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Christingle - Sunday 13 December |
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Procession of Rainbows with the Brownie
banners at the beginning of the service |
The new Senior Section flag being processed in
behind one of the two Guide banners. |
The lighting of the Christingles, with
everyone standing in a circle around the church singing Round Orange,
Round Orange with their lit Christingles. |
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Another section of the circle around the
church, this part mostly Brownies, showing some of the congregation
still in their seats singing along too ... |
A group of teenagers from the church
congregation with their Christingles - blurred to protect their
identities! This was the monthly All Age Lay Led, UpFront Service
in December. |
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The Festival of Nine Lessons and
Carols - Sunday 20 December |
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The soloists singing the first verse of
Once in Royal David's City ... |
The choir singing the one of their anthems to
piano accompaniment |
The Advent Ring with the four outer candles
lit, as it was the fourth Sunday of Advent |
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Crib Service - Christmas Angels
The Crib Service held on 5pm on Christmas Eve
tells the story of the first Christmas ... |
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The church filling up at the beginning of the
service with the mats at the front all taken already.
After an introduction by the Rector, ... |
... the Angel Gabriel, a messenger who worked
for God, taking important messages of Good News .... |
... around the world, came to deliver a
message to a house in Nazareth for a very particular young woman ... |
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.. "A message? For me!' ... 'Sorry, did you
say God needs my help?' |
'... I know it sounds strange, but God wants
someone to have his son for him ...' |
After Mary had agreed, Gabriel tiptoed away as
quietly as he had arrived ... |
Nine months passed. Mary was engaged to
be married to Joseph. They set off from Nazareth to Bethlehem ... |
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... they travelled, as the congregation sang
Little Donkey, to arrive wearily outside an inn ... |
... where the innkeeper said they could stay
in the stable. |
Meanwhile, Gabriel was getting excited.
News like the birth of God's son needed telling far and wide ...
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... up on the hills above Bethlehem he saw
some shepherds. When they were asleep, he called his friends |
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... to give the shepherds a big surprise. Angels came in from all
over the heavens - big angels and little angels ... |
And when they'd all gathered together, they began to sing ...
Joy to the World ... |
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The shepherds woke up and were afraid ...
Gabriel told them the Good News of the birth of Jesus. |
When the shepherds had heard the message, they
decided that they'd best go off to Bethlehem to see this newborn baby
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The shepherds processed to Bethlehem to the
sound of While Shepherds watched their flocks by night ... |
.. where the innkeeper showed them the stable
where Mary and Joseph were. |
Meanwhile, two of Gabriel's friends, Astriel
and Ariel, were driving a star across the sky |
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They were sending out another sort of message,
for their star was leading some important Wise Men to Bethlehem. To
the tune of We three kings of Orient are ... |
... the Kings arrived in Bethlehem and this is what they saw ...
Gabriel and Astriel knew they'd done a good job that night telling their
wonderful message to the world. |
Christmas 2009
