St. Luke's Ramsgate - This Sunday...

This Advent Sunday 29th November 2020 Online: YouTube (from 6am Sunday) Sadly, no services in church this week, but there will be on Sunday December 6th On Zoom : Sunday 11:30am until 1:00pm "Jesus said, 'The Kingdom of heaven in like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. " (Matthew 22:2) This Sunday is Advent Sunday, the start of a new season in the life of the church in the lead up to Christmas. Advent is all about looking forward to something better. Many people it seems are keen to begin Christmas early this year. Understandably they want to start the celebrations to detract from the gloom of our present circumstances! And why not skip Advent and go straight to Christmas? Well, there is great value in Advent! Firstly, in looking forward to something better it acknowledges that life is not as it should be. That is perhaps truer than ever this year as we are in the midst of the second wave of Covid in Thanet. Yet, there is hope. We can look forward to something better. There is a real chance that with vaccines becoming available in the New Year, that we can look forward to the end of the restrictions and threat of the disease by the middle of next year. We will be able to gather together again as a church and celebrate. Yet, even then we will still be in a world that is not as it should be. It will still be a world of broken relationships, illness, wars and death. The true Advent hope is not for a vaccine to finish the Covid crisis, but for the return of Christ to end all the effects of sin and death. As Christians we look forward ultimately to that great wedding banquet of the Son, where we the church are the bride. Looking forward to something better doesn't deny the present reality with a false celebration. It lifts our eyes and hearts from the pain of the present to focus on the better future. That in itself can truly lift our spirits and give us strength for the days to come. Thanks to all those who have re-registered online or by sending back your forms. If you haven't done so yet, then please do not forget - click here for the form . Our Bible passage for this Sunday's service is: Matthew 22:1-14 We need some contributions for this Sunday's online service urgently... please see below. Please read on... Prayer: Contribution for this Sunday's service and ideas for an online crib service. Care: A note on services restarting in church and contributions to the Food Bank. Share: A blog on why living through a pandemic is challenging and videos about preparing children for a different Christmas. Contribution for this Sunday - URGENT Advent is a special Sunday in the church's year, so it would be great to have a larger number than normal contributing to our opener. Please send the very short video in by Friday 10am. This week the response is very simple. I am going to use the traditional Advent response.: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!;' and the response I want you to record yourself saying is: " ...Even so, come Lord Jesus." Please send responses in by 10am tomorrow morning (Friday) via Whatsapp (07769 871520) or to [email protected] via wetransfer . Online Crib Service : It is unclear whether we will be allowed to hold a traditional 'Crib Service' in church this year and even if we are some may feel uncomfortable coming. So, I have a plan! The idea is that I will post a video of a crib service using cut out home made paper crib characters to gradually create 'the crib' during the service. The children (or adults) can do the same at home using the same design of crib characters, which they can cut out and colour in themselves. To anyone in Thanet who requests it , I will happily drop around the crib characters printed on card for you to start making yourselves. Just reply to my email. If you live outside Thanet you can purchase the same crib figures and print them out yourself. It may be that you want to cut out and colour in one crib character a day through Advent and gradually build up the crib scene. That would be a great family project. So if you email me by Sunday, I will deliver some cards with printed characters on by the end of Monday. Prayer Requests: Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them. Please pray for: Nancy Brown, who fell and had to have an operation on her hip. Give thanks that she is now at home and pray for improving health. Shirley Crabb that an appointment for a hip operation would come soon. St. Luke's PCC meeting on Monday evening for wisdom in our deliberations. Thanet Winter Shelter that started up this week. Barb - Gloria's daughter's friend as she continues chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Evelyn (Audrey's sister), who has now moved into a care home that she will settle there happily and be well looked after. The Dawson family who have moved into a new house in Edinburgh (if anyone wants their new address I can provide it). Services Restarting in Church - 6th December It was great that we could run services from July until this recent lockdown. I know that for some they were a real blessing and it was great to be able to see people (albeit with masks on and socially distanced) and to praise God together (although without singing). For others, whether for the sake of their own health or that of those they lived with they did not feel it wise to return to in-person church. Yet others felt that with all the restrictions it was better not to return but to carry on worshipping at home (without masks and with singing)! All these attitudes are good ones to have! Since, March I have never wanted to encourage people to return to in-person church, whilst there have been these good reasons for not doing so. At the same time it was good to offer it as an option for those who found it worthwhile. On Monday the government announced that churches could re-open again in December. I am, therefore, keen to start in-person services again on that Sunday for those who will find it helpful. However, I am also aware that the Covid infection rate in Thanet is now much higher and of course all the restrictions are still in place. For that reason many will not want to return to in-person church, including some who may have been coming regularly between July and October. Whatever decision you make I completely understand! I will be contacting those who were offering to help make the Sunday services possible over the next few days to see if they will be choosing to return or not. On the basis of their responses I will decide by next Thursday whether there will be two services on that Sunday or one and let you know in this email - and ask you to sign up online for track and trace purposes if you plan to come. Food Bank Contributions The food bank runs out of the Salvation Army on the High Street. They urgently needs the following: UHT milk and ring pull tins of: corn-beef, hot dogs and meat balls. Please drop these items off directly to the Salvation Army on a weekday morning. They are also looking to start delivering 'Christmas parcels' from 14th December. So we will be collecting mince pies and Christmas puddings to go in these parcels at St. Luke's church on Sundays 6th and 13th December ready for distribution from 14th December. If you are not coming to church you can also drop them directly to the Salvation Army. Last Week's Talk: Conquering by not Compromising (Rev. 2:12-29) We continue to look at Jesus’s reports on the churches. In these two reports Jesus is pictured as the conquering judge, who promises those who ‘conquer’ with him a wonderful future. Yet, there is a warning not to compromise with the idolatry of the world. Blogs etc. Why is it so challenging to live through this pandemic? This blog is written for church leaders. I shared it on a Facebook group for leaders and many found it really helpful. I am sure much of it is also really helpful for non-church leaders. Preparing for Christmas: for families with under 5's Preparing for Christmas: for families with 5-11 year olds Preparing for Christmas: for families with pre-teens and teens . This Christmas is likely to be quite different for some families. How do you prepare your children for that? These videos (on Facebook) may be of help to you. The presenter is American, but she has lived in this country for a long time! Remember, it's Advent. We look forward to something far better! Yours in Christ, Paul Worledge Vicar, St. Luke's Ramsgate www.stlukesramsgate.org ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

This Advent Sunday

29th November 2020

Online: YouTube (from 6am Sunday)

Sadly, no services in church this week,

but there will be on Sunday December 6th

On Zoom: Sunday 11:30am until 1:00pm

"Jesus said,

'The Kingdom of heaven in like a king

who prepared a wedding banquet for his son."

(Matthew 22:2)

This Sunday is Advent Sunday, the start of a new season in the life of the church in the lead up to Christmas. Advent is all about looking forward to something better.

Many people it seems are keen to begin Christmas early this year. Understandably they want to start the celebrations to detract from the gloom of our present circumstances! And why not skip Advent and go straight to Christmas?

Well, there is great value in Advent! Firstly, in looking forward to something better it acknowledges that life is not as it should be. That is perhaps truer than ever this year as we are in the midst of the second wave of Covid in Thanet.

Yet, there is hope. We can look forward to something better. There is a real chance that with vaccines becoming available in the New Year, that we can look forward to the end of the restrictions and threat of the disease by the middle of next year. We will be able to gather together again as a church and celebrate.

Yet, even then we will still be in a world that is not as it should be. It will still be a world of broken relationships, illness, wars and death. The true Advent hope is not for a vaccine to finish the Covid crisis, but for the return of Christ to end all the effects of sin and death. As Christians we look forward ultimately to that great wedding banquet of the Son, where we the church are the bride.

Looking forward to something better doesn't deny the present reality with a false celebration. It lifts our eyes and hearts from the pain of the present to focus on the better future. That in itself can truly lift our spirits and give us strength for the days to come.

Thanks to all those who have re-registered online or by sending back your forms. If you haven't done so yet, then please do not forget - click here for the form.

Our Bible passage for this Sunday's service is: Matthew 22:1-14

We need some contributions for this Sunday's online service urgently... please see below.

Please read on...

Prayer: Contribution for this Sunday's service and ideas for an online crib service.
Care: A note on services restarting in church and contributions to the Food Bank.
Share: A blog on why living through a pandemic is challenging and videos about preparing children for a different Christmas.

Contribution for this Sunday - URGENT

Advent is a special Sunday in the church's year, so it would be great to have a larger number than normal contributing to our opener. Please send the very short video in by Friday 10am.

This week the response is very simple. I am going to use the traditional Advent response.: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!;' and the response I want you to record yourself saying is:

"...Even so, come Lord Jesus."

Please send responses in by 10am tomorrow morning (Friday) via Whatsapp (07769 871520) or to [email protected] via wetransfer.

Online Crib Service:

It is unclear whether we will be allowed to hold a traditional 'Crib Service' in church this year and even if we are some may feel uncomfortable coming. So, I have a plan!

The idea is that I will post a video of a crib service using cut out home made paper crib characters to gradually create 'the crib' during the service. The children (or adults) can do the same at home using the same design of crib characters, which they can cut out and colour in themselves.

To anyone in Thanet who requests it, I will happily drop around the crib characters printed on card for you to start making yourselves. Just reply to my email.

If you live outside Thanet you can purchase the same crib figures and print them out yourself.

It may be that you want to cut out and colour in one crib character a day through Advent and gradually build up the crib scene. That would be a great family project. So if you email me by Sunday, I will deliver some cards with printed characters on by the end of Monday.

Prayer Requests:

Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them. Please pray for:

Nancy Brown, who fell and had to have an operation on her hip. Give thanks that she is now at home and pray for improving health.
Shirley Crabb that an appointment for a hip operation would come soon.
St. Luke's PCC meeting on Monday evening for wisdom in our deliberations.
Thanet Winter Shelter that started up this week.
Barb - Gloria's daughter's friend as she continues chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer
Evelyn (Audrey's sister), who has now moved into a care home that she will settle there happily and be well looked after.
The Dawson family who have moved into a new house in Edinburgh (if anyone wants their new address I can provide it).

Services Restarting in Church - 6th December

It was great that we could run services from July until this recent lockdown. I know that for some they were a real blessing and it was great to be able to see people (albeit with masks on and socially distanced) and to praise God together (although without singing).

For others, whether for the sake of their own health or that of those they lived with they did not feel it wise to return to in-person church. Yet others felt that with all the restrictions it was better not to return but to carry on worshipping at home (without masks and with singing)!

All these attitudes are good ones to have! Since, March I have never wanted to encourage people to return to in-person church, whilst there have been these good reasons for not doing so. At the same time it was good to offer it as an option for those who found it worthwhile.

On Monday the government announced that churches could re-open again in December. I am, therefore, keen to start in-person services again on that Sunday for those who will find it helpful.

However, I am also aware that the Covid infection rate in Thanet is now much higher and of course all the restrictions are still in place. For that reason many will not want to return to in-person church, including some who may have been coming regularly between July and October. Whatever decision you make I completely understand!

I will be contacting those who were offering to help make the Sunday services possible over the next few days to see if they will be choosing to return or not. On the basis of their responses I will decide by next Thursday whether there will be two services on that Sunday or one and let you know in this email - and ask you to sign up online for track and trace purposes if you plan to come.

Food Bank Contributions

The food bank runs out of the Salvation Army on the High Street. They urgently needs the following:

UHT milk and
ring pull tins of: corn-beef, hot dogs and meat balls.

Please drop these items off directly to the Salvation Army on a weekday morning.

They are also looking to start delivering 'Christmas parcels' from 14th December. So we will be collecting mince pies and Christmas puddings to go in these parcels at St. Luke's church on Sundays 6th and 13th December ready for distribution from 14th December. If you are not coming to church you can also drop them directly to the Salvation Army.

Last Week's Talk:

Conquering by not Compromising (Rev. 2:12-29)

We continue to look at Jesus’s reports on the churches. In these two reports Jesus is pictured as the conquering judge, who promises those who ‘conquer’ with him a wonderful future. Yet, there is a warning not to compromise with the idolatry of the world.

Blogs etc.

Why is it so challenging to live through this pandemic?

This blog is written for church leaders. I shared it on a Facebook group for leaders and many found it really helpful. I am sure much of it is also really helpful for non-church leaders.

Preparing for Christmas: for families with under 5's

Preparing for Christmas: for families with 5-11 year olds

Preparing for Christmas: for families with pre-teens and teens.

This Christmas is likely to be quite different for some families. How do you prepare your children for that? These videos (on Facebook) may be of help to you. The presenter is American, but she has lived in this country for a long time!

Remember, it's Advent. We look forward to something far better!

Yours in Christ,

Paul Worledge

Vicar, St. Luke's Ramsgate

www.stlukesramsgate.org