General Chat

Hello all

I'll pass on the ironing today Cynthia.... do you want to do mine too?

Amen, to your payer.

Our Granddaughter in Durham has broken up from school for Summer holidays.
Our village school children don't end term until Friday.

Thank you Heavenly Father for all teachers, who spend their working day with
our children. We bless them for their guidance and skills to educate all children.
Amen

Good morning :-)

I think I am a bit of both Mary and Martha too.......I know I need to improve on some of the more negative aspects though.

As we begin the holiday season……..we remember those who, for whatever reason, are not able to go away.

Lord, the holiday season can be very difficult, especially those that are alone at this time - perhaps having lost a loved one through death, maybe have ill health or have financial restrictions.

Be near to those who will be alone and lonely over this holiday time - may they discover a closeness in their relationship with You that perhaps they did not enjoy before.

May they be able to find some rest and relaxation on sunny days and be blessed with good friends to cheer them.

Amen



Off to prepare for what is supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far - I can only cope with so much heat, especially whilst ironing...... :-D


Cx :-)

Hello all

Nothing has altered but the world looks very different on a sunny day like today.

Am I a Mary or a Martha?....... reading through the list, I am a bit of both (I think).

Thank you Lord for all your blessings today.
For the sun and warmth
For family and friends
For a happy home and
For food on the table.
I am truly blessed.
Thank you Lord.

Good morning :-)


Troubled times indeed kandj and the Collect for today is apt :-(


The Collect (special prayer)

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern us in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
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 the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha in their home. The question which tends to be asked........Are you a Mary or a Martha?


MARY
Listener
Thinker
Quiet
Attentive
Sensitive
Loyal


MARTHA
Doer
Hospitable
Worker
Demanding
Worrier
Angry
Distracted


Something to ponder on........ Cx :-)

Hello all

We are living in very troubled times and seem to go from one worrying event
on to another. The tragedies in Nice and the Coup and chaos in Turkey are examples.

The power of prayer has been proven to work, time and time again. We are blessed.

"We can reach our world if we will it. The greatest lack today is not people or funds.
The greatest need is prayer." (Wesley L. Duewel).

Thoughts and prayers for all who are caught up in world wide tragedies. xxx

Good morning...... :-)


We conclude our week of looking at items around our churches with a prayer .....

We pray for all our churches....those churches which are special to us.....our parish churches.......the churches we visit on holidays.....


Lord Jesus Christ, make these buildings a temple of your presence and houses of prayer.. Be always near us when we seek you in these places.

Draw us to you, when we come alone and when we come with others, to find comfort and wisdom, to be supported and strengthened, to rejoice and give thanks. May it be in these places Lord Christ, that we are made one with you and with one another. Amen.


Remembering the atrocities in Nice................... Cx :-)

Hello all

What a heartbreaking event in Nice!! When will it ever end??

Condolences to the family and friends who have lost loved ones so suddenly.

Heavenly Father

We pray for those who have been devastated by the Nice tragedy. We think
of all who have lost their lives in such a frightening way. We uphold the families
whose lives are now changed forever by loss, grief and heartache.
Surround them with our prayers and and bring them comfort and consolation.
Bless those who have survived and give them the strength to cope with trauma,
and strengthen their body, mind and spirit.Give them courage for the days ahead.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen

Good morning - but a sad morning once again. :-(

We think of all those who have been killed or injured in last night's terror attack on celebrations in Nice.

Lord of all compassion
We pray for all of those caught up in the midst of the tragedy in Nice last night.
For those who have lost life and those working to save life
For those who are worried for people they love
For those who will see their loved ones no longer
Lord Have Mercy.
For those in need of the peace that passes all understanding
For all who turn to you in the midst of turmoil
For those who cry out to you in fear and in love
Lord Have Mercy.
For those in confusion and those in despair
For those whose tears are yet to dry
For those in need of your unending love
Lord Have Mercy
Amen.

Hello all

I am giving instances of certain Clergy who have come and gone in our
village church but thankfully they were in the minority. On the positive side,
we have had very many happy years of spiritual, genuine and caring Vicars.

The altar is indeed a very special place. I feel it is where there are no
secrets from God. Even on down days, when I hide behind a smiling face,
the altar I believe, the mask slips, no hiding then, and I am at one with our Lord.

Today the primary school children are excitedly enjoying their sports day. xxx

Good morning :-)


Sounds rather as though that particular vicar stayed too long!!! :-(


Looking at things we may take for granted in church.....

The Altar...Why do churches have altars?


Altars have always been known as places of sacrifice. In our Holy Communion service, we remember Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross as we receive the bread and wine. That is why the table upon which the Eucharist is consecrated is called an altar.

The area around the altar is known as the Sanctuary and is considered the holiest place in the church and should be treated with great respect. The Sanctuary is usually physically distinguished from the rest of the church by altar rails.

The altar is often on a higher elevation than the rest of the church and is at the East end of the church facing The New Jerusalem.

Lord, when we kneel before your altar, may we continually remember the sacrifice made for us by your son. May all who eat and drink at this holy Table may be fed and refreshed by his flesh and blood, be forgiven for their sins, united with one another, and strengthened for your service. Amen


Off to sort OH and get some housework done........................deep joy!


Cx :-)

Hello all

Yes Cynthia, a pyrex pudding bowl, I kid you not. Unbelievable, but true.

I loved it when the vicar used to walk up the two steps and gave the sermon
from the beautiful old carved pulpit.

One vicar never did use the pulpit from his very first service. In fact, within a year
of coming, he had sold off the old original pews and had an overhead projector
put in place above the pulpit, so that it couldn't be used by visiting clergy.
When I questioned why he had chosen to block off using the pulpit, he
shrugged his shoulders and walked off. I was very happy when he moved on.

Remembering teachers who are preparing for the end of school term soon. xxx

Good morning :-)

A pyrex pudding bowl? Goodness me! I could understand that in an emergency, but...........sheeeesh. :-S Sometimes the C. of E, as with other large institutions, can be very good at shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. :-(


Moving on..........

Why do churches have pulpits? Basically, so that the Word of God may be clearly heard.

A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church and where the Word of God is preached. The origin of the word is the Latin pulpitum (platform or staging).

The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor so that the preacher can be seen and heard. There are usually steps leading up to it. Some pulpits have a sounding board above them which helps with the acoustics.

Most pulpits have one or more book-stands for the preacher to rest his bible, notes or texts upon. They tend to be on the left hand side of church – facing the altar, but are often found on the right for varying reasons. Pulpits can be made of stone, wood or marble – some moderns are fashioned from steel apparently.

Pulpits give a commanding view of the congregation :-D


O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you:
at work and at home,
at church and at play,
with friends and family,
in meetings and in solitude,
in every situation, all the time.
To you be all the glory. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Our parish church has a beautiful old stone font in there since Norman times.

One previous vicar never ever used this font during baptism services, preferring
to use a pyrex pudding bowl instead?? He caused mayhem during his stay, with seemingly very little intervention from the Deanery Hierarchy!
Words fail me, even now as to how he was actually allowed to get away with this.

Thinking now of all adults who make the decision to become baptized. xxx

Good morning :-)

We continue to look at some of the things we tend to take for granted within our churches...

So….why do churches have a font?

Baptism is the sacrament which welcomes newcomers into the Christian faith. Fonts are basins used for baptism ceremonies and hold the consecrated water used in the baptism.

Fonts are usually located at the west end of the church, often near the south door. They are generally made of stone, and often lined with lead, but there are also those which are fashioned from wood or metal.


My own church is fortunate enough to have their baptism records on line and a quick count reveals that around 7,000 baptisms have taken place since we came into being in1866. On Sunday 3 more baptisms were added to that number. :)

Father, we thank you that through the waters of Baptism we
die to sin and are made new in Christ. Grant through your
Spirit that those baptized in this font may enjoy the liberty and
splendour of the children of God. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

"I am so thankful for the church bells. A reminder of God's calling to
bring us closer to Him." (Laura D.Field).

Sending a hug to those in need of one tonight. xxx

Good morning :-)


Yes, it was quite a morning I must say. We had an excellent little sermon from the lady vicar who was with us yesterday. She is well known and loved by our congregation and had been a close friend of our late lamented vicar.

She gave each of the families a little plant and said that it was a gift and that they could do what they like with it. If they ignored it, it would simply wither and die BUT if they took care and nurtured it, it would flourish and grow. She then likened it to the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism......and I am sure you can understand where she then went with that :-D


This week I thought we would take a look at why churches have certain articles within them......today, we look at those churches which have

BELLS


There are at present over 5200 churches in England with rings of five or more bells and there are over 3000 bells cast in medieval times that are still rung. Church bells have been ringing in England since the 7th century but change ringing was not introduced until the middle of the 17th century.

Change ringing is an art (or exercise) unknown out-side the Anglican Communion, where it is principally confined to England and Wales.

Bells are rung to summon the faithful to worship, to celebrate weddings and festivals and to mark national thanksgivings.

Muffled bells are sometimes rung at funerals and at times of local or national disaster. During times of national emergency it has always been understood that church bells would be rung as a warning of invasion.

Despite the antiquity of this tradition and practice, complaints of noise nuisance sometimes arise.


Heavenly Father, as we think about church bells, please be with all who will hear them. May this reminder of your presence bring comfort to those who are sad, lonely or housebound; and challenge to those who are indifferent to your love and promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen


Love Cx :-)

Hello all

That is sure to have been a special service this morning in your church Cynthia.

On this sunny Sunday (so far?), there are the Wimbledon finals and also the
Euro Football final too. An exciting day is you enjoy tennis or football and still
an exciting day with the sun shining, so go out and enjoy, be glad for this blessing.

"I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as good as our
opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100% per cent".(Sue Wicks)


Disregarding sport, but isn't that just like life in general?

Sometimes we WIN
Sometimes we LEARN.

Have a happy Sunday everyone, whatever your plans are for today. Enjoy it! xxx

Good morning :-)

This morning we have three babies and one adult to be baptised within our service of Holy Communion. We welcome them into our church family. :-) (I may need a lie down when I get home :-D )

The Collect for today :

Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.


The New Testament lesson is the story of the mustard seed, and the Gospel tells the story of the Good Samaritan……both well worth another read.

Love to all... Cx :-)

Hello all

A beautiful hymn and a great favourite of mine Cynthia, thank you. I personally
have really enjoyed looking at the links and singing along each day this week and
have learned much about their origins too. We are never too old to learn methinks.

Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. and
Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy. (Lao Tzu.)

Sending happy weekend wishes to everyone. xxx

Good morning :-)


We had a visiting vicar last week who had a booming singing voice....it certainly does help to lift the volume and the spirits.... :-D


Wishing your granddaughter well in her music exam kandj. x


Our final day of hymns and their history…………….one that says it all…..
“How Great Thou Art”.


The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament.

Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. .

Can you imagine what Boberg felt as he formed these words? There was such calmness after the fierce storm he could only utter those words of peace.

Please click on this link for a truly lovely video of this popular hymn…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By0iyTukDkQ

Oh Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art



Love to all Cx :-)