parish of killay january 2018 magazine

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Mothers’ Union On November 29 th, 37 members from different Branches met to hold a retreat or Quiet Day in Nicholaston House, Gower in preparation for Advent. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy our beautiful surroundings in glorious sunshine. Our day was led by Canon Dewi Roberts, vicar of Ystradgynlais. He divided our day into three sessions: Waiting; Readiness; Hoping. After each session we were asked to be silent to reflect on his words. In Advent we are asked to wait patiently, as the first Christians did, for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Waiting patiently in our “instant” world is not easy today. We can be so easily distracted with all we have to do, mostly concerning this world not about what is to come. Canon Roberts reminded us of the parable of the Prodigal Son in which Jesus reminds us that God is waiting for us too. Readiness involves really being ready at any time which is very challenging; in days gone by preachers used images of “fire & brimstone” to control the population. This would not be effective today as they would certainly be challenged! I think today that we need to use this Advent time to perhaps review our lives & to refresh our faith. Hoping: this is the theme of Advent. The saying “We live in hope” should not apply to Christians as we have confidence in Jesus, our hope stems from Him. Jesus calls us to transform Society, to bring “Light into the Dark Corners of the World” which is what missionaries try to do. We light our Advent candles on each of the four Sundays in Advent as a symbol of light & our hope in Jesus. The day was interspersed with refreshments as usual & I think we all felt the day a timely reminder of what the Advent season is REALLY about. Pat Stratton. On December 5 th , M.U. members enjoyed an excellent Christmas lunch in Sketty Hall, joined by members and friends from around the Deanery. Carole, Branch Leader, welcomed everyone, giving a brief account of activities during the past year. A queue formed around the tables to claim a present from the Lucky Dip bags. The raffle completed the proceedings; those with winning tickets claiming a prize from the generous supply donated. On Wednesday, December 13 th , M.U. joined with Ladies Guild for the annual carol service in church, followed by sherry and mince pies in the Parish Centre. The Grand Christmas Draw was held during the evening. We meet for the first time in 2018 on Tuesday, January 16 th at 2:00pm for Eucharist in the church, followed by tea and biscuits in the Parish Centre. The A.G.M. will be held in the Parish Centre on Tuesday, February 6 th . Parish of Killay !16 2018
The wise men came from the East On 6 th January we celebrate Epiphany - the visit of the wise men (who had travelled from the East), to the baby Jesus. But who were these wise men? No one knows for sure. Matthew calls them ‘Magi’, and that was the name of an ancient caste of a priestly kind from Persia. It wasn’t until the third century that they were called kings - by a church father, Tertullian. Another church father, Origin, assumed there were three - to correspond with the gifts given. Later Christian interpretation came to understand gold as a symbol of wisdom and wealth, incense as a symbol of worship and sacrifice, and myrrh as a symbol of healing - and even embalming. Certainly Jesus challenged and set aright the way in which the world handled all three of these things. Since the 8th century, the magi have had the names Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior. Where did the Wise Men come from? Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi had originally been a religious caste among the Persians. Their devotion to astrology, divination and the interpretation of dreams led to an extension in the meaning of the word, and by the first century the Magi in Matthew’s gospel could have been astrologers from outside of Persia. Some scholars believe they might have come from what was then Arabia Felix, or as we would say today, southern Arabia. Certainly, in the first century astrology was practised there, and it was the region where the Queen of Sheba had lived. She of course had visited Solomon and would have heard the prophecies about how one day a Messiah would be born to the Israelites and become their king. Matthew’s gospel (Chapter 2) is clear that the Magi asked Herod: ‘Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ So it is possible that in southern Arabia the Queen of Sheba’s story of how a Messiah would one day be sent to the Israelites had survived. Certainly, there are a number of other early legends that connect southern Arabia with Solomon’s Israel. To many people this makes sense: that the ancient stories of a Messiah, linked to later astrological study, prompted these alert and god-fearing men to the realisation that something very stupendous was happening in Israel. They realised that after all these centuries, the King of the Jews, the Messiah, was about to be born. One more interesting thing that gives weight to the theory that the magi came from southern Arabia is this: if you study any map of Palestine as it was during biblical times, you will find that the old Arabian caravan routes all entered Palestine ‘from the East’. The story of the coming of the Magi grew in the telling. By the 6 th century they had acquired names: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. By medieval times they were considered to be kings. Whoever they were, we do know from Matthew that they brought three gifts to Jesus. Parish of Killay !17 2018
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