THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT - JOY

I was a little concerned this morning when it started snowing and wondered if we would get to Church;  I was very pleased that it was Mr. HCB driving and not me, and he got us there on time, which was good because I was leading the service and worship!

When we got there, Pete and Liz, the Duty Deacon for the morning was busy sweeping the pathway so that people could walk safely in the car park and we both said we hoped that Sue, who was due to preach, would be there.  Liz was particularly anxious for Sue to arrive, because apparently, if the speaker doesn’t turn up, the pleasure of speaking falls to the Duty Deacon!  

We were pleased to note a few minutes later that Sue had turned up - phew - only to find that Colin, who was due to lead Communion later in the service, had fallen whilst trying to clear the snow from his car and had hurt his back, so wasn’t able to be with us.  Liz said that she would ring Mark, to see if he could help, and thankfully, he said he would - what a star!  

I have been having issues with my left knee for a couple of days, and unfortunately, during the service, it seemed to seize up and I had difficulty walking, but managed to finish the service.  However, having been told by our son yesterday and also someone at Church today, I will be calling our doctors’ surgery tomorrow, if only to get my self “into the system” and to see what’s going on with my knee. I have even found my Mum's walking stick that she used and which has been sitting in our cupboard for a long time - so if I need to use it, I will - and it does help.  

After the service, I thought it would be a good idea to take some shots of the various beautiful banners in the Church, put up specially for this season and I particularly like this one. I then took a photograph of the Nativity set underneath the Advent Calendar in the Church foyer, and brought Mary to the fore to include in my collage for today. 

I had chosen several songs and hymns that included the word “Joy” but I did forget to count how many times the word was mentioned, but there were lots!  In her sermon, Sue focussed on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and especially her words in the Magnificat;  it was a great sermon and very thought provoking - if you are interested in hearing it, you can access it here.   

I hope everyone has a good week - stay warm and safe in these icy conditions.  We are due to go to a family funeral in Weymouth, travelling down on Wednesday, so we are hoping that the weather will get better as the week goes on.

“Happiness is caused by things 
     that happen around me, 
          and circumstances will mar it; 
but joy flows right on through trouble; 
     joy flows on through the dark; 
          joy flows in the night 
              as well as in the day; 
joy flows all through 
     persecution and opposition.”
Dwight L. Moody