It was certainly a very busy and active time at St. John’s during Advent! As well as welcoming Clare as our new priest in charge there were a number of other special events and services.The Christmas Tree Festival was a lovely community event with many beautifully and very differently decorated trees adorning the church, to say nothing of the decorations in the porch and the entrance to church. Held over 3 days on the first weekend of December, the festival attracted many visitors. There was also some wonderful music from individuals and choirs, including from High Legh Primary School. Thank you to everyone who decorated trees and the church, to all our visitors and to everyone who took part. A big thank you also to the organisers and volunteers.On Wednesday 7th December a special service took place led by our Archdeacon, Ian Bishop, to dedicate newly created banners depicting the Christmas story. These beautiful banners were made over several months by members of our community and have adorned the church throughout Advent and the Christmas period.Thank you to everyone who helped to decorate the church in readiness for Christmas. This year we had a combined Christingle and Crib service on Christmas Eve with readings from younger members of our community. This was followed by the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols in the evening. This service was signed, and we were delighted to welcome so many members of the deaf community as part of a full congregation. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these services.On Christmas Day Rev Clare led our All Age Communion service where she was helped by two of our younger members of the congregation during her talk to unpack the meaning of Christmas from one of her recently used packing boxes!
It was a very special occasion on Monday 5th December as Mark, Bishop of Chester and the Archdeacon, Ian Bishop visited St. John's to license and install the Reverend Clare Leal as our new Priest-in-Charge.The church was full as members of our congregation and community as we welcomed Clare, along with her family and friends, to begin her ministry with us. It was great to see so many different organisations from our community represented.It was a very joyous evening and we will continue to pray that Clare's ministry here in High Legh will be blessed and fruitful.Welcome, Clare!
We're delighted that our Christmas Tree Festival will return after an absence of three years! Come and see the wonderful trees created and decorated by the many different organisations in our community.Refreshments will be available, including tea, coffee and cake and a soup lunch will be served on the Friday and Saturday.There is also a programme of live music taking place on the different days.Free entry - donations welcome!
What historic events we have lived through in September. The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll has brought a time of thanksgiving for her incredible life of duty and service. It has also meant a time of reflection and sadness. At St. John’s the flag has been flown at half-mast for the period of mourning and the church was open to give members of our community an opportunity to take time to reflect and to sign the book of condolence. On Sunday 18th September, the day before the State Funeral, there was a service of Holy Communion during the period of mourning for the Queen. The service, attended by many of the Parish Council, contained appropriate readings and prayers for the Queen, the Royal Family in their time of grief and prayers for King Charles lll. The service was led by the Revd Jane Parry who gave the following sermon.‘Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon’ …so begins the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage ’s tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second… These few words reflect the certainty that we are ever moving forward, not able to cling to the past, nor to hold on to the present moment, there is only the future, and what is to come, will indeed come. We knew for some time that Her Majesty was ill and was declining in health and knew in our heart of hearts that she would probably not have long for this world. Indeed, since the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the duties of state seemed to have weighed very heavily on her well-being. So though being immensely sad, we were not perhaps totally surprised at her passing. Sudden unexpected deaths leave us confused and bewildered, but even those deaths that are nearing inevitability still leave us feeling deeply and profoundly bereft. Nothing can really prepare us for living in a world without the one we loved, the one we cared for and about, the one we respected and admired and them being no longer a part of our lives. ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ said Her Majesty, ‘Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity; the price we pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.’ When I am beside those coming to the end of their life, they will so very often say to me ‘I don’t want them (my family) to be sad, I don’t want them to grieve…’ But grief isn’t about those who have died, it is about us the living and how we cope without that person present in our lives. We, the living, have a right and a need to grieve – Jesus showed this at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35) and we can take comfort in knowing the grief of death that is in the heart of our God. We will all have memories of Her Majesty over many years – some will have had the privilege of meeting her in person, some being at an event in which she was in attendance, we will all have seen her and have memories of seeing her on television and read about her in books and newspapers, these recollections of own can only scratch at the surface in recalling the spirit in which Her Majesty lived her life… let us take a few moments of silence as we remember in thanksgiving and gratitude for Her Majesty Queen Elizabth the Second… God of mercy and all consolation, come close to those who mourn. Comfort them in assurance of love that never dies; bless them in happy memories of the past; give them strength in all that is to come, with trust in the Resurrection that gives them union now and forever with those they have loved, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Revd Jane Parry
