Today, the First Sunday of Advent, the Church begins a new year. Advent is a season of hope, expectation and patient waiting, as we prepare to greet the new-born Christ. For Christians, Christmas is the revealing of God’s eternal plan for the world. The Son of God comes into our world as one of us. The prophet Jeremiah promises that God will send a leader who will practise honesty and integrity, in contrast to the corrupt and vicious leaders who have brought suffering to the people of Israel. Jesus warns his disciples that they will face ‘earth-shattering’ events; but they can stand firm, if they have faith in him.
We too may face earth-shattering events, in our own lives or in the wider world. We can stand with confidence, if our lives are founded on faith in Christ. In Advent, we are invited to renew our commitment to him. May the Lord be generous in increasing our love, so that we will be ready to meet the King when he comes.

Redistribution, Recognition and Catholic Social Teaching. Dr Amy Daughton (Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge.) This Thursday 6th December, here at St Cuthbert’s. 5pm: Paper and discussion, 6.30pm: Post-seminar drinks. Everyone is welcome.

Christ, the Light of Our Lives; or ‘What Do the Ox and the Ass Get Out of Christmas?’ Presented by Prof. Janet Soskice, University of Cambridge. Tuesday 11th December at 5.15pm – see poster for details.

Thanks
as always for donations. Client numbers have increased enormously –
so please give more! And to anticipate Christmas/New Year service
closure, clients usually given extras in December. Generosity
particularly needed now.

Jesus stands before Pilate: an accused criminal, facing the judge. Jesus describes himself as a witness to the truth. Pilate’s cynical reply is, ‘Truth? What is that?’ For Pilate, the reality is power, and truth is negotiable. Jesus has come into the world to witness to the truth; the truth that, through his sacrifice, our sins are forgiven and death is overcome. Jesus and Pilate are speaking different languages.

Pilate’s
attitude seems to prevail in today’s world. Though we have access
to more information than ever before, there often seems to be little
respect for the truth. The voices of the poor are drowned out by
those of the wealthy and powerful. Today’s Feast of Christ the King
reminds us that those who exercise worldly power are answerable to a
higher authority. God’s kingdom will not pass away. The truth will
prevail.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of its Truth Project, which has been set up to give victims and survivors of child sex abuse the opportunity to share their experiences and, thereby, frame the outcomes of the Inquiry. You can find out more at www.truthproject.org.uk

Having HMP Durham as your close neighbour is doubtless a constant call on your generosity as a Parish, and I am appealing for your support again. Many of our men are desperate to engage in some way with their Faith and foster a relationship with the Lord. One of the ways we can support this is by creating a welcoming, accessible and accepting environment in our St Cuthbert’s Chapel. The Chapel itself is beautiful, peaceful and a place of sanctuary in an often brutal environment. We do use the space for Bible Study Groups as well as the weekend Liturgies and I’m looking to see if we can buy some more accessible materials to use with the men, many of whom are illiterate. To that end, I would be grateful for donations so that we can build a varied resource bank to fully include all of our men who are seeking to continue their Faith Journey by learning more about the Good News. (To donate, speak to Fr Andrew.)

Diocesan
youth event for young people in school Years 9 and up. Wednesday 5th
December, 7.00-8.30pm, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle. An evening
of music, faith, prayer, inspiration, meeting people, sharing faith
and much more. See www.ymt.org for
details.

The annual appeal for the Diocesan Clergy Training Fund remains open for another week. This is the sole means of supporting the formation of men training for the Priesthood and the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Your kindness will ensure that our Diocese has the resources to train ministers for the Church both today and into the future. The fund also supports ongoing formation for clergy.

The Parish Seeks to offer support to prisoners and their families in a number of ways. On Sunday 18 and 25 November we will be having our annual collection of toys, puzzles, coloured pencils etc. for children to play with whilst visiting family members in prison. Please leave your items under the bench in the narthex. Thank you.

Next weekend we celebrate Youth Sunday. Bishop Seamus and the Youth Ministry Trust wish to thank you for your generous contributions to last year’s collection and for all you have done throughout the year to support our young people on their faith journey. There will be a collection next week to support the work of YMT. Envelopes are available if you wish to Gift Aid your donation.