St Philips News for the Parish
19 December 2020
LATEST NEWS
Sunday 20 December 2020 there will be a said service of Evening Prayer in church at 4pm (observing COVID 19 restrictions including face coverings). Please keep your distances especially at the end of the service and do not sing. Do not congregate in the doorway, people need to leave safely, THANKS..
BIBLE VERSE FOR THE WEEK Galatians 4:4-5
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
SMILES
The teacher asked her Sunday School class to draw a picture of a Bible story with a Christmas theme. She was puzzled by Kate’s picture, which showed four people on an airplane. She asked her which story it was meant to represent. ‘The Flight to Egypt,’ was the reply.
Pointing at each figure, the teacher ventured: ‘That must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. But who’s the fourth person?”’
‘Oh,’ explained Kate happily, ‘that’s Pontius – the pilot!’
Every Christmas, composer Giacomo Puccini would have a cake baked for each of his friends. One year, having quarrelled with Arturo Toscanini just before Christmas, he tried to cancel the order for the conductor’s cake. But it was too late, as the cake had already been dispatched.
The following day, Toscanini received a telegram from Puccini: “Cake sent by mistake.”
He replied by return: “Cake eaten by mistake.”
With several relatives visiting, I was struggling to get my wife’s attention. So, I simply sat down and looked comfortable. That did the trick.
Two daughters had been given parts in a Christmas play at their Church. At dinner that night, they got into an argument as to who had the most important role.
Finally, the 14 year-old said to her 8 year-old younger sister, ‘Well, you just ask Mum. She’ll tell you it’s much harder to be a virgin than it is to be an angel.’
CROSSWORD
Answers to last week’s crossword:
ACROSS: 1: Lawyer. 4: Balsam. 8: Caleb. 9: Jehoram. 10: Sparrow. 11: Exile.
12: Excellent. 17: Act in. 19: Endemic. 21: Slavery. 22: Galal. 23: Silent. 24: Tarsus.
DOWN: 1: Locust. 2: Welfare. 3: Ember. 5: Athlete. 6: Sarai. 7: Member.
9: Jewellery. 13: Condemn. 14: Temples. 15: Causes. 16: Scales. 18: Trail.
20: Dogma.
Crossword Clues
Across
1 Rely (Psalm 62:7) (6)
4 ‘He stretches out the heavens like a — , and spreads them out like a tent to live in’ (Isaiah 40:22) (6)
7 What the dove carried the olive leaf in, when it returned to Noah’s ark (Genesis 8:11) (4)
8 Annoy (1 Samuel 1:6) (8)
9 Judah’s last king, who ended his days as a blind prisoner in Babylon (Jeremiah 52:11) (8)
13 ‘They all — and were satisfied’ (Luke 9:17) (3)
16 Eliphaz the Temanite was one; so was Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite (Job 2:11; 16:2) (4,9)
17 National Association of Evangelicals (of the USA) (1,1,1)
19 Popular song for New Year’s Eve, Auld — — (4,4)
24 Able dock (anag.) (8)
25 The number of stones David chose for his confrontation with Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40) (4)
26 Elgar’s best-known ‘Variations’ (6)
27 Soak (Isaiah 16:9) (6)
Down
1 Money owing (Deuteronomy 15:3) (4)
2 Conciliatory (Titus 3:2) (9)
3 ‘Do this, whenever you — it, in remembrance of me’ (1 Corinthians 11:25) (5)
4 A group assisting in the governance of the Roman Catholic Church (5)
5 One of the gifts Joseph’s brothers took with them on their second journey to Egypt (Genesis 43:11) (4)
6 ‘Reach out your hand and — — into my side. Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27) (3,2)
10 Be outstandingly good (2 Corinthians 8:7) (5)
11 ‘What — — that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?’ (Psalm 8:4) (2,3)
12 Horse’s feet (Judges 5:22) (5)
13 Notice (Deuteronomy 17:4) (9)
14 Comes between 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah (4)
15 One of Israel’s northern towns conquered by Ben-Hadad (1 Kings 15:20) (4)
18 Narnia’s Lion (5)
20 One of the two rivers in which Naaman would have preferred to wash (2 Kings 5:12) (5)
21 Avarice—one of the evils that come from inside people (Mark 7:22) (5)
22 Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George (1,1,1,1)
23 Jacob’s first wife (Genesis 29:23) (4)
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayers are requested for the following:
Rod’s younger brother Tom.
Rod’s son Steven.
Rod’s friend Elanea Maoudis
For Ann Westerman’s brother Bob (in the USA), who has liver cancer.
Pray for Val’s auntie Helen.
Pray for Mignons daughter Andrea suffering with breast cancer
Chris Foxton’s (Sunday evening congregation) nephew Russell and his wife Rosio.
Barry’s (Sunday evening congregation) brother-in-law Roger and wife Kathleen.
Carol and Jim’s grandson Reiss – he has been measured for the brace. Please pray for the funding to be made available.
Kathy (Mike’s sister in Leeds) who is awaiting tests to understand her ongoing health problem
Local Clergy
Dave and Amy Barker (Walsgrave Baptist ministers)
Malcolm (Vicar at St Mary’s, Walsgrave) and Frances Tyler (retired).
Brian Nash (Vicar at St Chad’s, Wood End)
George Bennett (Priest at St Patrick’s RC, Potters Green)
Please pray for:
Mike, Marjorie, Mignon, Zena, Ruth, Felicity, Addis and the Oromo people, Beryl, Bill and Celia, Ken.
All our local businesses, that they may survive through this difficult time. Give thanks for all who work in them and their families.
Pray for all the front-line workers who are enabling our lives to progress in these difficult times.
TO STAY IN TOUCH VISIT:
Our Web site and Facebook
www.stphilipspottersgreen.org.uk
St-Philips Potters-Green
Children don’t always hear Christmas carols quite right….
Children’s Christmas Carols
Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly
We three kings of porridge and tar
On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me
Later on we’ll perspire, as we dream by the fire.
Noel, Noel, Barney’s the king of Israel.
Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say
Sleep in heavenly peas.
In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is sparse and brown
O come, froggy faithful.
CHRISTMAS TO ME
Christmas to me is nativity Christmas to me is shepherds
And the sound of carol-singing; On a hillside attending their sheep;
But to others it is revelry And the sound of angelic voices
And the sound of shop tills ringing. Over a town bathed in sleep.
Christmas to me is the Magi Christmas to me is worship
Who put all of their faith in a star, Giving thanks for the Saviour’s birth;
And in search of the little Christ child But to many of the folk I know
They willingly travelled so far. Christmas has no real worth.
So what will YOU see this Christmas?
Will you think of that baby so small?
And recognise that the love of God
Came to earth that first Christmas of all?
by Colin Hammacott
Last week’s SUDOKU solution
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE CHRISTMAS CARD!
A folded piece of Christmas cheer And at this busy Christmas time
Came through the post today! I’m always glad to see
I love it when those cards appear The Christmas scene or Christmas rhyme
I love the things they say! That you have sent to me.
The trouble that good people take And in our virtual world of text
Is really, really kind – And pictures on a screen
Some people even sit and make These bits and bytes leave me perplexed
A card for me to find! If you know what I mean?
And so I think that it is fine
To see your kind regard
I can admire this Christmas time
Your real Christmas card!
by Nigel Beeton