Family Communion for St Nicholas's Day: celebrant the Revd Tola Badejo.

First reading: Romans 15. 4 – 13
Gospel: Matthew 3. 1 – 12

St Nicholas's Day falls on 6 December, and is celebrated at the church on the nearest Sunday. While the readings are those for the Second Sunday of Advent, they correspond closely with what we know of the historical Nicholas, Bishop of Myra: like St Paul and John the Baptist, he was uncompromising in his dedication to the faith and fully prepared to accept any consequences that fell upon him.

Many of the legends surrounding St Nicholas describe him engaging with the darkest sides of his own society. In the painting above by Bicci di Lorenzo he is shown throwing gold through a family's window, so that the young women inside can make respectable marriages rather than be forced into prostitution to survive themselves and to support the aged father for whom they are caring. Unusually, Nicholas is shown here as a young, athletic man rather than the bearded patriarch of more conventional images.

At this service we shall collect gifts for a women's refuge. If you can, please donate new, practical items suitable either for women or for children of all ages. They should be unwrapped but may be in gift bags.

This is our annual Carol Service in the traditional format, generally focused on well-known, older carols. The attachment below is a video of our church in darkness while a carol is played on the organ, made in December 2015.

This celebration is built around the symbolism of the Christingle, a decorated orange which represents Christ's engagement with the world.. While the service is focused on children, it certainly isn't only for children, and for some this is the annual event that most fully captures the spirit and meaning of Christmas. The Christingle collection is always donated to the Church of England Children's Society.