Advent Sunday
Parishioners and Friends Tree
Everyone is encouraged to take one of the small wooden trees, decorate it in any way you wish, and then bring it back to hang on the tall tree as you enter Kilbroney Church. If you put your name on the tag you will be able to get this back as a souvenir at the beginning of January.
A guy bought his wife a piano for her birthday. A few weeks later his buddy asked how she was doing with it. "Actually," said the guy, "I persuaded her to switch to a clarinet." "How come?" asked his buddy "Well," said the guy, "with a clarinet she can't sing."
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Mini Christmas Tree Festival
At 7.00 pm everyone gathered for a candlelit Advent Carol service with representatives from the various churches taking part, as well as the Benedictine Monks from the Abbey.
The First Sunday of Advent was celebrated in the parishes with Holy Communion in Clonallon at 10.00 am and then Morning Prayer in Kilbroney at 11.30 am.
Prayers for use during Advent
In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus.
Come to your Church as Lord and judge. We pray for Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for …
Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember … Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil and death.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory.
Lift us up to meet you, that with all your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Silence is kept.
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayers for use during Christmas
Let us pray to our incarnate Lord, who has brought us out of darkness and into his marvellous light. Christ born for us, Son of God given for us: help us to know you, to worship and to serve you Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Wonderful counsellor, you order all things with your wisdom: help the Church to reveal the mystery of your love and fill her with the Spirit of truth … Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Mighty God, the government is on your shoulders: guide the leaders of the nations and bring in your kingdom of justice and righteousness … Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Everlasting Father, you call us to live together in unity: protect by your mercy all your children, bless our families and renew our communities Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Prince of peace, you bring reconciliation through the cross: by your healing power give to all who suffer … your gift of wholeness and peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, full of the Spirit, hear our prayer, receive our praises, fill our lives. Amen.
Prayers for use during Epiphany
Let us worship the Saviour with joy and make our prayer to our heavenly Father.
The magi came from the east to worship your Son: Father, grant to Christians everywhere the spirit of adoration … Lord of glory, hear our prayer.
The infant Christ received gifts of gold, incense and myrrh: Father, accept the offering of our hearts and minds Lord of glory, hear our prayer.
The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ: Father, grant an abundance of peace to your world … Lord of glory, hear our prayer.
The Holy Family lived in exile and in the shadow of death: Father, look in mercy on all who are poor and powerless, and all who suffer … Lord of glory, hear our prayer.
Your Son shared the life of his home and family at Nazareth: Father, protect in your love our neighbours, our families and this community of which we are a part Lord of glory, hear our prayer.
Father, we rejoice in our fellowship with all the faithful departed.
In your unfailing love for us and for all people, hear and answer our prayers through your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
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I heard the Bells ...
I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th’unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.’
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.’
Till, ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1863)
Good News
Good news! Good news of great joy and it outweighs the bad news of the journey, of the rejection, of the confusion that made, and makes up life for Joseph and Mary and for us.
Good news!
God’s timing, God’s sovereignty, God’s plan for His people through Jesus, His gift. The time has come to accept and not be afraid. God’s news is good and everlasting. Glory to him and peace to those who trust and receive without always understanding.
Daphne Kitching
The Incarnation: fearfully and wonderfully made
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:15 16
You began life as a single cell. For a few hours you were a miniscule but highly complex blob of jelly, until it began to divide: two cells, four, eight, sixteen, a ball, a hollow ball, and then something more recognisably like a living organism. You were still tiny, but developing a nervous system, a head, a body, arms and legs.
Until recently I hadn’t thought much about Jesus being an embryo. Somehow, I find that thought even more shocking than his birth. How could God, who made the universe, have become something so completely and utterly vulnerable? Maybe in the past, when the development of a child happened in ‘secret’, it was possible just to let that part of the Christmas story go untold.
Today, when we see images of a developing child, or even embryos outside the womb, it is harder to ignore the process of Jesus developing into a baby. The incarnation meant that God’s Son went through all the stages in the diagram in my developmental biology textbook: ‘zygote’, ‘morula’, ‘blastocyst’, implantation, and so on.
Jesus was there in the beginning, and all life owes its existence to him. But instead of remaining aloof, he chose to become one of us. The Son of God shared the same kind of DNA as every other organism on the planet. He knows what it feels like to have a body, to feel hungry and thirsty, pain and pleasure, dark and light.
In Psalm 139, the writer is meditating on God’s intimate knowledge of him, which began when he was an embryo. There is nothing God doesn’t know about him, and even darkness cannot obscure him from God’s sight. The incarnation means that God’s intimacy with us now extends even further. He became one of us, lived alongside us, and shared our very fragile material nature.
The transcendent God is also immanent, longing for us to relate to him as Father. He became as fragile as we are so he could rescue us from the messes we so often find ourselves in. With his help, we can remember what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made.
Reproduced by permission from Merry Christmas Everyone: A festive feast of stories, poems and reflection, Edited by Wendy H. Jones, Amy Robinson & Jane Clamp (Association of Christian Writers, 2018)
"Johnny, where's your homework?" Miss Martin said sternly to the little boy while holding out her hand. "My dog ate it," was his solemn response. "Johnny, I've been a teacher for eighteen years. Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"It's true, Miss Martin, I swear it is," insisted Johnny. "I had to smear it with honey, but I finally got him to eat it."
English is difficult: it can be understood though through tough thorough thought.
I drink gallons of water … filtered water. Filtered through coffee grinds … I drink a lot of coffee!
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Ladies Bible Study
We had another lovely Bible Study on Tuesday 8th November. There were four apologies and seven of us gathered around God's word. We continued our studies on our theme of 'Women who met Jesus' and we looked at the Woman with the bleeding disorder. This is recorded in three of the Gospels Matt 9 v 20 22; Mark 5 v 25 34; Luke 8 v 43 48.
Each of the authors gives the same story but different details. Mark's account gives a richer understanding. The story is sandwiched between the healing of Jairus daughter.
We looked at what Mark 5 v 25 34 had to say. What did we find out about this woman?
She had no name, just referred to as a woman (v25) She had a bleeding disorder for 12 years (v25) We agreed that she would have been very weak and while we didn't know the details of the disorder ... it was obvious that it was a woman's problem. We felt too that she wouldn't have been elderly.
She did try to help herself … verse 26 tells us she went to every doctor and the problem got worse.
She was broke ...verse 26 says she spent all her money According to the Levitical Laws she would have been deemed unclean; she would have been shunned by people; barred from the temple
She was a sad, sick and a lonely woman Jesus was on his way with Jarius to heal his critically ill daughter, when he was interrupted by this chronically ill woman.
(Luke's account tells us that the little girl was about 12 years old. Isn't it interesting that for every year of this little girl’s life, the woman had a bleeding disorder).
What was Jesus going to do? With Jesus there are no interruptions. He goes by divine appointments.
Understandably, the father of the little girl willed that Jesus would heal his daughter but the Heavenly Father willed that Jesus would heal his daughter the sick woman. That day both Jarius and the woman received Jesus’ help.
Wherever Jesus went there was always a crowd v 24 tells us that a large crowd followed him and pressed round him. In verse 27 the woman heard that Jesus was close by and decided to go to him. Maybe she heard how he touched and healed leprosy sufferers who were deemed unclean and thought if he healed them then he'll heal me too. She was certain of this. She believed she wouldn't have to speak to him. She
believed if she just touched the hem of his cloak she would be healed.
Isn't it amazing how she managed to make her way through the crowd without someone recognising her and alerting those around. Maybe she pulled her cloak closer around her and kept her head down as she skirted her way through. She was determined to get to him some way. (A bit like Zacchaeus who climbed the sycamore tree). She made it and got to where she wanted to be … right behind Jesus … within reaching distance. She would have had to crouch down to touch his hem. God had honoured her faith and protected her and yes, blinded the eyes of those around her.
As soon as she touched his hem, we read in verse 29 that she was healed. His power had reached where nothing else had been effective. In that split second
• the problem was cured
• all seclusion was over
• uncleanness gone
• any shame and separation past Oh the freedom she must have experienced! She only touched the hem of His garment As to His side she stole Amid the crowd that gathered around Him And straightway she was whole
Even though Jesus had another appointment HE STOPPED. "Who touched me" he asked (v.30). Well, it could have been anyone in the crowd who brushed up against Him. (v.31). But … this was a different kind of touch because Jesus felt power had gone out of him (v.30). There was someone who needed him and He wasn't going to let them disappear into the crowd (v.32).
She came in fear and trembling before Him She knew her Lord had come She felt that from Him virtue had healed her The mighty deed was done
What tremendous strength and courage this woman showed. She was afraid and ashamed. She fell at his feet trembling and told him the truth of what she had done, why she had done it and told him she had been healed. (v.33).
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He turned with "daughter be of good comfort
Thy faith hath made thee whole" And peace that passeth all understanding With gladness filled her soul
Lovingly he said "daughter, your faith has healed you". Daughter ... a very personal term ... according to one commentator it is the only time he is recorded to use this word to one person only, he was including her as a member of his spiritual family. The he told her "Go in peace" … bringing health of forgiveness to her soul (v34).
Her faith had made her well AND she became a member of God's family. She had been restored and belonged to him. He claimed her openly in front of the crowd. (v.34)
She had a new identity. She had peace. She was healed. As one of the ladies said afterwards She left with her head held high.
Reach out and touch the Lord as he goes by You'll find he's not too busy to hear your heart’s cry He's passing by this moment your needs to supply Reach out and touch the Lord as he goes by.
Are you struggling with something? Reach out and touch the Lord as he goes by you. Don't miss the opportunity. Let Him minister to you.
Oh touch the hem of his garment And thou too shalt be free His saving power this very hour Shall give new life to thee.
Hymn by George F Root
Our next two Bible Studies will be Tuesday 13th December and then Tuesday 10th January 2023 both at 10.45 am in the Vestry Warrenpoint Church.
Love, God Bless, and stay safe.
Dorothy xx
An efficiency expert was delivering a seminar on time management for a company's junior executives. He concluded the session with a disclaimer: "Don't attempt these task organizing tips at home," he said. "Why not?" he was asked.
"Well, I did a study of my wife's routine of making breakfast," he replied, a little embarrassed. "I noticed she made a lot of trips between the refrigerator and the cooker, the table and the cupboards, each time carrying only one item. So I asked her, 'Honey, I notice that you make a lot of trips back and forth with one item at a time. If you would try carrying several things at once you would be much more efficient.'"
He paused.
"Did that save time?" one of the executives asked. "Actually, yes," the expert answered, "It used to take her twenty minutes to cook my breakfast. Now I pour my own cereal in five minutes."
A woman went into her kitchen to find a burglar loaded down with a lot of stuff he was stealing from her. Not having any kind of weapon to scare him off, she raised her hand and said "Acts 2:38," and proceeded to quote scripture.
The burglar froze in place and didn't move. The woman called the police who arrived and were amazed to find the burglar still frozen where he stood. "What did you say to him that kept him from moving?" they asked. She told them that she had simply said Acts 2:38 and quoted scripture.
The police chuckled and escorted the burglar out to the patrol car. "Why did the woman quoting scripture scare you so much?" they asked.
"Scripture?" said the burglar, "I thought she said she had an axe and two 38's!"
A man writing at the post office desk was approached by an older fellow with a postcard in his hand. The old man said, "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you but could you address this postcard for me? My arthritis is acting up and I can't even hold a pen."
"Certainly, sir," said the younger man. He wrote out the address and also agreed to write a short message and sign the card for the man. Finally, the younger man asked, "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
The old fellow glanced at the card a moment and said, "Yes, at the end could you just add, 'PS: Please excuse the sloppy hand writing.'?"
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Enjoy locally made goods, crafts, and delicious German
Ladies Guild
In October, the speaker for Ladies Guild was Sharon Porter from the Bide A While Coffee Shop near Markethill.
Sharon is an energetic woman with lots of drive and charisma. She shared very openly some of her life story giving us an insight into how she dealt with challenges and difficult circumstances as well as grasping opportunities.
From the age of 7 she told her mum that she wanted to be a bank manager which, as she says, is unusual for a child. She did however start in the Northern Bank and worked her way up to manager and before the end of her career worked in many branches including Ballymena, Newry, Belfast and Antrim.
Sharon is from Kellswater and has three children. When her children were aged 7, 4 and 4 months her husband had an affair, left and moved to England. She was left to bring up her three small children by herself. Over the next years she and her children would move many times with her job. When she had worked her way up in the bank, she took a career break for one year and travelled around the world.
After coming back, she continued to work in Newry and one night in October 1993 she had phoned to find out if her boss had got home safely. The police answered her phone call and she was the first person from the bank to find out her boss had been murdered. A male colleague whom her boss was dating and also worked in the bank was later convicted. Sharon was asked to move to Antrim to cover her boss’s role.
In 1997 she met and married Tom, a farmer from outside Markethill. She took early retirement in 2009 to look after her first grandchild. She was inspired by Jeremiah 29 v11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Sharon shared that we all have different gifts and God has a plan for each of us if we are open and willing, we can use our gifts for him. She emphasized the importance of giving each other a ‘word of encouragement’ and the difference this can make. This inspiration led to the idea of setting up a coffee shop on the farm. She set about putting together a business plan and even though her country location proved to be a challenge she received approval. The Bide a While coffee shop opened in October 2013 and
has been running now for 9 years. Her vision has been that the coffee shop would be a place where people can enjoy the quietness and peace of the countryside taking time and not rushing. Sharon would also like it to be a place for people who may be going through a difficult time, for example those who have lost a loved one and people going through treatment. There is a separate log cabin with an open fire and she mentioned that recently one family whose son is having cancer treatment like to have coffee together in the log cabin each week after the treatment.
Sometimes we can miss out on God’s plan because of anxiety or because we are too busy to take time with God. Isaiah 43 says
But now, this is what the Lord says he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
Sharon brought around 50 delicious scones for us to enjoy, cranberry, cheese, lemon and white chocolate and raspberry along with homemade jam. She is up at 6.00 am each morning making lemon meringues, apple tarts, salted caramel cake, rocky road buns with Belgian chocolate, wheaten bread, scones and much more. I think we will all definitely be making a point of a trip to the Bide narrow lane off the main Newry to Armagh Road (see the map below).
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Sharon has kindly shared with us her recipe for scones and wheaten bread.
Scones (makes 28 bigger scones)
1 pint buttermilk
2 lb soda bread flour 3 eggs 4 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp olive oil
Tesco finest lemon curd, cranberry, lime, coconut, cooked bacon & cheese, raspberry, lemon & white chocolate (depending on choice of scone)
Cook at 200°C for 14 mins.
You can also make them slightly smaller freeze and cook at a later date.
Wheaten Bread
500g wheat flour
220g plan flour
120g white fat 120g caster sugar
1 egg 1 pint buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp salt
Sunflower seeds
Cook at 160°C for 1hr 5mins in a 10” square cake tin for 30 slices.
Bide a While Coffee Shop
8 Creggan Road, Mountnorris, Armagh, BT60 2UG
Christmas Dinner
On Thursday 24th for our November meeting we had a beautiful meal at the Whistledown Hotel. It was lovely to be able to enjoy Christmas dinner together again after the lockdown.
There are more photographs on our Facebook pages! Our January and February meetings will be in the morning at 11.00 am, last Thursday of the month. This is to allow for better driving conditions rather than travelling in the dark evenings.
26th January 23rd February
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Kilbroney Parish Church with Nicola Quinn
What is your earliest memory of Kilbroney Parish Church?
We moved to Warrenpoint from Hillsborough in June 2000 and Jim Sims called at our door one evening when I was bathing Lauren (then 3) and Conor (1). I don’t even think I offered him a cup of tea, I was up to my elbows in bubbles! Our minister in Hillsborough, John Dinnen (father of Carl Dinnen the ITV political correspondent) had contacted Jim and told him we were moving to Warrenpoint. I remember thinking how welcome he made me feel.
and particularly valued the advice the previous Honorary Treasurer, John Toase.
I’m also on the cleaning rota, and sadly, I quite enjoy marching Henry Hoover up and down the aisle.
What time of the Church year is special to you?
I love the Christmas season, and my favourite service would be an evening Carol Service, particularly by candlelight. A solo of O Holy Night has me reaching for tissues. If I am away visiting my sister over Christmas, she arranges for us all to go to a Christmas Eve service, and this has resulted in some interesting experiences including a very long service in Spanish in a risky area of the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, but also a full Wesleyan gospel choir in Aruba where our family almost doubled the congregation!
I also love Harvest, with all the gorgeous Autumnal colours being brought inside the Church, with the stunning displays this year having a particularly powerful impact. I am the least creative person I know, and so I am in awe of all those talented people who can create these visual masterpieces!
We went to Kilbroney that Sunday, sat behind Leslie and Mary Purdy and quickly made an impact as Conor loved the feel of the collar on Mary’s coat! And when the children discovered that Mary kept sweets in her handbag, they were especially keen to go to Church and Sunday School to see Auntie Mary! What roles have you undertaken in KPC?
When Mary invited me round one afternoon for tea in 2001, I should have been suspicious and wondered what she was up to. After a few cups of tea and slices of cake she asked me if I would take on the position of Hon Treasurer a request I could hardly refuse after all that sugar! I was happy to help and remained in this role for some 17 years. Whilst I brought my training as an accountant to the role, I also benefitted greatly from the experience of many wise people both on the Select Vestry and in the wider congregation,
Favourite place in KPC
The Church building has so many beautiful features, but my favourite place is actually the Parish Room, home of Sunday School, Select Vestry meetings, and many other aspects of Parish life. My children loved Sunday School with Kathleen, Helga and Heather, and their friends, and especially the craft activities the messier the better! The cuppa after the service on Sundays is such a valuable opportunity to chat and catch up with our church family members, friends and visitors and is appreciated and commented on by those from other parishes who don’t have the same opportunities to meet and socialize after the service.
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Lauren’s confirmation 2010
To encourage younger people
Outreach to schools is fundamental in encouraging younger people to attend Church. It’s great to see that Kilbroney Integrated Primary is holding its Carol Service in the church again this year I loved going to this when my children were at the school. Involvement in school assemblies and supporting school events are all important to get to know both children and parents.
Involving school children in church activities such as the Harvest festival brings children into the church building and allows them to see that church is not just about going to a service on a Sunday morning.
What past memory or event stands out for you?
There have been so many events over the years but for me the event that really made me proud to be a member of the Kilbroney church family was the World War 1 commemoration. Seeing the Parish on the TV news, witnessing the support from the village and especially the Mens Shed, and the church packed with people from across the community such an impressive event for a small Parish.
A Treasurer’s Foibles
Collection envelopes: When putting a currency note into a collection envelope, please put the fold in first and to the bottom so when I open it at the top I don’t cut or tear the note in half.
Out of date currency: Notes which are no longer legal currency can be problematic. For instance the old tenners and Twenty pound notes have to be taken or mailed to the issuing bank, e.g. the Bank of England, to be exchanged into legal currency. And out of date coins have no value at all.
The more information the better: A plain white envelope was recently put in the collection bowl. On opening it I found a till receipt and a name hand written on it. Do I pay? Who do I pay? Why am I being asked to pay? Who has authorised payment?
The details of payee’s bank account: Please give the proper and full name of the payee’s bank account. In the past I have had to return cheques to be reissued; for instance: Ted Woolley and E Wooley have on occasion NOT been acceptable as my bank account title. My first name is Edward not Ted and there are two Ls in Woolley.
‘Graveyard account’ NO. But ‘Kilbroney Parish Church Graveyard account’ is acceptable. Please don’t ask for a reimbursement as cash. Charity law and regulations ask for proper transparency and traceability. Cash is considered to be too easily disappeared; a cheque is much harder to fiddle. Auditors, Examiners and The Charity Commission don’t know individual treasurers and so would be suspicious as a matter of principle.
I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic work by the Committee in developing a varied and exciting programme of events for the bicentenary. They will be relieved that the year is almost over! Shelagh and Pauline’s magnificent book will be a very tangible legacy of this year of celebrations and has been commented on and browsed through by friends and family when they see it on my coffee table, perfectly complementing my room colours!
A Puzzle
This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching! (answer on page 19)
Please do not offer Euro notes. Commission at £3 per transaction and the “turn” on the exchange rate can render, say, a 5 Euro note valueless and foreign coins are of no value at all. NB Euro coins can be easily confused with Sterling coins
Envelopes vs Standing Orders: ‘tis really up to you but as a treasurer I would advocate a monthly standing order.
a) I don’t have to drive anywhere to bank the money saves time and miles.
b) ‘Tis easy to account for and transparency is good.
Having written all that, all treasurers everywhere are very grateful indeed for all legal and financial support no matter how the support arrives!!!!
Edward Woolley
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Frances Ridley Havergal
Last Christmas, 2021, Rev Elizabeth Hanna received a surprising gift. A small wooden bound book (Mauchline Ware) printed by Marcus Ward and Co. Royal Ulster Works, Belfast. On the front was a photo of Rostrevor. Inside there was a preface by Frances Ridley Havergal.
when writing letters and books was how people communicated. Frances had many talents. She was a linguist knowing Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, French and Italian, learning enough Welsh to understand Church services in Wales, travelling to Switzerland, and studying in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Frances always shared her love of Jesus and impressed those whom she met.
The book gives every date in a year but is not a diary. It is a birthday book called Links of Memory intended to include those still alive and those who have died. Frances wrote that the book would be a constant help in bringing to the throne of grace all whom God has given us in the responsibility of acquaintanceship or the closer bond of friendship and that the texts and verses with the simple gospel teaching may form the keynotes of daily prayer for each name and for ourselves too. As the years glide on some of the names will no longer be reminders of prayer but of praise.
The short life of Frances (1836 1879) was lived when the British Isles were united under Queen Victoria,
When she visited her married sister, Ellen, in County Kildare, Ireland in 1856 she took all hearts by storm. A young Irish school girl, described the entrance of Frances " Carolling like a bird," she "flashed into the room! Flashed! Yes, I say the word advisedly flashed in like a burst of sunshine, like a hillside breeze, and stood before us, her fair, sunny curls falling round her shoulders, her bright eyes dancing, her fresh, sweet voice ringing through the room. I shall never forget that afternoon never! I sat perfectly spellbound as she sang chants and hymn and played two or three pieces of Handel, which thrilled me. “
Until I saw the birthday book, I didn’t know Frances not only wrote hymns but the tunes of hymns, and that she was a prolific writer of books and poems for children and adults. Her first book ‘Ministry of Song’ about poetry was published in 1869. The harp, her personal emblem was on the front cover.
She was delighted to add to the meagre supply of Sacred Songs : “Why put off joyous singing till we reach the happier shore? Let us sing words which we feel and love, with clearness of enunciation, and looking up to meet his smile all the while we are singing. So shall we loyally sing for our King, yes for him, whose voice is our truest music.”
Her knowledge of the Gospels, Epistles, Revelation, Psalms and Isaiah informed her hymns but she always felt that words came to her as sent direct from God. "Writing is praying with me," she told a friend; "for I never seem to write even a verse by myself, and feel like a little child writing. You know a child would look up at every sentence, and say, 'And what shall I say next?' That is just what I do; I ask that at every line he would give me, not merely thoughts and power, but
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also every word, even the very rhymes. Very often I have a most distinct and happy consciousness of direct answers."
Her best known hymn and much quoted is “Take my life and let it be”. Frances was inspired during a five day visit to a household of 10 persons. “There, some unconverted and long prayed for, and some converted, but not rejoicing Christians. He gave me the prayer, ‘Lord, give me all in this house!’ And he just did! Before I left the house every one had got a blessing. The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep, and passed most of the night in praise and renewal of my own consecration, and these little couplets formed themselves and chimed in my heart one after another, till they finished with
“
”
Ever, ONLY, ALL For Thee!
This hymn expressed Frances belief that each person consecrates herself or himself when they accept Jesus into their lives. Her sister Miriam wrote that she distributed the hymn on cards with a blank space for the reader’s signature and asked them to make the hymn a test before God and sign it on their knees at home.
Frances knew the most important need of people was to hear about Christ, to be guided into a living and vital relationship with Jesus as personal Saviour. She had come to faith in Christ, and she wanted others to know him as well. The love of Christ was her life, and she lived as she wrote, “Ever, ONLY, ALL For Thee!”
She helped the work of the Church Missionary Society by contributing what she earned, and she once donated most of her jewellery.
Ten minutes before she died of peritonitis she sang, faintly but clearly, the first verse of a hymn by her friend Mary Jane Walker, set to music by Frances.
Jesus, I will trust Thee, trust Thee with my soul; guilty, lost, and helpless, thou canst make me whole. There is none in heaven or on earth like Thee: thou hast died for sinners therefore, Lord, for me.
One of her last whispers was “I did so want to glorify him.”
I have been helped to write this article by (1) publications of The Havergal Trust of USA founded by David Chalkey (2) Jennie Chapell: Life Story of Frances Havergal published in Wholesome Words, 2016.
Mellissa Jeffers
A Puzzle: the paragraph does not contain the letter “e” which is the most common letter used in English.
Mauchline Ware
Mauchline: The town lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway line, 8 miles east southeast of Kilmarnock and 11 miles northeast of Ayr. It is situated on a gentle slope about one mile from the River Ayr, which flows through the south of the parish of Mauchline.
The production of Scottish white wood products, or Mauchline Ware, was carried out from the 1820s until 1939 by the firm of W & A Smith among other less long lived manufacturers. These goods were very collectable and included the basic transfer as on small vases, each piece having the view of the place of purchase. The design subjects ranged across Scotland and most of the British Isles to the rest of the world
Does anyone else have Rostrevor Mauchline Ware? The editor has also a tiny stamp box with Kilbroney Parish Church on the lid, the same as the birthday book. Does anyone know where these were once purchased? A friend’s aunt, who may have been on holiday in Rostrevor, had these two items.
Walking with Grief -- A Celtic Prayer
Do not hurry as you walk with grief it does not help the journey
Walk slowly, pausing often
Do not hurry as you walk with grief be not disturbed by memories that come unbidden swiftly forgive and let unspoken words, unfinished conversations be resolved in your memories
Be not disturbed be gentle with the one who walks with grief
If it is you, be gentle with yourself swiftly forgive, walk slowly, pause often, take time
Be gentle as you walk with grief
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Author Unknown
The Sunflower Woods in Banbridge was founded in 2020 just at the beginning of the first lockdown, after a chat with my Dad, when I suggested we sow some sunflowers, not only did he agree he ordered 2 acres of seeds that night. Unfortunately that was to be his last ever phonecall as he suffered a stroke the next morning and passed away in hospital 16 days later. We sowed the seeds just 2 days after his funeral, a welcome distraction and something to occupy our time as we couldn’t have our normal stream visitors due to covid. Around 70 days later coincidentally on my Dad’s Birthday, our first sunflower bloomed to say it cheered the family up was an understatement, we loved our sunflowers immensely in 2020. After lockdown it was just what our friends and neighbours needed, to be able to reconnect while still staying safe.
Early September we had glorious fields bursting with 420,000 sunflowers, the word had spread ‘The Sunflower Woods’ was the place to be! 10,000 visitors in 30 days, young and old, from the world over, everyone saying the same. “It’s just so beautiful here, we never knew it existed’ this year we placed a barrel at the gate, donations were very welcome for our chosen charities.
Spring 2022 we were all go, fields ploughed, with the addition of 498 native trees planted and seeds sowed but the crows loved them, so they stole them all in one morning!!! We really didn't like crows that day we reseeded but this time we were ready to take on the crows, so we planted 672,000 seeds in 45 minutes (obviously not by hand) hoping for the best the crows heard our warnings and we successfully grew an amazing, dazzling display of Sunflowers there was a seedtime and there was a harvest.
We opened mid September a little later due to reseeding, and just as we as a country were about to say our final farewell to our amazing Monarch of 70 years, The Sunflower Woods were honoured to have laid our first flowers at Hillsborough Castle in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.
yes it just had to happen again, we sowed 4 acres doubling up our acreage of sunflowers and adding 5 million wildflowers, a neighbour gave us his old horse lorry which we converted into a viewing
We remained open until late October we had so many friends visit, some returning friends and lots of new friends from all over the world, India, China, Canada, even one from Australia. A special visitor had to be a lady from Ukraine, who with very broken English explained to me with tears in her eyes ‘ I so happy’ it felt like home for her, yes I had more tears in my eyes.
We as a family feel privileged to be able to simply provide a nice place to be, a happy place to be, a place that doesn’t cost anything, and where there are only 2 rules ‘enjoy our sunflowers and take some home with you’ over our first 2 years our visitors have donated just over £30,000 to our chosen charities … and yes without any question of doubt we will be back in 2023.
‘Be a sunflower, even on dark days stand tall and face the sun’
As ever our Sunflowers are grown to share, in memory of Jim Woods. Please feel free to join us on Facebook ‘The Sunflower Woods’
Alexandra Woods
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The Jesse Tree
There are two Jesse Trees in the Mini Christmas Tree Festival.
During the first twenty five days of December the Jesse tree helps us remember the story of God’s faithfulness from the beginning of time until the coming of the Lord Jesus. It is inspired by Isaiah’s prophecy that “a shoot would come up from the stump of Jesse.” This is a reference to Jesus as a descendant of Jesse, King David’s father. This interpretation of the Jesse tree includes the prophets as well as some ancestors of Jesus and covers the story of God’s faithfulness from creation to the nativity.
You may wish to do your own drawings to accompany the story.
Day 1. A tree stump. Isaiah wrote that the Promised Messiah would be a descendant of Jesse who was King David’s father. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1
Day 2. The world. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… and God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:1, 31
Day 3. Snake and fruit. Sin comes into the world. “The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8
Day 4. Ark and rainbow. God’s promise to Noah. “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:16
Day 5. Tent with camel. God’s promise to Abraham is, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
Day 6. A ram. When Abraham shows his faith in God by being willing to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice God stops him “and Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns and he went over and took the ram and sacrificed it …” Genesis 22:13
Day 7. Jacob’s ladder. Isaac’s son, Jacob, has a dream about angels going up and coming down a ladder to heaven. When he wakens Jacob says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16
Day 8. Joseph's coat. Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers but years later he is able to say to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20
Day 9. Tablets of the Ten Commandments. Over four hundred years later God’s people are slaves in Egypt. Moses is chosen to set them free and on the way back to the Promised Land he receives the ten commandments which begin with the words, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2
Day 10. A pair of sandals. Joshua is the next leader and God promises him, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Day 11. A heart. One of the great Old Testament love stories is about Ruth, an ancestor of King David. She leaves her own country to stay with her mother in law, saying, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16
Day 12. A king’s crown. The young man, Samuel, is called by God to be a prophet and he is the one who anoints the first two kings of Israel Saul and David. When Samuel hears God’s voice he says, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10
Day 13. A harp. A shepherd boy becomes a king. Many of the Psalms are written by him including the favourite, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:1 2
Day 14. An altar with a burning sacrifice. In the years after King David some of the monarchs don’t follow God. Elijah the prophet offers a challenge to false prophets saying, “the god who answers by fire he is God!” And when fire descends the people are convinced and shout, “The Lord he is God!” 1 Kings 18:24, 39
Day 15. A wolf and lamb. Isaiah says that when God’s kingdom comes “The wolf will live with the lamb… they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6, 9
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Day 16. A scroll. Jeremiah the prophet writes abouta new covenant between God and the people of God, “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
Day 17. City Walls. After a time of exile the people return to the ruined city of Jerusalem and under Nehemiah’s leadership begin the work of rebuilding. When the work is finished and the people gather for worship Nehemiah says, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Day 18. A big fish. Jonah disobeys God and is swallowed by a big fish for three days! His prayer from inside the fish ends, “But I, with a song of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you O Lord. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah 2:9
Day 19. A watchtower. For many centuries God’s people have been waiting for the promised Messiah. Habakkuk sees himself as a person standing watch. He writes, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 2:1, 3:19
Day 20. Zechariah and Elizabeth. As the time draws close for the arrival of the Messiah this elderly couple have a son who “will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” Luke 1:76
Day 21. Scallop shell. John the Baptist comes, “preaching a baptism of repentance of the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 3:3
Day 22. Saw and hammer. Joseph, the carpenter, hears God saying to him, “Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Day 23. A white lily. This pure white flower is a symbol for Mary who is chosen by God to be Jesus’ mother. Her song begins, “My soul praises the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant …” Luke 1:46
Day 24. A star. Some people who are not Jews see a new star which leads them to Bethlehem. They ask, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
Day 25. A nativity scene. Jesus is born and his birth is announced by the angels. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people on whom his favour rests.” Luke 2:14
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Make a Jesse tree … colour the pictures, stick this page to some card (maybe a cereal packet) and then cut out each box. Using the information opposite write the number on the back and use this as a way to count down the days until Christmas Day.
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support charity If you have a few hours to spare and would like to give
and emotional support to a family in your area, please get in touch. Full training provided and all out of pocket expenses paid. Please telephone: 028 3026
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Find us on Facebook. Church Street, Rostrevor. Special Offers All Year Round Groceries, Toys, Capper Coal, Blocks, Turf, DPD Pickup, Plants (including pots & window boxes) 028 4173 8662 Telephone 07720 417057 ‘The Book Well' New and Second Hand Christian Books, Bibles Children’s Books, Church Stationery Items, CDs, Cards and gifts ... Free UK postage over £10. Orders can be shipped all over the UK and Ireland, or collected from 27 Belmont Road, Belfast. BT4 2AA Products may be purchased by telephone or online. 07581 143596 info@thebookwell.co.uk David C McCabe & Son Funeral Directors Formerly W. J. McCabe Warrenpoint (Established 1949) FOR A CARING & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE Telephone 028 3883 2988 Mobile 07595 600777 Advertise here! Please contact Elizabeth if you’d like to place an advertisement in The Pointer. hannamanor15@btinternet.com The Pointer is printed by
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