Every heart needs a rescue

Our Carols by Candlelight service tonight at St James had a record attendance, with the church downstairs packed, and many people seated upstairs in the galleries.

The children performed their nativity tableau (pictured here before the service), our combined St James and St Anne's music group did a wonderful job of leading us in the well-loved traditional carols that are such a feature of this service, and we heard again the greatest story ever told, as we traced through the Scripture readings, the story of God's gift to the world of his only Son, born as one us, coming to us to be our saviour.

Our multi-talented Administrator, Ruth Reid, gave us a reprise of her own composition, Hallelujah, premiered at the Salmon Anniversary Celebration earlier in the year, but now including a special Christmas verse:

Then of to Elizabeth she went
To tell the news, the angel sent
The baby in the womb cried Hallelujah 
For John was sent before the Lord
To preach repentance to the world
And let the earth rejoice Hallelujah

and the whole conngregation joined in each time with the chorus, hallelujah.

And then just before Paul's excellent sermon, we heard a wonderful song, originally by Matt Redman, which begins 'There is a moment every heart needs a rescue.' You can hear our singers' own version of it on our Facebook page here

A big thank you to everyone who took part, it was a great evening, proclaiming the message of God's love for the world.