Our mission at St Oswald’s is to be a place of peace, love and joy for anyone who wishes to join us on our journey of discovering what it means to be loved by God and to love Him and our neighbour as ourselves.
A note from our Priest-in-Charge, the Rev Jim Geen:
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancour,
Come the way of friendship.
– ‘Amazing Peace’, Maya Angelou
As I write this we have been made aware of the terrible deaths and injuries suffered by those at prayer in Egypt. There seems to have been so many catastrophes, both natural disasters and through human conflict, over the last year that it is hard to contemplate how peace can ever become a reality.
Advent is a time when we prepare for the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace, through prayer and fasting. Finding peace within ourselves brings a contentment and a deep compassion for all created things which is the foundation for world peace.
Christmas itself is a time of celebrating the joy and peace that Christ brings to the world; a time of worship, a time to be with family and friends, of giving and receiving. It is a time when, for a short period, we are able to forget the pressures of life and put aside our anger and hurt. Perhaps this Advent we could ask ourselves how we manage to do that and why we can’t make it last longer.
Peace is not an impossibility. It exists, and we experience it, if only for a short time. Peace begins with you and me, and as followers of Christ it is our happy duty to seek a way for it to continue in our lives past the Christmas season, and to share that peace with everyone we meet.
Our mission at St Oswald’s is to be a place of peace, love and joy for anyone who wishes to join us on our journey of discovering what it means to be loved by God and to love Him and our neighbour as ourselves.
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud,
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.
– ‘Amazing Peace’, Maya Angelou
May the Christ child fill your hearts with His love, joy and peace,
