Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
This coming Sunday is Advent Sunday, marking the beginning of the Church or Christian Year. This year, because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, it means we get a complete four weeks of Advent, as Advent Sunday is always four Sundays before Christmas Day. Contrary to what the manufacturers of Advent Calenders believe, Advent only occasionally starts on 1st December :-) Therefore do plan to join us for worship this Sunday, as we begin, through the Advent season, to prepare ourselves to celebrate once more, the coming of Christ into our world.
Sunday 27th November at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for Advent Sunday
In our first reading we will hear some challenging words from the prophet Isaiah – Isaiah 2. 1-5, which end with a call to ‘let us walk in the light of the LORD!’ Our second reading, Romans 13. 11-14, contains a call to ‘Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light’, words which also appear in the Collect for Advent Sunday. In our Gospel reading, Matthew 24. 36-44, Jesus challenges his disciples and us, to ‘Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’
With Advent Sunday, we move from Year C to Year A in our three year cycle of Lectionary readings. What this means is that over the next twelve months, on most Sundays, our Gospel reading will be taken from the Gospel of Matthew.
We shall, as we do each year, benefit by having a wonderful Advent Ring hanging behind the altar, provided for us by our host Českobratrská církve evangelická congregation, with the first candle lit. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and following worship, Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.
Visit of Archdeacon
A big ‘Thank you’ to all of you who have been praying for this visit, as I asked you to do in last week’s ‘Weekly Message’. It was a busy two days which is the main reason this message is going out a day later than usual this week! I’ll let the Churchwardens report to you about their discussions as I wasn’t privy to them ;-) But I can report that he and I had a very helpful meeting yesterday afternoon, at the Frauenkirche, Dresden, regarding the future of Anglican ministry there.
St Clement’s Christmas Cards
This afternoon, I collected the first instalment of our supply of brand new St Clement’s Christmas Cards. To whet your appetite, below is a copy of the front cover picture.
Inside each card is a photo of St Clement’s in the snow, a few details advertising our Church including our website address, and a Christmas greeting in both English & Czech. The cards will be available for sale at the back of Church this coming Sunday & at every service between now and Christmas. A pack of ten cards with envelopes sells for CZK 200 with all profits going to support the work of St Clement’s.
Coffee Hour Snacks
I am most grateful to those who have recently helped with laying on Coffee Hour each Sunday. More volunteers would be welcome! But even if you don’t feel able to mastermind Coffee Hour yourself, one way people can help is by occasionally bringing a plate of snacks, packet of biscuits, etc and passing it on to the person in charge that Sunday.
Sermon
The sermon from last Sunday by Jack Noonan, is now available both listen to & read on our Church website. Follow this link:
I’m off shortly to a ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’, so until Sunday……
Best wishes
Ricky
