‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’
(Isaiah 9:6)
Christmas is a time of giving. Most people exchange gifts, piling up presents under the Christmas Tree, putting them in stockings by children’s beds or engaging in secret Santa with colleagues at work or as groups of friends.
There is nothing, particularly Christian about doing this at this time of year, the Romans used to do it as part of their December festival of Saturnalia. What Christianity brings, however, is the idea that by giving to one another we echo, the great theme of Christmas, God’s gift: “to us a son is given.”
But to whom is God’s gift given? People often say to me, ‘I’m not religious.’ Such a statement is designed to deflect any attempt to draw them into the faith or church, but it also assumes that Christianity is only for certain types of people, that God’s gift is only for those who fit into a particular category.
This is far from the truth. The Christmas story emphasises that God’s gift is for everyone. Mary and Joseph, a young couple are the first to be told about the coming miraculous birth. When Jesus is born, they take him to the temple and two older people, Anna and Simeon, celebrate his arrival. God’s gift is for the young and old. It is also for the poor. We see this when the angels proclaim the message to poor shepherds, doing arduous shift work on a hillside. Finally, it is for the rich and people from all nations. The wealthy Magi, foreigners to the Jews demonstrate this as they make a supreme effort to celebrate God’s gift.
The Christmas message is about God’s gift to us – to all of us. The only question is will we unwrap the present or leave it sitting there until next year?
Paul Worledge
St. Luke’s Christmas Services and Livestream Links
Family Carol Service, 11am Sunday 22nd
Join us for carols, readings and reflections on the Christmas message for all ages.
Crib Service, 4pm Christmas Eve – Not Livestreamed
An interactive retelling of the Christmas story for young children.
Traditional Carol Service, 6:30pm, Christmas Eve
9 lessons and carols by candlelight, not suitable for young children.
Christmas Day, All Age Communion, 11am
An informal Christmas Day celebration for all ages.
All Age service, when we will look at Jesus as he was growing up (Luke 2:41-51)
Collections for Tear Fund
The collections taken at our Christmas services this year will as is traditional b sent to support the work of Tear Fund.
Christmas Break
Daily Prayer – the last one will be on Saturday 21st and they will restart on Saturday 5th.
Cafe4All – This will be closed on Thursdays 26th December and 2nd January.
Christ Church Toddlers & Play & Praise – closed until 7th and 10th January.
Men’s Group – Next meeting, bowling at Bugsy’s, 22nd January.
Beth Keenan
As many of you know Beth has been off ill for the last week. There is some really good news behind this. She and Tom are expecting another child in the summer of 2025! However, the bad news is that Beth is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarium, which is an extreme form of morning sickness, a medical condition needing hospital treatment and medication. As a result, Beth has been signed off work for the coming weeks. Do uphold Beth, Tom and Toby in your prayers over this difficult period.
Volunteers to Listen and Pray after the Service
We are hoping to create a team of people that can offer a listening ear and prayer after church services for those who might find that helpful. If you have done something similar before or think this is something you could do with a little bit of training and are willing to explore doing this at St. Luke’s, then please fill in this short form. We hope then to arrange some training in the New Year.
Mince Pies
We plan to provide mince pies as part of the refreshments for the Christmas Services. If you can donate some mince pies, then please bring them along to church by the start of the Family Carol Service on 22nd December.
Church Finances Update and Appeal
As we come to the end of the year, we have been looking more closely at our church finances. The bad news is that at present we are heading for a deficit in 2024 of around £14,500. It costs £95,000 a year to run St. Luke’s and most of that is covered by the generosity of people’s planned giving towards the church (around £66,000 a year including Gift Aid reclaimed). We receive around £7,000 a year from people putting money in the collection box and online and around £4,000 a year from other sources. So far this year we have also received just over £4,000 in one off donations. We will write to people asking them to consider their planned giving to the church in the New Year, but it would be really good if we can significantly reduce this year’s deficit.
Could you consider giving a one-off gift to the church before the end of the year to help us reduce the deficit? We know many people are struggling financially, but if you have the means to give generously to the work of the church this year, it would be a great help. You can give by putting a cheque in an envelope in the collection box or online using this link: stlukesramsgate.org/donate/
Vision 2030 – Please respond by the end of the year
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.
NEW YEAR’S EVE LANTERN PARADE
Grand Finale to the Ramsgate Lumiere sets off from St George’s
On New Year’s Eve in the afternoon, Tuesday 31st December, St George’s will be the gathering place for the grand finale of the new Ramsgate Lumiere. The parade organised by GB Carnival will set off from the church at around 4.30/4.45pm and head down the High Street, through the harbour and onto the Ramsgate Main Sands beach. St George’s Regeneration Officer Jemima Brown is looking for volunteers to pull the St George’s lantern (07971 782 477).
Links to Share:
Some deeper reflections on aspects of the Christmas message:
Magi: Where did the wise men come from?
You’ve probably heard they weren’t really kings, but the wise men or magi had some impressive royal connections. Far from being one-off royal visitors to the infant Jesus, the magi had a long history of involvement with monarchy, crossing paths with illustrious kings including Cyrus the Great of Persia, Alexander the Great and the Roman Emperor Nero. Read more…
Share some food: the anti-dote to despair
Reflecting on an appeal for toys over Christmas, this writer reflects on joy and how to find it. Read more…
Finally, let’s pray that we can celebrate God’s gift this Christmas and share it with all.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 22nd December – Fourth Sunday in Advent
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 1:26-38, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 23rd
Carol Singing at Ramsgate Care Centre, 2:30pm
Tuesday 24th
Traditional Carol Service (St. Luke’s Church), 6:30-7:30pm
Midnight Service (St. George’s Church), 11:30pm-12:30am
Wednesday 25th
Christmas Day Communion (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 2:1-20, 11:00am
Sunday 29th – First Sunday of Christmas
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 1:26-38, 11:00am-12:00pm
Saturday 4th January
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Sunday 5th – Second Sunday of Christmas
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 1:26-38, 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 