Church What
Christingle is all about What
Christingle is all about The
word Christingle means the Christ-light. And the
tradition of Christingle goes back a very long way. It
began way back in 1747, when a pastor of a church in Today
the Christingle has been adopted by The Children’s
Society as a way of reminding the churches in this
country of their responsibility before God for the well-being
of our nation’s children. The
Christingle is an orange which has a red ribbon around it.
Also mounted in the orange are four cocktail sticks, each
carrying some sweets. The orange represents the world,
and the sweets remind us of all the good gifts that God
has given us in Creation. We enjoy these gifts
every day of our lives. Think
of all things that you enjoy in this beautiful world of
ours – God has given these things to us because He
loves us. On top
of the Christingle there is a candle. This stands
for Jesus, the Light of the World. God
sent him into the world to light our way back to God. So
– we have the world, the gifts of creation, and the
light of Christ to show us the truth. But
there is one more thing to notice about the Christingle
– the red ribbon. It
stands for the blood of Christ. He came into the
world not just to visit us, but for a purpose: to
die in order to take the pain and the sin of the world
upon himself. This
means that when you do something wrong to someone, and
you feel bad about it, you can go to God and know that
you are forgiven. So
– the orange, the sweets, the candle and the red
ribbon. A Christingle to remind us of that Jesus
did in coming to earth over 2000 years ago. Support
the Christingle! – Actress Judi Dench asks for your
help Dear
Editor Following
our glorious summer, I realise it is difficult to think
about the festive season now, but all too soon it will be
here! So, I am asking readers of your church magazine to
join me in planning a Christingle celebration. Every year
thousands of people mark the beginning of the Christmas
season with a Christingle celebration in aid of The
Children's Society. Christingle
services are held to celebrate the Light of the World
while making a real difference for those less fortunate
than us. They are easy to organise and really capture the
essence and spirit Christ's love. By
supporting The Children's Society you will be helping
child runaways who experience loneliness and suffering
with nowhere to turn. I recently learnt that over 100,000
children run away from home annually. For these children,
there is no celebration at this time but with your help,
we can bring them hope. I do
hope you consider taking part in a Christingle service
allowing us to share our faith with our children, young
people and neighbours during the Christmas season. With
all good wishes Dame
Judi Dench Signs
& Symbols : Sundials 1 Sundials
are thought to have been used to mark the passage of time
from the very earliest man. As
early as 3500 B.C. the Egyptians began building slender,
tapering, four-sided obelisks which served as timepieces.
The moving shadow of the obelisk formed a type of
sundial, and markers arranged about the base separated
the day into divisions as well as indicating the longest
and shortest days of the year. Have
you ever noticed on a sundial that the shadow thrown by
the stick, its proper name is a gnomon, only goes half-way
round the circle, unlike the hands on a proper clock? As
the sun only moves from east to west its shadow can only
move in that one direction also, which will be therefore
only be 180 degrees. (Whoops! - we’ve just
gone back a few hundred years to when we thought the sun
moved round the earth. Of course it doesn’t
really, it just appears like that.) The shadow will
always move clockwise – which is where we get that
expression from. Before
mechanical clocks began to be commonly used in the
fifteenth century many churches had a sundial on the wall
to show when the ‘Mass’ would take place.
They were constructed differently and vary in form, size,
detail and position in the many ways. But they all
have a central hole in which the gnomon or style was
fixed and from which lines, if any radiate. One
line is usually marked better than the others – the
usual hour of the mass in that church. In
Medieval days the walls of churches were coated with a
form of cement and lime washed both inside and out.
Mass or Scratch dials were then painted in the scratched
lines near the main door or the priest door at about four
to five feet above the ground. Since
then many churches have had parts rebuilt or porches
added, so the mass dial can end up almost anywhere inside
the building, even on a north wall. This
month See if
you can find a church with a Mass Dial. See how the
Mass has the most important mark. If you could put
another mark on it, what time of day would it be and why? ‘The
Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles’ - No. 11:
Many
churches today have found positive opportunities for
mission among refugees and asylum seekers. The church in God
uses individuals: The Corinthian church was started
by one man’s vision and obedience to share the
gospel, despite previous discouragements. Remember, one
person plus God always constitutes a majority! How do we
identify those with a passion to spread the gospel in our
churches? God
uses community: Paul sought out the fellowship of
Aquila and Priscilla, as they were all leatherworkers.
They worked together and shared a house, while Paul spoke
in the Jewish synagogue. How should we be using our homes
and workplaces as places to share the good news? God
uses circumstances: When the Jews opposed his preaching,
Paul simply went next door to work among the Gentiles! It
was a fruitful move, as many responded including the head
of the synagogue and his household. For us, what
unexpected difficulties have become gospel opportunities? God
uses encouragement: In a growing church
encouragement is essential! Silas and Timothy were able
to encourage Paul to keep going by their words, as well
as the practical support that enabled him to preach full-time.
How can we help others to give their time and money in
God’s service? God also spoke words of encouragement
to Paul about his work in Corinth; allow these same words
to encourage you to keep going in your own situation. ‘Do
not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I
am with you, and no-one is going to harm you, because I
have many people in this city’ (9, 10). Radio
- talking people’s language Why is
radio such an effective means of spreading the Gospel?
Anthea McNeil of FEBA Radio explains: A man
in southern Sudan was going to visit a friend when he
“suddenly heard the radio talking in Dinka”.
He was so excited at discovering the radio could ‘talk’
in his own language that he rushed to sell a cow and buy
a radio. When
was the last time you were excited because your radio
“talks in English”? Probably never.
We take it for granted - as we do with all the means of
communication available to us. Now
contrast our attitude to radio with that of so many Feba
listeners. Way out of reach of other forms of
communication, they see radio as a prized possession
– a link with the wider world. Radio
is a good medium for talking to one person and many
individuals at the same time. This one-to-one
intimacy, broadcaster to listener, means people respond
– and can therefore be counselled – personally.
Radio’s value is also in overcoming geographical,
religious and other barriers. Reaching
un-reached people and getting the message into
inaccessible places are among many common reasons for
using ‘missionary’ radio. In the Middle
East, for example, except for a few countries
– people do not have access to churches, Bibles or
missionaries. In such a 'closed' region, radio can
share the Gospel in a non-threatening, secure, and
personal way. People listen ‘in families and
larger groups’. A listener in Yemen confirmed
that about 250 people from his tribe listen to Feba’s
programmes. Then
there is the vast need of people in the world’s
cities, where millions live untouched by the Gospel.
Here the high impact of community radio, with its
emphasis on public access and listener involvement, is a
tremendous vehicle for Christian outreach. FEBA
is already involved in community-based ministry in India
and southern Africa, and through Feba Kenya’s
station, Baraka FM, and our involvement with Power FM in
Uganda. Through
radio, Feba can reach millions of lost people, whether
they live in cities or remote villages. This
listener in the Middle East thinks it’s doing a good
job: “I want to express my appreciation for the
wonderful programmes which make the Arabic listeners
satisfied and not want to listen to other stations, or
even watch TV or Satellite.” For
more details, please contact: Feba, Ivy Arch Road,
Worthing, BN14 8BX; or visit www.feba.org.uk A
chance to talk to Christian men… about what
interests you If any
Christian men out there find that their local church is a
trifle feminine for them, they might find it useful to
visit a new website set up especially for men. It
is www.geezersforjesus.co.uk , and it aims to give men a
chance to express their masculine interests in a
Christian context. Geezers
for Jesus was set up by a Northampton Baptist minister,
and is an internet-based discussion board to which men
can contribute their thoughts on issues like fatherhood,
work and football. “We wanted to find a way of
helping men talk with other Christian men,” says the
minister. Some churches have far more women in them
than they do men.” |