There was a Church Service on 17 December 2016
The Service was held in St. Peter’s as usual at 11am.
The Opening Prayer was given by James Esom
Hymns were led by George Henderson
Hymn 1. O Come All Ye Faithful
Hymn 2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Announcements were given by George Henderson and included:
*Northampton event of 19th August 2017 with special guest Rod Matthews
*Mr Tkach continued origins of Christmas with William Tie
*Gerry Cranford died 93
*Frazier Henderson had a baby called Hazel Shaw Henderson
Hymn 3. From The Squalar Of A Borrowed Stable
Intercessory Prayer was offered by Irene Wilson and included:
*Thank God for the birth of Jesus
*Intercession for Gerry Cranford, Little Rachel, Blossom, Abbey, Peter Beardsmore and Eileen Howard
*Thanks for Hazel henderson
*Thy Kingdom Come
Hymn 4. The First Noel
Hymn 5. Good Christian Men, Rejoice
The Message was given by Barry Robinson who began with a prayer request for Eric Jay from Camberwell.
The Most extraordinary miracle was the incarnation Matthew 1v18 Birth of Jesus Christ(Joseph & Mary where betrothed) v19 Joseph was going to privately divorce her but v20 an angel intervened v21 Mary was going to bear a son- Jesus v22 it was prophesied v24 Joseph did as the angel said and committed to the marriage and so Jesus was adopted by Joseph.
Jesus was born as a human. A childhood like any other child. Matt 13v54 He was a man like us and represents us. Being the son of God – He is divine and has total control over the world.
3 realities from Matthews account
1. God is the Creator and recreated Matt 1v18
2. God is always faithful to his word v22
3. God is transcending over us, yet He is with us, even in our sinfulness-God came to save us and become part of the divine life
The final Hymn was It Came Upon The Midnight Clear after which the Closing Prayer was led by Sue Henderson
Geoff Sole taught the Young People’s Church on the 17th of December. The young people practised their Bible readings and singing a carol for their Christmas presentation on the 24th. After the rehearsal several carols were read and their words were discussed. Christmas Dominoes was also played.