Stainglass window
Christmas 2011
3rd Dec Advent Party
12th Dec @ 2pm
Carol Service at Oak tree Court
16th Dec @ 2.30pm
Carol Service at Stratford Court
17th Dec @11am
Carol Singing outside Co-Op
18th Dec Nativity and Christingle Service and Carol Service
24th Dec @ 11pm (Service starts at 11.30pm
United Service at URC Etwall Rd
25th Dec @10am
Christmas Day Service
‘Jesus Defeated’
Dear Friends,
Among the most frightening wars that this country ever had to fight were the
Napoleonic Wars. As a country, we
felt we were not only fighting a political enemy, but a social enemy as well.
If Napoleon won, then the mob rule and violence of the French Revolution
would quickly spread to this small island.
Everything rested on the Duke of Wellington as he set sail with his army
to confront Napoleon; therefore the whole of England waited poised for news of
victory or defeat.
Without modern means of communication, news would arrive
many days after the actual battle had taken place, and the result would be
brought to this country by an already established system of signal ships and
lookout towers. One of the main
lookout points on this side of the English Channel was the roof of Winchester
Cathedral; from the top, the Channel could be seen; below a horseman waited to
carry the news to London. Some time
after June 18th 1815, the signal ship came into view.
A severe fog almost prevented the signal from being seen, but before the
mist finally came down, the essentials of the message were received.
They were, ‘Wellington defeated …..‘There it was.
The worst had happened. And
the depressing news began to be spread across this tiny Kingdom.
However, when the fog lifted the next day, the true message was
discovered to be not ‘Wellington defeated’ , but ‘Wellington defeated the
French’.
That true story, told in Ian Barclay’s book ‘The Facts
of the Matter’ has striking similarities with the events of the first Easter.
The message received on the first Good Friday certainly appeared to be,
‘Jesus defeated’. And that was the depressing news that began to filter out
from Jerusalem to such places as Emmaus. But
when the mists of the weekend had cleared, the real message was seen to be just
the reverse: ‘Jesus defeated the grave’.
Those four words are at the centre of the Easter message. That is the good news which we proclaim. May each one of us rediscover that for ourselves this Eastertime:
Yours be the glory|
Risen, conquering Son:
Endless is the victory
Over death You won.
A very happy Easter to you all.
Your friend and pastor
Jonathan Calvert