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AT YOUR SERVICE - 31 JANUARY 2021
This week, the Christian church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - also known as Candlemas - marking the day on which Mary and Joseph took the 40-day-old baby Jesus to the Temple, as required by Jewish Law. In many churches, candles are blessed on this day - symbols of the light of Christ driving out the darkness of the world - hence the name of Candlemas Day.
But what does all this say to us - 2,000 years later?
When Mary and Joseph took Jesus - their firstborn - to the Temple, they were greeted by two deeply faith-filled people - Simeon and Anna - who recognised that this baby was the Messiah, come from God to save the world. Simeon also foretold that Jesus would be rejected by the very people he had come to help.
So - two thousand years later, this event still raises lots of questions for modern Christians .....
Am I - like Simeon - willing to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Do I listen for God's word to me?
Do I recognise when God is at work in my life ... ?
Do I share my beliefs with others ?
Curiously enough, all these questions (and more) are answered in a conversation taken from our archives!
When Moya Brennan - singer with the famous Irish group Clannad - came to give a concert with her own band, in the Gaiety Theatre in November 2005, she talked openly about how her Christian faith had literally saved her life. The message (mixed with some of her beautiful, prayerful music) is as fresh and relevant today as it was when first it was spoken.
There's also a clever version of a Timothy Dudley-Smith hymn by Dr Peter Litman (Director of Music at the Cathedral in Peel) and his wife Christiane - singing all 4 harmony parts between the two of them! Based on the Nunc Dimittis - the prayer of Simeon when he realised that he was holding the Messiah in his arms - it's "Faithful Vigil Ended"
Your hymn choices for future programmes are always welcome - email me - [email protected] - and that's the same address to use if you have church-based news and events to advertise on AT YOUR SERVICE and SUNDOWN
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By Manx RadioThis week, the Christian church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - also known as Candlemas - marking the day on which Mary and Joseph took the 40-day-old baby Jesus to the Temple, as required by Jewish Law. In many churches, candles are blessed on this day - symbols of the light of Christ driving out the darkness of the world - hence the name of Candlemas Day.
But what does all this say to us - 2,000 years later?
When Mary and Joseph took Jesus - their firstborn - to the Temple, they were greeted by two deeply faith-filled people - Simeon and Anna - who recognised that this baby was the Messiah, come from God to save the world. Simeon also foretold that Jesus would be rejected by the very people he had come to help.
So - two thousand years later, this event still raises lots of questions for modern Christians .....
Am I - like Simeon - willing to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Do I listen for God's word to me?
Do I recognise when God is at work in my life ... ?
Do I share my beliefs with others ?
Curiously enough, all these questions (and more) are answered in a conversation taken from our archives!
When Moya Brennan - singer with the famous Irish group Clannad - came to give a concert with her own band, in the Gaiety Theatre in November 2005, she talked openly about how her Christian faith had literally saved her life. The message (mixed with some of her beautiful, prayerful music) is as fresh and relevant today as it was when first it was spoken.
There's also a clever version of a Timothy Dudley-Smith hymn by Dr Peter Litman (Director of Music at the Cathedral in Peel) and his wife Christiane - singing all 4 harmony parts between the two of them! Based on the Nunc Dimittis - the prayer of Simeon when he realised that he was holding the Messiah in his arms - it's "Faithful Vigil Ended"
Your hymn choices for future programmes are always welcome - email me - [email protected] - and that's the same address to use if you have church-based news and events to advertise on AT YOUR SERVICE and SUNDOWN