Pew Sheet – 6th December 2020
The Rector writes ‘Well our churches are open again… once more with restrictions obviously, but we just have to get on with it as we always do. We will go back to having 3 Sunday Services ; 9am in St Mary’s, 10am in St John’s & 11am in St Mary’s (also live-streamed) All will be Services of Morning Prayer until Christmas Day when we will have Holy Communion Services ( I’ll let you know the additional Service times for Christmas in the next couple of weeks). We will continue to broadcast the 11am Service so you can stay at home and tune in if that is your preference. A lot of people really don’t want to be out and about mingling quite yet and that is perfectly understandable.
As before we really need you to let us know if you are planning on attending a particular service and that will be absolutely essential for Christmas Day! But … we are open and that is something to be grateful for. I’m sure that like me by now you’re totally fed up with the whole thing but all we can do is keep ploughing through as best we can, supporting one another and being as kind as we can to others who may be having a harder time of it than we are. I continue to pray daily for all of us and I know that we will get through this tough time of restrictions and when we do, we will certainly really appreciate all the simple things in life, like having a coffee together and hugging a friend or just dropping into a Hairdresser when you feel like it! But for now, at least we are open again for Worship and Praise! God bless you all’

Music Notes 6-12-2020
Hymns at St. Mary’s, Carrigaline today:
324 God whose almighty word
204 When Jesus came to Jordan
119 People look East (Thanks and Praise)
This is the second Sunday of Advent and the lighting of the second candle on our Advent wreath opens the service today. The supplementary hymnal ‘Thanks and Praise’ has a special hymn written by Reverend Mark Earey with a dedicated verse for each Sunday of Advent. The melody is more usually
associated with the hymn ‘Angel voices’ but the atmosphere of the tune suits this moment of quiet anticipation of the coming joy of Christmas. The verse for today is:
Prophet voices loudly crying,
making pathways clear,
glimpsing glory, self-denying,
calling all to hear.
Through their message – challenged, shaken –
hearts awaken: God is near!
At the close of the service you will hear music by J.S. Bach. This is an arrangement of an aria from his Christmas Oratorio which likens the coming of Christ to that of a bridegroom to the wedding feast for which we must all prepare: ‘Bereite dich, Zion’ (Prepare yourself, Zion).
Bébhinn
087 228 5965
bebhinnmuire@gmail.com

Random Notes No. CCCLXVIII
At the moment, we are looking forward to Christmas and the anniversary of Jesus coming to live on earth. Back in 1891, in a book named ‘The Cloud of Witnesses’ , a writer with the initials E.M. gave a lovely description of what the Second Coming might be like.
‘It may be in the evening,
when the work of the day is done
and you have time to sit in the twilight,
and watch the sinking sun,
While the long bright day dies slowly
over the sea,
And the hour grows quiet and holy
with thoughts of Me
While you hear the village children
passing along the street—
Among those thronging footsteps
may come the sound of My feet,
Therefore I tell you, Watch!
By the light of the evening star
when the moon is growing dusty
as the clouds afar,
Let the door be on the latch
in your house,
For it may be through the gloaming
I will come’
‘The Cloud of Witness’ was by Mrs Edith Gell and published by the Oxford Press.
MMPC