Our Minister
Our minister is Reverend Deborah Kirk.
Deborah's contact details are:
Office Tel.: (01823) 275765,
Home Tel.: (01823) 334854
Email: deborah.m.kirk@googlemail.com
December 2024 Circuit Link Letter
from Rev Deborah Kirk, Superintendent Minister
Advent Waiting….
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9 : 2
I love this verse – it is so full of promise and hope.
It was the inspiration behind this paper banner which I made some time ago. It depicts shadowy, heavily laden figures climbing in a long, slow procession. On the journey they meet others who have news to tell them, and who seem to know the way to go.
So, encouraging each other, they gradually make their way towards the ‘great light’ which draws them on until, in its brilliance, their burdens drop away, the shadows are dispersed, and their heaviness of spirit is replaced by dancing and rejoicing.
The dual meaning of Advent calls us each year to prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, but also to prepare for God’s future fulfilment for the world that God loves – for the coming of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But of course, God’s Kingdom on earth is not only a future hope; it is glimpsed as a present reality often, and in many places, as God’s people work and serve in God’s world.
It may seem that ‘hope’ is in short supply in these difficult days. There is much that can make us afraid, both in our personal lives and in the national and international context.
Hilary of Poitiers once asked the question 'Christian, where is your hope?' Our answer is clear: manger, cross, tomb, bread and wine remind us that Christ Jesus is our hope, and that in him we have deep wells upon which to draw, as we live and celebrate his story. Someone put it like this: Whatever our vocation, we stand, beckoning and calling, singing and shouting, planted at the Gates of Hope... on the sacred ground of our churches, offices, factories, hospitals, fields, streets and communities. Our world needs us to be Heralds of Hope for those who walk in darkness. This will require a good deal of effort and energy; it will require steadfastness and courage, a commitment to build one another up in love, and a willingness to work out how we can articulate that hope for those who have lost sight of it. Can we do it? Or at least commit to practising it during this season of Advent? In this annual ‘preparation space’?
For many of us, who can sometimes be too busy and who think we have so much to do, Christmas seems to rush in and be here before we are ready. But for children the day seems so long in coming. ‘When will Christmas come?’ they ask as they count the dark days of December.
Christmas comes when Christ is born in our hearts and lives, and we suddenly see for ourselves that great light that shines in the darkness and disperses the shadows and gloom.
God of hope, be the love that dwells between us.
God of hope, be the peace that dwells between us.
God of hope, be the joy that dwells between us.
God of hope, be the foundation of our lives.
May you know God’s wonderful gift of joy and hope through the days of Advent and Christmas.
Peace for the journey
Deborah
Circuit Link November 2024 - Letter from Rev Annie Deche ‘A Journey of Remembrance’
When we arrived at Belfast International Airport on July 12, 2018, everyone was waiting for us but wondered why we chose this day. We were not aware of the parades, bonfires, and other festivities. Leaving the town was a nightmare. On arrival at Newry, we met with parades and it was almost like a big ‘welcome party’ - only that it did not include our arrival into the new appointment I had received.
This would now be our annual birthday celebration for the three years we lived in Northern Ireland. Then came the Remembrance, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the phrase that caught my mind, and heart was ‘we will remember them’, honouring those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life. This ceremony has continued to unite people across faiths, cultures, and backgrounds to remember the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community and the Commonwealth.
Then came the Last Post, and the respect it brings and more to this is ‘fallen, but not forgotten’, ‘Lest we Forget’… I would want to appreciate the Service of All Souls that are held in our Circuit here when we remember our loved ones, give respect to the lives we have shared through the years, and ask God to remind us that they are ‘gone from our sight, but not from our hearts’ and forever we will remember them and forever we will love them. Their legacy of kindness endures.
Finally, I got to see the poppies and wondered what they all were for! Wearing a poppy is a show of support for the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces, Veterans, and their families. I was taken to join in the marching and laid my Wreath, paid respect and this reminded me of a long time ago when my father served in the Mau-mau camps after the World War. And today I respect and uphold those gone before us, who gave their all to make us who we are today. We will remember them, lest we forget! When and if you can wear your poppy know you have a symbol of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future!
Psalm 73: 26 says ‘My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever’. ‘Humans, not places, make memories.’
Annie
