In today’s post I’d like to reflect on the angel visiting Mary.  I own up to the fact that I am not very good at taking myself off for some quiet time to be with God — I find that just to sit and try and stop thinking about everything-that-is-going-on-in-my-head is really quite hard.  I’m much better when somebody else gives me some structure and some ideas to think about!  So, here is a little structure, and some things to think about. With love, Gus x

Prepare Yourself

If you can, find a quite place.  And if you find things like focusing on your breathing for a while are helpful to you, then do so.

Read the story

Mary and the Angel (Luke 1: 26-38)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Use your Imagination – Involve yourself in the story

• Imagine Nazareth and Mary’s home.
• Think about Mary: what is she like? She is so unimportant: young, unmarried, childless, female, poor, living in the back of beyond! What goes on in her mind and heart?
• Imagine the angel Gabriel coming. What day is it, and what time? Think of the first moments of their meeting.
• The angel is clear about the task they have to do. Imagine talking with the angel: ‘Who gave you that task? Why? Why choose this girl?’
• Now talk with Mary: “How much did you understand when the angel spoke?
• What made you say ‘YES’ at this life-changing moment?
• Imagine saying to her: ‘You were so open and trusting!’ How does she respond? A blush, a smile, a bowing of her head?
• Reflect on her attitude: she seems so open to all possibilities. She does not insist on controlling her future. She trusts in God’s goodness to carry her through all difficulties.

ReflECT – THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE

• How would I be if the angel visited me?
• What proposal might the angel have for me?
• Have I ever been visited by a messenger of God, someone who was trying to help me to realise what God wanted me to do?
• How did I respond then? Did I respond at all?
• How would I respond now if the angel came?
• Do I control my life as if it were mine alone and not given me by God?
• How much do I trust my future to divine protection and guidance?

(Source: Sacred Space, www.sacredspace.ie)

Well I don’t know about you but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of everything that is to be done over the next few weeks. I have lists coming out of my ears, and vague thoughts whizzing into my brain (“must remember to get extra cake ingredients for all the baking…”) that frustratingly are gone a moment later leaving me with with the unsettling feeling most of the time that I need to do something – but what I don’t know. The kids have numerous Christmas parties to attend; and they keep coming up with yet more presents they want to add to their Christmas present list. I still don’t know what to get for several friends and family. It all makes me feel tired and wishing it was all over already. I came across this poem below though – hope it’s as helpful to you as it was to me. With love, Vidge x

An anxious note to baby Jesus – Peter Thurston

Dear Lord,

I feel tired before it’s even started.
The cards (should I bother?)
The presents (who to buy for?)
The decorations (real or artificial?)
The family… (enough said)
The crowds, the hassle, the weather –
Wake me up when it’s all over.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way
but if I’m honest,
Advent –
it makes me weary just thinking about it.

Which makes me wonder,
how was it for you?
Were you weary too?
Just thinking about it?
The call, the life-long challenge, to
hear God,
listen to God,
follow God?
For those with ears to hear
and eyes to see,
to be God?

All begun in makeshift circumstances.
(Sorry, Lord, we were not better prepared –
some things don’t change.)
A sign of things to come,
of an uphill struggle
to make your voice heard.
Uphill towards Jerusalem.
Uphill to the Mount of Olives.
Uphill to the hill of execution.

Hoping we would follow.

Hoping we would understand you,
respond to you,
welcome you then,
welcome you now.

Lord, were you tired before it even started?
Or was your love your inner energy,
the love you received your support,
the love you gave a light in the darkness,
the love you give the strength I need?

Will you help me through Advent, dear Lord,
little one?

Give me the grace to greet you
without suppressed sighs of weariness.
Give me the generosity to invite you home
without thought to the inconvenience.
Give me the will to rise to your demands,
to share your love and to receive it.

It’s not so much to ask, I know,
when you have faced it all –
the Advent task, the Christmas hope –
two thousand times before.

Soon, we will begin to celebrate the period of Advent. The time of year when Christians look forward to the coming of Christ both as a baby and His second coming.

We want to try something new this year. So during the period of advent, there will be a number of posts on the website which will have some readings, some thoughts and reflections to help you engage with advent.

If you subscribe to the TH website (which you can do at the bottom of the website) then you will receive an email every time there is a new post.

But we don’t want to this just to be you reading the posts, we encourage you to join in, and add your own comments to the posts. Thus though we may be individuals celebrating advent, we can in a sense be celebrating together. The initial post provoking comments, and possibly those comments going on to encourage further thoughts and further comments.

If you do leave a comment, you can elect to receive an email whenever somebody else contributes on that post.

We aren’t exactly sure how this will work, but we want to give it a try and see if this could be another way to let God into our lives.

(And if you are wondering if you will be signing up to receive emails from the TH website for the rest of your life, you can unsubscribe whenever you want.)

This year we took part in Operation Christmas Child again. Filling boxes with little toys, toothbrushes and presents to be sent by Samaritan’s Purse to children who would not otherwise get presents.

Here are some of the boxes, brought by the church this morning.

News on our search for a new minister!

On Wednesday, we met for a special church meeting and discussed how we all felt, and how we thought God felt, about asking Gill Isterling to serve as our new minister. After some discussion in groups, we voted and overwhelmingly agreed that we should ask Gill.

Great News! I’m really pleased to announce that Gill Isterling has accepted our invitation:

“I would be privileged to serve as Minister of Thomas Helwys Baptist Church and so am also delighted to accept your invitation.”

As has been explained in the past, Gill is still a minister in training, which means that she can’t start with us until after she qualifies next summer.  What happens next is that the deacons will work with Gill to sort out the details.  I’m sure lots of people in the church will want to know how much, if at all, Gill can be involved with us before she begins ministry here next year. Please can we ask for your patience and support as we try to answer this question.

And please carry on praying: for Gill, for the deacons and for everybody in the church.  Let us thank God for this good news, but also continue to uphold the church and Gill in our prayers, as there is still much to do.

As was mentioned in the last post, Gill Isterling preached this morning, and the church met over a bring and share lunch after the morning service.

Gill is also speaking in the evening service.  If you weren’t able to make it to church, you can listen to the podcast of the morning service.

The next thing to happen in the process, is a vote about whether we should ask Gill to consider becoming our minister at the church meeting this Wednesday 14 November at 7.30pm. All are welcome to take part in the discussion, but you must be present for your vote to count!

News on our search for a new minister!

In case you don’t know where we are up to in the process, let me bring you up to speed on what we have done:

• We’ve had a visioning evening, where we talked about what kind of a church we are and what kind of a minister we think we might like, and God might like us to have!
• We wrote a profile together and we’ve agreed it together.
• The deacon’s have met as a ‘search committee’ and received a number of ‘lists’ of possible ministers.
• The search committee has met some of these ministers and heard some of them preach, but either we hadn’t felt that they were right for us, or they hadn’t felt that TH was the right place for them.

Gill is coming to preach on Sunday 11 November in the morning and evening, and the church will have an opportunity to meet with her and ask questions (also a chance for her to ask questions of the church) over a bring and share lunch after the morning service. So please do come!

There will be a vote about whether we should ask Gill to consider becoming our minister at the church meeting the following Wednesday 14 November, where all will be able to take part in the discussion.

More details on these events will be announced at church as they become available.  But please put the 11th and 14th of November in your calendar now!

And don’t forget to keep praying: for Gill, for the deacons and for everybody in the church as we consider this.

A podcast has been added of the Harvest service, for those who are interested. The service was lead by Gill Isterling.

A podcast has been added of today’s service, for those who are interested.