2011-04

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Touch Wood Meaning - a superstitious expression used in the hope that it will prevent something unwanted from happening. Derived from - an early pagan belief that trees had spirits who needed to be appeased to prevent ill fortune and, later, a medieval custom of warding off bad luck. Christian relics were hawked about the country including splinters of wood, believed to be from the “True Cross”. Those too poor to be able to buy such items were allowed to touch them — this was thought to be a gesture of piety which would bring them a blessing and good luck. St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats email: office@stchads.org Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 12 website: www.stchads.org Tel: (0114) 274 5086
B ack in the days when car stickers were popular one of my favourites was: “Carpenter from Nazareth seeks joiners”! We know very little about Jesus’ early years but we do know that his earthly father Joseph was possibly a carpenter by trade, so it is almost a given that Jesus would have learnt his father’s trade and trained as a carpenter himself. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter three tells us how Jesus went back to his home town and someone said, “Isn’t this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3). This certainly reminds us of how Jesus was a man just like us, learning and growing as we do, but as well as being fully human He was also fully God. It also reminds me of one of my favourite stories called “The Three Trees”. It goes something like this. There were once three young trees growing together on a mountainside, and they were dreaming about their future. The first tree said, “I want to be made into a treasure chest, and hold the greatest treasure in the world!” The second tree said, “I want to be made into the mightiest sailing ship and carry kings across the oceans.” The third said, “When I grow up I want to be the tallest tree in the world and point to the sky, so when people look up at me they will look to heaven and think of God.” Then one day the woodcutters came and chopped all three trees down. The first tree was taken to the carpenter’s workshop, but was fashioned into a humble feeding box for animals. The second tree was taken to the shipyard, but no ships were being built that day, and it was made into a simple fishing boat. The third tree was chopped into planks and left in the lumberyard. Many years later a mother and father had nowhere else to stay but with the animals in a barn, and they laid their precious newborn baby in the feeding box made from the first tree. And the tree realised that it held the greatest treasure in the world. Much later still, some friends were travelling in the fishing boat made from the second tree, when a terrible storm arose. Yet one of the travellers stood up and said “Be still!” and the sea calmed and the storm disappeared. And the second tree realised that it was carrying the King of Kings. One Friday morning a year or two later, the third tree was surprised when its planks were taken from the lumberyard. It felt cruel when a man was made to drag it past angry crowds. It shuddered when the hands and feet of the man were nailed to it. The tree cried when it was lifted up to hold the man to his death. Yet on the morning of the third day all was made new, and all three trees realised that their dreams had come true. So when people look up to the third tree, they will look to heaven and think of God. And that was better than being the tallest tree in the world. Daren Craddock St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats email: office@stchads.org Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 13 website: www.stchads.org Tel: (0114) 274 5086
Page 1 and 2: St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woo
Page 3 and 4: Sheffield, as we are always being t
Page 5 and 6: An old man passed his granddaughter
Page 7 and 8: May 2 Highland Fling Graves Park A
Page 9 and 10: S heffield is a very green place to
Page 11: has seen the huge frog in Endcliffe
Page 15 and 16: WORSHIP AT ST CHAD’S EASTER 2011
Page 17 and 18: T wo thousand years after the event
Page 19 and 20: expense of clergy; monsters and gro
Page 21 and 22: Looking for a room to hold your mee
Page 23 and 24: "T he trees are singing my music -
Page 25 and 26: Our last edition of Impact had a th
Page 27 and 28: St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woo

2011-04

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?