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CHURCH NEWS
Holy Trinity and St Margaret's
We have something for everyone in our Special
Christmas Services at Holy Trinity and St
Margaret’s. Please see details in the Insert.
May I also take this early opportunity to wish
you a blessed and prosperous New Year.
Blessings, Revd Mike Bisset, www.
holytrinityandstmargarets.co.uk
Penn Free Methodist Church
Recent uploads to our recorded sermons website
www.soundcloud.com/penn-free-methodists
include the following:
Proverbs 2:20-22 : “The Christian’s High
Calling : Be as holy as God is holy”. This
sermon deals with the grave error that “Jesus
does not judge” and that the love of God gives
people a licence to sin. The pursuit of holiness is
in fact the mark of a true believer, who must
“keep the paths of the righteous” at all times
(Proverbs 2:20).
2 Corinthians 5:9-13: “We must all appear
before the judgement seat of Christ”. This
sermon deals with the need to live out the
Christian life in the light of the coming Day of
Judgement. Whilst believers in Christ rejoice in
their salvation and fear no condemnation, they
nevertheless engage in a serious endeavour to
lead holy and obedient lives, realising that the
Lord knows their every thought, word and deed.
All men without exception will have to render
an account to Christ for what they have done.
New Year’s Eve this year falls on a Sunday,
and this affords a special opportunity for
gathering together in the evening for a service
of renewing our covenant with God. This is an
old and longstanding Methodist tradition. John
Wesley wrote in his Journal of this dedication of
the new year to the service of Christ :
January 1st 1775: “At the renewal of the
covenant... I do not know that we ever had a
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Village Voice December 2017/January 2018
greater blessing. Afterwards many desired to
return thanks, either for a sense of pardon... or
for a fresh manifestation of God’s grace”.
January 1st 1776: “About 1800 of us met
together in London in order to renew our
covenant with God; and it was as usual a very
solemn opportunity”.
January 1st 1777: “We met as usual to renew
our covenant with God. It was a solemn season,
wherein many found His power present to heal
(their souls), and were enabled to urge their way
with strength renewed”
Of course, many who have not entered into
covenant with God through faith in Christ, and
who have not yet trusted in the Saviour with the
resulting experience of sins forgiven and new
life received cannot renew their covenant.
Nevertheless, such a service is a fine
opportunity quietly to reflect upon one’s own
standing before God and on what is actually
involved in becoming a Christian. Therefore all
are warmly invited, even though they be seekers
asking questions. The same invitation is
extended to all our Christmas meetings. Please
see details in the Insert of this issue. Pastor Peter
Simpson
Tylers Green Methodist Church
Christmas can be a very busy season with
shopping for festive food and presents in
crowded shops; cards to write, visits to make,
spending time volunteering for charities for the
homeless or others in need and so on. Amongst
all the hustle and bustle, please make time for
the reason for the season and visit one or other
of the local churches over the festive season.
Best wishes for a happy and blessed Christmas
from all at Tylers Green Methodist Church.
Peter Stevens
Please see this issue's
Insert for full details
of all the special
Christmas Services in
the Villages
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