ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
4th December 2016
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Vicky is taking our service
and preaching today
HYMN
Come and light the candles on the Advent ring
Scattering the darkness till the world shall sing.
We are all God's people waiting in this place.
Hoping that in Jesus we shall see God's face.
Prophet voices speaking like a burning flame
Making sure our world will never be the same.
John the Baptist tells us God wants to forgive,
Calling us to change the way we work and live.
Jerusalem, from the whole province of Judea, and
from all over the country near the Jordan
River. They confessed their sins, and he baptized
them in the Jordan.
John said “I baptize you with water to show that
you have repented, but the one who will come
after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire. He is much greater than I am; and I am not
good enough even to carry his sandals.”
Thanks be to God.
HYMN
1.
Like a candle flame,
Flickering small in our darkness,
Uncreated light
Shines through infant eyes.
God is with us,
Alleluia,
Come to save us,
Alleluia!
Mary, full of courage, echoing God's yes,
Going on the journey God will greatly bless.
Jesus in the midst of us filling us with joy,
Giving us the life which nothing can destroy.
2.
Stars and angels sing,
Yet the earth sleeps in shadows;
Can this tiny spark
Set a world on fire?
3.
Yet his light shall shine
From our lives, Spirits blazing,
as we touch the flame
Of his holy fire.
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
Lord Jesus, light of the world,
The prophets said you would bring peace
And save your people in trouble.
Give peace in our hearts at Christmas
And show all the world God’s love. Amen.
COLLECT
Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds,
that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as
judge and saviour we may be ready to receive
him, who is our Lord and our God.
Amen
THE GOSPEL - MATTHEW 3:1-5, 11
At that time John the Baptist came to the desert
of Judea and started preaching. “Turn away from
your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of
heaven is near!” John was the man the prophet
Isaiah was talking about when he said,
“Someone is shouting in the desert,
‘Prepare a road for the Lord;
make a straight path for him to travel!’”
John's clothes were made of camel's hair; he wore
a leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey. People came to him from
HYMN 53
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here;
come, bow before him now,
with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found,
we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire,
with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight,
our radiant King of Light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place,
he comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him,
in faith receive from him.
Be still for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
Katharina Von Schlegal (b1697)
Translated. Jane L. Borthwick alt.
COMMUNION: Everyone is warmly invited to
receive communion or a blessing. Please remain
in your seats until the sidespeople invite you to
join the circle around the altar. Please join the
circle using the central aisle and return to your
seats by the side aisles. Thank you.
POST COMMUNION PRAYER on the Service
Sheet
During the next hymn a collection is taken. If you are
a UK taxpayer you can donate by Gift Aid and for
every £1 you give, St John’s gets an extra 25p, Please
put your donation in one of the Gift Aid envelopes in
the back of the seats, adding your name and address.
If you would like to give regularly by Gift Aid please
see Jo Need. Thank you very much for your support.
OFFERTORY HYMN 78
1. Christ is the world’s true light,
its captain of salvation,
the daystar clear and bright
of ev’ry race and nation;
new life, new hope awakes,
where’er we own his sway;
freedom her bondage breaks,
and night is turned to day.
2. In Christ all races meet,
their ancient feuds forgetting,
the whole round world complete,
from sunrise to its setting:
when Christ is throned as Lord,
all shall forsake their fear,
to ploughshare beat the sword,
to pruning-hook the spear.
3. One Lord, in one great name
unite us all who own thee;
cast out our pride and shame
that hinder to enthrone thee;
the world has waited long,
has travailed long in pain;
to heal its ancient wrong,
come, Prince of Peace, and reign!
George Wallace Briggs (1875-1959)
DO STAY FOR REFRESHMENTS
AFTER THE SERVICE
CHILDREN'S SAFETY IN CHURCH
We are always pleased to welcome children into
our church. We wish their experience to be
enjoyable and safe but our buildings and grounds
contain obvious and hidden hazards. Parents and
carers remain responsible for the safety of their
children or wards at all times whilst on our
premises. Please ensure they are safe.
FOR YOUR PRAYERS
Please pray for those who are ill,
among them Ann Cooper, Lorna Pearce,
Phyllis Keates, Jean Penycate, Caroline Hellicar,
Leo Duff, Demetra Varots, Luanne Higgins,
Sue Penycate, Irek Piekarski, Edward Escobar and
Francis Hiscock.
And for those who have died, among them Mark
Bangle.
There is a special prayer area at the high altar chapel
where you can light a candle. Do write any requests
for prayers for situations or people on a slip of paper
and pin it to the board there. All requests will be
remembered at our weekday evening services.
Readings for next Sunday: Isaiah 35.1-10,
Matthew 11.2-11
SERVICES AT ST JOHN’S
1st Sunday of the month: 10am Family Communion
2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month: 10am Parish
Communion with children’s church
3rd Sunday of the month: 9am Holy Communion
10am Sacred Space with children’s church
CONTACTS FOR ST JOHN'S
Vicar: Revd Vicky Maunder
Tel: 020 8546 9882 [email protected]
Administrator: Frances Hazelgrove
Tel: 07952085661 [email protected]
St JOHN’S NOTICES AND NEWS
www.stjohnskingston.co.uk
FOR THE DIARY
December
Mon 5 First Monday Club 2.00-4.00pm
Wed 7 Kingston University Carol Service 5.30pm
Sun 11 Puppet Show 2.00pm and 3.30pm
Sat 17 7.30pm Linden Wind Orchestra Concert
SUNDAY SERVICES
11 3rd Sunday of Advent
10am Parish Communion with Christingles
18 4th Sunday of Advent
10am Parish Communion and Children’s Church
6pm Candlelight Carol Service
24 Christmas Eve
4pm Children’s Crib Service
11.30pm Midnight Christmas Communion
25 Christmas Day
10am Parish Communion
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: A MASSIVE THANK YOU to
everyone who helped at or supported our
Christmas Bazaar yesterday and especially to the
brilliant organising team.
PUPPET SHOW FOR ALL AGES –
NEXT SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER
2.00pm and 3.00pm in church WITH FESTIVE TREATS AND TUCKSHOP
Once there was a dragon, who stole Christmas and
turned little Annie into a sweet old Granny. Now
Annie the Granny must break the curse, save
Christmas and have a festive adventure that can be
enjoyed by all.
Hidden Strings Puppetry Company, in aide of St.
John's Church Regeneration, presents a diverse
cast of puppets, performers and projections to tell a
story about the heart of Christmas and the
goodness in all of us.
For tickets email [email protected] or
call 07967585912
FIRST
MONDAY
CLUB
Tomorrow will be our last
get-together this year. If you are free come and join us
in church from 2-4.00pm. We will be having a
lighthearted competition afternoon trying our hands at
darts, pinball and indoor bowls with a prize to win! There
will be time to enjoy afternoon tea with Festive Fare.
Everyone welcome.
LITTLE GROOVERS our parents/carers and
toddlers/babies group will be meeting on Tuesday in
the church from 9.45-11.15am. £1.50 per family.
You are warmly invited to Kingston University
Carol Service. This Wednesday at 5.30pm here at St
John’s.
POSADA – making room for Jesus: Posada is an
old Mexican tradition where figures of Mary and
Joseph journey around the neighbourhood during
advent until Christmas Eve, looking for a place to
stay. They are brought to you for the night and you
take them on to their next home for the following
night. Children particularly relate to this lead up to
Christmas. If you would like to take part in this lovely
tradition please sign the sheet at the back of church or
for more information, please e-mail Kat Welch
[email protected]. Mary and Joseph have
begun their journey but it is not too late to join in.
CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY CHOIR: Everyone loves
to sing carols and now the call is out for singers, of
any ability, to make up our Christmas Community
Choir for our popular Candlelight Carol Service on
Sunday, 18th December at 6pm. Absolutely everyone is
very welcome, so please come and bring a friend who
might like to join in. It’s very informal and you don’t
have to have sung in a choir before as lots of help is
given to learn the parts. We shall be practicing after
today’s service at 11am and next Sunday at 11.30am
both for an hour.
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO YOUR FRIENDS AT
ST JOHN'S for OUR CHRISTMAS CHARITIES:
Rather than write individual cards for everyone, why
not write your greeting on one of the tags and hang it
on the small Christmas tree which is at the back of the
church. If you would like to make a small donation it
will go towards the two charities we are supporting
this Christmas – Kingston Churches Action on
Homelessness, which offers hope and advice to local
homeless people http://www.kcah.org.uk/our-stories/;
and Women and children first which works to save
the lives of mothers and babies in some of the world’s
poorest communities
https://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org.uk .
All our donations from our Christmas Greetings Tree and
the collection from our crib service will be split between
these charities.
“HAVE
YOURSELF A MERRY LINDEN CHRISTMAS”
SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 7.30pm
Linden Wind Orchestra's take on Christmas day spent
at home through music which includes Carols,
Christmas songs and TV themes. There is even a
chance to sing along! Mince pies and juice will be
served, wine can be purchased. Tickets on door £12,
£6 concessions, children under 12 free when
accompanied by an adult.
Are you on the church mailing list? There are
new member’s forms at the back of the church you
can fill in with your contact details to pass on to Vicky
CHURCH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS: if you would
like Vicky to support your application to a church
school for your child to start reception in the autumn
of 2017 you need to make an appointment to discuss
it with her by signing up on the sheet on the welcome
table. She will only be available to discuss her support
for school applications at these times:
Mon 12th Dec: 10am – 11.30am and 2pm-3pm
Tues 13rd Dec 7.30pm - 8.30pm
PASTORAL VISITS AND HOME COMMUNION:
Luanne Higgins is our deputy church warden working
with Vicky to oversee pastoral care in the parish. She
is available to do pastoral visits or home communion
on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please contact her if
you would like a visit. Tel: 020 8549 3563.
HAM CONVENT ORGAN: The sisters at Ham
Convent are moving and have very generously offered
to gift us their organ as they are not able to take it
with them. It was made especially for their centenary
and is a better, more reliable instrument than our
current organ which is only on loan to us and doesn’t
work well. We are swiftly trying to sort the
permissions and make the arrangements as it must be
moved before 12th December. We need to pay the
costs of moving it and they are £2,800 + VAT. If
anyone would like to make a donation towards this
cost that would be gratefully received. Please speak to
Tony or Vicky. It will be very special to have their
organ here.
DISABLED BENEFITS PETITION – Thank you to
everyone who signed the petition. It was accepted by
the council and the recent decision of Kingston
Council’s Adult and Social Committee to raise the
contribution paid by disabled people from 75% to
100% of their disposable income towards their
independence payments will now be reviewed by the
full council on December 13th at 7.30 pm in the
Council Chamber, Guildhall. Supporters would be very
welcome. The raised contribution is like a 100% tax
on people who are amongst the most vulnerable
within our society. It will lead to social isolation, debt,
an increase in mental illness and potentially suicide, all
of which were identified by people who responded to
the consultation.
ST JOHN’S IS PART OF THE KINGSTON TEAM
MINISTRY WITH ALL SAINTS IN
KINGSTON TOWN CENTRE AND ST JOHN THE
BAPTIST KINGSTON VALE.
Please take this sheet home with you
ALL SAINTS CHURCH, KINGSTON
All Saints’ Christmas Tree Festival – Saturday 17th
December 2016– Sunday 1st January 2017
The opening ceremony on Saturday 17th December starting
at 11.30 a.m-12.30 p.m. will be attended by the mayor of
Kingston and Euphonix choir will sing, refreshments will be
served – ALL are welcome, please join us.
St John’s Church have a tree at this festival. Our children
have made the decorations during children’s church. Do
visit All Saints to have a look.
Reflecting the Light
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him, and without him not
one thing came into being. What has come into being in him
was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome
it.
John 1:1-5
When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor
and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I
found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle
had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was
not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And
by scratching it on a stone I made it round. I began to play
with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I
could reflect light in to dark places where the sun would
never shine - in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It
became a game for me to get light into the most
inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I
would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge
of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that
this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I
might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the
light or the source of light. But light - truth, understanding,
knowledge - is there, and it will only shine in many dark
places if I reflect it.
I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I
do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect
light into the dark places of this world - into the black places
in the hearts of me - and change some things in some
people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is
what I am about. This is the meaning of life.
Quoted by Robert Fulgham, It was on Fire when I Lay Down On It
God of love, Father of all,
the darkness that covered the earth
has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh.
Make us a people of this light.
Make us faithful to your Word
that we may bring your life to the waiting world.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)