Reflections from Revd Paul Rochester, General Secretary of the Free Churches Group

We are grateful to God for bringing us to another Advent and Christmas season. As we approach the close of 2024, we find ourselves already looking ahead to 2025. Meetings are being scheduled, plans are taking shape, and we anticipate both the challenges and opportunities the new year will bring. There will undoubtedly be difficult moments, but also exciting events we eagerly await.

This year has brought significant changes to the world. Political and social shifts have occurred on a scale not seen in recent decades. At the same time, we have witnessed remarkable advances in technology, including the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI). These developments prompt us to consider their implications for society. AI has the potential to transform the way we live and work, raising concerns about job displacement across many industries. I recently came across a church encouraging career development in trades; assuming that these areas of work are less likely to be automated by AI. Only time will tell how these changes unfold.

Churches, too, will be impacted by technological advancements, including how ministry is organised and conducted. In the New Year, we will host a seminar in London exploring AI and ethics within the context of local churches. Please stay tuned for more information and save the date—it promises to be an important discussion.

Christmas is a time to reflect on how the world was forever changed by the birth of Jesus Christ. He entered a world in darkness, alienated from God, to bring light and restore the relationship broken by sin. Today, disruptive politics and technology are reshaping our world, revealing both great opportunities and significant pitfalls. While we cannot halt change, we can strive to influence it for good. Regardless of our political beliefs, we should aim for peace, justice, and the flourishing of all humanity; not one group thriving at the expense of others, but a coming together, even amidst deeply held differences. Kindness and love must guide our actions, with faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to proclaim and establish the kingdom of God, and He remains with His people, through the Holy Spirit, to see that mission fulfilled. As His followers, we are called to continue preaching the kingdom and living by its principles in a world that often cannot grasp the truth of Christ. Christmas reminds us of His birth, yet it is sorrowful that so many still do not understand the profound significance of His coming and how it can transform lives and society for good. The mystery of Christ remains hidden to many. I am praying that God will open the eyes of people across the world to see the truth of Jesus, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.

The world will continue to change, as it always has. However, amid these changes, may we remain steadfast in keeping Jesus at the centre of all we do. He has come to bridge the gap between humanity and the Father and to bring us back into a restored relationship with God.

Stephen Seamands, in his book Ministry in the Image of God, asserts that it is not more therapists and moralists we need. He speaks of our greatest need being authentic Christian communities - communities where the “heart of God is home, where the humble and wise learn to shepherd those on the path behind them, where trusting strugglers lock arms with others as together they journey on.”

There is something profound about connecting people to God and aligning our hearts with His. This authentic experience of God is what we all need, and Christmas reminds us this was made possible through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God bless always,

Paul Rochester

Reflection from Revd Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group

In a long ministry of more than 35 years in a wide variety of contexts which has meant me preaching in all kinds of locations and on all kinds of occasions, I have learned many things.

I have learned to carry a torch in winter so that I can light my path to the church building in order to see where I am walking and not fall over into mud or on one glorious occasion - the village duck pond.

We all need light to flourish, to be healthy and to grow, and that is true not just for plants but also for people. My husband, whose hobby is astronomy or star-gazing, tells me there are very few locations in the UK that are truly dark – many urban communities are over-lit and light pollution can be a problem and stars cannot easily be seen. The little island of Sark in the Channel Islands promotes visits to its “dark skies” for those who want to see and study stars. Darkness is therefore not always a bad thing and sometimes we learn things in the dark, from the dark. Dark is necessary.

It is, I think, what we do with darkness that matters. Most of us get to rest then, and we are thankful for those who work and serve others in the night. Some people abuse the darkness to do evil things and that makes some people nervous of the dark. Darkness itself is not evil but what we choose to do in it and with it can hurt others. The darkness can feel overwhelming, can exacerbate our hurts and fears until we no longer feel able to tell if we are running from monsters or frightened of shadows. This time of year can be hard. Christmas as a season can be hard when you feel dislocated from the joy and celebration of others.

But because Christmas is not all about feeling cheerful, or pretending we’re not hurt or afraid, I think that is understandable. Christmas is about hope, about recognising that even the deepest darkness is no longer impenetrable because the light has come. The light that comes in Christ will prevail, the darkness will be quenched. We can say, even when we don’t feel it, that hope has come to us.

In the opening verses of John’s Gospel we read the hope-filled and stirring words,

‘the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it”

We are, as God’s beloved children, the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, called to give an account for the hope that is in us as I Peter 3:5 reminds us. In the darkest of days for all the citizens of the world the light of Christ will shine brightly in us and through us so that we reflect the glory of God.

Hope is not always about being able to remove the darkness in our lives, and the life of the world. There is a lot to be sad about. However, we can and must give an account of the hope that is in us even when so much is uncertain because we believe God is author of all, the giver of life, of every breath and he holds us all in a loving embrace. So we believe no-one is ultimately lost and we believe nothing can separate us from the love of God seen in Jesus Christ our Lord. We are people of hope. We have a hope that is based not on how the world looks on any one day, or on the progress of humanity to think of others rather than themselves but based on the word made flesh and come among us. Our hope flows from our knowledge that God is with us, bearing our burdens and healing our wounds. God is with us transforming us, redeeming us, making a place for us in the eternal life of God and at the very last, bringing us safe home.

So what do we do in the darkness?

A friend of mine was born and raised in Wales, he speaks Welsh first and English as a second language. He told me a story once I have never forgotten. He was visiting his grandparents on the island of Anglesey and they had taken him with them to their chapel where there was a festival of hymn singing going on.

 The Chapel was full, everyone singing in 4-part harmony. It was wonderful and beautiful and stirring. Then the lights went out and the entire chapel was plunged into darkness. What had happened? A power cut!

My friend said he has never forgotten what happened next – there was no hesitation, no laughter, no interruption, what happened was that people went on singing in the dark. They went on singing, in the dark.

They could do this because they were familiar with praise. This group of Christians were determined and faithful, not easily put off their stride, they persisted. The light of their faith continued to shine despite the darkness around them.

So, what of us in this Advent and Christmastide 2024?

We are called to be persistent in our faith and in our prayer in and to keep praising God, to be kind and generous, to reflect the light of Christ in our relationships, our communities, our nation. The light shines in the darkness and it cannot be overcome.

Reflections from Revd Bob Wilson, Secretary for the Prison Chaplaincy & Free Churches Faith Advisor

Christmas is …

What words come to mind to you when someone says this? “For the children”, “Too expensive”, “So commercialised”? Or maybe some more positive remarks, “a time for family”, “a time of peace”, or “a time of giving”. I would say that the most common one I hear in prison is “hard”!

Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus as a baby, to Mary and Joseph, in temporary accommodation, in an occupied country, is a wonderful time, but it can be a hard time. It is hard to remember what we don’t have, what we have lost, where we would rather be. All true for Mary and Joseph, and maybe true for us too. Many of us will have lost friends, family, maybe our liberty this year.

But “To us a child is born, to us a son is given” and that birth was unlike any other birth in the history. The child born is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour of the world. A birth that will change time itself. Not a birth that turns back time, but a birth that gives us hope that time is no longer our enemy; neither hard times, nor good times. We no longer need to see the hands of time as a countdown to be feared, but we see that today, this is the time for life.

Christmas, above everything, is a time for change. A change that God can bring, a change that will bring a whole new order in our lives, a change to how we see everything.

Our Prison Chaplains this year will see many who are struggling in their lives to see beyond the gloom and darkness that is real and everywhere. They will be encouraging thousands of men, women and children to take a little time to pray, a little time to look for and at the Christ child. Maybe we all need to do this anew. Pray as I alone know how to pray, in my own words. Pray that the God who gave us the gift of a saviour at Christmas will step into my life again to lighten the darkness, to scatter the gloom. Maybe we can pray, along with our chaplains, our prisoners, our brothers and sisters that, just as a child was born to Mary, something new and life-changing might be born in our lives this year.

Or maybe just pray that, while Christmas will be hard, you will be able to see a way through to the other side!

And maybe then, rethink the ending to the sentence …

Christmas is …

A happy and peaceful Christmas to everyone

Revd Bob Wilson

Free Churches Faith Advisor to HMPPS

Celebrating the 350th Anniversary of Isaac Watts

Saturday 20 July 10.00-5.00 pm

Chinley Independent Chapel, The Wash Road, Chapel Milton,

Chinley, High Peak, SK23 0QN

The Congregation Federation is hosting a celebration of Watts' Anniversary at Chinley Chapel on Saturday 20 July. This free day will include talks, workshops, hymn-singing, children's activities, and lunch, with guest presenters including the Revd Dr Graham Adams and Revd Dr Janet Wooton. Further details to follow: to register, please email the Revd Peter Sharp at revpetersharp@gmail.com

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A Celebration of Isaac Watts, including an act of Thanksgiving

Saturday 21 September at 2.30 pm, with gathering music from 2.00 pm.

Melton Mowbray URC, Chapel Street Melton Mowbray Leicestershire LE13 1LZ

Acknowledged as the Father of English Hymnody, Congregational minister Isaac Watts is the author of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "Joy to the World," and many other cornerstones of our hymnbooks. He taught briefly in Freeby, Leicestershire, and is associated with Freeby Chapel, which has now merged into Melton Mowbray URC. The year 2024 is the 350th anniversary of Watts' birth, and in celebration, we look forward to welcoming the Rev. Dr. Robert Pope of Westminster College to talk about Watts, his God, and his legacy in the present day. The event will include opportunities to sing and listen to some of Watts' best-loved hymns and will be followed by refreshments, including, of course, Melton Mowbray pork pies.

You are invited to save the date and watch for further details. Information about how to book will be available here soon.