Dear Friends,

Winter is here, frost lies on the ground, branches are white, it does look beautiful, yet the frost soon disappears, and everything is green again. Signs of Spring are also appearing, the bulbs in my pots are poking their heads up and I have seen daffodils at least 15cm tall.

For me, this year the cycle of the seasons, disrupted though it is by climate change, seems more important. In a time of uncertainty when planning is difficult it roots us in the creative cycle, resting, growth, flowering and reminds us of the permanence of creation and the world.

We can look ahead, we don’t know what the coming year will hold, how long restrictions will be in place, throughout all this bulbs, trees and flowers will continue to grow and give us beauty and colour.

Despite the uncertainty we can dream, reflect, think, and pray about what God’s will and purpose is for us as individuals and as fellowships. A period of inactivity in the building, forced by lockdown, enables us to think about using the building and worship space in different ways in the future, maybe starting new activities/groups as we seek to walk the way of Jesus, living the life of Christ today. Worshipping on Zoom, although not ideal, gives us different orders of service, new thoughts about interacting and participation. I’m sure you have other dreams/thoughts/ideas about this and other aspects of church life, please do you share your dreams/thoughts/ideas with me and/or your elder.

I am looking forward to my induction on February 14th although I have now been here for nearly 6 months it will mark new beginnings for us all. Thank you to all those assisting with the preparations and technical matters.

A friend sent me the following which I share with you:
The richest wealth is Wisdom.
The strongest weapon is Patience,
The best security is Faith.
And the most effective tonic is Laughter.

​May God bless you today with all of them. Alison

Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings

Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings

The following was written and read by Linda at Trinity URC on 13th December 2020

At the start of Advent or even earlier in the shops now days, we begin to hear carols that are very familiar to us. In some instances, so familiar that we sometimes forget to listen to the message they contain. So to end our festival of carols and readings today, we are going to focus on the message of one such carol that has been sung for over 300 years “Joy to the World”.

As my colleague Anna says when we need an answer to anything we don’t know – google it, so google has assisted me here and I would like credit the following authors of articles I have read to help me prepare this message.

Ray Fowler
Jonathan Powers
Matt Boswell
Keith Getty
The High Calling

Joy to the World was written by Isaac Watts in the 1700. When Isaac was a young man he was frustrated with the music in church. He felt that the hymns had old fashioned language and were full melodies that failed to inspire. Isaac shared his frustration with his father, who was a church pastor. His father who challenged him to write different hymns for the church, so Isaac took up this challenge and started a lifelong practice of composing more than 600 hymns.

Isaac was inspired to write Joy to the World, by Psalm 98 particularly verse 4

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth burst into jubilant song with music”.

Incidentally Isaac didn’t write the song as a Christmas Carol but as a hymn to be sung all year around and it was not originally sung to the music we have come to know and love. So why is “Joy to the World” such a popular Christmas Carol and what is the message that Isaac Watts is conveying to us in this hymn?

The first verse of Joy to the World is based on verses 4 to 6 of psalm 98, and for those of you who are unable to see the screen the words are:

Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135
Joy to the World!
The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing

Psalm 98 NRSV 
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD

The first verse of Joy to the World announces the birth of Christ and is one of the reasons this song has been come a popular Christmas Carol.

The line “let every heart prepare him room” is believed to be a reference to Luke chapter 2 verse 7 “ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn”

The second verse corresponds to verses 7 and 8 of psalm 98

Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135
Joy to the world! The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy

Psalm 98 NRSV 
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy

This second verse of “Joy to the World” reminds us that we should always sing God’s praise.

In verse one Isaac refers to Christ as Lord and King, however here in the second verse he refers to Christ as Saviour, which ties in with the Christmas theme, through the angel’s announcement in Luke chapter 2 verse 11 “to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Another reference in hymn to make this a popular Christmas Carol is the line “Let all their songs employ” which remind us of the 4 specific songs in Luke’s gospel that delight and proclaim the birth of Jesus.

• Mary magnifies and rejoices in the mercy of God (Luke 1:46-55);
• Zechariah’s sings a song of prophecy that Jesus would fulfil God’s promise (Luke 1:68-79);
• The angels ‘sing’ the pronouncement of the coming of Christ (Luke 2:14);
• and Simeon sings a prayer declaring that he can depart in peace now that his eyes have seen the coming of the Christ (Luke 2:29-32).

The original lyrics of the 3rd verse of may not be that familiar as the words have been changed in some hymn books including the URC Rejoice and Sing. I was unable to establish why the words were changed, however the original words that Isaac wrote were

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found

Whereas today we sing about pain and death instead of a curse.

Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 
No more let thorns infest the ground
Or sins and sorrow grow
Whereever pain and death are found
He makes his blessing grow

Psalm 98 NRSV
O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

The sins and curses being referred to in this verse is when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden by eating fruit from the forbidden tree and God put a curse on all creation, the verse goes on to say that when Christ comes a second time, the curse will be eliminated.

Moving on the last verse of Joy to the World, which correspondences to verses 3 and 9 in psalm 98

Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love

Psalm 98 NRSV
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.

9 at the presence of the LORD,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity

In this final verse of “Joy to the World”, we are telling those around us that God judges the world in truth and fairness and yet he also gives us grace through Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for sin at the cross.

So when we sing "Joy to the World" we are not only look backing to the first coming of Christ and celebrating his birth. At the same time, the words encourage us to look forward to the day when the impact of sin will be erased, and all nations will prove the glories of God's righteousness and the wonders of his love.

As we look forward to celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ and to a new year - 2021, I would ask you today to look back at 2020 and think of the joys of this very different and in some cases a difficult year, for me a few of these are

• Full time employment throughout both lockdown’s when many have lost their jobs and will struggle this Christmas
• For good health, the NHS, the researchers and scientist working on COVID 19 vaccination’s and treatments
• For finding nature literately on my doorstep – Rainham Marshes
• For the sunrises I have seen on my walks that remind me what an amazing world we live in. 

Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings

Katya: On the third Sunday of Advent, we light a candle. Our hope grows stronger, and our joy grows brighter as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming. We remember also in this time of shadows those whose tears still water the ground with sadness, and we pray that God will bring all people home with shouts of joy.

We Light the candle for Joy

Katya: “We read from 1 Chronicles 16v32-34 “Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the fields be jubilant and everything in them! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!””

Josia: Prayer of Joy:
Jesus we want your coming to make a difference in how we live and love.
Open our hearts to hear you telling us how we can bring peace and joy to others. 
Help us appreciate more the amazing natural world around us,
Help us appreciate the joy experienced by the Wise Men following the star to baby Jesus.
Help us follow the right path
Come Lord Jesus Amen. ​

Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings

Liam: On the second Sunday of Advent, we light a candle to show that the church joyfully awaits the coming of its Saviour.
Pat: A Saviour who enlightens our hearts and scatters the shadows of fear and doubt. We pray that God will bless us so that we may reflect the splendour of Christ who loves us.

We Light the candle for Love

Pat: We Read from 1 John 1.7 “If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.” From 1 Corinthians 13 v4 we remember “Love is patient, love is kind”.

Pat: Prayer for Love:
Come Lord Jesus.
Warm our hearts with your love.
Help us share your everlasting love
Help us remember love is patient,
Love is kind,
Help us remember to love thy neighbour as thyself
Help us to prepare for your coming.
Help us to see the good things we can do
Help us to see the good things others can do
Come Lord Jesus. Amen ​

Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings 

​Catherine is thought to have been a noble girl who lived in the 4th century. She was persecuted for her Christianity, and despised marriage with the Emperor because she was a ‘bride of Christ’. According to the legend, Catherine was no push-over intellectually, either: she disputed successfully with 50 philosophers who were called in to convince her of the errors of Christianity.

Catherine protested against the persecution of Christians by Maxentius, and then she herself was tortured: broken on a wheel (later called Catherine wheel), but the machine then broke down itself, injuring bystanders. Catherine was then beheaded.

This legend strongly appealed to the Middle Age imagination. Catherine became the patron of young girls, students, philosophers, nurses and craftsmen such as wheelwrights, spinners and millers.

​In England 62 churches were dedicated to her, and 170 medieval bells still bear her name. ‘Lives’, poems, miracle plays, stained-glass windows, panels and paintings have all been done in Catherine’s honour.

‘War simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice.’ (CS Lewis on World War II). Coronavirus powerfully illustrates this, and Psalm 90 demonstrates a right response to the crisis: ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ (12).

The Shortness of Life
We live as though life will go on forever, but in reality our time on earth is short: ‘A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by’ (4). By contrast God, who inhabits eternity, sees the whole of history in a single moment. How can we see our lives in the light of God, who is ‘from everlasting to everlasting’ (2). True wisdom is making sure that we don’t waste the time we are given in this life!

The Fragility of Life
Living to 80 years old is definitely an achievement! We know how we wear out in life until we are dust again: ‘You turn people back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals.’(3). This is the result of turning from God to sin: ‘You have set our iniquities before you’ (8). True wisdom warns us not to trust in our own abilities or seek satisfaction in the things of this world.

The Love of God
During the pandemic, many have lost loved ones, yet if we allow God’s love to take hold of our lives, even death can bring us closer to God: ‘Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.’ (14). True wisdom is able to ask: ‘May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us’ (17).

Source: The Heath, October 2020, Chadwell Heath URC