NPBC DIARY LIFE@NP BAPTIST CHURCH WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY 20th DECEMBER 2020 SUNDAY 20th DECEMBER 2020 SUNDAY 9.30am Kids On-Line Special - Follow the link on the website under What’s On>Events AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS 9.45 -10.15am Zoom Prayer Space hosted by Grace and Barry Inwood Everything about the Christmas story was unexpected. From the people Details in the Church calendar on the website under involved to the circumstances. The story of coming to earth is amazing What’s On>Events and completely different to what anyone could have ever imagined. Whilst the difficulties forced on us by the coronavirus pandemic have resulted 10.30am Church Online Sunday Service with Steve Wood in a very unexpected Christmas, join us at NPBC as we celebrate Christmas 5.00pm Online Carol Service 6.00pm Online Carol Service ‘after party’ together, and welcome Jesus who specialises in the unexpected.

THIS WEEK THURSDAY 10.30am Church Online led by Paul Chinkwende with Steve Wood speaking 7.30pm Thursday30 - follow the website link under What’s on “Unexpected Visitors” from Luke 2:1-20 On>Events How do you react when you have unexpected visitors knock on your door? It probably depends on who the visitors are and the reason for their visit. Why CHRISTMAS DAY in the world then, did God choose the Shepherds to be the first visitors to welcome the saviour of the world? There must have been better folk who 10.30am Christmas Day Zoom Gathering details on the website could have visited.

SUNDAY 5.00pm Online Carol Service 30 minutes of beautifully crafted traditional Christmas Carols, readings and a short message 9.45am Kids On-Line - Follow the link on the website under What’s On>Events 6.00pm Online Carol Service ‘after party’ - more music, singing and 9.45 -10.15am Zoom Prayer Space hosted by Grace and Barry Inwood Christmas celebrations with the whole church invited to participate Details in the Church calendar on the website under What’s On>Events CHRISTMAS DAY 10.30am Church Online Sunday Service with Paul Chinkwende 10.30am Christmas Zoom Gathering – fun and celebrations as we think about and Steve Wood Unexpected Travellers from Mattthew 2:1-12

On Christmas morning we’re going to look at the unexpected wise men. Why would the wise men travel so far, at such expense, and over dangerous roads? NEWPORT PAGNELL BAPTIST CHURCH Jesus wasn’t “their” King, was he? And what can we learn from how they Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation – Charity No. 1175783 responded to Jesus when they arrived? Lovat Hall, Silver Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks. MK16 0EJ. www.npbc.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] Tel: Office (01908) 618898 Bookings (01908) 612100

NEXT SUNDAY afresh the flame of your love and light within and through us as we proclaim the angels’ message of great joy for all people, the birth of a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. For we put our trust in you 10.30am Church Online with Steve Wood speaking on “The Unexpected Path” and run with wonder to see afresh the baby in a feeding trough, from Mathew 2:13-15, 19.23 the bread of life on his mother’s breast. So, we pray for those in palaces to be granted generous hearts; for those in cowsheds, that The lives of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus took an unexpected path you would come to their aid; for those on hillsides, bring light into when an angel appeared to them and instructed them to escape to Egypt. their darkness, and for those far from home, that you would be This story is a reminder that God will undoubtedly have unexpected paths for their guide. For all the powerless in the world, may your kingdom each of us during 2021. But we can also know that God sees the big picture come, and that whatever happens, it is all part of his gracious plan for us in Christ. Through Christ, born of Mary and coming King, Amen.

FAMILY NEWS

‘Emmanuel – God is with us’ Matthew 1:23

Give thanks for vaccinations to protect from coronavirus, and continue to pray for all health workers, remembering especially Etive, Nikki, Louise and Mandy.

Pray for all who are finding life a really hard challenge for all sorts of reasons

 with health problems - Bill and Pauline, Grace’s family especially To mark his 70th year, Keith Bedford entered the Marathon Swims virtual Sam, Madison, Rosemary, Kathleen, Shagufta, Marylyn B, Mia; Keith challenge to swim a minimum of 10km during December. Please H, Cicily, Poppy, Geoff Colmer, Tony sponsor Keith’s participation in this challenge using the sponsor form in  grief and loss the Church or by visiting his online giving page at  unemployment, finance concerns, homelessness, anxiety… https://www.give.net/marathonswim10k  isolation, not being able to be with their loved ones Distance covered to date: 9.9km

 all in education, staff and pupils An Prayer by Rev Dr Paul Goodliff, General Secretary of Churches NPBC CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2020 Together in England

Gracious God, in this season of Advent you invite us to wait and This Christmas, we're supporting two great charities and have set wonder again after a year full of wondering and waiting — ourselves an overall target of £2,000, split evenly across the two wondering what this pandemic all means, and what the future charities. holds; waiting for lockdowns to end, to meet friends, to see if Thrive Youth & Children’s Network Uganda - we're teaming up with vaccines work. So much wondering and waiting overshadowed by Julius and Doreen again as they seek to provide food and gifts to anxiety and loss. vulnerable children. And yet this waiting is different in Advent— we wait for your Winter Night Shelter - although their operations are so different in 2020, coming, for the fulfilment of the Kingdom promises in Christ and for they still desperately need our financial support. time to be wrapped in eternity. We wait full of wonder at your Let's be a generous church family and make a difference in Jesus' name grace, love and mercy; we watch and wait for the signs of your this Christmas. coming, overshadowed not by fear but by your sheltering wing. You can donate here: https://www.give.net/NPBCChristmas2020 Kindle afresh your hope in us, as we respond to human need; renew within us your joy, that we might banish despair; and light

[email protected] [email protected] Bethany Times with F4T Song of the week The Fortieth Edition 16th December 2020 Good King Wenceslas Your Wednesday Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the feast of Stephen When the snow lay 'round about, deep and crisp and even Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel Bethany Times When a poor man came in sight, Gathering winter fuel

Hither, page and stand by me, if thou knows it telling With Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling? Sire, he lives a good league hence, Underneath the mountain

Right against the forest fence, By Saint Agnes's fountain Food4Thought

Bring me flesh and bring me wine, Bring me fur logs, hither From Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither Your Friends at Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together Through the rude wind's wild lament, and the bitter weather Newport Pagnell Baptist Church

Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger Happy Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer Birthday Mark my footsteps, good my page, tread thou in them boldly Thou shall find the winter's rage, freeze thy blood less coldly Alan Wearn 100 In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted Heat was in the very sod, which the Saint had printed Today Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing Ye, who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing Stop Press th Words by JM Neale CCLI 4901 --A letter from Alan celebrating his 100 Birthday --Accident with a gun starts extraordinary story in extra-extra!! Alan Wearn chose this song as one of his favourites bringing out --“Christ is the Lord”-Love one another in peace, hope & joy Christmas as the season of generosity love and care for those less KEEP FIT—KEEP SAFE ---KEEP SMILING fortunate than ourselves. I wonder how many times we have sung this over the years! “May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, & the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now & evermore. Amen” NEWPORT PAGNELL BAPTIST CHURCH Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation – Charity No. 1175783 Lovat Hall, Silver Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks. MK16 0EJ. www.npbc.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] Tel: Office (01908) 618898 Bookings (01908) 612100 For prayer or practical needs 07874 372708 (Daytime or evenings)

My Dear Bethany and Food4Thought friends, fun, and fellowship over the years. I miss you, especially those, It is fair to say that I cannot remember very much about Christmas Day including my Kathleen, who have gone before. in 1920. I was 9 days old and assume I spent most of the time asleep, waking up from time to time for nourishment - I suppose it is a bit like As a founder member of Bethany, I salute and thank all the Church afternoons these days!!! friends who have cooked, served, carried, spoken, ministered and entertained us over the years. I think Catherine, Janet, Celia, Brian, I am not sure what Christmas at my new home in Kent’s Hill will be like Marylyn, Richard, Joyce, Alison, and Marion were there at the start - this year with all the Covid restrictions. The staff are very kind and they should now be sitting with us, not serving us. God bless them. caring and do their best but food is not quite up to Bethany standard, st although I look forward to Sunday lunches as it is the Chef’s day off and I ramble on but going back 79 years to my 21 birthday, I have been so his wife cooks for us - usually a lovely roast lunch - I do ask them to grateful for the inscription my father wrote inside the Bible he gave me as a present. It was from the Book of Proverbs 3:5-6 make me a rice pudding like mum’s but no luck so far!!! “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; Looking back over the years, I am reminded of my good fortune in and lean not unto thine own understanding. choosing to study Pitman’s Shorthand during my last summer term at In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” school after exams had finished. This was useful as my sister, Pansy, Not bad advice and I pray He will help us overcome this wretched virus had a friend called Kathleen, from the girls’ group at our “Open so we can, soon, reconvene at Lovat Hall for our usual generous helping Brethren” Church. Kath knew shorthand and after Church, would coach of Bethany Lunch. me in the skills of this new language. In a way, thanks in part to God Bless you all and keep you safe Alan Wearn shorthand, I took Kath’s hand in marriage in July 1942 and clung on Smiles of love, contentment and joy from Alan and his beloved Kathleen tightly for 76 years. Our 3 children, Rosemary, Roger and Tony, have arranged to visit me on my birthday today and I expect they will bring messages from the many grandchildren, great Grandchildren and extended families. I’ve never used shorthand again!

Where have the years gone? Kath and I settled in West Wickham in Kent and attended Coney Hill, Baptist Church for about 20 years before moving up to Newport Pagnell and finding NPBC in Church House in the High St. Kath was always energetic and became involved in “We give thanks for Alan on his 100th Birthday today. May God bless “Women’s Fellowship” but Minister, Paul Rosier, persuaded the group him and his very wide family and may they know happiness and love to evolve into a lunch-group for the “retired” to include men! That was and the joy that being a member of God’s family can bring” Amen over 25 years ago and “Bethany Club” was the result. What with Church and Brooklands (where I was Treasurer), not to mention family, we were kept very busy.

So many friends to remember with Peters, Alans, Ivys, Lucys, Marys, Connies, Alices, et-al, the space allowed me makes it impossible to name you all, but you are in my mind and I thank you all for the love,

Bethany Times with Food4Thought extra-extra The Story Behind “” The gun should never have been left lying around in the first place. Making the carelessness even worse O Holy Night by Placide Cappeau Original words was that it was loaded. With two unsupervised eight- O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, year-old boys messing with it, something catastrophic It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth; was bound to happen. It did. Placide Cappeau, the son Long lay the world in sin and error pining, of winemakers and barrel makers, was suddenly and 'Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. excruciatingly on his way to becoming permanently A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, one-handed. The bullet destroyed his right hand, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn; which had to be amputated. Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born. The handgun incident happened in 1816 in the small town of Roquemaure, O night, O holy night, O night divine. about seven-and-a-half miles north of in the south of France. Jacques Brignon, father of the boy who accidentally shot Placide, was Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming; distraught. In an attempt to make amends, he offered the Cappeau family With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand: financial support for the education of their amputee son. So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here come the wise men from Orient land, Placide was accepted by the College Royal d’Avignon. There, at the age of The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, 17, he won first prize in drawing. Subsequently he studied literature in Nimes, In all our trials born to be our friend; and in 1831 he obtained a law degree in Paris. But he never practiced law. He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger! Instead, he became a wine merchant whose main hobby was writing verse. A Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! competent enough poet, he never achieved widespread literary success or Behold your King! your King! before him bend! fame, though he was known, well enough, locally to get himself elected

Truly He taught us to love one another; mayor of the town. His law is Love and His gospel is Peace; Born and brought up a Catholic, he had drifted away from religion, only Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, rarely attended Mass, and in conversations with people directed a lot of biting And in his name all oppression shall cease, criticism at the Roman Catholic clergy in general. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we; Let all within us praise his Holy name! The parish priest of Roquemare was close to giving up on him, however, as Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we! a last throw of the dice, in 1847, the priest asked Placide to write a poem for His power and glory, evermore proclaim! on , to celebrate the inauguration of a new His power and glory, evermore proclaim! Church Organ. The priest told him to take it to one of France’s famous composers, , for a musical setting . A poem “Minuit Translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight in 1855 CCLI 4901 Chretians”, (Midnight Christians) was born, later to be “O Holy Night”. First the Words - Then The Music Catholic Church Approved, Then Banned, “O Holy Night” The congregation at that Midnight Mass loved the carol, and within a short Cappeau felt both puzzled and flattered, but told the priest he would do his time it won the hearts and approval of people all over France. The Catholic best to come up with something suitable. For reference, he turned to Luke’s Church in France originally endorsed its use in Christmas ceremonies. gospel about the birth of Christ, reasoning that it would give him an authoritative framework on which he might base his poem. What he had done Something strange happened. The church authorities denounced the carol was to imagine what it would have been like to witness the birth of Jesus in because, in the past, Placide Cappeau had denounced the Catholic Church . When he read and re-read what he had written, he felt deeply and had atheistic views, also, Adolphe Adam was found to have Jewish moved by the words. ancestry. The reasons given by the church authorities for banning “O Holy Night” were: “its lack of musical taste” and “total absence of the spirit of Then, on December 3rd of that year, during a long, bumpy and swaying religion.” But the common people disregarded the denunciation. They would journey by coach from Roquemare to Paris, he began the task of putting not let the song die. “O Holy Night” continued to be sung at Christmas words on paper. It was on the section between the cities of Macon and ceremonies all over France. that he did the bulk of the work. By the time the coach trundled into Paris, he had completed it. He gave it the title “Cantique de Noel” (Song of Christmas). A Song That Brought a “Ceasefire” in a War Now he had to get the poem to Adolphe Adam , Then, during the 1870/71 Franco-Prussian War, there was a lull in the fighting, and a French soldier jumped up out of his trench, stood in full view, Adolphe Adam (pictured left) had theatrical successes and sang “O Holy Night”. Not one shot was fired at him. The Germans were including the ballets Faust, and Giselle. He had so moved that one of their soldiers then stood up and sang one of Martin composed orchestral works and ballets that were Luther’s hymns. Nobody fired a shot at him either. It resulted in the armies performed in faraway St Petersburg, and in Berlin and of both sides agreeing a 24-hour . The Catholic Church London. He was at the height of his fame when, into his relented and “O Holy Night”was reintroduced to its services. hands, came Cappeau’s poem, and, given its subject From “Ireland’s Own” web article by Liam Nolan in Christmas annual 2017 CCLI 4901 matter and the beautiful style of writing, he was “O Holy Night” was translated into English in 1855 by presen ted with a challenge unlike any he had before an American named John Sullivan Dwight (left) who Adam spent three weeks perfecting his composition, and ended up with introduced the song to the American people. what is frequently called a “heartbreakingly beautiful” piece of music. On Christmas Eve, 1906, O Holy Night became the first song ever broadcast when radio pioneer Reginald Cappeau took the song back to Roquemare and Fassenden played it in an experiment with microphone handed it over to the parish priest, who, overcome and telegraph to shipping off East Coast USA. CCLI 4901

with awe and gratitude, contacted a Parisian opera singer, Emily Laurey (right) who lived locally, and at “We give thanks for those who have the gift of beautiful voice, words and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, she gave the first music and for the inspiration that produced this wonderful Christmas song. public performance of the carol that would become “O Holy Night” has given much joy and created emotion for millions of known as “O Holy Night”, still sung tearfully, with people over the years. We pray the song and the message it conveys will bring reverence, all over the world today. many more to understand the true meaning of Christmas so they may love and know our Lord Jesus, believing in the hope he brings”. Amen