Stockton Road Church News December 2024
Mark 12: 30-31
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your mind, and with all your strength, and you shall
love your neighbour as yourself”.
We are a union of Presbyterian and Congregational
churches at the heart of Sunderland city life, growing from
a past rich in mission and hospitality. We embrace this
heritage utilising the Five Marks of Mission to guide and
enable us to take forward current opportunities for mission
and service.
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DECEMBER REFLECTION
LUKE 1: 46b – 55 (Magnificat)
This is Mary’s song of praise when she arrives at the house
of her relative Elizabeth, after travelling south from her home
in Galilee to the hills around Jerusalem. Mary’s Magnificat
resembles Hannah’s song (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10), though it
is more personal, full of joy and hope because of the
salvation she carries in her body. Notice how it pictures the
movement of God’s grace. It starts by recalling God’s favour
towards her lowliness (v.48; cf Luke 1:30). As it moves
outwards, its message becomes more radical. God will
transform the injustices enjoyed by those who are rich and
well-fed into blessings for the humble and hungry. So, Mary
looks forward to a salvation that can be seen, tasted and
embodied in the lives of ordinary people.
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The Magnificat doesn’t specifically mention peace; this has
to wait until the angels’ Gloria when Mary’s son is born (Luke
2:14). Yet the hallmarks of peace are evident in God’s
readiness to bless the lowly (v.48); the mercy that flows from
one generation to another (v.50); and the way divine strength
re-orders the world to benefit the humble poor (vv.51-53). In
all this God is said to ‘look’, ‘remember’ and ‘help’ –
language that suggests the humanity and intimacy of God’s
dealings with his people. Mary expects salvation to feature in
the day-to-day life of ordinary people. But its radical peace
doesn’t come cost-free, as Mary will discover when she
takes her child to the Temple (Luke 2:33-35). Her song of joy
will one day turn to lamentation, like Jesus’ tears for
Jerusalem, which cannot be true to its name as ‘city of
peace’ because it misses the moment of God’s visitation
(Luke 19:41ff).
Mary and Elizabeth meet at a time full of personal turmoil.
Mary is young, probably feeling outcast and unsure.
Elizabeth may be conscious of being an older mother and
her husband is currently mute. They might both be
wondering what the neighbours are saying about their
unexpected pregnancies. Yet there is real joy in their time
together, and they seem to find peace and acceptance of
God’s will. There must have been a real sense of mutual
support and encouragement. A hymn by Fred Kaan
expresses it like this: ‘Put peace into each other’s hands,
and like a treasure hold it ….’ (Stainer and Bell, 1989). Can
we do this for each other?
A Prayer
God of wisdom and wonder,
we praise you for your gift of peace:
for its depth when we are most troubled;
for its comfort when we are most afraid;
for its simplicity when we are most pressured;
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for its truth when we are most disconcerted;
and for its stillness when we are most swamped by the
noise and busyness of Christmas.
We praise you, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Lectionary Readings
1 -7 December – Hopeful beginnings
Advent 1: Jeremiah 33.14-16; Psalm 25.1-10; 1
Thessalonians 3.9-13; Luke 21.25-36
8 – 14 December – A loving plan
Advent 2: Malachi 3.1-4; Luke 1.68-79 (Benedictus);
Philippians 1.3-11; Luke 3.1-6
15 – 21 December – Joyful news?
Advent 3: Zephaniah 3.14-20; Isaiah 12.2-6 (Canticle);
Philippians 4.4-7; Luke 3.7-18
22 – 28 December – Peace, actually
Advent 4: Micah 5.2-5a; Luke 1.46b-55 (Magnificat);
Hebrews 10.5-10; Luke 1.39-45(46-55)
25 December – A place for Jesus
Christmas Day: Isaiah 9.2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2.11-14; Luke
2.1-14(15-20)
29 December – 4 January – Learning and growing
Christmas 1: 1 Samuel 2.18-20,26; Psalm 148; Colossians
3.12-17; Luke 2.41-52
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Church Services December
Services at 10.45am in the Sanctuary unless indicated otherwise
Dec 1st Barbara Mitchell and Christine Hutchinson. Coffee & Croissants in the lower hall
Dec 8th Elisabeth Meikle
Dec 15th Revd Jane Rowell. Communion service.
Dec 17thCommunity Carol service. 1.45pm.Refreshments afterwards.
Dec 22nd Revd Dr David Whiting. Carol Service
Dec 24th Revd Jane Rowell. Christingle 6pm
Dec 25th Christmas Day 10.30 am at St Margaret’s South Shields.
Dec 29th Revd Jane Rowell. Joint Pastorate service St Margaret’s South Shields 10.30 am.
Weekly Church Activities (all welcome)
Bible Study Group, Food Cycle Lunch Tuesdays at 10.30am (Note: Tues 17 Dec will be the last of 2024 and will resume
Tues 7 Jan 2025)
Tuesdays at 12.30pm (Note: Tues 17 Dec Christmas lunch will be the last of 2024 andwill resume Tues 7 Jan 2025)
Christmas Worship Events Across the
Partnership
Community Carol Service at Stockton Road after Food
Cycle Lunch Tues Dec 17th at 1.45pm.
Carols by Candlelight at Roker. Dec 19th 6/6.30 pm (tbc).
Scratch Nativity at Grindon. Dec 22nd 4pm.
Christingle at St Margaret’s. Dec 22nd 3pm.
Christingle at Stockton Road Dec 24th 6pm.
Watchnight service at St Margaret’s Dec 24th 11.15pm
Christmas Day service at St Margaret’s. 10.30 am
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GOD’S GHOSTWRITERS
BY CANDIDA MOSS
WILLIAM COLLINS ISBN 9780008612177
Candida Moss is the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology
at the University of Birmingham. Her book is subtitled
‘Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible’. This
subtitle sums up what the book is about; she is considering
how enslaved people have influenced the contents of the
bible as we have it.
The book is divided into three sections, each of three
chapters. The first part entitled ‘Invisible hands’ in Chapter 1
on ‘Essential Workers’ begins with a story involving an
ancient piece of graffiti found on the Palatine Hill in Rome.
The graffiti shows a tunic clad youth looking up at a crucified
figure with the head of a donkey. The inscription:
‘Alexamenos worships his god’. For pagans at the time
depictions of Jesus as a donkey were common, for them
Christianity was both absurd and servile. Crucifixion was a
penalty handed out to slaves. Alexamenos and his school
mates were not freeborn children but were slaves of the
imperial family. In the school they learned the various skills
to become a bookkeeper or secretary. Moss goes on to tell
of various slaves who served prominent Romans as
assistants and secretaries.
Chapter 2, ‘Paul and his Secretaries’ refers to the attendants
who were with Paul at his conversion. Could it be that slaves
are the first witnesses to Paul’s conversion? At the end of
Paul’s letter to Rome there is reference to Tertius the writer
of the letter, he seems to be like many enslaved people
acting as a secretary. At least four of Paul’s letters were
composed from a prison cell. It does not seem likely that he
would have been able to do this without help. Perhaps
Paul’s followers hired scribes to take notes, maybe squatting
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next to the window of Paul’s prison cell. In this chapter Moss
also refers to Mark’s Gospel. It is said that Mark translated
Peter’s words, it could be that Mark was an enslaved or
formerly enslaved worker.
In chapter 3 the story of Jesus is re-read picking up themes
that relate to slavery. If Mark’s Gospel was recorded by a
slave, then according to Christian tradition Matthew was
written in Hebrew before being translated to Greek. Of
course, the names of translators are not recorded, but it
suggests the work of an enslaved scholar. Also, according to
tradition John wrote his Gospel when he was of an age
when he would need assistance in writing, perhaps another
work of someone enslaved or formerly enslaved. At the end
of the chapter Moss writes ‘The written gospel only spread
and survived because there were people to carry it, copy it,
and read it aloud in performance for others.’
The second part of the book is entitled ‘Messengers and
Craftsmen’. Chapter 4, ‘Messengers of God’ begins with
reference to ‘Acts of Thomas’ and Thomas travelling to
India. The disciples were not only students, they were also
apostles (or messengers). Luke’s Gospel is referred to
where first of all a small group of messengers are sent out
by Jesus followed by a larger group. They travelled lightly
and were dependent upon others for sustenance and
housing. This Gospel account is linked with other early
Christian accounts of messengers who were slaves or
former slaves.
Chapter 5, entitled ‘Curators of the Word’ touches upon the
copyists the early Christian writings. A copyist is unnamed,
enslaved in a wealthy household they may have copied the
text for their enslaver, or maybe they worked for a freed
bookseller.
In chapter 6, ‘the Faces of the Gospel’ were often the faces
of the enslaved who had the job of performing the Gospel or
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reading it to assembled guests. The result would be that
often the language of enslavement became embedded in
these early texts as the Christian follower was described.
The final part of the book concerns legacies in the chapter
on the faithful Christian. The language of enslavement and
enslaver is picked up in Pauline writings in the relationship
between Christian and Christ. Similarly, the ‘possessing
Spirit’ takes up residence in Christian believer, binding the
parts of the body together.
We learn in chapter 8 that the language of the punishment of
the enslaved finds its way into the language of some of
Jesus’ parables. We also find the language of forgiveness
and as Moss points out ‘Ordinary human enslavers were not
in the habit of providing people with second chances.’ She
goes on to warn that although the language of enslavement
in describing the Christian believer is found in the earliest
Christian text, such texts are not fixed and that over the
years that followed those who read or interpreted the words
unconsciously or deliberately reshaped them.
I found the book fascinating, well worth reading by those
who are interested in New Testament origins.
David Whiting
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REFORM MAGAZINE
I write encouraging you to subscribe and read the Reform
Magazine. The Reform Magazine has been the magazine of
the United Reformed Church since the Church’s formation in
1972. In my view it is as good as it has ever been. The
Tuesday bible study group at Stockton Road URC often
makes use of the magazine, particularly regular articles on
‘Chapter and Verse’ and ‘A Good Question’, but there are
many other articles that are worth reading.
The Magazine for December 2024 and January 2025
contains a number of articles following on from the elections
in the USA, an article about a new book ‘Daybreak in Gaza’.
There are a number of articles relating to Advent and
Christmas. One article I found particularly interesting was
one concerning Bernard Thorogood, a former General
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Secretary of the URC, on his work with the Council for World
Mission (CWM).
To subscribe to Reform call 020 7520 2721 or visit
www.reformsubs.co.uk. A digital subscription costs £18,
£29.50 for a printed subscription, or £35.50 for a combined
edition.
We should read it or we may lose it.
David Whiting
Love, Amelia receives The King’s Award for
Voluntary Service
On 14th November 2024, His Majesty the King’s birthday, it
was announced that Love, Amelia has been awarded The
King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the
highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK
and is equivalent to an MBE. To read more about the award
go to the Love, Amelia website www.loveamelia.org.uk and
click on their News page.
Don’t forget to check out their Wishlist too and if there is
anything you can give from the list it can be brought to the
church where we have a collection/drop-off box.
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Click on link to view previous News letters
March Newsletter 2024