holy::ground

holy::ground is now up and running. It is a merger between sacred:space (Christchurch Woking) and Holy Ground (Trinity Methodist)

holy::ground is a fresh expression (FX) of church, that meets twice a month at st michael’s sheerwater.  'we are creative,  experimental and believe in having fun as well as exploring what it means to live well and build community together.'

The website is coming on   worth having a look at....  and if you are interested in participating or finding out more there is a facebook group you can join

And here is the programme for autumn to give you an idea of what we have been doing (ground we have passed)  and what is still to come (the journey ahead) ....


WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING (ground we have passed)


 





the naming game
choose a name for the newly formed group, followed by night prayer
sun 8^th sept @ 7pm  st michael’sheerwater








reduced greenbelt 
share some of the experiences of greenbelt ‘40’ without the camping or the mud! 
sun 22^nd sept @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater








little holy communion  share bread and wine together –but first help create our communion table. 
 sun 13^th oct @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater










death matters  time to talk about death and funerals (and hopefully to stay fairly cheerful!) 
 sun 27^th oct @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater








starry starry night
exploring the spirituality of vincent van gogh though his life and paintings. including some actual sunflower painting    sun 10^th nov @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater

 




stir up sunday!
community bake-in to make christmas cakes & puddings to take home and to give away. finishing with night prayer.  sun 24^th nov @4pm st michael’s sheerwater

  
 STILL TO COME (the journey ahead) ......

a global christmas 
international carol service:  a multi-cultural service of songs and readings from around the world celebrating the birth of jesus      sat 7th dec at christchurch woking









welcoming advent
advent meditations ‘from darkness to light’, ending with holy communion
 sun 8^th dec @ 6:30pm  st michael’s sheerwater










christmas leftovers

share christmas leftover food, poems, stories and songs and to swap unwanted gifts – ending with night prayer  sun 29^th dec @ 7pm at venue to be confirmed



 





 orthodox christmas vigil  a holy;;ground trip to brookwood monastry
 to join in the orthodox christmas eve vigil.  ‘come when you can; go when you must’
 7^th jan @ 7pm   meet at trinity carpark to travel together or meet at brookwood

you can find details of this last event on the eventbrite site 
we hope to advertise all future events in this way .......

come and join us

Simpson Saga 2011-12 Annual Newsletter

I'm trying something new this year and uploading our SimpsonSaga as a picture (jpgs)   I think you can just click on it to read it larger. This is just the front page of a 4 page newsletter.  I have not put it all up since it is personal. If you would like a copy send me an email phil_simpsonCMS@mac.com We will then send a copy as a pdf. I want to also see if I can do it as a download somewhere like dropbox or on a website  (any ideas?). Worth a try..... 


POSTSCRIPT  (3 Feb 2013)
SAGA2012 click on the link and see our family newsletter SimpsonSaga 11-12 via #Dropbox
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jmxjq0uyqbvvy8v/dSp1y0sngV/SAGA2012.pdf
its pretty tongue-in-cheek! 

Christian Muslim Solidarty

When I saw this, I immediately tweeted it on to my 'followers' but then felt I needed to add it to the blog which seems to make it a little more permanent. You can find it on YouTube: 

#MyJihad: This Video Will Renew Your Faith in Humanity 

It is about an Imam Mazhar Shaheen from Omar Makram Mosque in Cairo and his visit to Qasr-el-Dubara Church in Cairo to bring Christmas Greetings. He did his doctorate at the famous Azhar University in Cairo, in Q'ranic Rhetoric. it shows........ 

I found it an astonishing statement of solidarity, discovered though working closely together. It gave me a real sense of hope..........     I hope you find it inspirational as well. 

Reflections on Mr Bean's Nativity

MR BEAN & THE NATIVITY

This is a scene from Mr Bean's Merry Christmas video when he interacts with a Nativity Set in a department store - it is full of deep theological meaning !  Do watch it and enjoy.....  It is full of exotic imagery and wild imagination........ just like the book of Revelation!

I particularly like the appearance of the 'Dragon' in the form of a Dinosaur. And a 'war in heaven' that is fought over the Nativity scene, represented by the appearance of Tanks and a Dalek,  before the child and holy family are whisked off by an angel / helicopter to a place of safety. Well more likely to have been a 'Wilderness' in Egypt than a comfortable palace/ doll's house.  

There is even an earlier hint when the Dalek attacks the vulnerable lamb and exits laughing, thinking it has won, which clearly is a reference to the cross and 'the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world'  and Satan's apparent victory at Calvary!

Whilst this is all very 'tongue-in-cheek' the Revelation account is a parallel story to the 'normal' nativity scene and show another dimension to the narrative.  Worth thinking about


DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

The picture is from a blog for "nativity scene with dragon," which points out the extra Biblical Nativity Narrative which is not normally read out in Carol services! It seems more appropriate for a Dungeons & Dragons style fantasy game.
'The Birth of Christ was designed to overcome doom and gloom, and the dragon belongs in the Christmas story.'

  1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.  3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,  6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back..... (Rev. 12:1-7) 

WAR & PEACE

I received an email which quoted an extract from a Christmas news letter by a Christian worker in Afghanistan: 

"This Christmas, we pray for places of ongoing conflict in the Muslim world, like Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan... Even as we are grieved with the senseless deaths of young children in Connecticut, we also wept over 10 young girls in Eastern Afghanistan who were senselessly killed when a landmine exploded while they were gathering firewood. Across the border in Pakistan suicide attackers killed more people on the same day and vaccination workers were senselessly killed for doing a polio eradication campaign...
The one who wages war on earth, the Great Dragon of Rev. 12 is also part of the Christmas story—although not usually a part of the nativity scene (!)—he is clearly seen in the murderous fury of Herod and his soldiers. In Rev 12, this Dragon is thrown from heaven, that ancient serpent who seeks to destroy the Child and make war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12: 17)... But his time IS short, and we know how it ends:
"Salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down..." (Rev 12: 10)
In a strange way the "peace on earth" announced by angels at Jesus' birth is mingled with the wrath of the Great Dragon. But our salvation is near and our eternal home is secure. Emmanuel is with us."

Christmas is seen as a time of Peace, but all peace must be fought for, it carries a price.... a laying down of life, a sacrifice.  Hopefully not literally for most of us, but at least involving a struggle, an effort.  ' Indeed we are encouraged to 'strive together for peace' (Heb 12:14)   

So may you strive for and experience that same Peace the Angels proclaimed to the Shepherds (and there are is a lot of emphasis on sheep in Mr Bean's Nativity): 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14  

Thanks, Mr Bean for making it all so clear.......

O Little Town of Bethlehem

I came across this video made by a church in New Zealand of the Christmas Story told by Palestinians in the 'Land of the Holy One'. It has a real sense of authenticity about it and we will be using it in the International Carol Service at Christchurch, Woking on Sat 22nd Dec 2012

Published on 16 Dec 2012

The story of the birth of Jesus told by the people of Bethlehem. Made by St Paul's Church, Auckland, New Zealand. Anyone is welcome to show this film publicly, but not change it in any way, nor publish it, nor make money out of it.

St Paul's Auckland  by St Paul's Arts & Media (SPAM)