North Chippenham
Group of Churches
RECTORS
RAMBLINGS (December2011-January2012)
by Simon Tyndall
As we look to 2012 I am reminded of the Methodist Covenant Prayer. It is traditionally used as people re-commit themselves to Christ and his Church for the coming year.
I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
Rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing, put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
Exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty,
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your
pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
I am aware that it is a very demanding and daunting
prayer and I am a great believer that we should be honest in what we say to
God (in prayer)! But we also need to
have something to aim at a faith that
is worth living (& dying) for! In this
prayer we offer our whole lives to God we have that sense of being totally
reliant on him we come to him with hands open that he might fill us and equip
us.
Christians acknowledge that we belong to Christ. It is his choice how we are to live clearly
we can affect some of the things that happen to us we make choices day by
day. But ultimately we know that our
times are in his hands. We offer the God
who gives us the gift of life and in whose image we are made (Psalm 139)
the gift of our lives. We want to be
obedient to him and what he wants for us in this world. And this is to be our free choice. God breathes his life into us we choose to
live that life for him and in his power and strength.
And the promised outcome is .....that God is ours and
we are his there is complete oneness between our God and those he creates who
respond to his will. You are mine and
I am yours. What a wonderful promise
that our Creator God seeks unity of life and purpose with us. This is a lovely
way to start the New Year enfolded in the love of God and wanting to be one
with his will for us. May this prayer be
REAL to us all as we start out on another year with God and each other
whatever it may bring!
SIMON & ANN DUNN - I am
so pleased to have our new Team Vicar in post and working alongside me. Simon (with his wife Ann and 2 great
children) is a super addition to our life and ministry. His main focus is on Community & Growth
and the things that help us become the people and churches Jesus would have us
be! Contact details:01249 445816 simon_dunn@hotmail.co.uk
ALPHA COURSE - we
are starting this introduction course to the Christian faith in January. It will be on Wednesday evenings. Please contact Simon Dunn (see above) for
more details.
JOHN MONCRIEFF -
congratulations to John who has been selected to become an LLM (Reader)
and he will be licensed on Saturday 18th February at Bristol
Cathedral at 10.30am. All welcome!
FLAME OF HOPE - we
have launched our Deanery of Chippenham mission for 2012 which will take place
from 12-27 May 2012 and will mostly focus on the rural churches and
communities. Please keep Flame of Hope
in your prayers and also think of what you can offer in 2012 and also as we
look to follow this up with a similar time of mission in 2013 in Chippenham and
Corsham.
'LOVE WINS' by ROB
BELL -
I have found this (controversial) book to be a really interesting read
and one to help us think through the issues of God's love and judgement. Why not get hold of a copy....and let it
challenge or encourage your thinking about how our God cares for us and all his
world!
A NEW STYLE OF
SERVICE - Simon Dunn led us in a Cafe Style service in
early December at the 7pm service at St Paul's church and we are going to
repeat this on Sunday 5th February.
It gave us a chance to sit round enjoying refreshments and sharing
together in this informal style of worship.
I am looking forward to what it will bring in the future! Why not come and try it!
CHRISTMAS SERVICES @ ST
NICHOLAS' HARDENHUISH - do come and join us in worship!
Sunday December 18th 10.30am
Nativity
6.30pm
Carol Service
Christmas Eve 9.30pm Christmas Communion
Christmas Day 10.30am
Christmas Communion
New Year's Day 8.30am Holy Communion at St Paul's church
10.00am New Year Worship at St Paul's church
AND I LOVE THIS SEASONAL
PRAYER (from Uganda)
Blessed are you, O Christ child,
That your cradle was so low
That shepherds, poorest &
simplest of earthly people,
Could yet kneel beside you,
And look, level-eyed, into the face of
God.
Amen.
DIOCESAN NEWS - can now be found on the internet with interesting news from around the Diocese of Bristol on www.bristol.anglican.org/news/local
GROUP OFFICE CLAIRE BETTLEY -
Claire continues to do an important role in the church office and it is
lovely to work alongside her. If you
want to contact her please ring 01249 444771
or email office@ncgoc.plus.com
THEMES & READINGS - will
be as follows at the morning services during January. You will see that we are starting a series on
THE SERVANT OF THE LORD. These are the 4
amazing servant songs in Isaiah which seem to point to Jesus coming to our
world and the ministry he will have for us.
|
Jan 1st |
New
Year |
Service
at St Pauls |
|
|
Jan 8th |
Epiphany |
Ephesians
3:1-12 |
Matthew
2:1-12 |
|
Jan 15th |
Shine |
tbc |
|
|
Jan 22nd |
God's
Servant I |
Isaiah
42:1-9 |
Luke
4:14-21 |
|
Jan 29th |
God's
Servant IV |
Isaiah
52:13-53:12 |
Mark
15:33-39 |
AND I WILL FINISH WITH THIS - it's
the famous quotation from George VI's 1939 Christmas broadcast (written by Minnie Louise
Haskins)
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
Give me a light that I may tread safely into the
unknown.
And he replied,
Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the
hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than
a known way!
So I went forth and finding the Hand of God,
Trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of
day
In the lone East.
May the Lord God bless you in this New Year and may he
lead us and guide us through 2012!
Simon Tyndall
