The secret of Christingle ‘23…

…which can now be revealed, is that the message of God’s love was delivered to the two Christingle congregations…by a Christmas pudding!

Rod explained how God loves each one of us, each of us different, but perfect in God’s sight as one of his people, gathered together from everywhere, just like the ingredients in a Christmas pudding. Who knew that the sugar came from Pakistan, the orange rind from Greece, the Nutmeg from Sri Lanka and the vegetable suet from Manchester?

Discovering that a Christmas pudding (which had been mixed live in the pulpit with ingredients brought by some of the children), then takes at least six hours to boil, Rod announced it was time for ‘one I made earlier’. Cue a search for the missing Christmas pudding, who ran in waving happily to deliver her message.

The Junior Choristers’ beautiful rendition of our Director of Music, Piers Maxim’s arrangement of ‘Away in a Manger’ brought a contemplative hush to the proceedings, before the Christingles were lit and ‘Silent Night’ was sung.

All too soon the service was over and everyone left to a rousing organ voluntary, with maybe just a few of the children having eaten the sweets from the Christingles…a very Happy Christmas to you all… and remember ‘I know that God loves me’…