Midweek Musings: It Begins With Yes

This is the final newsletter of the year. Next one: Wednesday 6 January 2021

Our conversation drew to a close.

There was a pregnant pause.

I waited.

She said yes.

She understood little of what would follow.

How could she?

I’d told her that she was known, that her ordinary life in the back-end of the world’s greatest empire had been noticed and counted as significant. Her life of buying at the market, cleaning houses, repairing clothes, cooking meals, playing with children, catching up with local news, avoiding troublesome demonstrations, paying her dues, preparing for her own wedding celebrations all added up to something quite remarkable.

She struggled to believe that.

I doubt that she ever thought her life mattered to anyone outside her family and her fiancé.

But on this day, she heard me say that this life, her life, was about so much more. The very ordinariness of a young woman’s days mattered.

And though, to many watching her, nothing would change, for her, everything would change.

Because she believed me.

She allowed herself to be enlisted into a different storyline, one that she could never have expected. A story that would change everything.

So it began.

Five words that opened up a new future: ‘I am the Lord’s servant’.

Five words began the adventure.

Interview

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Which adult has not asked a child that question? As though knowing what you want will make it possible. The older you get, the more you realise that life doesn’t always work out how we expected. At the same time, it becomes more important to trust in the overarching care of God who redeems everything. This week Gill reflects on her life and how God has been with her in all the twists and turns that she has experienced.

Connecting

1. Coffee Morning: Wednesday 16 AND 23 December at 10.30am.

A Wednesday morning is the ideal time to catch up with people, have a brew, even involve yourself with a quiz. So, whilst it’s not as good as being together in person, there’s an opportunity to do it all online.

Meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/94930624852?pwd=dlI0SnhwY3RaNnUrUGpSMTkrWm5hZz09

2. Prayer Meeting: Thursday 17 December

This week we will be praying for families – our own, families in our church and in our city. Come and join us and pray with your own family in mind.
The link: https://zoom.us/j/99171331331?pwd=WWUrajBFd29SUGNETnVJVlpSMVA1UT09

3. Prayer Meeting: Friday 18 December

Contact Corinne Baines or Gill Oldham or Neil and they’ll make sure you are able to connect.

4. Carol Service: Sunday 20 December 4.30-5.30

at St James, Hope, (The church at the crossroads of Lancaster Road and Eccles New Road, M6 8EJ.) Parking is behind the church.

You need to have booked in, if you haven’t received an email with booking for any reason, then let us know.

You will need masks.

You will need to wear warm clothes!

This service will be shown on our YouTube channel on Monday 21^st from 7pm. If you plan to watch it there, let Neil know and he will get a bag of goodies to you which you need for the service!

5. Christmas Day Service from 10.30 to 11.15.

This will just be on Zoom, not on YouTube as well.

Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848
Meeting ID: 836 810 848

6. There will be NO service on Sunday 27^th  December. 

We will meet again on Sunday 3 January

Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848
Meeting ID: 836 810 848

7. Christmas Alive Window Trail – 14th-27th of December

It’s been brilliant to see so many churches around the country announcing Christmas in so many innovative ways. Like many others, we have prepared a Christmas Window Trail and it’s begun.  It’s our way of bringing our Christmas Alive story to the streets of Salford.

There are 6 windows across our local area showing different scenes from the Christmas story, with short audio to play when you find the window (you will be able to scan the QR code in the window with your mobile phone to listen)

The window scenes will be visible for two weeks so there’s plenty of time for you to get out and explore the Christmas Story.

Click the image below for more details.

If in doubt

All the links to the meetings are in Church Suite and on the ‘Calendar’ section of our church website: https://www.salfordelimchurch.org/events/

You’re not alone

If you need help and don’t know where to turn, you are always welcome to contact Neil on 07771 558058.