From the Parish Newsletter of DEC 2008

THE HEART OF LIGHT “This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his One and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4.9). With those words the Bible states and clarifies beyond all doubt both the purpose and effect of Christmas: That God’s breathtaking and stupendous love be made fully known. Many years ago Joseph Conrad wrote a famous novel about a country recently in the news and where much evil has been perpetrated, Congo. It is called The Heart of Darkness. Christmas is God’s counterpoint: it is the “Heart of Light”. In a world of systemic failure and endemic evil as shown recently in the economic meltdown and the shocking cases of child abuse and murder, God’s love is this world’s one true light. A counter force of energising goodness and demonstrative love and self giving sacrifice is at its heart. But in case any one should think that the Christmas message is full of sugary make believe detached from any reality we have it spelt out for us by the Apostle John: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4.10). In other words God took the initiative in making true love known in Jesus the Saviour of the world. God replaced the awesome power of sin with a greater power: Love. And our nasty side (sins) can be dealt with by agreeing that God had the perfect solution in Christ’s coming among us and finally dying as a sacrifice for our sins. Why a sacrifice? Because sin’s power is so great that it must be broken forever. When Jesus died the power was drawn from sin like a sting from a viper; forever, as he triumphantly came back to life, sin a spent force and defeated foe. In our group of Churches, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there are going to be 4 Communion services (8.00 p m at Stoke Bruerne, 11.30 a m at Blisworth, and on Christmas Day, 9.30 am at Blisworth and 10.45 a m at Alderton). They are amongst the best-attended services. Why? The reason is that Christians instinctively know that you cannot sever the link between a celebration of God’s love being made known and the sacrifice which makes our lives all different. This is the Heart of Light. Come and celebrate with us.

Many I wish you all a wonderful Christmas. Roy Mellor (Rector)

From the Rector: Parish Newsletter, December 2005 This year has seen a whole rush of attempts to see how much everything can be shrunk down into as little as possible. For example the 60-minute Bible or the 60-second Bible. As I write, the BBC Today Programme is very keen to see if people can offer attempts at shrinking the Nativity story into 30 seconds. Doubtless there will be some noble and worthy attempts. What lies behind this obsession with brevity and condensing? One thing is certainly our penchant for the media soundbite. It is sincerely believed that this is the way of instant effective communication. Our politicians have become masters of it and the media expect it all the time. Why say in 10 minutes what you can say in half-aminute? Text messaging is a first rate example of clever word shrinking 2B?nt2B? is after all, quite good. A second has its roots in our postmodern restlessness. We find it hard to sit still, to think and to listen. We are lovers of image more than lovers of word. We love short stories. Reasoned arguments seem alien to many people’s field of thought. The supreme irony is that some of the densest, labyrinthine writing comes from champions of our contemporary lust for brevity. This Christmas comes to us not as clever argument but as a story – a baby, a mother, early faith and songs of trust. And in any case sometime late in the first century AD (NB no concession to political correctness here This Christmas comes to us not as clever argument but as a story – a baby, a mother, early faith and songs of trust. And in any case sometime late in the first century AD (NB no concession to political correctness here – this IS CHRISTmas) the Apostle John penned the perfect 30 second Nativity: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace ant truth” (John 1.14) Beat that. A wonderful Christmas to you all. Roy Mellor 2005

From my Parish Newsletter of DEC 2003 This letter will come to you all as we prepare for that most essential of Christian festivals – CHRISTmas. Love actually. We often write it with an X when a + would be more appropriate. Some of you may have noticed our posters at Blisworth Church (c4urself). One poster slogan many Christians are displaying reads JESUS IS BIGGER THAN CHRISTMAS. And we all know what is meant – Jesus is much bigger than our commercial take-over of a holy moment. Jesus is in fact Christmas. To have Christmas without Jesus is like drinking tea without tea. What is Christmas? Love actually. Love came down at Christmas. In the taking on by the divine of what we are, humanness a wonderful exchange is effected. By that holy moment, by that holy birth, all without exception, are invited to share in God’s life; be free from the power of sin and know forgiveness. Have you ever wondered why your life seems empty? The answer is in Jesus whose life is bigger than all of ours and is Love actually. Dimensionally superior to anything you’ve ever known. Do you know Love Divine? “God is love and those live in love live in God”. Ask God to make Himself real to you this Christmas. Come into a dimension bigger than your own little world. Get a life. Love actually. I wish you all the very best. God’s best this Christmas.

“God’s perfect love is self-generated; it does not depend on anything outside Himself; it is a love that starts within and goes out to others. That is why God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son … … your love and mine must be the same … “ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

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