Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist
Church Rome
Christmas 2014
Wishing you a very happy
Christmas!
Tim and Angela Macquiban
Minister`s
letter : December 2014
Dear Friends,
As you read this, we will be less than three weeks off
Christmas. This is a time of the year when we gather
with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus,
through the singing of carols and the hearing again the
familiar stories of angels, shepherds and kings and
reflecting on the wonder of our God who was, in
Charles Wesley`s words, “contracted to a span,
incomprehensibly made man”. Advent is a time when
we remember those powerful Old Testament themes of
Judgement and Hope. The prophets of doom, warning
the people of the punishment they brought on
themselves by their wilful disobedience of God and his
commandments, were also the prophets of hope,
reminding the people of God that they were still loved,
chosen, called and equipped to be his holy people.
And Christmas is the ultimate and supreme testimony
that God is with us, Immanuel; he is here through
thick and thin, through the bad times as well as the
good. He ‘comes among us at Christmastime’ as one of
the many carols we shall sing reminds us. He gives us
Jesus, his Son, who is ‘the Word made flesh’ who
comes to dwell among us, to preach and teach and
heal in the name of God, to give his life for the sins of
all by his death on the Cross. That costly sacrifice
which he calls us all in our different ways to emulate in
our own discipleship.
Sometimes, perhaps not as often as it should, our
Christian discipleship costs us. In the time we spend
with others in serving them, in our sacrificial giving to
the church and to the many causes that will tug at out
heart-strings this Christmas. And our hearts should
melt with the compassion that Jesus showed to those
around as we seek to meet some of those needs. It will
mean digging into our pockets to respond to some of
the needs that are here. The Refugee Centre at St.
Paul`s, the Rice Bowl 2015 appeal which will assist
a refugee camp for 1,000 people near Aleppo, Syria.
and the projects supported by All We Can. the
Methodist agency for relief and development.
It`s a time for us to look for a proper Christian
response to the real issues of wealth creation and
wealth distribution, including our own personal lifestyle
and use of money. You might like to read John
Wesley’s sermon on The Use of Money: he said: Gain
all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can. So
Methodists cannot easily and readily become naive
anti-Capitalists without thought of a proper response
to the complexities of fluctuating markets and global
financial transactions.
There is an Iona song which starts ‘Inspired by love
and anger’ in which John Bell reminds Christians of
their responsibilities for peace and justice. It contains
one verse which is asterisked – this verse may be
omitted – perhaps because it is just too difficult to sing
and to point the finger at others in their (mis)use of
money while we ourselves are happy to run up credit
balances and engage in the conspicuous consumption
that Christmas advertising and high-pressure selling
techniques.
From those foe ever shackled to what their
wealth can buy,
The fear of lost advantage provokes a bitter cry:
‘Don’t query our position! Don’t criticize our
wealth!
Don’t mention those exploited by politics and
stealth!
So to those of us who bash the world`s bankers and
leaders of industry and commerce and blame them for
all our ills I say: even bankers with huge bonuses have
a heart which can melt with compassion if we do but
remind them of their responsibilities – let’s show by
our example of generous giving and by our tireless
campaigning on behalf of the poor of our society and
world that our God is a God of Judgement but also of
Hope.
Have a very happy and joyful Christmas (even if we
don’t send as many cards and presents) as you share
the peace and love of the Christ-Child with family and
friends. Angela joins me in sending our warmest good
wishes for a very happy Christmas and Peaceful New
Year.
Pastor Tim
PS A giant Christmas Card will be available on the
back table next Sunday for people to send greetings to
each other in church and give a gift to All We Can –
I’d much rather you did this than send us a card! And
we shall do the same.
SERVICES OVER THE CHRISTMAS
SEASON
All services at 10-30am unless otherwise – do
come and join us!
14th Dec.
Pastor Tim
21st Dec.
Carol Service
followed by Pot Luck Lunch
24th Dec.
Carol service at 6pm
preceded by mince pies
and nibbles in the manse
from 400 to 530pm
25th Dec.
All Age Communion for
Christmas Day
28th Dec.
Pastor Tim
ENTERTAINMENT OVER THE
CHRISTMAS SEASON
CONCERTS before CHRISTMAS
Concerts by our organist Luca Nicoletti at Basilica
SS. XII Apostoli at 19:15
Saturday December 13
L`organo in ensemble
Sabato December 20
L`organo solistico
Ingresso libero
CONCERTS AT PSA over CHRISTMAS
Friday December 19, 2014 - 8.30 p.m.
Haydn Cello Concerts
Marco Algenti and Francesco Sorrentino, cellos
Giorgio Pradella, conductor
Orchestra Couleurs du Temps (small Orchestra)
F.J. Haydn: Concerto for cello and Orchestra in C
major
F. J. Haydn: Concerto for cello and Orchetra in D major
F. Handel: Concerto grosso op. 6 n. 11
A. Vivaldi: Concerto for two cellos in G minor
Thursday December 25, 2014 - 8.30 p.m.
The Romantic Cello
Marco Algenti, cello
Lisa Francese Taeschner, piano
J. Brahms: Cello Sonata op. 38
L. van Beethoven: Cello Sonata op. 69
Friday December 26, 2014 - 8.30 p.m.
Beethoven Strings Trio
Francesco Peverini, violin
Gianluca Saggini, viola
Marco Algenti, cello
L. van Beethoven: Strings Trio op. 3
F. Schubert: Strings Trio in b moll magior
Saturday December 27, 2014 - 8.30 p.m.
The Romantic Violin
Soyeon Kim, violin
Akanė Makita, piano
J. Brahms: Violin Sonata n. 2 op. 100
P.I. Tschaikowsky: Souvenir d'un lieu Cher op. 42
R. Schumann: Violin Sonata n. 2 op. 121
Travel well in 2015
May the peace of Christ go with you!