Vicars Letter Dec / Jan

Dear friends,

I’m just about to embark on my first official ‘Christmas shopping’ spree. This year we have agreed as a family to limit ourselves to so many £s per present- which will make the shopping more of a challenge! It will be interesting to see if the credit crunch we have heard so much about will indeed curb retail spending this year.

One of the family’s ,whose baby I recently baptised, spoke of a poll that had been taken asking children under a certain age; “Whose Birthday do we celebrate on Christmas day?”

70% apparently responded with ‘Father Christmas’.

It seems that the true meaning of Christmas has layers of other meanings wrapped over it in our world today. And these wrappings are incredibly ‘fun’, attractive and inviting in the dark and grey days of Winter. (I too love it when the children at School sing ‘Rudolf the red nosed reindeer at the top of their voices!) But in amidst the frivolity and fizz of the wonderful days leading up to Christmas my heart, like many of ours, returns to the Christ in Christ-mas.

There is a moment in Midnight Mass of hushed expectation. One’s mind returns to the first Christmas Eve. When a baby’s cry pierces the night gloom; when an army of angels alarm ordinary shepherds on the hillside with their triumphant song; when an act of love of such gigantic proportions takes place in a small back street in Bethlehem.

For some of you all the ‘Christmas cheer’around may just accentuate missing someone dear to you. Or it may be filled with anxiety as you look to what the New Year may bring. Or a sense of unfairness as we who have so much are met with pictures of famine and violence on our TV screens. Or you may be riding on the crest of a wave and all is well with you- which is great!

Into this world Jesus came as a refugee, born in poverty, but born into a loving warm family. And as his little hand, like every little baby’s hand, reached out to his Mum and Dad and bystanders around, so God reaches out to us. Not just as a little baby boy, but as Immanuel , God with us. Feeling our gladness, receiving and sharing our sadness.

There is a danger that we restrict God to the size of a helpless baby. But the Jesus I speak to each day, in prayer, is not a baby. And if we leave Jesus in the crib at the end of Christmas the lasting significance of ‘God with us’ is abandoned- like wrapping paper, or the unwanted gift.

Over the Advent and Christmas period there is plenty of opportunity to ‘tune in’ to the original Christmas. As our hearts and minds are prepared for his coming during Advent, and we celebrate the joy of his coming in Christmas week. Christmas is God’s answer- and if we leave the Christ out of Christmas, we turn away from the light who is come into the world, and play with smaller lights that are here for a while but then are gone.

Please honour the Lord with your company this Christmas and make room in your heart for him. And don’t leave him in the crib when the festivities are over and the decorations are packed away for another year. Epiphany follows Christmas- the light of Christ shines on all of us close by and all of us who feel far away. The invitation from God to us all is to walk into the New Year confidently with our hand in His, the author of peace.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!"
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." *

Every blessing to you for a Happy and Meaningful Christmas and a New Year where the knowledge of God’s love and care for you brings you peace,

God bless you,

Revd Claire

(* by Minnie Louise Harkins 1875-1957)

Christmas Services

Christmas Services

Sunday 30th November 2008
Advent Sunday
11am Holy Communion at Ashby St Ledgers Church
6-30pm Advent Carols
Saturday 6th December 2008
7-30pm Brass Band Concert, Tickets available on the door
Sunday 7th December 2008
11am Holy Communion with Kids Club
6-30pm Evensong
Sunday 14th December 2008
8am Holy Communion
11am Family Service
3pm Christingle
Thursday 18th December 2008
7-30pm Nine Lessons & Carols
Friday 19th December 2008
6-30pm meet at Church - Carol Singing around the village
Sunday 21st December 2008
8am Holy Communion
11am Holy Communion with Kids Club
Wednesday 24th December 2008
3pm Crib Service
11-30pm Midnight
Thursday 25th December 2008
8am Holy Communion
11am Christmas Family Communion
Sunday 28th December 2008
9-30am Team Holy Communion Service at Holy Cross Church, Daventry

Vicars Letter

Dear friends,

I write this with a couple of days left before I embark on the Santiago de Compestella – in Spain. I go a little naively knowing that a big walk awaits, 15-20 miles a day, probably a lot of blisters to be encountered on the way and nights spent in pilgrim hostels. I’m not sure really why I’m doing it…except that ‘I like walking’ and the enthusiasm of the person leading us, Revd Ian Holdsworth- with excitement in his eyes has been enough to galvanise five of us to set off from Heathrow on Sunday!

When walking- the legs keep going (hopefully!) leaving the mind free to reflect, and dream. I will be leaving behind the phone, the diary, but will carry a lot of the people of Braunston in my thoughts. There will also be plenty of European people to talk to and listen to along the way. Fellow pilgrims following the way of St James the Apostle. I am very lucky to have the means to pay for this trip, and as my sister (a nurse) reminds me- two arms and two legs to be able to do it!

During the season of Pentecost we are reminded of the words of Christ;

‘Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
John 20:21-23

The Spirit has life-giving qualities- it breathed over the waters at the beginning of Creation and was breathed into Adam- as the breath of life. The Spirit inspires, comforts, and strengthens. This week I have been very aware of the Spirit of life in community. In community the spirit of God is evident in laughter, the motivation to ‘get things done’ and in the willingness to care. With God’s help enabling us on earth to reflect heaven just that bit more.

Yesterday I visited a young woman in hospital. She is terminally ill and just wanted to see a priest. Bravely facing the next part of her journey she just wanted the opportunity to say sorry to God and to receive reassurance of His forgiveness and his care and love for her. What a tremendous humbling privilege to join with her in prayer and to go to the source of life himself, for comfort and peace.

We are all on a journey and as I go (by the time you read this I will probably be back!) bear a thought for the Spirit of God who brings each one of us life- life in all it’s fullness: in creation, in our preservation and in the fullness of eternal life.

God bless,

Revd Claire

Summer Fete & Canal Weekend

Summer Fete

Come & see some classic cars

All the regular stalls - something for everyone!

Opens 2pm

Braunston Rectory / around the Church

Canal Weekend

Friday 27th June - 7-30pm Canal Concert

Sunday 29th June - 9-30am Marina Service

(Behind the Marina Shop)

Come & Join us - all very welcome

June's Services 2008

Church Services & Events

Sunday 1st June
11am Holy Communion with Kids Club
6:30pm Evensong
Monday 2nd June
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 4th June
10:30am Holy Communion
Sunday 8th June
11am Family Service
Monday 9th June
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 11th June
7pm Holy Communion
7-45pm PCC Meeting
Saturday 14th June
2pm Summer Fete
Sunday 15th June
11am Holy Communion with Kids Club
Monday 16th June
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 18th June
10:30am Holy Communion
Sunday 22nd June
11am Family Communion
Monday 23rd June
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 25th June
10:30am Holy Communion
Friday 27th June
7-30pm Canal Concert (Opening Braunston Canal W/end)
Sunday 29th June
9-30am Marina Service (Behind the Marina Shop)
Monday 30th June
2pm Little Fishers (Parish Room)

Rev Claire Pilgrimage

Rev Claire Walk

Sunday 11th May, Rev Claire is flying out to North West Spain as part of a group of five local pilgrims, to walk the Camino Frances, one of the oldest pilgrim routes in Europe. They begin at the town of Leon and, over the next twelve days, walk 200 miles to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela which is the home of the shrine of St James

Lent Lunch

LENT LUNCH

Saturday 8th March

Village Hall

12-30 - 2pm

Come and enjoy a chat and some

sumptuous soup.

Lent Course 2008

OUR LENT COURSE FOR 2008

Some people think that Vocation is just for certain people... but God calls each of us. Each of us is created differently with an individual call that no other human being can answer for us. Our Vocation is the fulfilment of what we have been created for.

A course to stimulate, and encourge - using multi-media resources

including clips from "Billy Elliott" and "Chariots of Fire".

LENT COURSE: Life Calling

7-30pm

Parish Room in All Saints' Church

Thursday 7th February = Called by God

Thursday 14th February = Called from within

Thursday 21st February = Called out

Wednesday 27th February = Called up

Wednesday 5th March = Called on

Services and Events Feb 2008

Church Services & Events February 2008

Sunday 3rd February - Candlemas
9-15am Joint Holy Communion
11am Parish Communion with Kids Club
6-30pm Evensong
Monday 4th February
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 6th February - Ash Wednesday
10-30am Holy Communion
7-30pm Team Holy Communion at Holy Cross, Daventry
Thursday 7th February
7-30pm Lent Group - (Parish Room)
Sunday 10th February
8am Holy Communion
11am Family Service
Monday 11th February
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 13th February
7pm Holy Communion
Thursday 14th February
7-30pm Lent Course in Parish Room
Saturday 16th February
3pm Marriage Thanksgiving Service (Short Service with excellent refreshments)
Sunday 17th February
8am Holy Communion
11am Parish Communion with Kids Club
Monday 18th February
2pm NO Little Fishers
Wednesday 20th February
10-30am Holy Communion
Thursday 21st February
7-30pm Lent Course in Parish Room
Sunday 24th February
8am Holy Communion
11am Joint Family Communion at Braunston
Monday 25th February
2pm Little Fishers
Wednesday 27th February
10-30am Holy Communion
7-30pm Lent Course in Parish Room
Sunday 2nd March
11am Mothering Family Service (Mothers Day)
6-30pm Evensong