The day following Christmas Day is known in the Church as St Stephen’s Day (not the more secular Boxing Day). Mass will be later (at 11.00) and as many of our servers are asked to come to Mass to renew their dedication to the St Stephen’s Altar Serving Guild.

On Christmas Eve (Wednesday) there will be a special short service for our younger parishioners (0 > 8 years) in which we will sing three children’s carols as we talk about and prepare the Crib for our Christmas Season. This is not a Mass but is perhaps a chance to ‘calm things down’ before tea time.

Next Sunday (21st) we will be celebrating our annual Carol Service in the church at 18.00 where we will have the opportunity to join together singing our most loved seasonal carols. Afterwards there will be a Parish Social in the Parish Centre serving mulled wine and mince pies.

Would ALL our regular Servers, Readers, and Welcomers please make a point of looking at the Christmas Ministries Rota at the rear of the church. As well as the Masses over Christmas there are other readers needed for our Parish Carol Service and the traditional Readings and Carols before Midnight Mass. Hopefully the slots will all be filled in by the Parish Carol Service this weekend. Thank you.

CATHOLIC RESPONSES TO WAR AND PEACE - Five Tuesdays from 13th January, 12.00 - 13.00, online (Cost: £60). An exploration of the history and development the of Catholic ‘Just War’ theory with Dr Aidan Cottrell-Boyce, starting in late antiquity and tracing the story of the Catholic response to war and peace up to the present day.  www.londonjesuitcentre.org to book. CATHOLIC UNION PUB TALK : ‘Reflections on a First Year in Parliament’ - 19 th January, 18.00, London, SW1V 1AU. Sojan Joseph MP will talk about his reflections on his first year in Parliament, drawing on his background working in the NHS in mental health for 22 years and inclusion in the community.  www.catholicunion.org.uk/eventscalendar/ to book. MAKING CHOICES WITH ST IGNATIUS - 31st January, 10.00 - 16.00, The House of Prayer, Molesey, KT8 0PB (Cost: £35). Ignatius offers wisdom to help us make choices: both the big decisions about what kind of life we lead, and the smaller ones of how we live out our day. The day will offer input on praying about our choices.  www.christian-retreat.org for details/booking MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING - 7th February, 10.00 - 15.00, St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley, RH10 6RP (£40). The number of people experiencing poor mental health is rising. This course will help attendees understand the impact and reality of poor mental health, enabling them to identify the early signs and symptoms and signpost people effectively.  www.abdiocese.org.uk/diocese/events to book your place.

We know very little about Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. From these few verses, we see a picture of a sensitive man of great integrity who was willing to change direction in trust when given guidance from God. Just as Mary was asked to take a tremendous leap of faith in saying yes to bearing Jesus, Joseph also was asked to trust in a situation that didn’t make rational sense. According to Jewish tradition, Mary and Joseph were legally married although they were still in their “engagement period.” We can imagine his great inner turmoil upon discovering Mary was pregnant but not through him. It would have been a great shame to Joseph, personally and culturally. Legally, he was permitted to have her stoned to death, but he chose the more compassionate route, deciding to divorce her quietly rather than have her publicly humiliated and killed. That way, she would be able to return to the protection of her family to raise the child.  A dream changed everything. Without any guarantees that what he dreamed was real or trustworthy, Joseph woke up and followed the angel’s instructions. Then three other times in Jesus’ early life Joseph did what he was commanded in a dream, taking Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod and settling in the town of Nazareth to raise him. In doing so, he saved Jesus’ life. It took both him and Mary working together and being open to unimagined directions to bring Jesus safely to adulthood. Questions of the week  Share a story of a parent you know having the courage to do something that seemed crazy, counter-cultural, or just plain different, but proved to be for the best of his/her child.  Have you had any experiences of receiving directions or guidance from God that made you change course and do something different than what you had planned? How did you know to trust it?

St Stephen was a man filled with grace and power, working great wonders among the people. Certain Jews persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and placed in front of the Sanhedrin. In his speech, Stephen recalled God’s guidance over Israel’s history, as well as Israel’s idolatry and disobedience.  His words brought anger from the crowd. “But filled with the holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, saying, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ …‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’”

Please be sure to put these dates into your diary now!

24th January, 11.00-16.00 at St Michael’s Church, Worthing, BN13 3AL. Led by Bishop Richard and Catherine Christmas (diocesan Liturgy & Music Adviser) this day will include talks on the Scriptures, the Lectionary and its use in the Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Word, and preparing to minister as a reader. Register your free place: https://abdiocese.churchsuite.com/events/