At Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; the Incarnation is central in our Christian doctrine. God became flesh and assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ. At Easter we celebrate the Resurrection, a foundational belief of our Christian faith. It is by the grace of God that we have been saved though faith in Jesus and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Through resurrection, we believe life has triumphed over death, good over evil, hope over despair. The resurrection is a sign of God's great power. At Easter we had ‘Lilies of the Cross’ and at Christmas we have ‘The Cross at Christmas’. The Poinsettia is the traditional flower of Christmas, as the shape of the flower and leaves resemble the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red-coloured leaves represent the blood of Christ shed for the world, as do red roses and red carnations. On Christmas Eve, at our Sunday morning service, we will remember those we have loved and lost, who will not be with us, sat at our table, to celebrate Christmas. By remembering them at Christmas, we hold secure in our faith that through the birth and death of Jesus Christ, our loved ones rest in peace. Please take an envelope (found in the narthex) containing a blank gift card. Write the name of your loved one on the card and include a verse or sentence if you like (one card per one name). Please replace your card in the envelope with your donation to support our ministry here at St Anne’s. We suggest £5. Please bring you sealed envelope containing your card/s and donation to church on or before Sunday 17th December All names will be read out in our morning service on Christmas Eve
The meeting began with the Eucharist, followed by refreshments. Bishop Philip then spoke and outlined the Diocesan Vision to maintain clergy numbers, to plant more church congregations and the need to ‘sow and keep sowing seeds of the Gospel’. This was an inspirational evening and everyone left feeling uplifted. Pendle Deanery Synod meetings are ‘open’ meetings, for all to attend, and are a good way to keep in touch with the wider church.
The Kingdom Season is a time for forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. The readings are apocalyptic in tone, depicting the end of the world and judgement themes predominate until they conclude with the triumphant Feast of Christ the King who will reign over all things in the peaceable Kingdom of God. On Sunday 26th November we celebrate Christ the King who has completed God's work through his life, death, and resurrection.
We continued exploring prayer and our journey with Jesus Christ. We used various resources to hold, listened to music, plus settling to relax in stillness and calm. Our next meeting is ‘Hush before the Rush’ on Wednesday 6th December at 7.30pm in St Anne’s church, – come and press ‘pause’ and find peace in the busyness of Christmas preparations. All welcome .
