Services This Week
Dear All,
Today we commemorate the 500th anniversary of Robert Barnes’ ‘Reformation sermon’ in St Edward’s and tomorrow we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Please join us for services, which are taking place in person or via livestream through our YouTube Channel – you can find gathering times and service sheet links below (N.B. there will be NO SERVICE on Friday).
Wednesday 24 December / Christmas Eve
10.30pm - ‘Midnight Mass’ (BCP Holy Communion)
Sermon: ‘Remembering Robert Barnes after 500 Years’
Service Sheet: Here
Thursday 25 December / Christmas Day
10am - Holy Communion
Sermon: ‘Christmas Day – From Existence to Life’
Service Sheet: Here
Friday 26 December / St Stephen’s Day
NO SERVICE
Sunday 28 December / First Sunday of Christmas
11am - Holy Communion
Sermon: ‘Jesus Christ – The Pioneer of our Salvation’
Service Sheet: Here
Other notices:
Barnes 500 Events: The recordings of both Prof. Richard Rex’s 5 December StED Talk on Robert Barnes, and Prof. Alec Ryrie’s 6 December lecture on the same, can be viewed here and here, respectively.
Giving: We are grateful for all of your gifts! Offerings may be made via BACS (Sort: 20-17-19 / Acc. No.: 30851477 / Acc. Name: St Edwards Church), for standing orders, or the SumUp machine on the table by the door, for contactless giving. There is also a wall-mounted deposit box by the door for cash and/or cheques.
Christmas Eve (Luke 1.67-79):
67 Then his [John the Baptist’s] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 68 ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a mighty saviour for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
Almighty God, you make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as we joyfully receive him as our redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
