On Sunday, at St Johns Church, Tenby, Anne M. welcomed everybody and the visitors, then introduced our minister, Rev. Chris Tolley.

Chris said that the first Sunday after Christmas is always called 'Holy Innocents' when we remember the killing of the boys that Herod ordered, after the birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph had been warned by an angel and fled to Egypt until King Herod died.

"Who had a digital camera for Christmas?" Chris asked next, but no-one had! Chris went on to talk about how important the battery was in a camera, and the different types available which he said were just like church-goers. Some were like batteries that just stopped, and stopped coming to church; some were like batteries that slowly ran out; and gradually didn't come to church; some were like batteries that drained away - and didn't come to church often enough to recharge. Others were like batteries that could hold their charge, and were the people who made the church work.

Suzanne read from 1 Corinthians 1 v26-29 and Matthew 2 v 13-18.

Chris spoke about the school in Pakistan where, recently, armed men killed the children. The men said they were retaliating. Schools to them are a soft touch, not patrolled by armed guards.

Remember, said Chris, the girls that had been taken from their school, and 10 years ago children and parents that were killed. On Christmas Day someone tried to burn a mosque in Sweden. But children, said Chris, in both Islam and Christian religions, were precious, and were taught how to worship, to love and keep in with their God. The school killings were a violation of Islam; the same as it would be in the Christian world.

Herod ordered the death of all little boys in Bethlehem as he didn't want anyone to question his authority.

"The story of Christmas is not a fairy story," said Chris. "It's grounded in reality."

God entered the world in the form of Jesus to save its people from doing evil against each other. Evil, then, didn't have the last word, so evil today won't either. God will prevail ultimately... the story of the baby is good news for all of us.

Notices: The January Newsletter is now available at the church. Sunday, January 4, the 11 am worship will include Communion and the Covenant Service, and will be taken by Rev. Chris Tolley. The weekly Wednesday coffee mornings start again, 10 am - 12 noon, on January 7. On January 5, the Christmas trees will be dismantled.