Feast of Christ the King – 21st November 2021

This week’s Worship

Feast of Christ the King 21^st November (3^rd Sun.)
            9:15 am      Holy Communion, Croston

11:00 am       Holy Communion, Bretherton
11:00 am       Holy Communion, Mawdesley
****4:00 pm     Ecumenical Worship at Trinity Methodist Croston       ******

Wednesday 10 am   Holy Communion Croston
Friday 9am             Morning Prayer at Mawdesley

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
The Christian year of worship draws to a close with the feast of Christ the King which is a great bridge from the end of one year to the start of the next with the season of Advent when we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus at Christmas.  So next week we enter into a more reflective time of watching and waiting before the razzmatazz of Christmas itself.  So this week we reflect on Jesus and what it means to think of him as ‘king.’
When many people think of the Kingship of Jesus they imagine a kind of worldly power and authority, and this is reflected in the language of some of our hymns and prayers but of course the kingship of Jesus is different as Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world.  It is so different that we choose to proclaim Jesus as King by using a passage from the Bible which is probably one of the most humiliating passages available, Jesus is arrested and will be beaten and killed.
The reality is that this clearly shows the type of King Jesus is, he is the exact opposite of what we normally think of when we imagine kings.   When we think of the majesty of Jesus, we do that in the light of the humiliation and apparent failure cross, which reminds us that Jesus turns human values upside down.  The first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are his proclamation that, ‘The time has come….The Kingdom of God has come near.’ 
As we look to the cross we see Jesus for who he really is, he lived a life of different values which challenged the system, he exposed and challenged the leaders, and their corruption.   All this put him on a collision course which meant that the cross was inevitable.   Jesus did everything in his power to show that God loved the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable.
Jesus calls us to join him and work to extend his justice and peace in our world today and as we share in this work we become a part of his new kind of kingdom.   So we too must seek to show the values which marked out the Kingship and kingdom of Jesus, compassion, justice, truth, sacrifice and all that is bound up in love.   So through our practical support of the food banks the hungry and vulnerable are supported.  But we need to do more the homeless need places they need care and support whilst out on the streets, thank God for the work of the Street Pastors and other support groups.  There are so many more practical things that need to be done this list could go on and on ………. If Jesus were walking our streets and country lanes today we know that these are the sorts of things that he would care about. When we cast our gaze upon Jesus on that Cross, we see a king who gave his all for you and for me, we see forgiveness, we see the ultimate act of Love.  We are all called to take up our own cross and follow him.  No one can doubt that Jesus is a different kind of King.

With love & prayers.         Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548, email: revmwoods@gmail.com

Next Sunday – Advent Sunday 28^th November (4^th Sun.)
            9:15 am      Holy Communion, Croston
9:30 am      Family Worship, Mawdesley
10:45 am      Holy Communion, Bretherton

Covid Guidance in church – please do remember:

• Do not come to church if you are feeling unwell or have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms in the past seven days
• Be mindful of those who may be less confident, especially those choosing to wear a mask
• Don’t forget Hands, Face Space guidance

Facebook & YouTube Online Worship
An Act of Worship from Blackburn Cathedral will be available every Sunday from 9am.  You can view this on the Cathedral YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4GsctW6SLc or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BlackburnCathedral
This week’s Church of England worship for the Feast of Christ the King  comes from St Margaret of Antioch, Lee in Blackheath, London You can watch the service from 9am Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/thechurchofengland

Thank you for your support of the Food Bank
As the daylight hours get shorter and the nights colder and Christmas approaches and financial pressures increase more families are beginning to struggle and your donations are so important.  At this time oy year Christmas goodies would be welcomed, especially children’s chocs. Donations can be left at all our churches.

Croston Coffee Day Committee Annual General Meeting.
Will be held at Trinity Methodist on Tuesday, 23^rd November 7.30 pm we are looking for new volunteers to join us as we plan for 2022.

New Prayer initiative
On Tuesday 23^rd November at 11am, a group of us hope to meet at Louise’s home [5, Tarnbeck Drive, Mawdesley].  This is to explore and plan together how we might pray for, and speak blessings on, one another, and our local community.  It is an open meeting; if you’re interested in praying with us, please come!” 

Bretherton Congregational Church Christmas Fayre
Saturday 27^th November 11am-2pm.
The usual hot lunches, raffle, tombola and WI craft stall.

Bretherton School Christmas Fayre – Thurs. 2 Dec. 15:15-18:00
The usual fun – please do support our village school.

Croston Christmas tree Festival Nov. 27th and 28th. 1 till 4pm.

Croston Christmas Fair Sunday 5^th December from 12 noon
*Note Road Closure from 12 noon to 5:30 pm* Markets in 4 Venues, 1.30pm to 4pm Santa in his grotto, lights switch on at 5 pm followed by Candlelit procession to Church for Carols with Eccleston Brass Band.
Vintage Tractor and Trailer rides from Bishop Rawstorne car park.
Car parking available at Bishop Rawstorne School will close at 7pm.

Could you make a donation to support Church?
All our churches rely upon the generous donations of our parishioners to provide the financial support that both maintain our buildings and provide care and support to all those in the local community.  Although some use standing orders or other methods of online giving, many donors use cash, either on the plate or in weekly planned giving envelopes.

Any donations you could make will be greatly received and one off donations or regular giving can be made by using ‘Online banking’ facilities, the bank details you will require to do this for each church are:

Bretherton – St. John the Baptist
St. Johns Bretherton PCC Account,
No: 10031333, Sort code: 16 17 41

Croston – St. Michael & All Angels
St. Michaels PCC Account,
No. 11215462, Sort Code 16-17-41

Also if you have no facility to transfer funds electronically, envelopes can be dropped off with our Treasurer Derek Alty,
12 Lostock Road, Croston.

Mawdesley w Bispham St. Peter
Mawdesley PCC Account,
No 87032805, Sort code 60 24 02.

If you decide to make a donation electronically you may be given the opportunity to set up a standing order, which greatly help support our regular income.