At Morning Worship on 4 January 2026, when our readings had been Ephesians 1:3–14 and John 1:10–18, Rev’d Keith Pearce finished his sermon with this thought:
“It struck me that by Christmas Day we’ve already passed the winter solstice, the days are already getting longer, the Light has come, a new year has dawned. I thought, ‘Are we looking at things the wrong way, focusing on the ending, rather than the beginning?’
“Several of us here are nearer the ending of our lives than the beginning. But I think that question has relevance for us all. Frustrated as we might be by the things we once did but can do no longer(!), and anxious as we might be by the news and the way international relations are going, and sad as we might be about the closure of churches we’ve known and loved, might it be that by focussing on endings, we miss the beginnings?
“Our grandchildren, I believe, are much better equipped to face the challenges of the coming years than we are. And recent statistics have shown renewed interest in Christian faith and the Bible, especially among Generation Z. Might we be seeing the beginning of a new response to God’s amazing grace?
“So I pray that God in his providence and grace may help us all, as we get older still through the course of this year, to be aware of his presence, to glimpse his glory, to receive his amazing grace, and to focus on the new beginnings happening all around us. Amen.”
To find out what Keith had to say about grace, glory, presence, read his whole sermon, available at this link.
“Eleven pipers piping”
Keith’s talk to our young people on the Eleventh Day of Christmas included a reference to a well-known song, which he linked to a period when Catholics were persecuted by law, and many English and Welsh manor houses sported ‘priest holes’, hiding-places for a priest.
Although the song was not published until two centuries later, one story behind The 12 Days of Christmas is that the words which make little sense contain hidden references, and suggests that in days of persecution the song was used to teach Catholic children about the Church.
The references make interesting devotional reading, which you can explore further at this link.
Our picture of adult hands helping a baby to walk was taken by Jessie Maxwell and made available on Unsplash
