Skip to main content

Christmas Services

 Hi folks!

Well, it has almost happened overnight - but Christmas is finally upon us.  This evening we will celebrate the First Communion of Christmas in Aghavea Church at 11pm.  This is a very special service, which sets up the whole of the Christmas period for many, including myself.  This year, as with everything else, C19 has put its stamp on our celebrations, but apart from our hygiene, spacing and only receiving bread - nothing else will change!  It is still very much a celebration!

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we will gather in our Parish Hall to worship the new-born Saviour at our Family Service at 1030am - NOTE THE TIME - and we have told our children (and big children) that they may bring one or two of their presents along!  

On Sunday, our celebrations will only be online, as we are not able to use the church buildings so soon - but we will still gather under Jesus' name, and worship the Saviour in our readings, prayers and teachings. Again, it may be a slightly different service, but the meaning will be the same. Our younger members may enjoy the "special guest" too.  SPOILER ALERT - IT'S NOT SANTA, HE WILL BE TOO TIRED SO SOON AFTER HIS PRESENT DASH!!

It's a time when we will miss our loved ones, and family gatherings may not be the same as usual with other restrictions - but it is still a happy time, no matter what else is going on in the world.  We have had two deaths in our parish recently, and we continue to pray for the Parson and Foster families, as well as the Weir family in Maguiresbridge, following the sudden death of their son William in a motorcycle incident.

I hope that you can join us, either in person, or virtually online, for either or both of the services, and look forward to worshipping with you over the coming days.

God bless you always!

Johnny






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

AccessNI Check process

 Hi folks Please see the following pages for the process of getting our AccessNI accreditation for our Sunday School and GFS leaders and helpers. You will need to print out the pages and keep a special note of the long number provided to you by email and let me know as soon as possible. We require an Enhanced check for everyone - and use the PIN number 918066 as detailed on the first page. The second page details the forms of identification you will need to provide - one from the first group, and two from the second group. The quicker we can all get the checks completed, the sooner we can get everything back to normal and put this whole process behind us for another three years! If you can photograph yourself (by smartphone or tablet) and email (revdjohnny@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (07488371680) them to me, that'd be great. I will also be available at the Parish Hall on Monday evening from 7pm to 8pm to help you with anything you would like assistance with! If you need any help at all

Pray for Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9   The Holy Land, the place sanctified by the presence of prophets, poets, and priests, crying out for justice, urging on towards hope, and seeking after peace, has been, and continues to be a place sacred to millions of people around the world. We have watched with horror the appalling violence that has been unleashed over the last few days around this sacred place. We have seen families devastated, communities shattered, and countless lives lost.   We, as followers of Jesus are called in this time to pray.    Pray for the end of hostilities, pray for the protection of the most vulnerable on both sides in Israel and Gaza, and pray for a recommitment to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We also pray that God might grant comfort to the afflicted, healing to the broken, strength to the weak, and courage to those in authority to lay down the instruments of violence and destruction and stud

Where is forgiveness?

Hi folks I was thinking about the passages for next Sunday, and it brought me to considering the current press coverage regarding the This Morning presenters.  This might be a little controversial - but please, hear me out.  I have no great opinion on what's happening in the media regarding the "This Morning" saga. It seems mistakes have been made, and certainly people misled - but the frenzy and hounding of Phillip Schofield is both unnecessary and unwarranted. I'm very uncomfortable that some members the press and celebrities have made it their lives mission to destroy everything  Mr Schofield has ever done!  It cannot be easy to listen and read so much vitriol being used against him! There's certainly no Christian love being shown to him on the media these days. I remember the words of Jesus when he told us to love one another, and that whoever has not sinned should cast the first stone. I'm certainly not perfect in any way, and don't believe that anyon