For some strange algorithm of social media, my social media feeds have recently shown old photographs of my old home town at Christmas. This has generated lots of different comments of people reminiscing how Christmas used to be. Life seems so very different now or maybe I’m looking through rose tinted glasses.With Christmas rapidly approaching, there are many who will get caught up in all the busyness and preparations, others will prefer a quieter, simpler Christmas and some will find Christmas a really hard time for lots of different reasons. I’ve been mulling over a chapter of a book that I’m currently reading and, with some poetic licence, the writer has explored what Joseph may have felt that very first Christmas - Mary giving birth in less than ideal circumstances and away from home. The writer wonders whether Joseph ever questioned God or doubted His plan when things unfolded as they did and probably very differently to what Joseph was expecting. I wonder whether we have found ourselves in situations that aren’t what we expected or that don’t make sense to us. I wonder what questions you may have asked of God? I don’t think that the Bethlehem sky was the first, or the last, to hear the pleadings of a heart. Along Joseph’s journey, from the moment of discovering Mary was expecting, the Angel visiting him, Jesus’ birth, the escape to Egypt and as Jesus grew up, he would have had questions and doubts. But he trusted and obeyed.Perhaps one of his questions in all that happened was, ‘Are you still with me God?’ From my own personal experience the answer would be ‘yes I am right there with you.’ In all the messiness of life and in the darkest of times, God is there.By the time that you read this, we will be in Advent. Advent - a time of waiting and preparation for Jesus, the Light in the darkness. Throughout Advent at St James we have a ‘When Christmas Hurts Tree’. Through December, it gradually fills with baubles that people hang on the tree to represent loved ones that they are missing or situations that make celebrating Christmas harder this year. As a church we pray throughout December for what the baubles represent and we also have a When Christmas Hurts service (Saturday 21st December 3pm) which is a quieter more reflective way of celebrating Christmas. A time to step away from the busyness and hustle and bustle and to just be. However you celebrate Christmas this year, remember that the good news of Christmas is that even when the world or our circumstances change – the message of Christmas is timeless. Because Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, Immanuel meaning God with Us. It’s about how He came to give us love, hope and joy. And that message doesn't change from year to year.Blessings for a peaceful Christmas,Rev VikkiPlease see the dates section for the December and Christmas services and events.
Over the past few days I’ve been reflecting on, and preparing for, Remembrance Sunday when we remember the sacrifice of the Armed Forces community from United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. We remember the families of those who serve, and the vital role of the emergency services. Through this time, I’ve been repeatedly reminded of Jesus serving His disciples by washing their feet and His ultimate sacrifice of serving by giving His life upon the cross. In another part of the Bible it says, “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever desires to be first in the group must be the slave of all.” (Mark 10:43-44). Humbly and lovingly serving one another is a sign of greatness in the eyes of God. It’s not about serving another for any type of recognition or about serving another grudgingly. Jesus emphasises that our service to others should come solely out of love for others and to serve others with humility. Even though the disciples had lived with Jesus for three years, listening to all His teachings and watching as He compassionately responded to those in need, they were still shocked by Jesus, in this simple act, doing the work of a servant by washing their dirty feet. It was contrary to all social conventions and Peter was particularly indignant that Jesus didn’t lower himself to this. But Jesus teaches that He has come to serve not be served. Truly serving others in a Christ-like manner is about sincerely caring about others and treating all people, but especially the most marginalised of society, with dignity and respect. It’s about serving others not self.I don’t want to imagine how our world would be today without our armed forces, the commonwealth, and our emergency services serving us day in day out. It’s important to take time to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. It’s important to remember the families of each person who has served or is currently serving and the sacrifice that they make every day in the service of others, some making the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember them. Southam’s Remembrance Service will be held at St James Church on Sunday 10th November. The parade will gather by 10am at The Bowling Green ready to be in position to set off at 10:30am under the direction of the Air Cadets Parade Marshall. The public are encouraged to follow the parade, but anyone with mobility issues will be able to access the church prior to the service which begins at 10:45am.
Although we should be thankful all year round, there is something for me about the season of autumn that makes me feel more thankful. Maybe it’s seeing combine harvesters in the fields, getting stuck behind more tractors on the roads (!) and crops being gathered in that reminds me to be thankful. Being thankful for creation and thankful to farmers across the globe that provide our food, I’m reminded of a verse in Psalm 67, ‘The land yields its harvest; God our God blesses us.’Autumn is a season of thanksgiving, a season of praise and a season to share God’s love with others in the food donated and then shared with others. Obviously we can do this all year round!, but autumn has traditionally been a time to take stock of all that God has provided.Normally, at a Harvest Festival Service, we often explore topics such as creation, how we should care for it and each other, or the fruitfulness of the earth. At St James Church, we will be celebrating Harvest in two ways this year. We will be having a Harvest Supper on Saturday 19th October with musical entertainment. Please see the end of this article for more info and how to book. Then the following morning as part of our Sunday service we will celebrate Harvest and bring donations to give to Southam Foodbank to share with others. Refreshments from 9:45, service at 10:15 (See suggested donation list below)Being thankful is an important part of life. As children, we are encouraged to say please and thankful. These short words are marks of respect and reflect the relationships that we have with each other and that we value the gifts that relationships bring.That’s how it works with us as people, but that’s also how it works with God. God’s very nature is one of love, of generosity, and of provision. Often though we forget to say thank you to Him. We take Him and His gifts for granted. We sometimes forget to say thank you when life is going well and sometimes we struggle to find things to say thank you for when life is tough. But the Bible tells us ‘to give thanks in ALL circumstances and not to worry.’ We don’t have to give thanks FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances. That can be areal challenge in day to day life! So are you ready for the challenge? Have a thankful autumn!VikkiHARVEST SUPPER with musical accompaniment: Saturday October 19th at 7pm at St James Church. Pre booking essential. Tickets £10 from St James Church Office 01926 812413 southamstjames@gmail.com or 07768 090178.
What’s in a name?For the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about names. Maybe it’s because of hearing all of the names read out at the Remembrance Sunday service and reflecting that behind each name was someone’s loved one. After the service, people came into St James to look at the displays of poppies and they lit candles. Each flickering flame representing their loved one known to them by name. During December, the ‘When Christmas Hurts’ tree will gradually fill with baubles representing loved ones who we miss or a situation that we find hard. At the quieter more reflective ‘When Christmas Hurts’ service (Saturday 17th December at 3pm) we’ll read names of those we’ve lost and light candles for loved ones and situations too. In the Bible, Psalm 112 says ‘Even in darkness, light dawns’ and in the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 5, the Bible says, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Light brings us hope in the dark times, and that light is Jesus. We know that at times our world can seem a very dark place. That very first Christmas, Jesus (meaning Saviour) was born into a violent, oppressive, and dark world, but he brings hope as the Light of the World. In the carols that we sing together, lots of different names are used for Jesus - Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, Saviour, Lamb of God, Son of God, Redeemer, and lots more. My favourite name for Jesus is ‘Immanuel’ which means God with us, because that’s been my experience through the highs and lows of life and I’ve seen it in lots of other peoples’ lives too. No matter what we go through, God is in it with us. So my prayer for each of you this month is that you know the light of the Christ child this Christmas. Blessings, Vikki PS I mentioned the Poppy Displays and I want to say thank you to Southam Mothers Union and their wonderful knitter friends who created the beautiful, poignant displays in and out of St James. They were greatly appreciated by many, so thank you for bringing people together!
