEASE! Last year, saw our first and very successful Advent Window Trail which was organised by Barbara Martin. This year, we hope to have another 23 households, to decorate a window in their house throughout December. Between 1st and 23rd December, each day, a newly added decorated window will be added to the trail, ending with the Christmas Nativity Stable in Seal Church. So, by Christmas Eve, there are 24 beautiful windows and scenes to admire. This is a lovely activity for all, to follow the trial and admire the scenes. If you would like to contribute to this fun project by decorating a window in your home, please contact Barbara on 10732 762255 or 07775 861562, or email  barbara.s.martin@btconnect.com   KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS PLANNING FOR 2022 KYN is planing to call a Zoom meeting sometime in December, for anybody who is interested in plans for the ROYAL CELEBRATION next year, and plans for the choice and care of our village Covid memorial tree. We will advise as soon as a day is set, but please let Marion know (Marionjgilchrist@gmail.com) if you would be interested in 'attending' this virtual meeting. FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY VILLAGE HALL 3-4.30pm SATURDAY DECEMBER 4th. We have booked Rob Pound again, a great local entertainer, for the children (and those grown up children), who was so popular in 2019. This is not just for children - all adults are welcome as well, and no child without a parent or carer, will be able to attend. PLEASE NOTE - THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR, AS WE HAVE DECIDED THERE SHOULD BE NO FOOD TO SHARE, AND AS WE ARE ONLY TALKING 90 MINUTES, WE FEEL WE SHOULD SKIP THE FOOD ALTOGETHER. I'm sure you will all understand the reasoning behind this - there is a rising number of Covid cases in the area again, and we would hate to be responsible for your homes being Covid hosts at Christmas time! We will provide squash for your children, and tea and coffee for adults, served in the safest way possible. . We will round up with carol singing around the village Christmas tree, as always. PLEASE NOTE - WE WILL HAVE TO USE A BOOKING SYSTEM THIS YEAR FOR OBVIOUS REASONS! PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL TO BOOK YOUR PLACES. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COME IF YOU HAVEN'T BOOKED! We have chosen to make the booking system this way, so that local people (those who live, work, or play in Seal), get priority. So if you use any of the village organisations, you will get a place if you're early enough! For more community news from Marion Gilchrist, check out the Know Your Neighbours blog. https://knowyourneighbours.blogspot.com/

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. Please tell us if you would like us to contact you.