Sunday Worship podcast and other news from Seal Church: Dec 17 2023

 

https://youtu.be/NdkziPUAlsM?si=xrdLgdW5f2XWuoOC Dear Friends Listen to today's worship podcast by clicking on the picture above.  There will not be a newsletter or podcast next Sunday (Christmas Eve), but there will be one on Christmas Day, which will include the sermon preached at the "Midnight" Mass - please note that it is at 9pm, not Midnight! - and the story I shall tell on Christmas Day. There will not be a newsletter or podcast on New Year's Eve, as I will be taking the inside of the week off. Anne Le Bas Worship Online Worship podcast - Click on picture above Order of service You can also access this podcast by phoning 01732 928061   In the church building today 10 am Holy Communion 6.30pm Carol Service. Join us for carols, readings and music from the choir. This week:  Wed    10.30 am Lavender Fields Holy Communion              7.15 pm Adult choir practice Fri        9 am Morning Prayer in Church              10.30am Friday Group in the Church Hall Next Sunday CHRISTMAS EVE 10 am Holy Communion 4pm    Crib service - a service for all the family, as we make our crib, hear the Christmas story and sing carols. 9pm  The First Communion of Christmas ("Midnight Mass" but not at Midnight!) CHRISTMAS DAY 10 am All Age Communion with a story instead of a sermon.   Advent 3 In this morning's Gospel reading, questioners come to John the Baptist to try to find out who he thinks he is. They have an agenda, of course. They are from various influential religious and political groups; if John is claiming to be the Messiah, he is likely to be regarded as a troublemaker, threatening to upset the apple cart. In Pier Francesco Mola's painting, which illustrates the podcast today, John talks to a group of finely dressed people, but points to Jesus, in the distance. John bears witness to the light that is coming, but he is not that light himself. John is clear about who he is, and who he isn't. The story invites us to consider what who we are, and what our calling might be. All Age Ideas How are you getting ready for Christmas? In today's Bible story, John the Baptist helps people to get ready to follow Jesus. He is like a signpost, pointing people in the right direction.  Make a nativity set for yourself - you could make it out of lego, or junk model it, or draw the figures and cut them out and stick them to lolly sticks.  Use your nativity set to tell the story of Jesus' birth - What do you think is the best part of the story and the most important part? Click here for some nativity themed Advent and Christmas crafts from my Pinterest boards to inspire you with things to do while you wait for Christmas! CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS Thank you to all who contributed to our Christingle collection last Sunday. I was able to send £225 to the Children's Society The cake and gift sale raised £272 for church funds. PARISH GIVING We have recently joined the Parish Giving Scheme, set up by the Church of England to help make it simpler for people to give to their church, and especially to manage payments made by standing order, collect Gift Aid etc. Stuart Wigley, who has set up  Seal's membership of this scheme will be speaking briefly about it during the 10 am service, but you can find out more here. We are especially hoping that those who give regularly to Seal and can gift aid their gifts, might consider transferring to giving through this scheme, as it will make collecting gift aid much easier for us. You can find out more here. https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/home/ The page for giving to Seal Church is here.  There is a downloadable leaflet here

A LONG LOOK FOR ADVENT We live in a visually cluttered world. Images pass before our eyes constantly on the tv, online and in print all around us. and it is all too easy not to see any of them properly. That’s why I’d like to invite you to join me in taking a long look at just one picture this Advent. Just one picture? Really? For 24 days? Yes, that’s right, but don’t worry that you will get bored, because this picture is crammed with detail, all very deliberately included by the artist, Jan Brueghel the Elder, to provoke thought and reflection on the story of the birth of Jesus.  Each day's post will appear on our church blog, and on facebook and twitter . (There are also some printed versions of the booklet available at the back of church, but if you can follow online you will be able to see the picture in glorious colour.) You can see the painting, for free, in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London – it’s in Room 17 – or online here https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-brueghel-the-elder-the-adoration-of-the-kings  where you can zoom in on the details