"I am shocked" - in a good way!

Our Christmas Carol service was a good occasion when members of both the church and the Musical Society came together, sang traditional and new carols, took part in Christmas sketches, and prepared a simple cradle with strips of cloth. One highlight was the Nativity Play performed mostly by adults, but they did it as though they were infant school children, with Joseph's catchphrase being "I am shocked" as the events unfolded. It's easy to forget the shocking message - that God did not come to us with force and power, or with big boots on, but even through the cries of a vulnerable baby we witness God's relationship with us - and it's easy to squander the hope of such a message, burying it under busy-ness, tinsel and seasonal stress, but the hope remains: a new world is possible, if we follow the example of the Prince of Peace, if we love our enemies, if we forgive one another and put the needs of 'the last' first. Shocking, eh?

Christmas at Lees Street

You are warmly invited to join us to for our Christmas services.

21st December - 7pm
Cloth for the Cradle Carol service

Christmas Eve - 11am
Christingle Service

Christmas Day - 10.30am
Christmas Morning service

Living in the new world today

This is one of the hardest things to believe: that "the kingdom of God" is not something in the distant future, or in another place altogether, but that it starts here and now. We are invited to live as though it is already here, and this is possible if we practise what Jesus preached and did. Of course it's hard, because it involves "going against the grain" of so many of our 'natural' reactions (or we're told that they're natural??). Take the example of being hurt by what someone says to you. When it happens to me, I get upset - don't you? And there's nothing wrong with being upset or saying you're upset. But then there's the challenge: Jesus says pray for those who hurt you. In 'worldly' terms, it sounds crazy! But in terms of 'living in the new world today', it's an important first-step towards breaking the age-old cycles, and making God's kingdom a reality. Of course, what helps to make this happen is other people who walk with you: so I give thanks to God wholeheartedly for those people who listen to me when I'm upset, who allow me to be angry, who give me the space, and who pray for me. It's because of them, that I can begin to find the strength to pray for those who hurt or misunderstand me.