Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Did you know that the word ‘mistletoe’ means dung on a tree?  The Anglo-Saxons thought that mistletoe grew in trees where birds had left their droppings.  Mistel means dung, and tan means twig.

Away in a manger the baby lay, No blankets or pillows – just some hay. Shepherds watching their flocks by night Angels appear midst blinding light. Wise men travelling from afar Following a guiding star, Herod filled with rage within Planning to kill this new born king. What can this mean for us today? Just...

‘It’s gonna be a lonely Christmas’. The pressure to have fun with friends and family is real over the Christmas period.  In fact, over nine million people in the UK say they’re always or often lonely. (Red Cross). When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, she probably felt very alone. Her situation would be seen as...

There are two early stories that mention fir trees.  The first involves St Boniface, who went to Germany in the 8th century as a missionary and found people sacrificing a child to their god under an oak tree.  Boniface was appalled, and rescued the child. He then chopped down the oak tree and found a...

The Church of England has partnered with Cornerstone, the mobile infrastructure services company who own and manage sites for Telefónica (O2) and Vodafone, to help deliver improved connectivity in areas currently suffering from poor mobile phone coverage. Cornerstone has entered into an agreement with the Church of England under the recent Electronic Communications Code to...

“A cold coming they had of it at this time of the year, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey, in.  The way’s deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in solstitio brumali, the very dead of winter.” It was 1622, and...

By Sarah J Dodd & Raffaella Ligi, Lion Children, £5.99 A new king is born! His name is Jesus. Share the gladness of Mary, the joy of the shepherds, and the journey of the wise men. An engaging retelling for children of the first Christmas, with bright and appealing pictures that bring the wonderful scenes...

Listed Churches in need of vital repairs are to benefit after the Government announced the extension of a grant scheme. The listed places of worship grants scheme (LPWGS) is to be extended by the Treasury for a further year until March 2021. The scheme pays grants equal to the VAT incurred on repairs such as...

He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him – John 1:11 God appeared one night; the world slept on. Infant flesh disguised the Holy One, announced by angels singing in the sky, ‘Peace on earth and praise to God on high’ but who turned up?   Shepherds came,...

Ethical Christmas presents ‘Tis the season for Angels! Free gifts for festive shoppers C of E’s Environment Group calls for greater action on Climate Change The Nazareth Trust – working to heal and improve lives Millennium yew trees – 20 years on Don’t ignore RE! Paradise and the Final Judgement in danger of flaking **...

‘It’s gonna be a lonely Christmas’. The pressure to have fun with friends and family is real over the Christmas period. In fact, over nine million people in the UK say they’re always or often lonely. (Red Cross). When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, she probably felt very alone. Her situation would be seen as...

Ever wonder where many of our Christmas traditions come from?   A surprising amount of our modern Christmas celebrations can be traced back to the well-loved story of ‘A Christmas Carol’, by Charles Dickens. When you read ‘A Christmas Carol’, you discover almost a template of the ‘ideal Christmas’ which we still hold dear today.  Dickens...