Carol service

Great to have such a good turn out for carols this year... Happy Christmas neighbourhood. Ben

Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming...

...and this Sunday we're going to begin thinking about how we can be preparing our hearts, individually and together, to celebrate the Word becoming flesh.

2 thoughts that occurred to me...thoughts about how we can be preparing to celebrate Christmas together....I love the idea that Advent is a journey we can go through together...

(1) Why not all subscribe to the same online Advent devotional - get a short thought for the day in your email inbox. The one I'm going to be using is here http://www.scriptureunion.org/journey%20to%20bethlehem

(2) Building on the previous idea, how about we all take it in turns to do our own Advent 'thought for the day' type thing? My idea is that we all take it in turns at coming up with something on a different day. Could be sharing something that God has got you thinking about....something that has flowed out of the devotional...could be a poem....a verse...a song. Could be almost anything that helps us focus on Jesus this Advent. Doesn't have to be long. And different ways we could make it work.....our new website is about to go live, so I'm sure there's a way we can stick it on there each day; or we can use Facebook, or send it to me and I can email it to everyone. I would love it if people got into this...because then Advent becomes a journey we're on together. Please let me know if you would be up for doing something....and I can collate a list of who's doing what date etc.

Also, if you have any other ideas for how NCB could prepare together for Christmas, then feel free to let me know.

All together eat together

Sunday 27th Nov...

Morning @ 10am

...with something for everyone, we're going to have an 'All-together Eat-together'.

Focusing on Advent, and getting ready for Christmas, there'll be something for us all.

Activities for children, something for the adults, and a time of worship.

Finishing with a time of pizza for those who want to stay (we'd obviously love it if everyone could stay - there'll be a charge for the pizza)

We're trying something new...kind of feeling our way on something.

Feel free to invite people.

Evening @ 7.30pm

Gathering for prayer

Come and join together and pray for each other, our community and for NCB.

Christmas is coming...

...although you probably didn't need me to remind you of that!

And in December we're going to be starting a new series getting us ready for Christmas.

As I've begun thinking about it, one verse has jumped out for me...

2 Corinthians 8:9 says:

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

Yeah, there's something pretty and sentimental about Christmas. Carols, Decorations. Presents. Cards. Trees. Food. etc

But there's also something deep and amazing going on too - the Creator of the universe stepped down into time and space and history...

humbling. emptying. yielding. laying down. giving up. lowering. willingly.

So that we might become rich...not worldly rich, but spiritually rich.

Can I encourage you to begin prayerfully meditating on that verse as we get ready to prepare for Christmas together.

Oh, and let me share something I read yesterday with you. At Christmas, we're so used to asking "What did you get?" But when was the last time you asked, "What did you give?"

Thought-provoking?

Enjoy God's grace,

Simon