January 2021 - The Magazine of St Thomas's Stopsley Parish Church - Special Edition
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The Magazine of St Thomas’s
Stopsley Parish Church
Seeking to share God’s love
with everyone.
January 2021
Special Edition
1
This Issue
Advice to Parents 26
Archbishops’ Message 9
And Finally 32
Bible Bite 10
Thank you to all our Car Parking 29
contributors.
Cathedrals 24
Note copy (on a stick, Coronavirus 27
disc, etc if possible) Crossword 20 & 28
for the February 2021
issue must reach Tony Epiphany 4&8
Clitheroe (or email to Fake News 19
tonyclitheroe16@live. Future 25
com) Gardening 30
by Sunday 24th Gold, Frankincense , Myrrh 6
January 2021 please. Holocaust 18
Housework 30
Looking Forward 31 & 32
Martin Luther 17
Maze 12
Month of January 15
Mouse Makes 12
Please Note.
Naming of Jesus 4
The contents of
this magazine are New Year Quiz 22 & 23
articles written St James the Least of All 21
by various St Paul 7
contributors and Soldiers Asleep wordsearch 11 & 33
do not necessarily Speeding 14
represent the Suduko 28 & 33
views of members Three Wise Men 5
of the editorial Wheat and Weeds 14
team.
2
3
1st Jan The naming of Jesus
Matthew and Luke tell how the angel instructed that Mary’s baby was to
be named Jesus - a common name meaning ‘saviour’. The Church recalls
the naming of Jesus on 1st January - eight days after 25th December (by the
Jewish way of reckoning days). In Jewish tradition, the male babies were
circumcised and named on their eighth day of life.
For early Christians, the name of Jesus held a special significance. In
Jewish tradition, names expressed aspects of personality. Jesus’ name
permeated His ministry, and it does so today: we are baptised in the name
of Jesus (Acts 2:38), we are justified through the name of Jesus
(1 Cor 6:11); and God the Father has given Jesus a name above all others
(Phil 2:9). All Christian prayer is through ‘Jesus Christ our Lord’, and it is
‘at the name of Jesus’ that one day every knee shall bow.
Have you ever wondered where the name ‘Jesus’
comes from?
The name Jesus is a transliteration of a name that occurs in several
languages. It is of Hebrew origin, ‘Yehosua’, or Joshua. There is also the
Hebrew-Aramaic form, ‘Yesua’. In Greek, it became ‘ Ἰησοῦς’ (Iēsoûs),
and in Latin it became ‘Iesus’.
The meaning of the name is ‘Yahweh delivers’ or ‘Yahweh rescues’, or
‘Yahweh is salvation’. No wonder the angel Gabriel in Luke (1:26-33)
told Mary to name her baby Jesus: “because He will save His people from
their sins.”
6th Jan Epiphany
th
On 6 January we celebrate Epiphany - the visit of the Wise Men to the
baby Jesus. But who were these Wise Men? No one knows for sure.
Matthew calls them ‘Magi’, and that was the name of an ancient caste of a
priestly kind from Persia. It wasn’t until the third century that they were
called kings - by a church father, Tertullian.
Another church father, Origin, assumed there were three - to correspond
with the gifts given. Later Christian interpretation came to understand
gold as a symbol of wisdom and wealth, incense as a symbol of worship
and sacrifice, and myrrh as a symbol of healing - and even embalming.
Certainly Jesus challenged and set aright the way in which the world
handled all three of these things. Since the 8th century, the Magi have had
the names Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior.
4
6th Jan Where did the Wise Men come from?
Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi had originally been a
religious caste among the Persians. Their devotion to astrology, divination
and the interpretation of dreams led to an extension in the meaning of the
word, and by the first century the Magi in Matthew’s gospel could have
been astrologers from outside of Persia. Some scholars believe they might
have come from what was then Arabia Felix, or as we would say today,
southern Arabia.
It is true that in the first century astrology was practised there, and it was
the region where the Queen of Sheba had lived. She of course had visited
Solomon and would have heard the prophecies about how one day a
Messiah would be born to the Israelites and become their king.
Matthew’s gospel (chapter 2) is clear that the Magi asked Herod: ‘Where is
the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east
and have come to worship Him.’ So it is possible that in southern Arabia
the Queen of Sheba’s story of how a Messiah would one day be sent to the
Israelites had survived. Certainly, there are a number of other early legends
that connect southern Arabia with Solomon’s Israel.
To many people this makes sense: that the ancient stories of a Messiah,
linked to later astrological study, prompted these alert and god-fearing men
to the realisation that something very stupendous was happening in Israel.
They realised that after all these centuries, the King of the Jews, the
Messiah, was about to be born.
One more interesting thing that gives weight to the theory that the Magi
came from southern Arabia is this: if you study any map of Palestine as it
was during biblical times, you will find that the old Arabian caravan routes
all entered Palestine ‘from the East’.
The team at the local fire station had assembled to hear their training
officer discuss the behaviours of various kinds of fire. He began: "You
pull up to a house and notice puffs of smoke coming from the eaves. But
the windows are blackened out and there is little or no visible flame.
What does this tell you?" he asked.
Hoping the men recognised signs of a possible ‘back draft’, a condition
very dangerous to fire fighters, he heard instead: "It tells me I’ve got the
right house.”
56th Jan What about the gifts of
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?
The story of the coming of the Magi grew in the telling. By the 6 th century
they had acquired names: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. By medieval
times they were considered to be kings. Whoever they were, we do know
from Matthew that they brought three gifts to Jesus.
What about their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? While we cannot
know for sure what was in the minds of first century Magi, one Victorian
scholar has offered a possible explanation as to the significance of their
gifts. He was the Rev John Henry Hopkins, an American Episcopalian
minister, who in 1857 wrote his much-loved Christmas carol, ‘We Three
Kings of Orient Are’.
Gold, said John Henry Hopkins, was a gift that would have been given to a
king. Frankincense had traditionally been brought by priests as they
worshipped God in the Temple. Myrrh was a spice that the ancients used in
preparing bodies for burial.
If that is true, then you could say that the Wise Men, in choosing their gifts
for this infant, honoured Jesus with gold because He was King of the Jews,
with frankincense because He was to be worshipped as divine, and with
myrrh, because He would also become a sacrifice and die for His people.
The Wise Men were the very first gentiles ever to worship Jesus. What
faith they had! They travelled for months over difficult terrain, they never
saw any evidence of Jesus’ kingship, His divinity or His sacrificial death.
They worshipped Him through faith in God’s promises about Him. Isaiah
foresaw this response to Jesus: ‘Nations will come to your light, and kings
to the brightness of your dawn.’ The Magi’s eyes of faith saw clearly and
far into the future.
Compare that with the High Priest and religious leaders whom the Wise
Men saw in Jerusalem when they first arrived. These head priests knew all
about the prophecies of their own coming Messiah, but NOT ONE Jewish
religious leader travelled to look for Him in Bethlehem. And it is only six
miles down the road!
The vicar was praying for the sick and said: “We must remember
Mrs Goodwin in our prayers. She recently had all her teeth taken out
and a new gas stove put in.”
625th Jan: St Paul, the first Christian intellectual
This month, on 25th January, the Church celebrates probably the most
famous conversion of all. At least, what happened to a young man called
Saul on the road to Damascus has become a byword for all instant
conversions - what is known as a ‘damascene’ moment. Saul was a devout
Jew, a Pharisee, a student of Gamaliel and a fierce critic of the followers
of Jesus, then a very new sect on the religious scene.
On his way to Damascus to start a purge of Christians in that city, he was
blinded by a bright light and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?’ He asked the identity of the voice, and was told:
‘Jesus, whom you are persecuting’. Stunned by the experience, he
followed further instructions which led him to a Christian man in
Damascus, who prayed with him. As he did, Saul’s sight was restored.
The experience convinced Paul that Jesus - crucified in Jerusalem four or
five years earlier - was in fact the Messiah and had risen from the dead.
After a period of instruction, Saul was baptised and took the name Paul. At
first, some Christians were wary about the reality of his conversion, but
over a period of time he was accepted and indeed eventually recognised as
an ’apostle’, a ‘special messenger’ of Jesus Christ.
His intellectual stature and leadership gifts quickly marked him out, and
within a few years he became a leading figure in the emerging Christian
Church, preaching and founding churches all over the Middle East, largely
of Gentile converts. He was eventually martyred in Rome, probably in
65AD.
Paul was the first intellectual of the Christian Church, the man who was
able to set the events of the life and teaching of Jesus, and especially His
death and resurrection, into a coherent theology, with its roots very clearly
in the Jewish faith of his own upbringing.
Many people think of Paul as a rather negative, narrow misogynist, but
even a quick reading of his letters actually reveals a person of great
warmth, who evoked enormous affection and devotion from others. ‘You
would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me!’ he writes to the
Christians at Galatia. As for the charge hat Paul disliked women, even a
quick read of his letters will reveal how large a role women played in his
churches. In terms of the first century, St Paul was a dangerous liberal!
So, all in all, the amazing Paul of Tarsus deserves a bit of celebrating on
25th January.
7Canon Paul Hardingham finds the wise men’s gifts to be of help to us
now.
Epiphany for today.
This month we celebrate Epiphany, when we remember the Magi from
the East who followed a star to find the baby Jesus: ‘Where is the one
who has been born king of the Jews?’ (Matthew 2:1).
At the start of a New Year, amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, are
we asking the same question? The gifts they offered show us how we
can find Him in the uncertainty of the coming year: ‘they bowed down
and worshipped Him…and presented Him with gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh.’ (2:11).
The gift of gold reflects that the Magi saw in the baby a king, destined
to rule over us all. In this coming year we need to remember that Jesus
is on the throne, the seat of power and authority in the whole universe.
Will we crown Him king of our lives and dedicate all that we are and do
to Him?
The gift of frankincense reflects that the visitors saw not just an earthly
king, but God in human flesh. Incense symbolises the prayers of God’s
people and so this gift reminds us that God is worthy of our worship
and prayer. Will we offer our praise and prayer, as we seek God to
guide us through the uncertainties of this time?
The gift of myrrh reflects that these astrologers saw beyond the baby’s
birth and life, to His death which would secure life for all. Jesus was
offered myrrh on the cross and was a spice used in His tomb. As we
face the sufferings of this New Year, we can be confident that Jesus
knows and understands our experience. Are we ready to trust Him?
‘Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice! Heav’n
sings Hallelujah: Hallelujah the earth replies.’ (‘We Three Kings’).
8We must become a ‘simpler, humbler, bolder
Church’ - Archbishops
The momentous events of 2020 will have a “profound effect” on the
future of the Church of England and our wider society, the Archbishops of
Canterbury and York have said.
In a recent joint address to the General Synod, Archbishops Justin Welby
and Stephen Cottrell said the Church of England must adapt and put its
trust in God to become a “simpler, humbler, bolder Church."
The archbishops’ comments came as they addressed the first online
sitting of the General Synod following a legal change to enable it to meet
remotely amid the coronavirus restrictions.
They outlined how the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout are
providing the backdrop to huge social changes - here and around the
world.
They also singled out how the Black Lives Matter movement and the
publication of the IICSA report on abuse had exposed the Church’s own
failings and the need to change.
Archbishop Justin told Synod: “2020 will be a year that registers in
memory and in history. It can be compared with 1929, with 1914, with
1989.
“We are aware that this is a year in which huge changes are happening in
our society and consequently in the Church.
“For let us be clear, there is no possibility of changes in society failing to
have a profound effect on the shape, calling and experience of mission in
the Church.”
Outlining the dramatic events of 2020, he added: “These crises are not
signs of the absence of God but calls to recognise the presence of the
kingdom and to act in faith and courage, simplifying our life focusing on
Jesus Christ, looking outwards to the needy and renewing in our cells our
call to wash feet, to serve our society and to be the Church for England.”
Archbishop Stephen went on to outline the work of groups set up to
discern how the Church of England might respond and change in light of
the recent challenges.
He told Synod: “If we put our trust in God, and if we learn to love one
another, then I believe we can become a simpler, humbler, bolder
Church, better able to live and share the gospel of Jesus Christ."
910
Soldiers Asleep Wordsearch
Solution on page 29
11A Maze for the New Year.
1213
14
All in the month of January
It was:
500 years ago, on 3rd January 1521 that German Protestant reformer
Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church
by Pope Leo X after he refused to recant his writings. A few weeks
later, on 23rd January, the Diet of Worms was called by the Holy Roman
Empire and ran until 25th May. This imperial assembly culminated in
the Edict of the Diet of Worms, which branded Martin Luther as a
heretic, and banned his writings.
150 years ago, on 26th January 1871 that the Rugby Football Union
(RFU) was founded in England.
125 years ago, on 28th January 1896 that Walter Arnold of Kent became
the first person in the world to be convicted of speeding. The speed limit
was 2 mph and a person carrying a red flag had to walk in front of the
vehicle. But Arnold drove at 8 mph without a flag bearer. He was
chased by a policeman on a bicycle, arrested, and fined one shilling.
100 years ago, on 28th January 1921 that the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It honours
those who died in WWI (and later also WWII) who were never
identified.
80 years ago, on 5th January 1941 that Amy Johnson, pioneering British
aviator, drowned in the Thames Estuary, aged 37. She had bailed out
after her plane ran out of fuel and crashed in adverse weather
conditions.
75 years ago, on 3rd January 1946 that William Joyce (‘Lord Haw
Haw’), British fascist politician who broadcast Nazi propaganda from
Germany during WWII, was hanged for treason.
65 years ago, on 27th January 1956, that Elvis Presley’s hit song
‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was released. It topped the US charts in April and
became his first UK hit in May of that year.
30 years ago, 17th January to 28th February, that the Gulf War’s
‘Operation Desert Storm’ took place. Invading Iraqi forces were
expelled from Kuwait and the Kuwaiti monarchy was restored. It was a
decisive coalition victory.
25 years ago, on 27th January 1996 that the first Holocaust
Remembrance Day was observed in Germany. It became International
Holocaust Day in 2005 when it was adopted by the United Nations. It
marks the day (27th January 1945) when the Auschwitz-Birkenau
oconcentration/death camp was liberated.
15Editor: It seems that ever since the car was invented, some people can’t
resist the urge to put their foot down… By Tim Lenton
The first man to get stopped for speeding…
It was 125 years ago, on 28th January 1896, that Walter Arnold of Kent
became the first person in the world to be convicted of speeding. The
speed limit was 2mph at the time, and a man carrying a red flag had to
walk in front of the vehicle. But one day Mr Arnold took off at 8mph,
without a flag bearer. He was chased by a policeman on a bicycle for
five miles, arrested, and fined one shilling.
Mr Arnold was four times over the rather modest 2mph limit in the
streets of Paddock Wood, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent. To achieve
this feat today, a driver in most towns or cities would have to be
travelling at over 100mph, which is probably a bit excessive.
The speed limit was changed later that same year to 14mph, but there is
no record of Mr Arnold getting his money back. Nor is there any
evidence that he was endangering life and limb, which used to be the
criterion: the 1832 Stage Carriage Act introduced the offence of
endangering someone’s safety by "furious driving”.
Just over 100 years later, the road safety charity Brake reports that male
motorists are more than three times as likely as women to having driven
at more than 100mph, because ‘boy racers’ believe they have more
talent than the average driver. Police have caught one driver doing
120mph in a 20mph zone, another doing 152mph in a 30mph zone, and
one doing an astonishing 180mph on a motorway. As Edmund King,
AA president, points out: “Generally men have riskier attitudes towards
driving than their female counterparts.”
16Editor: Martin Luther helped bring in the Reformation, and this month
marks an important stage in that process. Tim Lenton reports.
Martin Luther and the Diet of Worms, 500 years on
Five hundred years ago, on 3rd January 1521, German Protestant reformer
Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by
Pope Leo X after he refused to recant his writings. A few weeks later, on
23rd January, the Diet of Worms was called by the Holy Roman Empire
and ran until 25th May.
This amusingly titled event (Diet means assembly, and Worms is a city in
the Rhineland) culminated in the Edict of the Diet of Worms, which
declared that Luther was a heretic, and banned his writings.
Luther was a monk and professor of biblical interpretation at the
University of Wittenberg who came to oppose the Church’s corrupt
practice of selling indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. His 95 theses,
which he is famous for nailing to a church door in 1517 – though some
historians doubt that it actually happened – were based on the belief that
salvation is by grace through faith and cannot be bought by cash or
actions, however good.
Luther was defiant and was supported by powerful princes. He lived until
1546 and with others brought about the Reformation, though he would
doubtless have been amazed at the sheer number and variety of different
Protestant denominations (including various forms of Lutheranism) that
would trace their origin to his actions.
Food, glorious food!
Did you eat too much over Christmas? Or is that your lifestyle choice,
year-round?
Almost half of the world’s population will be overweight by 2050, if
current eating trends continue, according to recent research. That
means that more than four billion people could be overweight in just
30 years’ time, with 1.5 billion of them obese.
The research was done by the Germany-based Potsdam Institute for
Climate Impact Research. The authors warn of a looming health and
also environmental crisis, due to the surge in global food demand,
which would push the environment past sustainable levels. Food pro-
duction already takes up three quarters of the world’s fresh water, a
third of its land, and it accounts for up to a third of greenhouse gas
emissions.
17Holocaust Memorial Day calls for
‘light in the darkness’ of today
It was 25 years ago this month, on 27th January 1996, that the first
Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed in Germany. It became
International Holocaust Day in 2005 when it was adopted by the
United Nations. It marks the day (27th January 1945) when the
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration/death camp was liberated.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in 2021 is ‘Be the
light in the darkness’. The aim is to encourage people to “reflect on
the depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and
communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and
after genocide.”
HMD is encouraging people to heed the ‘Be the light in the
darkness’ theme as a call to action. “The utterly unprecedented times
through which we are living currently are showing the very best of
which humanity is capable but also - in some of the abuse and
conspiracy theories being spread on social media - the much darker
side of our world as well.
“We can all stand in solidarity. We can choose to ‘be the light in the
darkness’ in a variety of ways and places – at home, in public, and
online.”
More at: www.hmd.org.uk
A vicar and his wife were going out for the evening, and carefully set
the security lights and put the cat out. But when they opened the door
to go to the taxi, the cat slipped back in and disappeared upstairs.
Irritated, the vicar followed it.
The wife waited with the taxi driver. Not wanting him to know that
they were leaving the parsonage empty, she said: "My husband is just
upstairs for a quick word with my mother.”
A few minutes later, the husband arrived, breathless. "Sorry I took so
long" he said, “but she put up a fight! Stupid old thing was hiding
under the bed and I had to poke her with a coat hanger and grab her
by the scruff of the neck to get her out.”
18Fake News
When the minister announced the first hymn on Zoom, “Ten thousand times
ten thousand!” the little boy turned anxiously to his father. “Does he want
us to work that out?”
Two choir members recently got married. They met by chants.
Car engine for sale by curate slightly cracked.
The vicar was praying for the sick and said: “We must remember Mrs
Goodwin in our prayers. She recently had all her teeth taken out and a new
gas stove put in.”
Happy to visit his local pub before it closed again, a man found himself near
two nuns. Eager to talk to anyone after weeks in Tier 3, he ventured: “What
is your order?” (Meaning their religious community.)
The nuns happily replied: “Sausage and chips.”
I hate it when I think I'm buying ORGANIC vegetables, but when I get
home, they're REGULAR donuts
Shortly after the funeral of a local wealthy man, two friends were discussing
the Will. “How much did he leave?” wondered one. His friend thought a
moment, and ventured: “Well, I suppose, everything!”
The mother of a lively youngster was struggling to get him into his pyjamas
one night. “Jamie, lift up your arms!” she said. To which the child
promptly replied: “We lift them up unto the Lord!”
Words from the past!
The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, pub-
lic debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tem-
pered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should
be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to
work, instead of living on public assistance. - Cicero, 55 BC
19Crossword
for the
New Year
Across
1 ‘Again Peter denied it, and at
that moment a — began to crow’
(John 18:27) (4)
3 Fetters (Job 33:11) (8)
8 Perform on a musical instrument (1 Samuel 16:23) (4)
9 Paul describes it as ‘the third heaven’ (2 Corinthians 12:2–4) (8)
11 Loyally (Deuteronomy 11:13) (10)
14 Hens? Me? (anag.) (6)
15 Not visible (Matthew 6:6) (6)
17 Predicted site of the final great battle (Revelation 16:16) (10)
20 Jacob’s youngest son (Genesis 35:18) (8)
21 One of Zophar’s eleven sons (1 Chronicles 7:36) (4)
22 For example, London, Paris, Rome (8)
23 United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (1,1,1,1)
Down
1 Favourite church activity: Fellowship round a — — — (3,2,3)
2 Divinely bestowed powers or talents (8)
4 Pile together (1 Thessalonians 2:16) (4,2)
5 Commanded to justify (John 8:13) (10)
6 Timothy’s grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) (4)
7 Killed (Psalm 78:34) (4)
10 One of Graham Kendrick’s best-known songs, — — King (3,7)
12 Indecency (Mark 7:22) (8)
13 Unceasing (Jeremiah 15:18) (8)
16 He prophesied ‘the abomination that causes desolation’
(Matthew 24:15) (6)
18 British Board of Film Classification (1,1,1,1)
19 Pans (anag.) (4)
20The Rev Dr Gary Bowness continues his tongue-in-cheek letters from ‘Uncle
Eustace’
St James the Least of All
On how to deal with your church’s correspondence
My dear Nephew Darren,
You may have had several years of intensive training on biblical
interpretation, preaching and church history, but that doesn’t cover the
really important matters in parish life: how to evade disgruntled
parishioners, run a brisk Summer Fete and, in your case at present, deal with
correspondence, either by letter or email.
My regular practice, which I recommend to you as a New Year Resolution, is
to read all the letters/emails you receive and then discard them. If the matter is
truly important, you will receive a second message, to which you respond;
more likely, the sender will either have forgotten all about his first letter/email
after the second month or will write to some other cleric instead. In either case,
you will be saved a great deal of trouble.
You only need two folders for your filing system, either for post or emails.
The first is for complaints; they are to be filed and ignored, no matter how
many duplicates you are sent. Should you be confronted personally, you
simply say that the matter has been passed on to the bishop. Those
truly dogged complainants who pursue the matter will eventually receive an
episcopal reply saying he knows nothing of the matter, for which you then
blame the postal system/spammed email. After letters and emails have
ricocheted round the country for many months, the person complaining will
either have lost energy to pursue the matter, or the will to live.
The second file receives all other correspondence/emails chronologically. The
earliest letters and emails will be at the bottom of the pile and the most recent
on the top. In my experience, the postal file only needs attention when it
reaches a height of about two feet and becomes unstable. The practice then is
to discard the lower six inches and allow it to continue its steady growth. If the
stack is kept in the church vestry, then mice usually attend to the papers on the
bottom of the pile.
Sadly, your own church, with its electronic systems for filing, sorting and
retrieving correspondence and with your parish secretaries, removes all of
these blessings at a stroke. You have therefore no excuses for not dealing
instantly with every note that comes your way. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
May I also remind you that not even St Paul, that unflagging letter-writer, ever
ended one of his letters with a request for a prompt reply. Need I say more?
Your loving uncle, Eustace 21What do you know about New Year’s Day?
Just for Fun - a Quiz for the New Year
Answers at bottom of page
1 What word do the Scottish people give for the last day of the
year and its celebration?
2 What day of the week was New Year's Day, 2019?
3 In which European country is it a tradition to jump from a chair
right before midnight and also smash plates against friend's doors?
4 On New Year's Day 1993, which former country effectively split
into two?
5 Who was found hanged in Winson Green prison near
Birmingham on New Year's Day, 1995?
6 What name was given to the predicted computer meltdown at the
beginning of the year 2000?
7 Can you name the President of Cuba who fled the country on
January 1st, 1959, with the advance of a rebel army led by Fidel
Castro?
8 Nicknamed 'the Granddaddy of Them All', which annual
American college football bowl game is usually played on January the
1st?
9 On January 1st 1881, Ferdinand de Lesseps began French
construction on which great civil engineering project?
10 'The ball drop' is a famous part of the New Year's Eve celebra-
tion in which touristy part of New York City?
11 Which English author, born on New Year's Day 1879, wrote the
novel A Passage to India?
12 Who wrote the song ‘Auld Lang Syne’?
The answers—no cheating!
12. Robert Burns 11. E.M. Forster 10. Times Square 9. The Panama Canal
8. The Rose Bowl 7. (Fulgencio) Batista 6. Millennium Bug 5. Fred West
4. Czechoslovakia 3 Denmark 2 Tuesday 1.Hogmanay
22Enjoy the Quiz? Have a go at these too!
Answers at bottom of page
I s American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean the first or last
place to see in the new year?
2 Literally meaning the 'beginning of the year', what name is given
to the Jewish New Year?
1
3 Which sovereign state became independent of the United
Kingdom on New Year's Day 1984?
1
4 In Scotland, 'first-footing' is a tradition which involves visiting
homes with a gift of whisky and which other item?
1
5 Who won a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress in her
2012 film New Year's Eve?
1
6 The village of Allendale, famous for its New Year fire festival, is
in which English county?
1
7 New Year's Eve is also known by which Saint's Day in many
countries: (a)Saint Sylvester, (b)Saint Theobald, or (c)Saint Felix?
1
8 On January 1st, 1899, Spanish rule ended in which country?
1
9 'New Year' is a song by which British girl pop group - it was
released as the second single from their debut studio album 'One
Touch'?
1
10 In which English county is it an old tradition to say 'black rab-
bits, black rabbits, black rabbits' just as the clock is about to strike mid-
night on New Year’s Eve?
1
11 The month of January is named after which Roman god of
doorways?
1
12 Songkran, often celebrated by water fights, is the New Year's
festival in which Asian country?
The answers—no cheating!
12. Thailand 11. Janus 10. Yorkshire 9. Sugababes
8. Cuba 7. Sylvester 6. Northumberland 5. Sarah Jessica Parker
4. A lump of coal 3. Brunei 2. Rosh Hashanah 1. Last
23Visitor and worshipper numbers to England’s
cathedrals grew prior to lockdown
England’s cathedrals continue to play a huge role in the worship,
heritage, and civic life of the country according to the latest figures
from the Church of England.
In 2019, 1.3 million people attended services at cathedrals across the
country and England’s cathedrals also attracted nearly 10 million
visitors a year.
In 2019, a weekly total of 37,300 people attended cathedral services -
an increase of 13 per cent from 2009. While Sunday attendance
remained stable, attendance at midweek services grew by 35 per cent
over the decade.
Christmas and Advent service attendance also rose over the same
10-year period, with 2019 showing record high reported numbers for
advent events including carol services, concerts and nativity plays.
In all, cathedrals reported a total of 9.7 million visitors in 2019, just
below the highest-ever figure of 10.1 million reported in 2018.
Much-needed support grants totalling £17.5 million have so far been
received from Government, alongside additional contributions from
Charities and the Church Commissioners in 2020. These have helped
cathedrals to cope with the shortfall in visitor numbers caused by
measures to minimise the spread of Covid-19.
Since Covid-19, cathedrals have found new ways to engage
worshippers. Every cathedral able to re-open to the public has
achieved the Visit Britain’ standard and consumer charter
mark ‘Good to Go’ which means visitors can be confident that
cathedrals are taking all the necessary steps to help ensure people’s
safety.
Meanwhile, across the Church of England, more than 17,000 online
services and events have been provided following the introduction of
the lockdown and restrictions on public worship in March.
My grandson, Justin, watched a live streaming service with his dad
one Sunday morning. His mum wanted to know how it went. He
said, "The music was nice, but the commercial was too long."
24Editor: Lester Amann considers the visit of the Wise Men.
Where do we go from here?
Perhaps this was a question the Wise Men asked after seeing the infant
Jesus. They had come from a distant land to Jerusalem. They had
followed a star and expected to see a royal child. Now in Bethlehem,
they saw things differently. No doubt, Mary and Joseph shared with
these men their recent experiences and knew God was with them. Now
the Magi had to have eyes of faith to recognise that this child was God
in the flesh.
On 6th January many churches will celebrate Epiphany. On this day we
remember the Eastern Men bringing their gifts to Jesus. The word
‘epiphany’ describes their ‘revelation’ or ‘insight’ that this was no
ordinary baby. Who could they tell? Not King Herod. They had a
dream warning them to return home a different way.
Their return to familiar surroundings was going to be different. They
couldn’t be silent about what they had experienced. Their lives were
now changed. On returning home they faced new circumstances and
challenges.
Doesn’t this sound a bit familiar to us today? The Covid-19 pandemic
has affected all of us in one way or another. Where do we go from
here? We have celebrated our Lord’s birth, but now we are returning to
our previous activities. The festive break is over, and we are returning
to changed, very difficult circumstances.
We go into a New Year that is so different from this time last year.
While we might be downcast with all the upsets around us, there is one
thing that has not changed.
It is almighty God! He is our rock. We can look to Him in this world of
confusion and uncertainty. Perhaps, from now on, we shall be
worshipping and serving Him in different ways. So, with the challenges
that lie ahead, let’s continually seek His guidance.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own under-
standing….and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
When the minister announced the first hymn on Zoom, “Ten thousand
times ten thousand!” the little boy turned anxiously to his father.
“Does he want us to work that out?”
25David Pickup, a solicitor, considers what happens when your children do
damage.
Keep it in the family!
Start children off on the way they should go…. Proverbs 22:6
Suppose you bought your child a football for Christmas. You all go
outside to the garden, and in front of the family you show them how to
score a goal. Then they have a go, but accidentally kick the new ball
straight at your neighbour’s greenhouse, which breaks some glass. Are you
legally responsible for the damage?
Or supposing you buy them a bicycle, and they then try it on the road, and
cause an accident. Will you have pay for any loss?
A parent is not generally legally responsible for a child who causes an acci-
dent. There are some exceptions and some of them are these:
If the child was doing something at your request for you (acting as your
agent),
The parent was in charge of the child at the time,
The parent is negligent in allowing the child something which is risky
Where the parent is not in proper control of the child.
If you were showing your loved ones how you used to score a goal, you
may be legally responsible for the greenhouse, if you are not a good coach.
But if the child is just playing and accidentally breaks a window, the posi-
tion may be different. If you give your child something that is dangerous,
like an air rifle or a firework with which they then do damage,
you may well be legally responsible.
Law and morality are different. As a good neighbour, you would want to
pay for any damage, even if the law says you do not have to. Children
should be brought up to admit mistakes and be responsible. Sometimes the
risks increase, especially if a youngster is on the road. Any parent would
want to be especially careful near a main road.
If someone else’s child does you or your property significant damage, what
can you do? If you cannot sue the parent, you could claim against the child,
but that is unlikely to be worth it unless the child has money of their own.
If things go wrong, check if you have legal insurance. Many home
contents insurance policies have legal cover. Some policies have an
optional legal cover so you have to add it on. Some legal expenses
insurance have an advice line or cover the whole family if they live with
you.
As always this is a light-hearted guide to a complicated subject and
always get proper legal advice.
26Counting the cost of coronavirus
Happy New Year! It’s good to begin a new year with hope, but few of us
have left 2020 unscathed by the pandemic.
For example, nearly half of us, 48 per cent, put on weight during lockdown.
(According to a recent survey by King’s College London and Ipsos MORI).
Millions of us turned to alcohol or drugs. Public Health England reports that
one in five of us aged 45-74 are now drinking more than 21 units a week. The
Royal College of Psychiatrists expresses alarm at the rapid rise in patients
whose alcohol or drug use led to a decline in their mental health in 2020.
Children have suffered. Childline had nearly 43,000 calls from young people
March and October. Cyber bullying has soared, with one in three children
being bullied during the pandemic, according to the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
For millions of pensioners, Covid-19 ‘hit the fast-forward button on ageing’,
according to Age UK. Lockdown left old people frightened and losing their
confidence, mobility and even functions such as memory.
Suicidal thoughts soared during lockdown, with the number of people
seeking help tripling, to stand at more than a quarter of a million. The Royal
College of Psychiatrists warn that mental health services are now
‘overflowing’ with patients struggling to cope with anxiety, psychosis and
depression. Many charities fear that a ‘second pandemic’ of mental health
problems.
So – what do we do as January 2021 dawns? Each one of us CAN do
something to make things better, if only in a small way. How about these for
your New Year Resolutions?
Firstly, just get regular exercise. As one professor said, “Exercise creates a
virtuous circle of physical and mental well-being. You move more, you eat
better, you feel positive.” On the other hand, only a couple of weeks of lying
around the house will leave your cardiovascular systems less effective, your
musculoskeletal system weaker, your metabolic rate affected, and your
immune system lowered.
Secondly, adopt the right mental attitude. Studies of Holocaust survivors
found that those who recovered best had certain character traits of resilience:
optimism, self-esteem, acceptance and above all, spirituality. A faith in God
gave them purpose and meaning, even in the midst of fear and death.
Thirdly, make an effort this year to keep in touch with your friends and keep
an eye out for vulnerable neighbours. Be willing to act as a safety net for
others, if only to show compassion and a willingness to listen to them.
27Suduko
For a change the one at the bottom is the
harder; so I’m told!
(solution on page 32)
Crossword
Answers
(page 20 )
ACROSS:
1, Cock.
3, Shackles.
8, Play.
9, Paradise.
11, Faithfully.
14, Enmesh.
15, Unseen.
17, Armageddon.
20, Benjamin.
21, Beri. 22,
Capitals.
23, USPG.
DOWN:
1, Cup of tea.
2, Charisma.
4, Heap up.
5, Challenged.
6, Lois.
7, Slew.
10, The Servant.
12, Lewdness.
13, Unending.
16, Daniel.
18, BBFC.
19, Snap.
28Why parking your car is getting more difficult
Have you noticed that it is getting harder to park your car? And that
when you finally do get parked, you can barely get the door open enough
to squeeze out?
It is not your fault. Modern cars have grown so big that many drivers
now have as little as 21cm of room to spare in a parking space.
A recent study has found that the country’s most popular cars are as
much as 55 per cent larger than they were in the Seventies, while the
standard parking space has not grown at all. No surprise, then, that
millions of drivers scrape their cars each year trying to park in cramped
spaces.
The biggest grower is the Mini Hatch, which is now 55 per cent bigger
and takes up to 22 per cent more of a parking space that the original did,
back in 1959. The Honda Civic of today is 1.8m wide, an increase of 44
per cent. It now takes up nearly three quarters of a standard parking bay.
CarGurus, who carried out the research, has urged the authorities to up-
date the guidelines for parking bays. The current size of a parking bay is
2.4m by 4.8m, and has not changed in 50 years.
29Plants in your front garden
What’s in your front garden? If it is sparse, why not consider adding
some plants this year? Apparently, the presence of greenery can lower
your stress levels as much as two months of mindfulness sessions.
Plants can also help you to feel happier.
A recent trial study by the Royal Horticultural Society found that people
who introduced ornamental plants such as juniper, azalea, clematis,
lavender, daffodil bulbs and petunias had a significant lowering of the
stress hormone, cortisol, and many reported that they felt ‘happier’.
Doing housework can help you live longer
If you spend half an hour a day tidying the house, going up and down
your stairs, and doing household chores, you are reducing the risk of an
early death.
So says recent guidance from the World Health Organisation, as it urges
people to maintain regular moderate exercise on a daily basis, of up to at
least 150 minutes a week. It also recommends vigorous exercise of at
least 75 minutes a week.
The WHO recommendation was published in the British Journal of
Sports Medicine, and is part of the new global guidelines on physical
activity.
WHO also warned that those who stay sedentary for 10 or more hours
on a regular basis will have a “significantly heightened risk of death.”
2021
At the passing of time I’m aghast
Another New Year coming fast!
Can it be that much worse
Or more of a curse
Than this horrible year that has passed?
By Nigel Beeton
30And Finally or is it the beginning?
But Looking Forward
The Revd Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans,
Herts.
Five things I’d like to see in 2021
I keep hearing people say that 2020 was a ‘year like no other.’ Friends
have been writing a special journal recording the year, so they can pass
it on to their grandchildren. Others just want to leave 2020 behind and
look to a happier new year.
Both reactions are completely understandable. But I’ve been looking
ahead to 2021 and thinking about the five top things I’d like to see in
the year ahead. I wonder if you’ll agree with them or not? Maybe you
could put together your own list.
Let’s make sure the vaccines are distributed fairly and speedily.
Those who need the vaccine most urgently should receive it first, with
a fair system for ensuring everyone else can be vaccinated quickly and
efficiently. We need to ensure that everyone receives the vaccine
wherever they live in the world – from the poorest to the richest.
Especially, in those parts of the world where there is war, and people
are living as refugees.
Let’s learn the lessons of the pandemic – not just going back to how
life was, as quickly as possible. Many of us learnt to appreciate our
family so very much more – especially when we could not be with
them for months on end. We learnt lessons about how important our
neighbours and local businesses are, how precious our NHS, medical
researchers, care providers and other frontline workers are. Let’s not
forget them.
Let’s value nature. Those of us with gardens, or with parks or fields
nearby, have been massively blessed. I’ve learnt to pay attention to
birdsong, to the changing colours of the trees, and how unexpected
plants have taken root in our garden. Pets have played a major part in
helping us endure the lockdowns, especially for people who live alone.
May we all learn to value the natural world on our doorsteps in the
year ahead and beyond.
continued
31Let’s bless technology. Without the use of the internet, meeting
people ‘online’ or keeping in touch via email, Facetime or other
technologies, 2020 would have been a whole lot tougher. Churches
across the country moved their Sunday services online, and soon
adapted to a different way of worshipping – not the same, but still
helping us to worship together and see familiar faces. Let’s continue to
give thanks for the science that made that contact possible in 2020.
Let’s value our church family. Imperfect we may be, like any family.
But the months without being physically able to worship with them,
share communion with them, sing alongside them have been hard. I
value so much how many churches have risen to the pandemic
challenge and sought to serve their communities in all kinds of ways.
May we take all this experience into 2021 and build upon it.
Whatever 2021 holds for you and all those that you love, I pray that
you may know the love of God in your life, and be able to pass it on to
others.
The Signpost Team would
like to wish you all a very
happy but Safe 2021
32And Finally The Solutions
Suduko Wordsearch
(Page 21) (Pages 13 & 15 )
Open that window
Here is an easy resolution for the New Year: open your windows at
home for ‘short sharp bursts’ of 10 to 15 minutes at a time, several
times a day.
The government’s public information campaign says that regular fresh
air can cut the risk of Covid transmission by more than 70 per cent.
So, either leave a window open a small amount continuously, or open
it fully on a regular basis throughout the day, especially if anyone has
come to visit you in your home. Coronavirus is spread through the air
by droplets and smaller particles known as aerosols. They can hang in
the air for hours and they build up over time.
33St Thomas’s Points of Contact.
In general the main point of contact for most activities at St Thomas’s is the Parish Office,
01582 729194, However some activity leaders can be contacted directly through Parish Office
(01582 729194);
Christian Meditation Counselling Service Lunch Club
Music Group Social Scrabble Sunday Club
Vicar Revd David Alexander 01582 721911 Mobile 07796 334 300
vicar@stopsleyparish.org.uk
Churchwarden Ian Marshall Mobile 07968 131 997
Church Treasurer Neil Rolls 07802 175719 neil.i.rolls@talk21.com
Care team David Newbound Parish Office Mobile 07885 605977
Parish Nurse Debbie Newbound Mobile 07879 073060.
debbie.newbound@gmail.com
Choir John Alexander Mobile 07742 684 683
musicdirector@stopsleyparish.org.uk,
Coffee Mornings Gina Cook 01582 735218 Mobile 07944 347038
and Stopsley Volunteers gcook41@tiscali.co.uk
Craftanoon Lorraine Parsons Pinnock Mobile 07939 697 368
Home Group Ian & Ruth Marshall 07968 131 997
St T’s Women Group Donna Alexander Donnamaria85@gmail.com
Safeguarding Officers Judi Kingham 01582 619432 Mobile 07831 850 886
judikingham@virginmedia.com
Linda Clitheroe Mobile 07780 359 500
lindaclitheroe@me.com
Signpost Editor Tony Clitheroe tonyclitheroe16@live.com
Advertisements Neil Rolls Mobile 07802 175719
Neil.i.rolls@talk21.com
Tent project Jane Butler Mobile 0790 215 317
Women’s Home Group Jane Alexander Mobile 07745 155 054
Can We Help?
Visits, Christenings, Marriages, Funerals, Support, Home Communion, Friends,
Prayer, Love, Housegroups, Services, Social Activities etc, etc
Stopsley Parish Church (St Thomas’)
585a Hitchin Road, Stopsley, Luton. LU2 7UL
tel: (01582) 729194: e-mail: office@stopsleyparish.org.uk
Website stopsleyparish.org
Facebook: "Stopsley Parish Church"
Facebook: www.facebook.com/revdavidalexander
Twitter: www.twitter.com/stopsleyvicar
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