9 am Benefice Holy Communion at St George's, Benenden
Scripture“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you…..Worship God!” (Revelation 22, v8-10)ReflectionThe last book of the bible, Revelation, tells us the story of the end of the world as we know it. Time and time again, we read that Jesus will come back again to earth - a day Christians might describe as the “Second Coming”. For John, a simple human man, this ‘revelation’ must have been almost too much to imagine, and so he falls down at the feet of the angel to worship him. The angel - powerful, strong and brilliantly shining as he was - told John in no uncertain terms to stop and look to God, the only One worthy of worship and adoration. As we look forward to the ‘big day’ next weekend, pause for a moment and ask yourself what you are looking forward to the most. Whatever it is - and it may be the best thing you can imagine - nothing and no-one can compare to the great day at the end of all time when Jesus, God’s son, who gave up His life for you returns to gather his flock. There will be no greater celebration among those who know that He is the only one worthy of worship, than on that day.Vicki Young
8 am Holy Communion at St Nicholas led by Revd Rosemary & Lyn Hayes6.30 pm PARISH CAROL SERVICE at St Nicholas led by Revd David Commander
ScriptureRejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.. (Philippians 4.4-7) ReflectionGiven the grim events that we hear about or read in the news in so many countries of the world, as well as the painful circumstances facing those close to home, it can seem very hard to ask us to ‘rejoice always’. St Paul also wrote ‘rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep’, so he is not asking us to ignore or bury the pain. He is directing us towards Jesus. On the cross the forces of evil failed to break his spirit of love and his trust in the victory of truth and goodness. There we can see the light shining in a darkened world. The innocence of the baby at Christmas brings one sort of rejoicing; the life well lived even to death can bring another. His light shines on in all those who show love to those in need, enables us to tell true religion from false and gives us the hope and faith to see ourselves and the whole world as capable of love – and change.David Harmsworth
