- Christingle 4pm Lambourn
- Crib Service 4pm Eastbury
- Midnight Mass 11pm Lambourn
- 9.00 East Garston
- 10.30 Lambourn
- 10.30 Eastbury
Thoughts from The Vicarage with joy, peace, light and hope.
Greetings on this damp and rainy morning – trusting you and yours are able to keep dry. Please find Pews News attached for the coming week.
Today, Tuesday – all are welcome to join in carol singing. Last week was really good fun with a mix of ages joining in! Many thanks to Ann and Ruth for the refreshments. Meet 5.30 at The Vicarage 4 Newbury Street (opposite the telephone box!). The plan is that we sing for an hour and then return to a warm drink and some refreshments. Carriages at 7.30pm. If you’d like to come, please drop me a line if you can 07749 844 600.
Thursday will be ‘Warm Welcome’ time at The Walwyn Hall, Lambourn, from midday for a couple of hours. All welcome for warmth and company – please point those who may be interested in the direction of Helen Noll on 07770394123 to book a meal.
Talking of the coming week. There’s a lot going on as we enter the last week before Christmas:
- Thursday December 22nd 3pm dress up nativity St Michael & All Angels;
- Saturday December 24th 4pm Christingle St Michael & All Angels;
- The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in Lambourn was wonderful and many thanks to all who supported it in any way – these services are very much a team event! The retiring collection in aid of Lambourn’s Racing Welfare raised a fabulous total of £357. Thank you for your generous donations. If you’d like further information https://lambourn.org/racing-welfare/ .
Brian Laird, leading light of the Lambourn Racing Welfare team, was unable to attend. Sadly, he was on his way to Ireland following the sudden death of his uncle. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
We are well into the sequence of the 7 ‘O’ antiphons used at Evening Prayer. There are 7 great prayers, calling on Christ to come. Christ is addressed by titles found in the Old Testament – especially in Isaiah: ‘O’ Sapientia, ‘O’ Adonai, ‘O’ Radix, ‘O’ Clavis, ‘O’ Oriens. ‘O’ Rex Gentium, ‘O’ Emmanuel. The final antiphon is addressed to Emmanuel and reveals a secret message that is embedded subtly into the whole sequence as an acrostic. Ancient tradition holds that when you take the first letter of each of these ancient titles from the prophet Isaiah, the letters make the acrostic, “Ero Cras“ meaning “Tomorrow, I will come”.
Do come and join the celebration as Jesus, Emmanuel is born.
And finally, food for thought from Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
May joy, peace, light and hope be Christ’s gift to you and your loved ones this Christmas,
Julie
PS Thoughts will be taking a break after Christmas, returning in January – wishing all our readers a Joyful and Blessed New Year!