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Our talented poet, Deborah, from St John's shares a reflection from Autumn I beleaves
It is delightful observing through the window this invisible veil seeing the wind play itself out it and I delighting the Autumn light and the abun-dance of leaves Deborah Sheppard
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December gathers pace quickly. The lights brighten, the streets fill, and every moment seems to ask something of us. In the midst of this swirl, the soul begins to ache for quiet. Stillness becomes a rare gift. At the Magdalen Fellowship of Healing and Prayer, that gift is offered with care. Here, December is not only busy, it is sacred. Here, the heart is invited to rest. We will gather each week for prayer and fellowship, seeking peace rather than pressure. Simple moments. Deep attention. Space to breathe again. Our highlight will be a candlelit evening meditation, shaped by the tenderness and mystery of Christmas. Soft light, long shadows, and silence that speaks. It is a setting where the mind clears, the spirit lifts, and the presence of God becomes almost tangible. Contemplative prayer holds its own quiet intelligence. It teaches us to listen, not react. It draws us into wisdom rather than urgency. As Thomas Merton wrote, “Silence is the language of God, and all else is poor translation.” In stillness, the truth of that settles beautifully. We begin to perceive grace not as an idea but as a living atmosphere. Whether you are seasoned in contemplation or simply curious, the Magdalen Fellowship welcomes you. Come with joy. Come with fatigue. Come with longing. Let this December be more than busy. Let it be luminous. Join us, and discover the peace that waits beneath the noise, patient and profound. Your Magdalen Fellowship Christmas peace :   Join us this Christmas Day for the first time or as a regular. 10am, all are very welcome on this special day. 10am services at both churches.
The Advent wreath is said to have originated in Germany in the sixteenth century. However, the forerunner of the wreath, as we recognise it today, was invented in 1839 by a Lutheran pastor who worked with the poor in Hamburg, Germany. Children at the mission school he worked in would ask, each day of Advent, if it was nearly Christmas; prompting the pastor to decorate a large cartwheel with twenty-four small red candles and four large white ones. He lit one red candle on each successive day from Monday to Saturday, and one white candle on each successive Sunday during the period of advent; helping the children to see for themselves when Christmas was approaching. The custom grew amongst Protestant churches in Germany, and gradually a smaller wreath with five candles evolved. It took almost another hundred years for the custom to spread to the Roman Catholic church and the wider world. The circular wreath symbolises the infinite, unending love of God. Wreaths are mainly made of evergreen foliage which represents the hope of eternal life brought by Jesus Christ. The four candles (still traditionally red in most UK churches, but can be violet and rose to correspond with the liturgical colours) represent the four weeks of Advent, and symbolise the light of God coming into the world by the birth of Jesus. However, each candle specifically symbolises hope, peace, joy and love, as each is lit throughout the four weeks of Advent. A fifth white candle known as the ‘Christ candle’ symbolises the arrival of Christmastide and is first lit on Christmas Eve, the beginning of Christmastide, and may be lit throughout the Christmas season as well as during Epiphanytide.  On Thursday afternoon, a group of aspiring artists have been under the direction of the talented Lori Hanson (Oil Painter) Caroline was so inspired by Lori, the classes, Monet and her new gift of crying she travelled to Scotland. She writes "With fabulous patient teaching from Lori, a group of us turned a blank canvas into a Monet! This inspired me to visit the National Art Gallery of Scotland to look at more of Monet's paintings " The Holy Innocents at Copt Hewick are having a glorious festive evening on December 20th ! lease do come along HG45BY. Judith writes: "We are having our carol singing in the village hall at 6.00pm on Saturday the 20th December, which is also the village pub night. There will be a small group of musicians, to accompany our carols. The hall has also kindly offered mince pies and mulled wine. "  From our wonderful Lay Minister Carol-ann Howe We spent a day in Naples this June, before heading quickly to the more scenic Amalfi Coast. Naples has beautiful bones but is run down, drowning in litter and swarming with scooters- not the most glamorous of the Italian cities. Gritty might be a nice word. But on one dark back street a centuries old tradition continues, with the manufacture of presepi. These are nativity scenes ranging in size from miniatures to sit on a table to filling whole basements (photo of the basement one below), and tourists can see the craftsmen working away in their shops on their creations even in the heat of June. The magic of the presepi is the detail found within, these nativity scenes often depict entire villages going about their work, women doing their laundry, each item of clothing tiny and perfect, functioning water mills, the baker making tiny ciabattas, and nowadays may even include celebrity figurines, mostly footballers it seems, standing next to the goatherder and his animals. While looking at a presepi what does not jump out at you at first glance is the nativity itself. The baby in the manger is often hidden away in a tiny stable, lost behind the greengrocer’s shop and the family eating lunch. It is almost an aside, the baby, his parents, and sometimes the Magi and some tiny animals, it is rarely in the centre, and in the photo below, it is not one of the parts that is lit. We have to search for it, the sacred is hidden behind the everyday and the profane. But it is there, within the beautiful chaos of everyday village life, the divine is there. Heaven on earth, quietly changing the world while the world (and Maradona) rush around without noticing it. It isn’t easy to find that baby in the manger within the distractions and bustle, but it is worth the effort.    All are invited to a joyous Christmas Eve celebration. Come alone, with family, with friends. Come in fancy dress! We'll have an unrehearsed, informal and impromptu nativity story with audience participation and plenty of laughs. Along with all your favourite carols and readings. 4pm on Wednesday 24th December AKA Christmas Eve At St Johns Sharow. We've plenty of parking but please arrive early.  |
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