Sharing Christmas Hope in Hackney

In Genesis 32, Jacob is so moved by having survived seeing God’s face that he names the local area ‘Peniel’ (which means ‘face of God’). This encounter inspired the 2024 advent theme for Hackney Evangelical Reformed Church: ‘Peniel: To See God and Live’. 

Our advent sermon series explored how Christmas invites us to see the face of God through the incarnation of the Lord Jesus. Our Christmas season was marked by several events that aimed to encourage our community to make the most of this invitation.

Most of the events we held have become staples for our church in recent years. We hosted a carol service, a Christmas Day service, and a New Year’s Eve crossover service to round off the season.

One notable addition was the Christmas edition of our new quarterly food bank project. We provided festive food items to about 50 people from our local area who visited the church building. It was a privilege to serve our neighbours and show the love of Christ in a practical way during a season when many face financial or emotional burdens.

Our carol service was a highlight of the season. Around 150 people attended, and members of our congregation participated in reading the nativity story. We also sang beloved Christmas carols, led by our choir. The service culminated in a sermon from Matthew 1:18-25, where we were encouraged to seek the meaning of life in the most significant birth in human history – Jesus Christ.

On Christmas morning, around 75 people gathered to sing Christmas hymns and to reflect on a sermon from 1 John 1:1-4. The focus was on the wonder of God coming to dwell with humanity, bringing life, fellowship, and hope through Jesus.

We concluded the season with our New Year’s Eve service. The evening featured extended times of prayer and singing, as well as a sermon from Colossians 1:15-23. We were encouraged to acknowledge Christ as sovereign over the past year and to trust him as Lord of the year to come. The service ended just before midnight, allowing us to joyfully count down to the new year as a church family.

This Christmas season was a time to take heart from the glory of God revealed in the face of his Son. We are grateful for the opportunities we had to share this hope with our church family and the local community.