Parish of Llanrhos
FLOWER AND BANNER FESTIVAL
At Saint Paul's
Church Craig y Don, Llandudno
April 29th to
May 2nd 2005
Welcome to St Paul's Church
All
the banners on display, which are just a small selection of banners
that we have, were all made "in house" by our Parish Banner group who
meet weekly to work on new banners to enhance our buildings and our
worship. The floral displays, likewise, are all created by people from
the four churches of our parish. We are grateful to God for the talents
of so many people.
This
website presentation concentrates on the main floral displays but with
some of the many banners also shown. The descriptive notes are
taken from the
festival brochure.
Entering through the west doors
one cannot but be impressed
by the sheer size and beauty of the interior as one's eyes
are drawn to the great east window of Christ in Majesty.
by the sheer size and beauty of the interior as one's eyes
are drawn to the great east window of Christ in Majesty.
The theme of this festival is:
<>"Through the year
with the Christian Church"
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It reminds each one of us that we are all on a journey. The story of the two disciples on the Emmaus road reminds us that often we fail to recognise Jesus walking alongside us as we travel through this world. We hope that our floral displays and banners will remind you of your journey and how God is ever present even when sometimes we do not recognise Him alongside us.
ADVENT
The church's season of Advent marks the beginning of the Christian Year.
Very often this season is lost in the commercial preparations for Christmas.
It is a time of preparation, similar to Lent, in its penitential aspect.
On each of the four Sundays in Advent a candle is lit, a prayer said,
reminding us of the Patriarchs, Prophets, John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary.
The central, white candle, is lit on Christmas morning when we
celebrate the birth of the Saviour.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas needs no explanation. Yet many forget the reason for Christmas -
the birth of a baby in a stable at Bethlehem. This baby IS God made Man.
Today many billions of pounds are spent on presents and
food and the message of the Christ-Child is sometimes forgotten.
John Betjeman reminds us in his poem "Christmas" of the true meaning:
And is it true? And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?
No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with the single Truth compare -
That God was Man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.
EPIPHANY
We celebrate on January 6th the coming of the Wise Men, Magi, Kings, to the Christ-Child.
This festival of Epiphany is also called the "Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles".
At the manger the Wise Men offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh,
reminding us that we are called to offer our gifts to Christ.
The wise men travelled great distances to worship this newborn king and to present their gifts.
We, however, are reluctant to 'travel' to the church which is just down the road,
to worship the King of Heaven.
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
This part of the church is dedicated to St Francis of
Assisi.
The furniture in this area was once in the chapel of Ty'r Brodyr,
an Anglican Franciscan House which served the parish and North Wales
for 10
years. The items are on "loan" to the church and will be returned to the
Society of St Francis should they decide to open another house here in
North
Wales. The statue of St Francis prior to being at the Franciscan House
was in
the Chapel of the Anglican Chaplaincy at UCNW Bangor.
The two banners either side depict "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon"
from the famous canticle of St Francis.
The Blessed Sacrament is reserved here. Pause for a while to pray,
light a candle, or place a pebble in our "pebble pool ".
Continue your journey crossing to the front of the Nave Altar.
THE HOLY EUCHARIST
At the Lord's Table we are reminded of the Last Supper
when Jesus met in the Upper Room and shared bread and wine with
his disciples. It is the command of Jesus that we should break the bread and
share the cup in remembrance of Him. This the church has done for over 2000
years. Through the Grace of God and in the Sacrament of Holy Communion
we receive the strength to live our Christian life. It was on this same night
that Jesus left his place, removed his garments and washed the disciples feet,
reminding us that we, God's Church, are here to serve and not to be served.
EASTER
Without Easter there is no Christian Church.
This festival is far more important even than Christmas.
Without Easter, when we remember our Risen Lord,
there is no Christian Faith.
The authorities
wanted to make sure Jesus was out of the way. They had plotted his
death and when his body was taken down from the cross his body was
placed in a borrowed tomb, a large
stone placed over the entrance and sealed with a guard placed at the entrance
to ensure no one could steal the body and make up a story that this Jesus
had risen. On the third day the women
came
to the tomb early in the morning
and found that the stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus was
not there. An angel asked them why they were looking for the living among
the dead. Mary Magdalene in her distress asked the person she thought to
be the gardener if he knew where they had taken the body. Jesus said to
her, "Mary", and
immediately she recognised him. After this, Jesus appeared to his disciples
in the Upper Room, on the shore of Lake Galilee, on the Road to Emmaus
and on other occasions. It is faith in Our Risen Lord that has
encouraged so many people to witness for Christ even in very difficult
and dangerous situations.
PENTECOST
The "birthday" of
the church. Jesus promised that when he returned
to His Father in heaven he would send the "comforter" to guide and direct
the disciples as they journeyed through life proclaiming the Gospel. On
the Day of Pentecost
the disciples were gathered together in Jerusalem when there
was a sound of a "mighty rushing wind" and "tongues of fire rested upon
their heads".
Immediately the disciples were filled with confidence to proclaim
the Gospel. Peter and the others immediately went out onto the streets
to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and many thousands were added
to their numbers each day. The Holy Spirit comes to God's people today
to guide and direct us as we journey through this world. Many, inspired
by the Holy Spirit,
have stood up against those who do wrong and some, even in
our own day, have been imprisoned and even killed (martyred) because of
their faith, inspired
and given courage by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The celebration
of Pentecost or Whitsunday has been forgotten by many due to the moving
of the Bank Holiday from Whitsuntide to "Spring Bank Holiday" at the
end of the month.
HARVEST
We are reminded that the gifts of
the earth have been given to us by God. In Genesis God tells humankind
to take care of His creation. If we don't we will lose it. What has
happened? We have exploited and still exploit the resources of the
world. We cut
down the rain forests, scar the landscape and drive animals into
extinction. Scientists are continually telling us today that we need to
"conserve". Yet we still abuse our position of trust, we still exploit
both the world and our fellow human beings. This world that God has
given to us is very precious and we need to care for it and everything
and everyone on this planet for we are a "global village". What happens
thousands of miles away DOES affect us.
Pause a while to remember those who are fighting, peacefully, to address the imbalance of trade in our world between rich and poor. Remember the beauty of God's creation and how we have sometimes forgotten to take care of it. THANK God for all His many gifts to us.
Pause a while to remember those who are fighting, peacefully, to address the imbalance of trade in our world between rich and poor. Remember the beauty of God's creation and how we have sometimes forgotten to take care of it. THANK God for all His many gifts to us.
REMEMBRANCE
It is good to remember. To remember
people and events enables us to move on as we travel the road of life.
Remembrance Day on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, with a
silence at the eleventh hour, began after the First World War. This Act
of Remembrance was later transferred to the nearest Sunday to 11th
November. In recent years whilst we still have nation-wide acts of
remembrance on the nearest Sunday we have also revived the two minutes
silence at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Some have said that as the significance of Remembrance Sunday decreases
in the minds of the younger generations that it should cease. To
remember is good. Remembering reminds us of how cruel humankind can be
and still is. Many in the world today suffer as a result of conflict
and cruelty inflicted on them by their fellow human beings. At the
Eucharist (Holy Communion) the church 'remembers' the sacrifice of
Jesus on the cross and His resurrection that gives us faith and hope in
the future. We must all remember and learn from the past. We, as human
beings, are capable of much evil but we are also capable of great good.
Banner: "Lest we forget" We must never forget for so many laid and still lay down their lives in the service of Country, friends and God. Pause for a while and remember all that is good in the world and resolve to live the life God intended for each of us.
BAPTISMBanner: "Lest we forget" We must never forget for so many laid and still lay down their lives in the service of Country, friends and God. Pause for a while and remember all that is good in the world and resolve to live the life God intended for each of us.
Traditionally the font was placed
by the church door as a symbol of the first thing that happened to all
of us - baptism. In days past all children were brought to the church
for baptism. In the waters of baptism sin is washed away and our
Christian journey begins. Baptism is a beginning, not an
end. Parents and godparents promise to bring their child up in the
Christian way and to travel alongside their child and teach them, by
example, what it is to be a Christian. This is our last floral and
banner display and so is really a contradiction. Baptism begins our
Christian journey but here it is our last display as we remind you that
as you leave the church today to continue your journey of life Baptism
is a beginning not an end. It is the beginning of a new life with
Christ. We are sent out into the world to proclaim the Good News of
Jesus Christ.
This webpage was first published on the Cytûn Llandudno Churches Together website in 2005.
Visit Llandudno Queen of the North Wales Resorts
All photographs by Noel Walley, 2005
Last updated December 2008
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