During the praise time on Sunday, Dot sang 'No Room for a Saviour' and Bertha introduced her favourite carol, 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.' She drew attention to the third verse:
'Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.'
The greetings of angels at the first Christmas always started with "do not be afraid." In the second part of his 'Christwas' series, Pastor Peter pointed out that an ancient ancestor of Jesus, Abraham, was also told "Do not be afraid. I am your shield and reward."
This was even after he had been successful in battle, received a unique blessing from Melchizedek and become the owner of much wealth. God knew that Abraham was afraid because he had no son and heir, so he reinforced his promise - a promise that foretold that Abraham would have countless descendents, and that through one particular descendent, all nations would be blessed.
Sure enough, the angels announced that Jesus' birth was good news for all mankind.
So Abraham celebrated a kind of Christmas when he believed in the promise of the coming Saviour, and the Bible says that he was considered righteous because of this belief. That righteousness is still available today for those who believe in the Christ.
This Sunday, the fellowship and friends are sharing a Christmas lunch at Carringtons Restaurant. This will be followed by a carol service in the restaurant. For further details, please telephone 01646 681805 or visit http://www.hesed.co.uk">www.hesed.co.uk