SUNDAY 18th DECEMBER

Lord Jesus, light of the world,
Blessed is Gabriel, who brought good news;
Blessed is Mary, your mother and ours.
Bless your Church preparing for Christmas;
And bless us your children, who long for your coming.
Amen.

                                          It'll be all right on the night!: the choir rehearse.


Come and join the celebration...

A day, a week, to remember Mary, the mother of Jesus...

How's your throat? Warm it up before you start carolling. Don't oversing*, particularly if you're doing so outside. There's a whole week of wassailing to come...you want to stay the distance!

*  To clarify: we mean, go and sing, of course we do, but if you're in the open air it's easy to sing too loudly and do bad things to your voice! We've all been there (croak! croak!)


Today:

Services at 8.00 and 10.00. Evensong at St. John's 15.45. Who cares about Kings College? Come and take part in our own  Lessons and Carols: 18.00. (Well, we all do care about Kings, but you can listen to that too - later in the week!)


Tomorrow:

Join us to sing some jolly carols around the parish. Meet at the church 17.30. Refreshments afterwards in the Hervey Room.

The church will be open in the morning after Morning Prayer ( 9.00 ) until noon, with a new Prayer Space coming soon (Tuesday).

Please pray for Tim and Carly who will be married at 13.00. With brass quintet!  Hence no Prayer Space tomorrow: it's a Brass Quintet Space pro tem!



A Magnificat...

My Soul spirals heavenwards to the Lord;
He has embraced me with his Word
My Spirit flies to my eternal Saviour;
I am lifted on wings of Almighty favour.
Henceforth shall people rate me blessed
For to greatness he has raised the least
His mercy is on those that tell his worth
The proud are scattered by the pangs of birth.
He has exalted the truly meek and humble
The castles of the haughty burn and crumble
He remembering his mercy has rescued Israel
As he promised our father Abraham full well.
Deo Gracias, Deo Gracias
Be it then to me, according to Thy will.

   from the 'Northampton Nativity': Vince Cross


Antiphon:

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

SATURDAY 17th DECEMBER

People of God: return!
You are called to be God's own.
From the mountains announce the good news.
God comes in justice and peace,
to all who follow his ways.
You are God's children.
Lord make us one in the peace of Christ
today and for ever.
Amen.

    Outside the International Court of Justice: The Peace Palace. Den Haag, The Netherlands


STOP PRESS!

If you're reading this before 10.00 in the morning, you've still got time! Get yourself down to the Church Hall for OPEN HOUSE. Coffee (tick!) Mince Pies (tick!) Things to do (tick!) All ages (tick!). The shopping can wait.


And tomorrow...

All the usual morning services and Breakfast Club PLUS 'Take Note' to entertain you over coffee after the 10.00 service. So...take note!

And then at 18.00, the Lessons and Carols service. The choir will be singing a number of pieces including John Joubert's lovely 'There is no rose', the R.L. Pearsall arrangement of 'In dulci jubilo' , and the entrancing John Rutter 'What sweeter music'. That man certainly knows how to write a good tune! And at the centre of everything the familiar, but spine-tingling story of what a baby's birth two thousand years ago can mean for us today.

                                                           Looks like rein...deer!

St John the Baptist:  1 St. John's Eve

A sonnet for midsummer by Malcolm Guite

Midsummer night, and bonfires on the hill
Burn for the man who makes way for the Light:
'He must increase and I diminish still,
Until his sun illuminates my night.'
So John the Baptist pioneers our path,
Unfolds the essence of the life of prayer,
Unlatches the last doorway into faith,
And makes one inner space an everywhere.
Least of the new and greatest of the old,
Orpheus on the threshold with his lyre,
He sets himself aside, and cries, "Behold
The One who stands amongst you comes with fire!"
So keep his fires burning through this night,
Beacons and gateways for the child of light.

copyright:  Malcolm Guite from 'Sounding the Seasons', Canterbury Press 2012
www.malcolmguite.com

Malcolm is Chaplain at Girton College, Cambridge.

                                                  David at Tea Club earlier this week.


Antiphon:
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

FRIDAY 16th DECEMBER

                                                       Caravaggio: St. John the Baptist.

God our Father,
you gave to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age
a son called John.
He grew up strong in spirit,
prepared the people for the coming of the Lord,
and baptised them in the Jordan to wash away their sins.
Help us, who have been baptised into Christ,
to be ready to welcome him into our hearts,
and to grow strong in faith by the power of the Spirit.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world.
Amen.

                                                        Three candles (Wait for it...)

Today...

Morning prayer at 8.30, and then Open Church until 11.00

at 12.00, Danny Brenna and Harriet Moss get married in church.

...but while that's going on, Our Walkers will be striding the fields, ending with lunch at The Red Lion at Brafield. If you want to know more about our walks, ask Bill Rothwell. If you don't know who Bill Rothwell is, ask someone to point him out. If they don't know, keep asking.  And that's the way a congregation becomes the Family of God...

19.00. Choir practice


Yesterday...

The bar of The Bold Dragoon was absolutely rammed with people singing carols and Christmas music under the batons of Bill Kingston and Martin Pettit. An amazing and thought-provoking experience, and fearless, charismatic animation from Bill and Martin.

Coming up:

Saturday: 10.00  Open House in the church hall. Something for everyone!

Sunday: 18.00:  Lessons and carols. Don't miss it. The Christmas 'signature' service.

Monday: 17.30: Carol singing around the parish. Thus combining Walking with Music. Clever, eh!  Dress warmly. Bring the Strepsils.

Wednesday 19.00: Blue Christmas

More about all these later.

Conversation piece   

You've read the story.
Did you like him then,
That John fella?

Reminiscent
Of a madman on the tube,
Don't you think?
Or Ian Anderson
Living in the Past
Gap-toothed
Standing on one leg with
A Pied Piper's flute,
Bewitching a generation.
Wouldn't care to meet his eye
Would you?
Move to another carriage
Sharpish
Wouldn't you?

Is it important?
The liking bit?
Can you split
The man from the message?
Put your daughter
In his hands?
Of course you wouldn't.
Be honest.

But some people
They really go for that stuff
The weirder wilder shores of faith,
Or the ascetic angle.
And you've got to admit
The story of Jesus
Would lack a dimension
Without him.

What do you think then?
A contingent literary device?
Or a necessary condition
Of salvation history?
i.e.
Let there be a world
Anywhere in any universe
And there will be a Jesus
And there will be a John?

                               Vince Cross
                        
This came about after a conversation with another parishioner about faith and doubt held during Open Church a week or so ago.

THURSDAY 15th DECEMBER

                                         'Not sure that should be an A major chord, mind'...
                                             Bill Kingston busking: church hall 14.12.16

  (Bill and friends can be found singing seasonal music in the Bold Dragoon tonight from 8 p.m.)


Heavenly Father,
As streets fill with shoppers,
Bright lights and tempting offers,
Christmas songs and children's laughter,
You lead us along a different path
To a desert river and a Prophetic voice:
A call to repentance:
A call to service:
A call to immerse ourselves
In living water that will never run dry:
A call to prepare a way in our own lives
For the Saviour of the world to enter in:
To know the touch of tender mercy
And rest in your forgiving love.

For your faithful prophets
And your Living Word,
We give you thanks.
Amen.

This week's Prayer Space

As last week, the Prayer Space provides three focuses for the visitor's thoughts. An audio reflection offers the opportunity for the listener to think about the slights and injustices they've experienced in their lives, and to decide whether to let them go. Of course, forgiving those who we think may have wronged us leads to thinking about how we may have hurt others. The Love Heart Prayer gives us a chance to pray for those close to us: our friends and family. And the final activity takes us from darkness into light.

The Exceedingly Strange Case of Zechariah the Priest Part III

The baby yelled
And yelled.
Everyone laughed.
Like father, like son!
Then stopped in their tracks.
Zechariah, after all,
Was still mute.
Perhaps the priestly eloquence
Had gone for good.

People assumed.
The boy would be called
After his dad.
Obstinate, square Elizabeth
Glared.
His name is John.
The neighbours murmured.
What were they missing here?
Looked quizzically
At Zechariah.
Expected what?
An argument?
A scene?
He beckoned.
Inscribed in the wax
One word.
John.

Clutched at his throat.
Coughed and spat.
Held his head in both hands.
Coughed and spat a second time.
They thought he was a gonner.
But like a dam bursting,
A flood of foam-flecked words,
Emotional, prophetic, rejoicing,
Burst over their heads,
Engulfing them.

From a distance,
Gabriel watched
And smiled.

                             Vince Cross

WEDNESDAY 14th DECEMBER

                                                                   Cold Christmas?

Gaudete         by  Brad Reynolds

Because Christmas is almost here
Because dancing fits so well with music.
Because inside baby clothes are miracles.
Gaudete
Because some people love you
Because of chocolate
Because pain does not last forever
Because Santa Claus is coming.
Gaudete
Because of laughter
Because there really are angels
Because your fingers fit your hands
Because forgiveness is yours for the asking
Because of children
Because of parents.
Gaudete
Because the blind see
And the lame walk.
Gaudete
Because lepers are clean
And the deaf hear.
Gaudete
Because the dead will love again
And there is good news for the poor
Gaudete
Because of Christmas
Because of Jesus
You rejoice.

Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.'  A poem for the third Sunday in Advent.

Brad Reynolds S.J. is a photographer and artist, one time in residence at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington State. He's also the author several mystery novels.


Today...

Don't forget the concert by Alison Roddy's pupils in church at 14.30

And Bill Kingston (plus hat and ukulele, we hope!) will be singing as the uniformed organisations arrive and leave church between 19.10 and 19.30. We expect you'll be able to join in the choruses if you're there...

And tomorrow...

Bill will be hosting seasonal music at The Bold Dragoon from about 20.00.  You'll be very welcome to join in the fun!


A thousand up...

We're delighted to announce we're now well past a thousand hits. Mrs Trellis writes from North Wales to say: " I have repeatedly visited your bog hoping to find out something of the Adventures of St. Peter, hopefully presented by Ewan McGregor or that nice David Attenby. But sadly in vain. I must warn you I have now complained to Mr Hyssop on 'Have I got news for you' about this flagrant misrepresentation which must surely fall under the umbrage of the Trades Descriptions Act. Yours etc."

We're truly sorry, Mrs Trellis, but other people seem to quite like visiting our bog.

                                                         Make straight a pathway...

The Exceedingly Strange Case of Zechariah the Priest Part II

He continued to scrawl,
A babbling fountain
Of prophecy,
Arcane, ecstatic.
People said
His mind had gone.
There was no child.
For Elizabeth
Was nowhere to be seen.
Rumours circulated.
He'd murdered her.
She'd done away with herself,
Unable to bear
The disgrace of
Childlessness.
Then one morning
As if in a magic show,
She appeared outside the house,
Cradling a wild-eyed baby
In her arms.
A hot wind
Blew in from the desert.

                (Third and final part tomorrow...) 

                                         VC

TUESDAY 13th DECEMBER

Heavenly Father,
you call us to prepare for the coming of your Son:
Forgive us our unreadiness to receive him.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy

Lord Jesus,
you were proclaimed by John the Baptist:
help us also to prepare your way.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Holy Spirit,
you speak through the prophets:
make us attentive to hear your word.
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy.

Today:     

Weston Favell Primary School Carol Services from 9.15
Open Church  11.00-12.00   (With knitting!!!)
Tea Club  14.00  (Church Hall)
Gardening club  19.30 (Church Hall)


This week: 

A new Prayer Space. Don't be fooled! The gazebo may look the same, but the activities and focus are different. Make some time for yourself 'in the tent'.


Tomorrow: 

Weston Favell is an extraordinary community. You name it, the skill or profession can be found. And amongst our number is a professional singer and conductor, Alison Roddy. Come and hear some of her pupils sing tomorrow afternoon in church at 14.30. Maybe you'll be inspired to improve your own vocal gifts too!

There are two Residents' Associations in the parish. One is the Weston Favell Village Residents Association, and the other is Bridgewater Residents who meet on Wednesday in the Road to Morocco at  10.30.

Threat or promise?

We carried away a plastic bag (priced 5p) from a well-known fashion retailer the other day which carried the slogan 'Christmas is coming for you...'  One could take that a number of ways...

                                   
                                                               'Repent and be baptised'
                                                           The Nene at Nether Heyford


The Exceedingly Strange Case of Zechariah the Priest: Part I

Entered the sanctuary
Loquacious as ever
Hands lifted high
Afterwards
Stumbled out
Quite unable to speak.
Wrote in the dust
Of a vision,
An angel.
(This happens to old men sometimes).
Claimed his wife Elizabeth
Would have the child
So long anticipated
In vain.
But look at her!
At her age?
Miracles do not happen
In the modern world.

                          (to be continued...)

MONDAY 12th DECEMBER

                                                              River Tove: Towcester.

The last and greatest Herald of Heaven's King
Girt with rough skins, hies to the deserts wild,
Among that savage brood the woods forth bring,
Which he more harmless found than man, and mild.
His food was locusts, and what there doth spring,
With honey that from virgin hives distilled;
Parched body, hollow eyes, some uncouth thing
Made him appear, long since from earth exiled.
There burst he forth: All ye whose hopes rely
On God, with me amidst these deserts mourn,
Repent, repent, and from old errors turn!
-Who listened to his voice, obeyed his cry?
     Only the echoes, which he made relent,
     Rung from their flinty caves, Repent! Repent!

                                        William Drummond ( 1585-1649 )

                                           Some shaking, some rolling, but a lot of Rattling.
                                                The Prince of Wales Rattlers entertain...

And in the parish ...

Open Church

There's a new Prayer Space...but you'll have to be clever with your diaries to see/experience it...the options are limited this week. Today your only chance was to be at Morning Prayer, and that will work on other days too. Some children from the Arbours Primary School are finding out about 'church' today. Tomorrow (Tuesday) our own Primary School will be enjoying carol services for Years 1-6, so the church will only be open afterwards from 11.00 a.m. until noon. On Wednesday morning it's the turn of the WFPS Reception year and Shining Stars so the church isn't available to other visitors. There's no problem on Thursday because we're open 9-12, but time is a little curtailed on Friday because Danny and Harriet are getting married, so Open Church will end at 11 to allow time to prepare the space for them and their guests. But do drop in before OPEN HOUSE (in the church hall 10-12 on Saturday): the church will be open from 9 until 10. Got all that? Good! We're not sure we have...but isn't it great that all this is going on! Please pray for all who visit St. Peter's this week, that they may find peace and/or challenge as they need it.

Elsewhere tomorrow...

Whoever you are, there's a club or group somewhere around St. Peter's that's for you. Tomorrow afternoon at 14.00 in the church hall you'll find Tea Club, where more senior folk can enjoy a bit of cake and company. And in the evening at 19.30, the Gardening Club will be talking about...well actually we don't know what they're talking about...but sharing intelligence amongst themselves as they do has proven results as anyone who walks around the parish or visits the allotments, or (particularly) attends the summer Open Gardens event will know.

Lord Jesus
Light of the world
John told the people to prepare
For you were very near.
As Christmas grows closer day by day,
Help us to be ready to welcome you now.
Amen.