Dear St Mary’s, 

On 22nd December, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Revd Tim Scott will preside and Natalie Burwell will preach at our 9am Holy Communion service, while Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will lead and give a short talk as part of our monthly Intergenerational Service at 10.30am. 

We’ll also have supervised children’s groups at 10.30am with a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both services. For those unable to join us in person this Sunday, we’ll livestream the 9am Holy Communion service to Facebook (facebook.com/StMarysE17). 

At 6pm, we’ll sing Carols by Candlelight – a service which features our choir and includes musical direction from Jonathan Rathbone. Unlike last Sunday’s Orchestral Carols service, Carols by Candlelight is unticketed, so we encourage you to arrive early to get a seat. 

At Carols by Candlelight, we’ll also raise money for St Mary’s as we work to keep our building open to the whole community throughout the week, as well as to support our various ministries, including the Welcome Cafe, which provides free help and support to all. 

We hope to see you this Sunday as we journey through Advent and prepare for Christmas.

St Mary’s Christmas Choir: Second Rehearsal in Church This Friday, 7pm
St Mary’s is putting a choir together for this Sunday’s 6pm Carols by Candlelight service and we still need people to join us! Interested? Even if you missed the first rehearsal, you can still turn up this Friday 20th December in church from 7 to 8.30pm, with a 3.30pm rehearsal in the church on the day of the service. You can hear the music and practice your part by clicking here, or by emailing Jonathan Rathbone at .

Health and Safety at St Mary’s This Advent and Christmas 
After a series of health and safety checks this past year, we have been advised to keep the number of people in our church building within certain recommended limits for fire safety purposes. This means we have tried to keep closer tabs on how many people are in the building at any given time, and to ensure we don’t exceed safe limits. This poses a particular challenge as we approach Christmas, especially as we love welcoming the wider community into our ancient building. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the tension between our eagerness to pack the church out and our need to keep people safe! 

Advent and Christmas Schedule at St Mary’s 
In addition to this Sunday evening’s Carols by Candlelight service, we have eight other services and events at St Mary’s over the next seven days: Messy Christmas (children’s crafts with a short talk) on Saturday 21st December at 10am; Quiet Christmas for Neurodiverse Children on Saturday 21st December at 2pm (booking required); Christingle-making on Monday 23rd December, 12-3pm; three Christingle services on Christmas Eve (10.30am, 2pm, 4pm); Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve (begins at 11.15pm); and our 10.30am Christmas Day service. Details: stmaryswalthamstow.org/calendar. 

No 9am Holy Communion on Sunday 29th December, 10.30am Service Only  
There will be no 9am Holy Communion service on Sunday 29th December, just a 10.30am Holy Communion service at which Revd Tim Scott will preach and lead. Please also note that there will be no children’s groups on 29th December, but all ages are welcome. 

Epiphany Services on Sunday 5th January 2025
On Sunday 5th January – the day we’ll mark Epiphany – Revd Ola Franklin will preside and Rob Duddridge will preach as we share Holy Communion at 9am and 10.30am. Epiphany, officially celebrated on 6th January, marks the visit of the Magi to worship Jesus. The visit from these ‘wise men’ can also be understood as the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles. 

Changes to Morning Prayer Schedule in December and January 
Please note that our last Morning Prayer gathering of 2024 will be on Friday 20th December and will resume again on Epiphany (6th January 2025). From 6th January, there will be no Morning Prayer on Fridays – only Monday to Thursday – for the foreseeable future given St Mary’s more limited clergy availability in the wake of Revd Alan Moss taking on a new role. 

St Mary’s Ruttle & Rowe Cafe + Play Area in December and Early January 
Ruttle & Rowe will be operating their St Mary’s cafe in the run-up to Christmas, including on Christmas Eve, but will be closed from Christmas Day through the New Year, reopening on Monday 6th January 2025. Though we’ll have a number of events happening in the church throughout December, Ruttle & Rowe will remain open, however, seating may occasionally be moved to the Exhibition Space, and our Play Area will occasionally be closed.

Last Newsletter of the Year + Parish Office Closed From Friday 20th December
This is the last weekly newsletter of 2024; our next newsletter will be on 9th January 2025. The Parish Office will also be closed from Friday 20th December, reopening 7th January. For pastoral emergencies, contact Revd Tim Scott (). 

Next Vespers to be Held on 8th January 2025
Vespers is our candlelit contemplative prayer gathering which happens on the first Wednesday of every month, however, given that the first Wednesday of January is New Year’s Day, we’ve moved Vespers back to Wednesday 8th January, 7.30pm. 

New Series on the Book of Judges to Begin 16th January 2025 
A new Bible study series on the Old Testament book of Judges, led by Revd Vanessa Conant, will start in January 2025 and meet in the church. The study will run for four consecutive Thursdays, beginning on Thursday 16th January at 7.30pm. To reserve your place, please email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

EcoTip: End All New Oil and Gas Drilling in the UK
Campaigners are on the brink of stopping new oil and gas drilling in the UK for good. The UK government has paused approving new fields while it examines how to regulate new drilling – and it is now asking us, the public, what we think should happen. This consultation will be crucial in deciding the government’s regulatory approach to billions of barrels of oil and gas in the North Sea and is an opportunity to speak up about the negative impact that this oil and gas would have in driving global heating. Sign this petition from Stop Rosebank which is calling on the Prime Minister to stop new fossil fuel drilling, to end new oil and gas licensing, and to finance a just transition. Sign the petition here or visit www.stopcambo.org.uk/act. 

Please pray this week for:

• Syria – for hope, healing, and that its new government would respect the rights of all
• The Holy Land this Christmas, for an end to violence and destruction in the region 
• For all who, like the Holy Family, are forced to flee to another country 
• That the light of Christ would shine in our often-dark world this Christmas
• For those who have lost loved ones and are missing them this Christmas 
• For Gloria, a member of St Gabriel’s – that she would rest in peace and rise in glory 
• Many people to seek and find Christ this Christmas as the shepherds and Magi did  
• All who are lonely this Christmas or unwell in any way – for connection, hope, healing
• That the Church would imitate Jesus Christ and would reflect his love 
• That the Church would repent for safeguarding failures and make needed changes 
• Rest for those who are exhausted this Christmas season 
• Those who are homeless and long for both a safe place to live and meaningful work 

Reflection: ‘Where am I in the Story?’ 
Revd Tim Scott writes: 

At this time of year, a large number of people engage in some way or other with what’s going on in the life of churches. My hunch is that people come to the range of different things in churches, for a variety of reasons. For some, it may be a habit or a yearly routine. For others, part of the end of term school activities. For still others, it may be wanting to hear good music and have a good sing – for some, possibly because it taps into deeply held feelings that there is something beyond the Christmas lights and tinsel that is important. 

The enormous privilege we have is to say to people, ‘you are welcome’. And in saying that, we hope we provide the context in which people may experience something of the welcome, love, acceptance, light, and encouragement of God. 

The re-telling of the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany stories each year is important, particularly at a time when that narrative is not always widely told. As well as reminding people that at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the telling, reading and singing of the story invites us all to ask a question: where am I in the story? 

The biblical stories have many themes to do with light and darkness, waiting and hope, judgement and mercy, fear and anxiety, prejudice and inclusion, peace and reconciliation, violence and bloodshed, travelling and being a refugee, homelessness and shelter, to name but a few. 

So, where am I in the story? That question invites us to take time reading and reflecting on the biblical narratives, sometimes maybe imagining them in our minds or drawing them out on a piece of paper. We may choose to draw something of our own story and lived experience alongside this, and in so doing, make the connection between our own lives and the biblical narratives. We might say we become part of the biblical narrative, and our life is set in the context of the wider narrative of God’s love shown to us in the birth of Jesus Christ. 

At the heart of the Christmas story there is pain, risk, vulnerability and uncertainty. There is also worship, wonder, light and hope. As we hear the words from the Gospel of John that ‘the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it’, we might care to pause. For we are being told that darkness does not have the ultimate power. 

Some of you will have heard me quote from the film Paddington 3:

‘It takes one candle of faith to light the darkness.’  

As we come to celebrate Christmas, I pray that for each of you, the light of Christ may shine brightly and that you will know that darkness has no power over that light.

May God bless you all this Christmas and always. 

With my love and prayers, 

Tim