Back in November we paused to remember the end of World War One.
On the eve of that conflict UK foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked, ‘The
lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our
lifetime’. With that sentiment in mind, the dry moat of the Tower of London was
lit up with 10,000 lamps in the nights leading up to Remembrance Sunday. The
installation was aptly named, ‘Beyond the Deepening Shadow’. The terrible
events of 1914-18 and subsequent conflicts remind us that this world can be a
dark place, where sorrow and suffering reigns.
God can sometimes seem remote from all this. What does he know
of heartache and pain? But the message of Christmas tells us that God entered
this world in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. In one of his books C. S.
Lewis made this remarkable statement: “Once in our world, a Stable had
something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” He was talking about God
in the flesh, Jesus Christ. The One who was small enough to be laid in a manger,
an animal’s feeding trough, was at the same time big enough to hold the whole
world in his hands. In Jesus, God became human to bring human beings back to
God.
Jesus came to take upon himself the darkness of our sin,
suffering in our place upon the cross. But the forces of darkness could not put
out the light of God’s love in Jesus. He rose from the gloom of the tomb, “to
give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.” The
Christmas lights with which we decorate our homes and high streets are a faint
glimmer of the true light of Jesus. By faith in him we may move beyond the
deepening shadow into the light of hope. Jesus said, “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.”
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light;
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
*For December editions of News & Views, West Lavington and Trinity, Dilton Marsh - parish magazines
*For December editions of News & Views, West Lavington and Trinity, Dilton Marsh - parish magazines
Christmas Services at Providence Baptist Church
Sunday 16 December
10.30am— Carol Service with Bible readings and carols
4.00pm— All-Age Carol Service
The afternoon service will be interactive, suitable for any age. We will be looking at why Jesus Christ came in to the world. Followed by a festive spread.
Sunday 23 December
10.30am & 6.00pm - Services with carols and a Christmas message
Christmas Day Service
We welcome you to join us at 10am
“Christ the Saviour is born”
Christmas Services at Ebenezer Baptist Church
Sunday 23 December
4.30pm, Time for Tea Plus Christmas Special. Carol service followed by a festive tea
Christmas Day Service
We welcome you to join us at 10.30am
"Christians awake, salute the happy dawn'
See the Providence & Ebenezer Baptist Churches website for more info.
