Christmas Message
Well, what a year 2020 has turned out to be! It's been a huge muddle of unexpected events - many of them unpleasant - which have developed totally unpredictably.
We don't know how you're feeling, or how you're coping, but everything's changing all the time it seems, and just about everything's unpredictable too – not least the weather and our feelings... we have no idea how Christmas will be either – who does? It will be different – that's for sure.
And yet some things don't change: Christmas is still the celebration of the birth of the most extraordinary person ever. Jesus Christ broke into human history about 2,000 years ago and claimed to change everything. He claims to be God in human form. He claims to be God with us. He claims to be the Light of the world. Incredible mind-boggling claims, which Christians know to be true - and if they're true, then they're true for all time regardless of how you or we may be feeling at this extraordinary time.
At St Mary's it's been a pretty turbulent year too, and for many it continues to be a painful and worrying time. We do remain very concerned about anyone who may be isolated though, or feel forgotten.
In spite of all the ongoing challenges, difficulties and uncertainties, we are moving forward one day and challenge at a time, trusting in Jesus, our God of love who travels with us and leads us forward.
As you can see, we are currently planning a mixture of real and virtual Christmas services, but that may have to change again, so do watch our website, because we would love you to join us when the time comes. We continue to pray for everyone in Dunton Green and Riverhead and we are planning a peaceful and positive Christmas full of hope, which we want to be accessible and welcoming to everyone. We don't have all the answers, but we worship a God who does, and we continue to trust and follow Him, because He is our unchanging God, who knows and loves every single person entirely, which is why He came at Christmas in the first place. He journeys with us and guides us. He is Jesus - still the light of the world. Our prayer is that you may know Him too.
Best wishes from us all at St Mary's.
Daphne Harrison, Rachel Wigley and Alison Bull
Lay Minister and Churchwardens