A Word from The Rector . . .
December 2008 |
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“Comfort, comfort, my people says your God.
Speak tenderly . . . “
Those words from Isaiah will be heard more than once during Advent and
Christmas and rightly so because comfort and consolation are good themes
for this time of the year. Whilst we look forward to the Christmas
celebrations we also know that in many ways December is the bleakest
month of the year and this year that bleakness will be compounded by the
financial crisis that is affecting the world economy. |
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We would love you to come and share the
joy, gladness and comfort of Christmas with us in Bangor Abbey. . .
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click here for details of our services during December
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Many people find themselves
lost in despair at this time of the year. More deaths through violence
or suicide are recorded in December than in any other month. Alcohol
abuse peaks as people seek relief from the things that overwhelm them.
Samaritans, the charity being supported by this year’s Chorale, in
Bangor Abbey on Christmas Eve, find themselves inundated with calls.
So often we confine comfort to ministering to the bereaved. They are
the most obvious focus for our thoughts and prayers but every
congregation is peopled with those who need comfort.
Those who have lost their jobs need comfort.
Parents having difficulty with children need comfort.
The divorced and separated need it.
Those who are elderly or ill, or those caring for dependant relations
need it.
As do those who feel they have lost God, or friends, or self-esteem.
There are a comfortable few.
“Comfort, comfort my people says your God.” That is a call to Christian
ministry over this Christmas-time – and we do it best by trying to enter
into the lives and experiences of others. After all, that is what the
incarnation was about, God entering fully into our experience, so that
he might say: ‘I know.’ It is the experience touchingly described in
To Kill a Mocking Bird as, “Wearing someone else’s skin for a
while.”
In the season of giving, what better gift can we give than that of
comfort?
And lets seek to spread that comfort as far as we can. Through
Christian Aid’s ‘Present Aid’ e.g. a lasting gift can be made to
someone in the developing world – anything from a can of worms to a baby
buffalo! Nearer at home, opportunities to make a difference come in the
shape of the ‘Bishop’s Appeal’ or the gift of a toy to the ‘Belfast
Central Mission’.
May I extend warmest wishes to the whole of Bangor Abbey and all those
who will read this farther afield. It comes with the prayer that
Christmas 2008 will be a time of great joy, gladness and comfort and
that the true spirit of wonder will bring you fresh blessings in your
worship as you celebrate the coming of the Saviour into the world.
With very best wishes,
Ronnie
Nesbitt
Rector of Bangor Abbey |
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