#501 Carry on carolling
It’s been another busy week of carolling: Emmbrook School, St Cecilia’s, two residential homes, the crib service and a hospital. I’ve been warming up my voice: I’m sure the church choir will feel I do a good job of the top notes in the descants at the Carol Service.
My favourite thing about this time of year is seeing all the people who come to our church and are so excited to be here. My second favourite is clearing up the crumbs after they leave.
Fr Sam writes
I am still feeling very green in my role here in Wokingham. I don’t always know what is about to happen. This came to my mind this morning, when I was sitting on the chancel step in St Paul’s with a crib scene and small children. Not much of what I planned happened, but it was beautiful and glorious anyway.
I imagine Mary and Joseph may have felt the same, all those years ago.
This Sunday: Christmas calls us
The Fourth Sunday of Advent is the moment when Advent turns to look intensely at the coming Christmas festival.
This year the Church focuses on St Matthew’s Gospel, and so our gospel reading is the story of St Joseph’s dream, where he is told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. We also get the foreshadowing of this moment from the prophecy of Isaiah: “Behold, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”
Image: ‘Annunciation’ by Juan de Flandes
Services this Sunday
| 8am | St Paul’s | BCP Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| 9.30am | St Paul’s | Parish Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| Anthem: Zion hears the watchmen’s voices (from Cantata 140) – J. S. Bach Voluntary: Fugue in C minor (BWV 549ii) – J. S Bach | |||
| 10am | Woosehill Church | Morning Worship | Revd Cara Smart |
| 11am | St Nicholas’s | Community Eucharist | Revd Judi Hattaway |
| 6.15pm | St Paul’s | Nine Lessons & Carols | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
Nine Lessons and Carols
Our carol service at 6.15pm on Sunday 21 December. Do come to it and invite friends and family. It is a beautiful and traditional celebration of the birth and Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Putting Christingles together
We will be making (many!) Christingles in the Parish Rooms from 9.30am on Christmas Eve. All welcome – coffee, biscuits and mince pies to help us along. Look forward to seeing you.
Christmas message from Soulscape
Soulscape is one of our parish charities. They have sent out this video to let us know about what the charity does in our local schools.
Happy Christmas from Revd Jane Kraft
Mother Jane sends her love and prayers for a blessed Christmas and all good wishes for 2026.
Image: ‘On the Eve of the Birth of Christ’ by Michael Rieser
Christmas at HMP Huntercombe
I’ve just come home from my first Carol Service of 2025 which was a great experience and I thought I’d like to share it. Teri Austen and I went to the service at HMP Huntercombe: the Mothers’ Union gave the prisoners Christmas cards to send home.
HMP Huntercombe is a prison for adults waiting to be deported and has people from 80 countries. Readings were done in different languages, with the English version on a screen as well, so we listened to Fijian, Romanian, Spanish and Pidgin. The music was from mixed cultures, including tradiitional carols from Polish and Romanian choirs, Gospel singing and a specially written rap sung by two men. When we all came together to say the Lord’s Prayer in our own language it was really moving. The clapping after each item gave encouragement and support.
The Managing Chaplain, Revd Tina Molyneux, gave a short message and said “We are united and beautiful in our diversity” which seemed very apt for the occasion. A congregation full of Christians with different traditions brought together to celebrate the birth of Christ.
A wonderful start to Christmas.
Jean Vaughan
This week’s calendar: holding our breath
It is easy to forget Christmas Eve in church. We are so busy with Christingles and carols and midnight masses that we can forget this last moment as the world holds its breath before the birth of the Christ-Child…
Almighty God, you make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as we joyfully receive him as our redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
