Celebrations of the Word

Advent 4

A Miracle in town!

This week, we saw the ‘Miracle of Stanley Road’ made its annual appearance. Twice! The combined ranks of SJV pulled together in spectacular fashion to bring us the Christmas 2024 performance of ‘A Miracle in Town’ – the familiar story of the coming of Jesus was never told more beautifully than by our wonderful children.

Well done to the Shepherds, the Kings, the Angels, the Sheep the Actors, the incredible choir and…an imposing Roman Emperor! All of you did yourselves proud and made us all very happy and full of Christmas cheer!

advent 2024 - 1: hope

The first week of Advent focuses on hope, symbolised by lighting the Hope candle. It reminds us of the promises God made to send a Savior and fills us with trust in His faithfulness. As we prepare for Christmas, the Hope candle encourages us to look forward with expectation and joy to the coming of Jesus.

advent 2024 - 2: peace

The second week of Advent focuses on peace, symbolised by the lighting of the Peace candle. It reminds us to prepare our hearts for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who brings calm and harmony to the world. During this week, we are called to be peacemakers in our lives, sharing kindness and understanding with others.

advent 2024 - 3: Joy

In this Sunday’s Gospel, John the Baptist prepares the people for the coming of Jesus. He tells them to share with others and to show mercy to put people (not money or power) first; to feel for those who suffer and to do something to help.

sacrifice and hope

This November, we looked at scripture that helped us refelct on Armistice Day. Pausing to give thanks to those that sacrificed so much for our freedoms, the children explored the all-important value of empathy and dedicated their prayers and mission to a more peaceful future.

The meaning of 'greatness'

We reflected on the meaning of ;Greatness' this week. It is a much-used term and often not fully deserved! Jesus teaches us that 'greatness' is not about leading by telling everyone around you what to do...it is about 'serving' others. Putting their needs before your own. We do 'great' things every day and our mission this week is to consciously do 'great' things until it becomes habit. Then we will be great people, leading with a greatnesss that serves those that we encounter.

harvest and the importance of sharing

At this time of the year, we ask our children to reflect on the basics in life that they may take for granted. Food is a key 'right' for every family and child, but for so many in our community, sadly, having enough to eat is a both a worry and a challenge. Our church's Food Bank, while a wonderful thing to run and support, is an unfortunate necessity. We dedicated our Harvest collection this year in support, and we listened to the Gospel where Jesus miraculously fed 5000 people during his ministry.