General Chat

Thankyou as usual, Cynthia. :-D :-D Will now be thinking of your pre-schoolies on Sunday (Pentecost Sunday, incidentally). Some good advice for Sunday schools and all mothers of restless and noisy children and grandchildren ;-)

Job has always been favourite book of mine, Susan with. I think it is the earliest book ever written that has been saved to canon of scripture. Job was a rich and successful man with a good life and a large family. He loses everything, his family die, and yet he still turns to God.

Some today get so upset when they lose a child or a fortune that they blame God - "how can He be a loving God and cause all this pain and anguish?" Well, Job lost ALL his family. Yet he keeps loving God and searching for a purpose in his life. And he and his friends are wrestling with creation, believing they have more knowledge and intelligence than God. Chapter 38 brings that debate to a very dramatic conclusion.

And so it has been in every generation since Job. Ultimately, we either accept God or we continue to criticise, continue to challenge what we have been told. Job trusted, his friends all trusted and the remainder of their lives were wonderful and harmonious. Out of tragedy and despair and unbelief came joy and real friendship :-D :-D

I would appreciate a healing prayer for a member of
my family who is recovering from operation for a brain
aneurysm.

Emma

Hello Emma, so sorry to hear about your family member with the brain aneurysm - it must be a very worrying time for you all.


This is a prayer I have used many times in the past. I hope you find it useful.


Heavenly Father, we bring to you in prayer.............(name).
In simple trust we commit them into your hands.
We thank you that you love them more than we do and understand their every need.
Do for them, O Lord, what we cannot do, and what you see is most for their good. For Jesus' sake. Amen.


Cx <3

Amen

Thank you Cynthia <3

To let you know she is doing well and surgeon very pleased
with her progress.

Emma

Very good news Emma......... :-)

Good morning everyone..............and I do apologise for copying the same prayer twice this week.....no excuses :-(



Whilst I love the Barclay prayers, I thought that, maybe, it would be a good idea to vary writers and styles of prayer so please feel free to add your favourites.

Meanwhile.......for today....


We give you thanks, O God, for those who mean so much to us–

Those to whom we can go at any time.

Those with whom we can talk and keep going back, knowing that they will not laugh at our dreams or our failures.

Those in whose presence it is easier to be good.

Those who by their warning have held us back from mistakes we might have made.

Above all, we thank you for Jesus Christ, Lord of our hearts and Savior of our souls, in whose name we offer this thanksgiving. Amen.




If anyone would like to request a prayer for a specific reason as Emma did yesterday, please add it to the thread or, if anyone wishes to remain anonymous, please send me a pm and I will add it anonymously on your behalf.


Have a lovely day everyone......... :-)

Thank you again Cynthia for beautiful prayer,
and also wish you a lovely day.

Emma :-)

Love the prayer hymn "God of the Poor" as it seems to me that compassion and love for our fellow man is something we can all strive for, whatever our faith or non-faith.

Beauty for brokenness
Hope for despair
Lord, in your suffering
This is our prayer
Bread for the children
Justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase!

Shelter for fragile lives
Cures for their ills
Work for the craftsman
Trade for their skills
Land for the dispossessed
Rights for the weak
Voices to plead the cause
Of those who can't speak

God of the poor
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame

Refuge from cruel wars
Havens from fear
Cities for sanctuary
Freedoms to share
Peace to the killing-fields
Scorched earth to green
Christ for the bitterness
His cross for the pain

Rest for the ravaged earth
Oceans and streams
Plundered and poisoned
Our future, our dreams
Lord, end our madness
Carelessness, greed
Make us content with
The things that we need

Lighten our darkness
Breathe on this flame
Until your justice
Burns brightly again
Until the nations
Learn of your ways
Seek your salvation
And bring you their praise

(Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music)

In this day and age we are all busy going about
our daily business, I came across this prayer and
nothing seems to change over the years.....

I Will Be Busy

O Lord
you know how busy I must be this day.
If I forget you,
do not forget me.

(Sir Jacob Astley, before the Battle of Edgehill, 1642)

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV ?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town ?
I'm counting on you, Lord, please don't let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town ?

(Janis Joplin)
:-D

Vera, thank you - the hymns of that word are incredibly moving - have you seen it here? Well worth a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDOXfj9W0w


Emma, I had forgotten about that prayer - thank you for the reminder. :-)


Rollo, with my tongue firmly wedged in my cheek, I will say that I'm not too sure that you have got the hang of this thread, but thank you for your contribution.



:-)

Cynthia :-D :-D I did not know what to say to Rollo. So pleased you said something.

I was just going to say that I am sure Rollo has had all those prayers answered. My image of you, Rollo, is driving round in a big Merc and watching a big plasma TV (not at same time). Rollo, now you have got all that, it is a good time to seek in prayer what other delights the Lord has in view for you :-D

And, for those who have not yet had a big new Merc, it is not all that. Seeing the face of somebody who has had their sincere prayers answered exceeds even a Merc ;-)

No Mercs at Pentecost, but they were all rather fulfilled and happy :-) :-)

These Hellenistic Jews from the most northerly state of Galilee remained in far-off Jerusalem for 50 days after Easter on the orders of the risen Jesus. They had now seen Jesus ascend back to heaven 10 days previously and were once again without their leader. But now filled with hope that something momentous was going to happen in the city of Zion (Jerusalem) at the Feast of Pentecost.

The apostle Mark writes thus to his friend Theophilus, recorded in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

So thousands of their fellow Jews had come together for Pentecost from the Jewish diaspora, speaking all manner of native languages. Yet these simple Galileans were all able to address them in their own tongues.

This miracle was the simple birth of the Christian church. Today marks that birthday for every Christian. Exactly 7 weeks after Easter (50 days including both Sundays) we still start our week in worship on a Sunday because of what happened on Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday :-) :-) :-)

Pentecost Sunday


I like:
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=22569

In one of his sermons Oscar Romero reminded people that God exists outside the Church, it may seem obvious to us, but a lot of people seem to think that the workings of the Holy Spirit are only to be found in liturgy, sacramental celebrations and the structures we call our church institutions.

There is also a tendency to imagine that Pentecost is the first manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Both these misconceptions are to be firmly resisted. Looking back into the Hebrew Bible we see evidence of the Spirit of God at work powerfully, gently, lovingly as well as forcefully transforming the hearts and lives of people, the Spirit at work in all living and created things. There right in our deep faith history we can find much to show us that the Living God transcends our boundaries and will use seemingly impossible and problematic situations to bring about change.

We often refer to this feast as the birthday of the Church, in one sense it is but in another sense it isn’t, for Pentecost is about the vibrancy of the Spirit at work not only in the faith community but in the world outside it, in the alleyways and ghettos of poverty, on battle fields of war, amongst those who have no faith or have different belief systems to our own. The Spirit as we can hear in our readings, does not speak in one tongue, there is no sacred language except that of love, all tongues all dialects are used to proclaim the good news of salvation. We might be reminded that in the charismatic gifts tongues , though a lowly gift is really about uttering what is beyond words, the prayer of the depths where God and each one of us is invited to communicate at a level beyond human language.

When I was a young priest the Charismatic renewal spread widely and drew many to unshackle their preconceptions about faith, the Spirit was at work in transforming , renewing and nourishing faith into new birth. We hear much about the tiredness of European Christianity, I for one do not see that in the lives of those I know who open themselves to the Spirit at work in the Churches today. Pentecost is not about looking backwards or restoring the past, it is about the dynamic presence of God, who as the Holy Spirit enters every crevice of the human heart and every area of our lives. Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of our earth!

http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/


Celebrate the Church’s birthday and highlight its heritage, diversity and positive contributions to society.
Challenge the Church to reach out to its community.
Provide creative opportunities for people outside of the Church to explore the Christian message.

Good morning and it is, indeed, the day of Pentecost today.. :-)


We ask for your forgiveness, Lord
when we forget
the power that lies within
and trust instead
upon our human strength.

Remind us of that glorious day
when your Spirit
transformed the lives of those
who hid in fear
into men of power.

Renew these hearts which have grown cold
with flames of fire
as on that Pentecost
that we might be
the church that you desire.

Amen.


-source unknown.



:-)

Thank you for that Joy. I was just about to copy something very similar from William Barclay but will give the link instead.... :-)

https://www.bible.com/notes/6093737/the-day-of-pentecost-william-barclay-we

Cx :-)

I note from Wm Barclay that he comments on Acts Chapter 1 Verse 16 that "the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David". And King David was the 26 x gt grandfather of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Jewish genealogy.

If you are a trinitarian Christian and believe the creeds, you will believe that God has 3 personalities. One (the Son) came into this earth born in a sinful body and lived amongst us for 33 years. And a second personality of one sovereign God was the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.

If you have faith in one God in three persons, you begin to see how these 3 quite distinct personalities work together for your salvation. From the beginning of time till the end of time. All 3 appear in the creation of the world. "God created" in a translation of "Elohim" (God in the plural). There are many occurences in the Old Testament where the Son of God or the Word of God appears to men and women, and many occurences where the Holy Spirit also appears. All 3 appear now in 2013 still and are either already familiar to every true Christian believer - or soon will be known fully - every day of our lives.

On New Years Eve, 1738, a group of 40 young clerics gathered for prayer and Bible readings. In Fetter Lane in London. The meeting became so intense that they hardly noticed the bells had rung in 1739. It was about 3.30 am on New Years Day that a mighty wind came from nowhere and rushed through their room and flattened them to the floor with its power.

It was the Holy Spirit in all God's power. The young men included John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitfield. Thus was born the Methodist Revival of the 18th century that swept through the Church of England and affected all other denominations greatly.

Thank you, Cynthia.
x

Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest:
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will.

[St Ignatius Loyola]