Last week's Remembrance Service led by Rev. Carmel Ieraci and Rev. Vicci Davidson is available on Youtube and can be accessed by clicking on this link:
Youtube - Click Here
A message from Rev’d Vicci:
“Sisters and Brothers Well, what a week it has been! The country has gone back into lockdown; the United States of America has voted in Joe Biden as president; Kamala Harris as VicePresident-elect is creating all sorts of firsts; there are promises of the long-hoped-for COVID vaccine in the early New Year, perhaps even by Christmas for some, and meanwhile we try to be sensible and obey the rules as we live in hope for the future. Last Sunday and then again on Wednesday, you may have stood, as I did, in silence to remember the dead of wars long past and yet still with us today. With us as memories of those we miss who have died in war, with us as a reminder that peace is worth battling for and most particularly perhaps this year, we remember that the world, coming out of war on November 11th 1918 were already starting to face the life-threatening reality of the Spanish flu which started to circulate by the spring of 1918.
Plagues, and wars and rumours of war will always be with us. But so also will hope. As diplomats seek constantly to maintain peace and scientists to find cures for various illnesses, we see this in our news today where Russia has brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan and there is that longed for news of a viable vaccine I mentioned in my opening paragraph.
As Christians, we rejoice in these huge leaps forward seeing in them the work of God through the hands of humankind. Ultimately though, we would in the words of the old hymn want to affirm: ‘Our hope is built on nothing less than blood and righteousness’. Even in this season of Remembrance, we are starting to yearn towards the waiting time of Lent and the joy of a long-celebrated birth. As we prepare to recall Angel hosts singing of peace and praise, I wonder if members of the congregation would like to create angels to give away. The knitted angel project encourages churches to knit angels, attach a small label saying “A gift from Windsor Methodist Church” and including our website, bring them to church to be blessed (I am thinking of the 20th of December) and then distribute them by putting them through neighbours doors, and leaving them on walls and trees to be picked up by delighted strangers passing by. It is a lovely project that we engaged with in my last Circuit and which I believe St Andrews do here in the Thames Valley Circuit. So, will you join me in knitting (or crocheting) angels to spread across Windsor this Christmas, sharing once more the Good News that angels first sang to the world. The pattern can be found here: http://www.christmasangel.net/wpcontent/uploads/2014/09/Christmas-Angel.pdf or you could contact Vicci on rev.vicci@mail.com and I will send you one. There are obviously things to consider with regards to ensure we are not spreading the virus. Please rest assured that the leadership team are working to keep everyone safe through this project and indeed all else that we are doing.
God bless
Vicci
Prayers for the Nation:
“Thy Kingdom Come” is asking for a month of prayer. Rev’d Margaret, has asked for this to be brought to the attention of members of our congregation, and invite them to sign up to receive the daily prayers direct to their inbox. The link below will take you to further information, prayers and interviews of Church leaders, including Archbishop Justin Welby and Cardinal Vincent Nichols. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVpLlKE2k7c&feature=youtu.be - and /or U-tube search: ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ to catch up on the daily prayers so far and further information. Churches Together in Windsor Annual Assembly, to be held at 7.30pm (social time)
Toy Service cancelled as we are unable to bring toys to church for the Salvation Army Toy Appeal 2020. They have sent the following message: "The Salvation Army at Staines has a Just Giving page and we would love to receive donations via that means. We will then be able to purchase toys of gift vouchers for the children. If the donors could mention “Christmas Present Appeal” in the text, then it can be directed the right way. The link is: http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stainessalvationarmy We also have a connection with The Entertainer Toy Store. There was due to be a special Toy matching initiative where they would match donations purchased in store. As that can no longer happen we understand that an online version is being arranged. The advantage is that we receive 2 toys, but the donor only has to pay for one. It worked very well last year, so we hope they are able to transfer the scheme online. More details to follow."
A Reflection on ‘Life’s Journey’ by Richard
At the beginning of October I was invited to join Rosemary’s uncle, Douglas, on a three day walking trip from Stratford-on-Avon to Tewksbury. This is not something I would normally attempt, but I thought that a complete change might be just what I needed. I was told to pack only the essentials for the trip… it was only later that I found out that slippers aren’t considered essential! It is often true in life that the things we regard as important can really be unnecessary burdens which hold us back. Anyway, before I knew it, I found myself in Stratford-on-Avon with a rucksack on my back and 45 miles of walking ahead of me.
We were led to believe that our trail was well marked and easy to follow. Sometimes it was, and we strode purposefully along following the markers knowing exactly where we were and exactly where we were going, other times we would walk for miles without seeing any markers at all and often found ourselves having to guess which direction to take. Sometimes we got it right, other times we went the wrong way and had to find our way back to the trail or to retrace our steps. Occasionally we asked local people, who had walked the path before us, to point us in the right direction and without their help we would probably still be out there now!
On the first day the weather was good, our spirits were high and we enjoyed the sights: animals grazing, crops growing in the fields, thatched cottages, the last butterfly of the year and the bright yellow caterpillar that crossed our path. On the second day, however, it rained continuously, and our attention was drawn, instead, to burnt-out cars dumped in the woods and graffiti on a railway bridge. On the morning of the third day there were yellow weather warnings and we considered going home, but I’d got this far and was reluctant to give up. We only had one aim that day, to reach the end, and the tower of Tewksbury Abbey was a welcome sight as it came into view.
I don’t know what heaven is like, but a hot meal in a warm pub at the end of a challenging but ultimately successful journey probably isn’t too wide of the mark!
I reflected on many things during our trip: How sometimes the paths we take in life are obvious and we stride along with confidence, our spirits high, and how other times we are unsure which course to take, we make wrong choices and can be brought low by the circumstances we find ourselves in. As we look back over our lives we should measure our success not by how much of it has been a straight path in the sunshine but how we have navigated our way through its challenges and kept going when trudging forward through the rain was the best we could manage.
And as Christians we have, in Jesus, one who has walked the path of life before us, he doesn’t promise us an easy path… but He does promise to walk with us, every step of the way.
