The Parish Magazine December 2023

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4 The Parish Magazine - December 2023 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement BOOKING NOW 29 NOVEMBER – 20 JANUARY 2024 FEBRUARY 8 – MARCH 30 2024 THE WATERWHEEL BAR Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm for Hot Bar Food, Homemade Cakes & Artisan Coffee. Come and treat yourself to a scrumptious lunch in the most beautiful setting. PLEASE FIND FULL MENU ONLINE F I N D O U T M O R E millatsonning.com
The Parish Magazine - December 2023 5 The vicar's letter Dear Friends, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.' Every year, at the climax of our Nine Lessons and Carols Service, these words from John’s gospel are read. To signify the significance of the message, the congregation stand throughout the reading. If John's Gospel were the only gospel we had, this is all that we would know about Jesus' birth: before his name was Jesus, his name was the Word, and he was with God from the very beginning of creation, bringing things into being, making things happen, shining light into the darkness. He was God's self, God's soul, God's life force in the world. He was the breath inside all living things. He was the electric spark that charged peoples' hearts. GOD'S HUMAN WORD Of course, not everyone got that message. Many were blinded by this light and preferred the darkness they knew to the light which they did not know. The Word sidled up to them and hummed life into their ears, but they cleared their throats and walked away. God therefore decided to speak in a new way. 'And the Word became flesh and lived among us — full of grace and truth.' This is John's story in a nutshell. He is telling us about an encounter with the Holy One. God's Word was translated into a human being. God's self, soul, and life force were concentrated into one mortal life on earth, and as a result, nothing would ever be the same again. Not because everyone listened, because everyone does not, but because the eternal Word of God took human form. The beginning of time merged into the present time and God's message was no longer ethereal. It had a face, a voice, and a pair of hands. This is the miracle of the Word made flesh: God delivered his message to us in person by becoming one of us. THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS The impact of this event has been earth-shaking. Regardless of the number of world religions in existence, our present world marks time from the time of his birth. This Word of God is the pivotal person in our history; the meaning of all life, past, present, and future, is focused on this man. A humble Jew, a carpenter from Nazareth, changed the world forever and so we rightly celebrate Him this Christmas time. He taught us to love and forgive one another and He was rightly described as the Prince of Peace. I suggest our world needs Him more than ever. I wish you all a happy and blessed Christmas. Jamie
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