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