Opening Hymn: in the Bleak Mid-Winter

Opening hymn: In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Leader 1: Welcome to this service where we join together to worship and to pray: And as we pray, we reflect on a chosen theme from Winter Holiday and on the principal winter holiday we hopefully all enjoy - Christmas.

Leader 2: Think on this: How will we serve God as individuals, as families, and as a community?

Leader 1 : And as we think of that question, we also hold in our hearts all our friends, neighbours, relatives and Christians throughout the world, especially at this time those who have been forced to flee their homes, those who are seeking a place of safety and welcome, those who are in need.

Opening prayer : Come Lord Jesus

Open our ears to hear your word.

Open our eyes to see you in one another.

Open our hearts to your call to live generously

And to let your light shine in us all.

Let us reach out in welcome and love to others.

Come Lord Jesus

All: Amen.

Leader 2: We start our service today by calling to mind all the times we have not been as welcoming as we could, the times we have not recognised Christ in our brothers and sisters, in our neighbours, in our families, in our friends.

For the times we’ve seen only the differences between ourselves and others, rather than our similarities. Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

Leader 1: For the times we have built up walls to keep others at a distance, rather than broken down barriers and welcomed one another. Christ, have mercy.

All: Christ, have mercy.

Leader 2: For the times we’ve thought only of what divides us, rather than what unites us as members of one global family. Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

All: May our Generous God have mercy on us all, forgive us all our sins and bring us all to everlasting life. Amen.

Leader 1: Today and each day we have an opportunity to heal some of these broken bonds, to start to rebuild our community and our relationships with one another. And so in that spirit, I invite you to make a sign of peace.

All turn to those around them and make a sign of peace (a hand-shake, a hug or just a spoken word).

Leader 2: We will now listen to two short readings – each of them describes an act of caring. One is a reading from Winter Holiday, the other is hopefully a familiar reading from the Bible. Afterwards, we will reflect on the readings and how they connect to our lives and the lives of others….

All sit

Reading: Winter Holiday – The Cragfast Sheep

Sing: The Lord’s my Shepherd.

Reading: The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Reflection on the readings:

The Parable of the Lost sheep

I can’t remember which came first for me – reading Winter Holiday or hearing the parable of the lost sheep. Being brought up in a family with strong Methodist roots – I know I’m at least a seventh-generation Methodist – I attended Sunday school from a very early age, getting to know many of the more familiar bible stories. At the age of 11, I was fortunate to attend a Methodist Foundation Secondary School and in my first year there, I heard a marvellously sentimental Victorian hymn based on the parable of the Lost sheep, It’s first verse is:

There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold;
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare;
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.

Some of you may know it. Well when I first heard this hymn, I instantly thought of the cragfast sheep and since then, the parable and Winter Holiday, have been inextricably linked. As you have just heard in our two readings, there are many similarities.

Turning first to the bible story, Jesus often used parables to get across his message. As you will know, a parable is short story designed to convey a simple concept or a principle he wants us to put into practice. This particular parable is told because Jesus has overheard some Pharisees and teachers of the law mutter, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The clear implication being that they do not approve of this.

Pharisees were members of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and they were commonly held to have pretensions of superiority. Jesus could have answered them by entering in to an intellectual debate, interpreting ancient scriptures; but he didn’t. There were many ordinary people present - we’re told tax collectors and sinners - so Jesus decided to tell them a story. I don’t personally like the use of the term sinners, I think it is outdated and largely misunderstood. I believe in the Palestine of Jesus’s time this was a general term used to describe the poorer classes, people without work or perhaps with an illness and those who didn’t or couldn’t live up to the exacting standards expected by the Pharisees. In many ways the very people Jesus mixed with and came to serve.

For his parables, Jesus used examples of everyday life that local people could associate with and easily understand. What could have been more effective and understandable to a rural community than to talk of shepherds and sheep. One particular effect of using parables is that in addition to illustrating a point, they had an emotional impact that makes them more memorable and meaningful; they also challenged the listener to be self-critical with the person imagining themselves as the character in the story – in this case the shepherd searching for his lost sheep. How better to convey God’s joy at a lost soul being won for Christ or accepting a Christ like way of living, than by comparing this to the joy of the shepherd finding his lost sheep and inviting his friends to rejoice and celebrate with him. Everyone there would have understood this and it would have given hope and encouragement to them – did not Jesus just say, “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninetynine righteous people who do not need to repent”. This story is over two thousand years old but it still speaks to us today.

And of course it’s meant to speak to us today because the message is still as relevant now as it was then. We may not associate ourselves with Pharisees or “sinners” but we can associate ourselves with those who do not believe, or with the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the lonely, the marginalised, indeed all those we are meant to serve and help.

And that’s where I believe the cragfast sheep story helps us. Let’s look at some of the key elements of the story and compare them with Jesus’s parable. The first point to note is that it was not the so called “leaders” of the Crossing of High Greenland who had the adventure and saved the sheep, it was the junior members. When Dick first saw the cragfast sheep neither he nor the others for one moment thought of seeking the help of Peggy John and Susan, or indeed adults; they simply knew it was their role to save the sheep. As AR wrote, “All thoughts of catching up the elders were forgotten” and Roger simply states, “How are we going to get it down?” In the parable the shepherd, realising one of his sheep is missing immediately goes off in search - each of his sheep is precious to him as all of us are to God.

As we know, this is the time for Dick to shine, both with the theory and practical application of how to use the alpine rope to save the sheep, and as the volunteer to undertake the rescue. At this point I would ask you to consider, just as with Jesus’s parables, do we as readers picture ourselves in the story helping to save the sheep? Who here has not thought themselves as Dick and felt our hearts thump and perhaps feel an icy chill down our spines, as he ventures out along the ever-narrowing ice encrusted ledge. We share with him the continual danger of slipping, coping with the snagging rope and the overhang that requires him to stoop low then adopt a sitting position. Later when effecting the rescue he is very nearly swept off the ledge as the sheep, secured by the rope, catches his legs as it is swung out and lowered down the crag face. Surely this is some of Ransome’s most gripping writing. Like Jesus’s parables we are swept up into the story and experience the joys, thrills and dangers of what we are reading.

So are we in danger when Jesus challenges us to seek out “the one” rather than stick amongst the ninety nine, to assist the poor and lonely rather than stay amongst the safety of our friends? The answer is clearly no, because just as Dick has his alpine rope and the strong dependable enthusiasm of Titty, Roger and Dorothea hanging on to him, so we have that strong rope or lifeline to God – he won’t let us fall in our task he will keep us safe and secure – we are after all doing his work.

We are also not alone in how we do God’s work and the role we should play - we have choices. Dick could not have rescued the sheep by himself, the roles of the other were vital too. Dick may have applied planning and logic to the rescue (he knew he would not fall if he kept his centre of gravity) but he needed the other three to lower the sheep to the ground – it was a team effort. Titty became leader on the crag top and wisely overruled Roger’s enthusiasm to volunteer, quite rightly noting he had fallen off an easy crag whilst climbing Kanchenjunga. And in the midst of the rescue Dorothea was applying reassurance and calm, confident in the knowledge of her brother’s logic and ways. So, in God’s command to serve other’s, we can find a role that suits our own talents and skills; we don’t all have to grab the headlines or play the major role as Dick did, we can be the Titty’s and Dorothea’s lending support in other practical ways.

And, of course, there is the rejoicing with friends. Dick, I suspect, was quietly thrilled to realise he was saving a sheep belonging to Mr Dixon. Peggy amongst the elders recognised what was happening, “Cragfast sheep” said Peggy eagerly,”Good for them! Whoever it belongs to‘ll be jolly pleased.” And again later she congratulates the juniors, “Well done” said Peggy, “Jolly good work” One cannot help but feel that John and Susan approved and had a feeling of pride in their younger sister and brother and John chooses to say nothing about the nature of the knot Dick had used to secure the sheep. Dorothea was beaming with pride and admiration for Dick “she could not help feeling he had done very well. He deserved his buzzards”.

Once the sheep has been safely lowered to the ground it has to be safely transported back to Dixon’s farm. The sledge is used for this purpose albeit I’m not quite sure Ransome got it right when he wrote, “they arranged the sheep on the top”. In the parable we should note that the shepherd hoists the sheep on his back and carries it safely home. Surely this is one of the most cherished images of our relationship with Christ. Christ is the shepherd and whatever our needs, failings or worries, Christ is there for us unquestioningly and surefootedly carrying and supporting us.

Once back at the farm there is possibly the greatest rejoicing, albeit in a very quiet unfussy way. Mr Dixon, Silas and Mrs Dixon, all knew just what had been achieved, in what difficult and dangerous circumstances and just what it meant to a Lakeland hill farmer to have his sheep back. The S’s D’s and Peggy got an immediate reward; you may recall Mrs Dixon saying, “ I’ve a rare baking of cakes, and there’ll be trouble if all the lot of you aren’t sitting down to see what’s inside them.” But for Dick there was the even greater reward of forming a quiet bond with Mr Dixon which of course led to him and Dorothea having a sledge built for them and thereafter more help, support and advice as first goose fat for their boots, and then arctic furs and finally a mast for ice yachting ensured they were not only on an equal footing with the Swallows party but ultimately equipped to secure the main prize – first to the pole.

So just as Ransome has served up a small vignette of delight – a story within a story, so the parable of the lost sheep, is a similar short story within a larger work. Jesus is accused by the Pharisees of eating with sinners or the poor and downtrodden, Jesus through the parable not only confirms this, but gently rebukes them telling them that this is exactly what God wants from our lives. How great will our joy and reward be when we find our sheep and how great is God’s joy in witnessing this.

The message for today, then is to find our own sheep and go forward in the safe and secure knowledge that whilst God has given us all we need to succeed, or keep our centre of gravity, he also has an alpine rope tied securely around our waists. Searching for our sheep may to be to fight against injustice, feed the starving, help the sick, fight oppression, stand up for democracy and human rights, pray for others, care for the lonely or any number of similar acts of service. Ultimately it is about showing and sharing your love with others and in return God will both rejoice and shower his sustaining and empowering love upon us – rich rewards indeed. Amen

Leader 1: We are all invited to practise the little way of love, not to miss out on the kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. We are told that simple daily gestures may help to break-down the thoughtlessness of violence, exploitation and selfishness. … Love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world."

Leader 2: So as part of our worship let's think about those small gestures of love, peace, friendship and generosity that we can undertake to try to build a better world.

Leader 1: Let's think about the things we can do that, however small, will make a real difference to others.

Female voice : “We are called to be salt for the earth and light for the world. We are called to let our light shine through our actions”.( Matthew 5:11-16)

Leader 1 : Everyone should have a small piece cut from a Christmas Card. There are also pens available. You are now all invited to write down one thing you would like to do to help someone else.

Leader 2: Once you have written your commitment to a small gesture of love, which will sow peace and friendship in our world, we invite you to hang that promise on our Christmas Decoration. In the same way as the sign of peace at the beginning of our service was a way to rebuild and strengthen our bonds with one another, we would like to invite you to publicly display one promise of how to help others.

playing in the background (while the messages are being written): Fischy Music – Sam 8 (based on psalm 8) and a male voice reads out :

“A voice of one that cries in the desert:

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight!

Let every valley be filled in,

every mountain levelled,

winding ways be straightened

and rough roads made smooth,

and all humanity will see the salvation of God.”

Once the messages have been written the leaders draws the group back together as follows:

Leader 1: The Christmas Decoration with all these commitments will be hanged somewhere we will all see it often during the rest of this weekend. It will be a reminder of what we have promised to do.

Leader 2: Holding in our hearts the promises we have made, we stand now and pray together:

All: Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen…

Leader 1: And so as our service draws to an end, we remember all our brothers and sisters, our friends, our families, other Christians throughout the World. We commit ourselves to these gestures of love and generosity, recognizing that in doing so we are preparing a way for the Lord, making his paths straight.

Closing prayer: Come Lord Jesus, come

and let your light shine through us

so that through our actions

we may be salt for the earth,

a light in people's sight

and that we might reach out to you in one another,

especially those in need.

All : Amen.

Leader 2: And may God’s blessings be on us all in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

All: AMEN

Sing: Tell Out My Soul