“[The Son of Man] was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and people of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:14)
Traditionally, New Year is the time to think about the future and make plans or resolutions for the coming year. The church’s calendar is different. The church’s new year starts on Advent Sunday (which this year is 1st December). Also, it is not meant to be a chance to think about just the coming year, but the future more generally. It is not just about taking up New Year’s resolutions but asking whether we are ready for Christ’s return.
During his ministry, Jesus regularly referred to himself as ‘The Son of Man.’ He does so finally and climactically when on trial before the High Priest, when he says, “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Might One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62). This is a clear echo of Daniel 7:13, which precedes the verse above.
As we think about the future, it is important to see that the alternatives to Christ’s rule, the other religions, philosophies and political structures, although they all have many good points – as well as bad, are all temporary. Basing our life around them can never be ‘future proof.’ They will all let us down in one way or another.
In contrast, the Kingdom of God, ruled over by the Son of Man, i.e. Jesus, is eternal. It is future proof. As we start a new church year and approach another New Year, let’s not limit our vision to the coming year, but ask ourselves whether we are ready for God’s eternal kingdom. If we are not, let’s pray for God to help us re-orient our lives to his purposes and ways.
Paul Worledge
This Week’s Advent Sunday Service – 11am
This Sunday is a joint all age service for St. Luke’s and St. George’s at St. Luke’s church at 11am. It is Advent Sunday, and we will be looking at Daniel’s vision in chapter 7 which shows us God’s perspective on the future.
Christmas Unwrapped at St. Luke’s, this Tuesday
In partnership with ACTS, we will be hosting Year 6 pupils from at least two schools on this date for a 90-minute session exploring the true meaning of Christmas. We need two or three more volunteers to help the children decorate their biscuits from about 1-3pm. If you help please see Paul asap.
Christmas Publicity
We would love to deliver as many leaflets as we can around St. Luke’s, St. George’s and Christ Church parishes. Please pick a road, indicate it on the map, take a bundle of fliers and deliver to the road asap. You can also point people to our website for details of the Christmas Services.
Decorating the Church
Thank you to all who have done such a great job decorating our church ready for the Christmas festivities.
Christmas United Prayer Meeting, Sunday Evening
Join together with Christians from all over Thanet as we come together for prayer in the lead up to Christmas. 6:30pm-7:30pm, St. Philip’s Church.
Coastal Choir Concert – This Friday, 6th December
Tickets are now sold out.
Christmas Baroque Concert, St. George’s, Monday 16th December, 7:30pm
Tickets available online or from Paul in church. Do join us for lovely Baroque music in the setting of St. George’s Christmas tree festival.
Stewarding the Sailors’ Church light display
Coming up at the start of December on Thursday 12th, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th December 2 to 8pm and Sunday 15th December 2 to 7pm we are looking for volunteers who can sit in the Sailors Church down on the harbour to look after a sculpture which is part of Ramsgate Lumiere. Please let Jemima on 07971 782477 know if you can cover any of the hours. Stewarding will be broken into shifts, so volunteers are not there too long.
Vision 2030
If you weren’t able to come on Monday night and missed the livestream, you can still watch it here. You can find the Vision 2030 document here. We are asking people to give us feedback on the vision using this simple and short online form by the end of the year. Then we will review the Vision and agree how to move forward at our PCC meetings in January.
Links to Share:
This week some possible Advent Devotionals to try out in the lead up to Christmas:
From London Institute of Contemporary Christianity:
Reflect on our ‘down to earth’ Saviour – the Jesus who stepped into the mess and detail of life on Earth and calls us to do the same. Find out more…
Rediscover the Magic of Christmas (Book or ebook from IVP):
This Advent, join John Hayward on a daily journey to rediscover some of the magic of Christmas. Originally written as letters from a father to his adult children, this book warmly invites you to feast richly on some of the passages of scripture less commonly associated with our celebrations of the birth of Jesus. Find out more…
Church of England Daily Reflections to your Inbox
Sign up to our Christmas reflection emails and receive daily messages straight to your inbox. Our daily emails will offer Bible readings, short reflections and a practical challenge, as well as prayers linked to weekly themes.
Finally, let’s pray that we can re-orient our lives to be ready for God’s future.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 1st December – First Sunday of Advent
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Joint Service (St. Luke’s Church), Daniel 7:9-14, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 2nd
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:15-9:30pm
Tuesday 3rd
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Christ Church Toddlers @ St Luke’s (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 9:30-11:30am
Study Group (Lyndhurst Road) – 2:30-4:00pm
Wednesday 4th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10-12 noon
Depression & Anxiety Self-Help Group (Perry Room) – 6:00-7:30pm
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 5th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am
Friday 6th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Gather, Women’s Drop-In (St. Luke’s Church) – 12:30-2:30pm
Coastal Choir Concert (St. Luke’s Church) – 7:30-9:30pm
Saturday 7th
Churches Together Prayer Breakfast (St Augustine’s) – 9:00-10:00am
Sunday 8th – Second Sunday of Advent
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Daniel 5:1-6, 13-17, 22-30,
11:00am-12:00pm
Online Forms
Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:
- Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
- Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
- Maintenance Reporting Form.Use this to report any non-urgent issues with our buildings or grounds.
St. Luke’s Website
- What’s On – a page which lets you know what is happening this week and gives information about upcoming events.
- Notices – You can read the latest notices on this page.
- Sermons – Read a transcript of a recent sermon or watch the YouTube version recorded at St. Luke’s. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.
Safeguarding Training
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 