General Chat

Good morning :-)


I hadn't heard about Rabbi Lionel Blue Pat - that is sad news. I see it was said that he was one of the most respected religious leaders in the UK. We think of his family and friends at this sad time.

The news this morning is dominated by the carnage at the Berlin Christmas Market. Another dreadful, dreadful event. We pray for those who have been killed, injured or affected in any way. We also think of their families and those who dealt with the immediate aftermath of this tragedy.

A thought for today....

It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you . . . yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta


Cx :-)

How sad. I always liked his broadcasts. He seemed to talk a lot of sense in a very humorous way which made you listen.

RIP Rabbi Lionel

Thought this was the best place to post this.

Rabbi Lionel Blue has died. Loved his broadcasts and a very brave man to admit he was gay in the 1970s.

RIP Rabbi Lionel

Good morning :-)

*waving* to kandj - lovely to see you popping in :-D


I vaguely recalled the words 'O Brother man' but had to look it up. I knew the first verse but the rest was unfamiliar. I guess it must be rather a long while since I sang it. Thank you for that Vera....it was good to be reminded of that hymn.

We had a living nativity last night :-D

During our Carol Service, tiny figures wearing tea towels on their heads, walked solemnly down the aisle of an absolutely packed church.....I do wish we could post pictures on here. Firstly, the Angel Gabriel appeared and stood all by her lonesome self whilst waiting for Mary and Joseph to carry their corresponding figure to the crib. Then the shepherds appeared during the singing of 'While Shepherds watched' and I think they had a donkey with them, but I couldn't be sure :-)

The Wise Men carried their figures too, and soon the whole crib was set up. The children in the congregation all turned round to sing 'Away in a Manger' for us and the school choir sang too.

Chaotic it was to be sure, but worth all the hassle :-D


For today:

Peace on earth will come to stay,
When we live Christmas every day.

- Christmas Quote by Helen Steiner Rice


Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia how good of your son to spend time with Dad so you can enjoy tonight's
Carol Service..... I LOVE singing carols. We have just watched a recording
of Songs of Praise and almost sang our heads off...... well not literally!!

Spot on indeed Dermot, I agree with you there.

I remember O Brother Man from school Vera....... a long long time ago then.

Gwyn I have heard about the living Nativity. It must be awesome to witness.

Good morning :-)

Lovely to see you all. Thank you for the link Gwyn - I haven't seen that before <3


Tonight is our annual Carol Service. The church will probably be packed to the rafters with carollers of all ages. The crib will be set up by some of the children as we await the birth of the Saviour. Our new young organist has his own idea of how the service is to open - with one of the very young choristers I believe. Our son is coming over to 'dad sit' so that I can get to the service - really looking forward to it - even though I am not a great lover of carols. Strange person I am :-D



The Collect (special prayer) for today :

God our redeemer,
who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son:
grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour,
so we may be ready to greet him
when he comes again as our judge;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The gospel for today tells of Joseph accepting Jesus as his son.

Some good thoughts there Cynthia. It reminds me of the line "Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed, a prayer" from the hymn "O Brother Man" which we used to sing at school.

The Living Nativity looks an amazing event Gwyn. Thanks for posting the link.

Thank you Cynthia. Some lovely thoughts there.


My in-laws told me about this living Nativity event in Gozo, near Malta.
It must be lovely to see.


> http://ghajnsielem.com/bethlehem/index_frame.html

Apologies if the link has already been posted

Cynthia - spot on!

Good morning :-)

For those of you who haven't quite finished their Christmas shopping, here are some ideas for some special gifts........................


• a firm handshake to a shaky soul,
• a kind word to a lonely person,
• a warm smile to the disheartened,
• a sincere concern for someone troubled,
• a feeling of compassion for the neglected,
• a comforting thought for the bereaved,
• a respect for the dignity of others,
• a defence of the rights of individuals,
• a word of witness to help a seeking soul.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A very one sided view indeed.....and not exactly cheering reading. There is so much good going on in the world which is never made known, maybe because people enjoy reading about doom, gloom and scandal? Who knows?

I think this fits in quite well......

Goodwill.

It’s Christmas the shops are full of many things to buy.
There’s gifts for ‘him’ and gifts for ‘her’ – all pleasing to the eye.
There are toys and books for children to help their stockings fill
BUT – is there anywhere a shop stocked wholly with goodwill?

We buy for Uncle Peter and we buy for cousin Lynn
We rack our brains for something for the one with everything.
We rush around quite madly for Christmas food to fill
BUT do we ever try and stock our homes with masses of goodwill?

It’s Christmas and we hear again the story of Christ’s birth.
How long ago in Bethlehem our God came down to earth.
We marvel as we celebrate that happening again
When God’s great heart was wholly filled with goodwill to all men.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hard hitting, indeed, Dermot but also extremely one-sided.

Yes, there is poverty and greed and injustice, people lie and cheat and others get hurt. These are the stories that make the headlines and sell newspapers. On the other hand, what about the millions of generous and selfless people worldwide who willingly give their time and money to help others for little or no reward? How often do we hear about them?

I also find it distressing that Christianity and Islam are, yet again, treated as enemies. There are more similarities than differences between the two religions.

I wouldn't want to start a discussion on this thread that might get heated but articles like this do make me feel angry as I think they pander to people's fears and increase tension.

Phew! Rant over...

I do hope your husband's eye improves soon Cynthia. What a week you are having! Kandj, I hope too that your husband is feeling a little better now and you are able to get more rest.

The last few days we have been receiving cards and letters from our geographically scattered, but close-knit, extended family, so my thoughts are with all those who are alone without loving family and friends.

A Nation in Pain:-

Who can doubt that there is something deeply wrong with the United Kingdom today? Everyone seems to be looking out for themselves, people have to be paid to care, few appear to have any honour or respect – from the top to the bottom.

Half a generation of children are growing up without a father, the government is encouraging children into promiscuity, perversion is honoured, injustice is done in the courts and the poor are robbed by the national lottery. The Christian Faith itself is under attack from the media and homosexual activists.

Our politicians lie & cheat. Our soldiers are dying for no reason in a foreign land. Last but not least, we kill our own children in what should be the safest place on God’s earth.

Secularism is destroying our land, Christianity has been pushed to the margins & Islam is waiting to fill the vacuum. The judgement of God is falling on us.

How did it come to this?

(Hard-hitting stuff from 'Christian Voice' - UK).

Amen to your morning prayer Cynthia. I hope your hubby improves soon.

A very busy time of year during this Advent season and all THANKS go to you
for your daily postings and commitment to keeping this Christian thread going.
I noticed it is 4 years since JustJohn started this, how fast all those years have passed.

Good morning :-)



Our prayer for today:

Lord, be with us as we prepare for Christmas.
We have so much to do – we need to stop and listen for your voice.
We are anxious about so much – we need to put our trust in you.
We are blessed in so many ways – we thank you.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

On Monday we went to the doctors because OH has a recurring sore eye. It's an abscess in/on? the tear duct which is blocked. He is now on antibiotics and awaiting an appointment at the eye clinic.

Yesterday, we were at the dentists as OH broke a piece from a tooth whilst chewing a toffee...........sigh. That was duly fixed.


Today? Who knows? Possibly dandruff :-D



Heavenly Father,

as once again we prepare for Christmas, help us to find time in our busy lives for quiet and thought and prayer, that we may reflect upon the wonder of your love and allow the story of the Saviour’s birth to penetrate our hearts and minds.

So may our joy be deeper, our worship more real, and our lives worthier of all that you have done for us through the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.




Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Lovely to see you both.... <3`

There are some lovely, generous and caring people in this world - its a pity the media doesn't concentrate more on them. Pleas for gifts for the needy rarely go unheeded in so many places. So many people are so kind. We thank God for them.



Jesus our Prince of Peace,
we pray that every time a carol is sung,
a Christmas greeting spoken,
a nativity play performed,
that your name be honoured and glorified and that hard hearts be melted to receive you afresh.
Amen .


Love to all Cx :-)

The reverse advent calendar is new to me as well, but it seems a brilliant idea. Christmas shoeboxes seem to have been going forever. Again it is a lovely idea but how sad that they are still needed.

I am thankful for all we have and am thinking of all those for whom Christmas is not a happy time.

Hello all

I haven't heard of a reverse Advent calendar Cynthia but I like the idea involved
when people who are struggling will benefit from all donations kindly given.

For very many years I have taken part in the shoebox appeal.
Our church organizes a children's shoebox appeal where empty shoe boxes are filled with suitable Christmas gifts. Boy or girl and the age is put on to the front of the wrapped box and the filled ones are passed on to help families where children have very little at Christmastime. My neighbour kindly handed ours in recently.

My prayers are with households who are coping with ongoing illness xxx

Good morning :-)


I hope everyone had a good weekend. We have been running a 'Reverse Advent Calendar' theme at church. This means that instead of 'taking a chocolate OUT' of an Advent Calendar, we put something IN. This has been done in the way of donations of food and Christmas presents to go to the local homeless shelter. We have had an amazing response which is lovely.

We continue our Advent journey

Christ the Lord, Son of the living God, light from light,
lead us into the light and reveal his holiness.

With confidence, let us make our prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus!

Light that never fades, dispel the mists about us,
- awaken our faith from sleep.

Guard us from all harm today,
- may your glory fill us with joy.

Give us unfailing gentleness at all times,
- toward everyone we meet.

Come to create a new earth for us,
-where there will be justice and peace.

Amen.

Cx :-)