Parish of St Peter & St Paul Wakefield

To everyone who helped prepare the Church for Christmas and Advent - our church and brass cleaners, the flower arrangers, and Crib assembling; And To our Musicians, Choirs, Readers, Ministers, Welcomers, Sacristan and Altar Servers for their contributions especially during the Christmas Week.  All of your hard work and effort is very much appreciated.

John’s Gospel doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins in eternity. Before the manger, before creation, before time itself—the Word was. In these first 18 verses, often called the Prologue, John draws back the veil to reveal the divine mystery behind everything: the Word (Greek: Logos) is both with God and is God. This is an invitation into awe. This is not just a new chapter in salvation history; it’s the hinge of all history. And it culminates in the stunning truth: the Word became flesh. The first thing we see on opening our Gospel. But it was the last part which he wrote. It is the final summary, placed at the very beginning of the Gospel. He starts with the words, “In the beginning was the Word”, therefore tying the start of the Gospel to the very start of our Bible in Genesis which says: “In the beginning God created heaven and earth” (Gen 1:1). So John pushes his account of Jesus, the Word, back to the beginning of time itself…before anything else had been created, Christ already was. ‘In the beginning was the Word’ tells us in simple words that Christ was before all else came to be. Today is the day where we can try to stretch our minds into the mystery of God, before the world was made.

Our Gospel Reading permits us to begin our contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about”. In the preceding verses of the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the Evangelist has listed the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his lineage through King David to Abraham. In the chapter to follow, Matthew tells of the visit from the Magi, and Herod's massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. We must not gloss over too quickly the difficult circumstances described in today's Gospel. The way that Joseph and Mary face these circumstances tells us much about these holy people and their faith in God. Joseph and Mary are betrothed to be married. This is sometimes described as an engagement period, but it is more than that. Betrothal in first century Jewish culture was in fact the first part of the marriage contract. A breach of this contract was considered adultery. Mary is found to be with child. If adultery is proven, the punishment might be death. Joseph has rights under Mosaic law but chooses to act discreetly in his plans to break the marriage contract, so as to protect Mary. Then God intervenes. The message of the angel of the Lord given to Joseph in his dream tells us much about the child that Mary bears and his role in God's plan. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit. His name will be Jesus, which in the Hebrew means “Yahweh saves.” He will be the fulfilment of the prophecy heard in today's first reading from Isaiah: “. . . The virgin shall be with child . . . and shall name him Emmanuel.” Joseph does as the angel of the Lord directs. He takes Mary to be his wife and accepts the child in her womb as his own. Joseph and Mary are both cooperative with God's plan. They are both models for us of what it means to be faithful servants of God.

Are you a qualified nurse? Would you like to join the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes (3-9 July 2026)? Please contact: lourdes.enquiries@dioceseofleeds.org.uk for further information.  We desperately need registered nurses to join the team to enable our assisted pilgrims to travel to Lourdes. This is a wonderful experience, and many nurses return year after year. Please consider joining our friendly, happy team of volunteers and enjoy a truly blessed week with our assisted pilgrims.

Friday 13th February 2026 at the Met hotel in Leeds. Tickets are available from Phil Marshall at £45 or £400 for a table of 10. The ticket price includes reception drink, a 3 course Meal, Tea & coffee, DJ and entertainment throughout the evening. To secure your tickets for this popular event, contact Phil on 07766 148375 or email philmarshall49@outlook.com . All profits at the event go to the Diocesan Lourdes fund.

Our Lady of Unfailing Help! Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send labourers into His harvest and that He will grant an abundance of vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life within the Diocese of Leeds, and throughout the world. Amen.

Please see Deacon Dominic for any enquiries regarding Baptisms. Children in Year 6 and above whose parents would like them to be Confirmed should email/speak to Dominic ASAP as the preparation begins in January.

We would like to welcome Andrea Nicholls and Bismark Adomako who are now confirmed as our Parish safeguarding representatives. Safeguarding representatives have a special responsibility for promoting good and safe practices in all activities involving children, young people and adults at risk. Please see our safeguarding notice board in the Narthex.

Are you a qualified nurse? Would you like to join the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes (3-9 July 2026)? Please contact: lourdes.enquiries@dioceseofleeds.org.uk for further information.  We desperately need registered nurses to join the team to enable our assisted pilgrims to travel to Lourdes. This is a wonderful experience, and many nurses return year after year. Please consider joining our friendly, happy team of volunteers and enjoy a truly blessed week with our assisted pilgrims.