Saint John the Baptist Preaching, drawing, attributed to Pier Francesco Mola.
Second Sunday of Advent
Bible Readings: Philippians 1.3-11 & Luke 3.1-6
We are in the season of Advent, a time of preparing ourselves yet again for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, John’s words come again to us. That call to repentance, to turn again towards Christ, and to follow his example more closely. What does that mean for us and our church communities this Advent season? Every day, we ask for forgiveness of our sins in the Lord’s prayer. Every worship service, we pray the prayer of penitence and receive the forgiveness of God through the absolution. Yet Advent asks of us a bit more. Asks for us to prepare ourselves personally and collectively for Jesus’s advent again into our hearts and in our world. So how do we do that, we may ask? Perhaps it is about hearing the voice of God, looking for the voice of God, as those people on the banks of the Jordan did, listening to John’s words at that time in our history. Those people listening to John, knew the prophecies of Isaiah. They knew John was talking about the Lord, their God coming again into their world. And they responded to the voice of God, turning again towards God and away from their sin.
The Preaching of John the Baptist – painting by Bartholomeus Breenbergh
In our present time, God still speaks, perhaps not in charismatic figures, and yet he still speaks often in that ‘still small voice of calm’. So, time spent with our Lord, in conversation with him and in silence, makes God’s voice more available to us. And yet we can also hear his voice in the kind words of other people, the words that build us up and keep us walking our path of faith. All prayer, all time spent with God, will change us for the better. We may never know how we are changing, and what God is doing in our lives and yet he is always with us. And so, in this time of Advent, let us take time off from the business of Christmas and spend some time with our Lord, to encounter God’s words in our lives. [Extracts from the Lincoln Homily Project]
Weekly newsletter/blog and website
Please send all information for the Sunday newsletter/blog by Wednesday evening to Josie at penleeclusternewsletter@gmail.com and communications@penleecluster.org.uk. If you would like to write the biblical reflection for the newsletter on any particular week, please contact Josie for details of upcoming Sunday readings.
PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER ON SUNDAY 29TH DECEMBER OR SUNDAY 5TH JANUARY
– Josie
Advent & Christmas Services/Activities
(for usual midweek services and other events, see Coming Soon and Diary for the week)
Sunday 8th December – 2nd Sunday of Advent
9.30am: Communion at St. Peter’s Newlyn
10.30am: Sung Communion at Paul Church
11.00am: Communion at St. Mary’s PZ
6.00pm: Candlelit Poetry at Paul Church
Wednesday 11th December
6.00pm – 8.00pm: Rhys, the ‘Penzance Mystery Pianist’, will be playing carols at NightChurch at St. Mary’s PZ
Sunday 15th December – 3rd Sunday in Advent
9.30am: Traditional Mass at St. Peter’s Newlyn
10.30am: Nine Lessons & Carols Service at Paul Church
11.00am: Communion at St. Mary’s PZ
1.00pm: Intergenerational Bring & Share Lunch at St. Mary’s PZ with carols played by Rhys, games and Christmas activities and meet and greet Father
Christmas!
6.00pm: Evening Iona Service by candlelight at Paul Church
Quiet Day & Service – Wednesday 18th December
11.00am: Advent-themed Service & Quiet Day led by Chris Kingshott at St. Peter’s Church, starting at 11.00am with the service, followed by lunch and the quiet day.
Sunday 22nd December – 4th Sunday in Advent
10.30am: Christmas Service at St. John’s PZ (Playzone this week will start at approximately 11.30am, after the service ends)
10.30am: Communion with RNLI Act of Remembrance for the lives lost on the Solomon Browne lifeboat and Union Star at Paul Church
6.00pm: Julian Prayer Group on zoom
[Please note that there will be no separate services at St. Mary’s PZ and St. Peter’s Newlyn this Sunday]
Tuesday 24th December – Christmas Eve
7.00pm: ‘Early Bird’ Midnight Communion at St. Mary’s PZ
9.00pm: Early Midnight Communion at Paul Church
11.30pm: Midnight Communion at St. Peter’s Newlyn
Wednesday 25th December – Christmas Day
9.00am: BCP Communion by extension at Paul Church
10.30am: Holy Communion and Carols at St. Peter’s Newlyn
Saturday 4th January 2025
7.00pm: Folk Carol Concert in celebration of Twelfth Night and in aid of refugees at Paul Church. We shall be performing our usual mix of moving and beautiful Christmas and New Year music from medieval times to the present day – with mulled wine and mince pies. Do feel free to fling on a bonnet and waistcoat and dress up ‘Poldark style’. The concert is FREE but a collection (cash or card) will be taken for the chosen charity. (Parking: in the football ground nearby. Disabled parking is in the pub car park opposite the church.)
Friday 10th January 2025
7.00pm: Twelfth Night show at St. Mary’s PZ. Details to follow…
Penwith Deanery News
The latest news can be found HERE
Advent & Christmas Psalm Group Dates
Please note that Psalm Group will continue as usual on Thursdays at 11.15am throughout Advent, but will not be running on Thursday 26th December or Thursday 2nd January. (It will return again on Thursday 9th January.)
Christmas Holiday Club
Monday 23rd December
9.30am – 3.00pm: Generations United – Carols & Christmas activities – Rogue Theatre, Tehidy Woods
Monday 30th December
10.00am – 3.00pm: Cooking; science experiments; arts & crafts; games – St. Mary’s Church
Thursday 2nd January
10.00am – 3.00pm: New year BBQ; Forest school activities; games; walk to Mousehole – Paul Village Hall
Friday 3rd January
10.00am – 3.00pm: Feadon Farm
If you can volunteer, please contact Molly on molly.blewett@penleecluster.org.uk.
Creation Care Gathering
The next Creation Care Network Gathering will be on Thursday 12th December at 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm. This will be the Christmas gathering!! We intend to have some fun and get into the festive spirit. Along with our usual catch up, we shall be inviting you to share:
- Wearing a Christmas hat/headwear/decoration
- Share your Christmas traditions in your family
- Virtual mince pie tasting and judging – bring along with you a mince pie (homemade or purchased)
- Sing a carol together!
We do hope you will join us. Register your attendance for this gathering here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEucuGuqj0rH9KqcGmaGyuTzIaHtGALhT0d#/registration
The date of the January 2025 gathering is Thursday 9th January at 10.00am – 12 noon. – Creation Care Network
Debt Advice
The Salvation Army offers debt advice services to people in this area. They are free, confidential and impartial. Please dial 01752 643955 to speak to a Debt Advisor from 10.00am until 4.00pm Monday to Friday or email cornwalldas@salvationarmy.org.uk.
Celtic Morning Prayer
Each weekday morning on zoom at 8am. The zoom meeting ID is 815 4586 0947. If you would like to attend, please email Keno at admin@penleecluster.org.uk (or call on 01736 331633) for the passcode, which you will need as well as the meeting ID given here.
Prayer Requests
If you are concerned about someone and would like their name included in the Prayer Request Group’s weekly prayer list, please do email Mel at mlevesconte@hotmail.co.uk by 7pm on Tuesday evenings. Thank you.
TODAY…
Candlelit Poetry – Sunday 8th December
There will be no Julian meeting online this Sunday because, as part of the Advent Sunday evening series in St Pol de Leon church in Paul this year, there will be an evening of poetry by candlelight from 6.00pm -7.00pm, at which all are welcome.
