General Chat

Good Morning to you all.

I have read the latest opinions etc and thank everyone for this.

Our Christmas was not quite what we expected.

At first all went well" our children had all recived their presents etc.
Then our telephone brought very sad news from my husbands youngest son.

His wife, who has not lived with him for a long time, nor seen the children , for a long time had left this world, in the sadest way possible.
I worry now for children and their father and the Father of this young woman.
The shock must have been dreadful.

So sad for the children, will they recover ?

Please think of the two boys and there younger sister.

Thank you

From Bridget
.

Good morning :-)


Many of us miss friends and relatives at this festive time. I found this poem .....



Christmas in Heaven

I've had my first Christmas in Heaven
A Glorious, wonderful day.
I stood with the saints of the ages,
who found Christ the Truth and the Way.

I sang with the Heavenly Choir:
Just think: I who longed so to sing!
And oh, what celestial music
we brought to our Saviour and King!

We sang the glad songs of redemption,
How Jesus to Bethlehem came,
And how they called His name Jesus,
That all might be saved through His name.

We sang once again with the angels,
The song that they sang that blest morn,
When shepherds first heard the glad story
That Jesus, the Saviour, was born.



Oh, how I wish you had been there:
No Christmas on earth could compare
With all the rapture and glory
We witnessed in Heaven so fair.

You know how I always loved Christmas;
It seemed such a wonderful day,
With all of my loved ones around me
The children so happy and gay.

Yes, now I can see why I loved it:
And oh, what a joy it will be
When you and my loved ones are with me:
To share in the glories I see.

So dear ones on earth, here's my greeting:
Look up till the day dawn appears,
And oh, what a Christmas awaits us,
Beyond all our parting and tears.

Dr. Albert Simpson Reitz


Continuing to remember our friends in prayer. Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


I hope everyone had a good Christmas Day yesterday. We managed to get to church and my husband actually managed it to the altar rail instead of having the sacrament brought down to him....... :-D

There had been a large crowd for the midnight service and the one we went to at 10.15am had a good congregation too. There were three small, fair-haired children in, the youngest of whom seemed to be battery powered :-D She was a delight to watch as her excitement took her all over the church, exploring under the pews, round the trees and up and down the aisles, and then standing wide-eyed watching what was going on at the altar. One happy little girl indeed.

We went to our son's for Christmas lunch but, because there were 15 of us, my husband soon tired and we returned home in the afternoon to some peace and quiet......it was lovely to see everyone though. <3


Today is Boxing Day - known also as St. Stephen's Day. St. Stephen was the first Christian Martyr.


As the days of Advent brought God to man, the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany were said to bring man to God. On the feast of St. Stephen, King Wenceslaus gives us the golden example of charity. By feeding the poor we feed Christ and come closer to Him. In Yorkshire the farmers' wives made large goose pies which were cut on St. Stephen's Day and given to the poor. This day was commonly known as Boxing Day in England — a day on which the earthen banks or boxes of apprentices were filled with money gifts. The piggy bank is a direct descendant of these clay savings boxes.


Stephen's name means "crown," and he was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr's crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church. The apostles had found that they needed helpers to look after the care of the widows and the poor. So they ordained seven deacons, and Stephen is the most famous of these.

God worked many miracles through St. Stephen and he spoke with such wisdom and grace that many of his hearers became followers of Jesus. The enemies of the Church of Jesus were furious to see how successful Stephen's preaching was. At last, they laid a plot for him. They could not answer his wise argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen faced that great assembly of enemies without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel.

The saint spoke about Jesus, showing that He is the Saviour, God had promised to send. He scolded his enemies for not having believed in Jesus. At that, they rose up in great anger and shouted at him. But Stephen looked up to Heaven and said that he saw the heavens opening and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

His hearers plugged their ears and refused to listen to another word. They dragged St. Stephen outside the city of Jerusalem and stoned him to death. The saint prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he fell to his knees and begged God not to punish his enemies for killing him.



Just a little light reading...... :-)

Cx :-)

Dear All

Hello

One of favourite prayers at Christmas:


"When the Christmas candles are burned out,

the carols have died away,

the star is set,

all the radiant song-filled night has passed,

Thou alone, the Eternal, remainest,

and Thou art enough.


Remain with us, more beautiful,

more beloved,

more real than any of the romance

that clusters around thy birthday".


Taken from the "The Friendship Book"


Take gentle care
With best wishes
Love from Elizabeth,
xx

Merry Christmas to you Cynthia, kandj, Vera and
all who look in on this thread <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3



kandj has sent her Christmas greetings to those on this thread and I too, wish you all a very Happy and Blessed Christmas. Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia, that's a favourite carol for many people. I hope you recover from your cold soon.

Thinking of Kandj and her OH and hoping he starts to improve again very soon and hoping 2015 sees further progress for Emma's young friend. May everyone in need be given the strength to cope with their problems.

I wish you all a joyous Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year

Such a beautiful carol.

To all who look in and contribute to this thread I
wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy
Healthy New Year.

Always remembering those in need of prayer.xx

Good morning.... :-)


Still coughing and spluttering a bit, but I think the worst of my cold is over thank goodness.


Christmas Eve once again, and there is much talk about WWI and the truce which took place.

The carol which is associated with that time is, of course, Silent Night.


The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody and music for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The Silent Night music was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time and its beautiful lyrics convey the essence of peace and love.
Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake, at the sight
Glories stream from heaven above
Heavenly, hosts sing Hallelujah.
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.


Continuing to remember our friends in prayer. Cx :-)

Cynthia lovely words and hope you feel better soon.x

To those who are alone this Christmas my wish for you
is that you find comfort and happiness in your memories
of years gone by <3

Good morning :-)


Arggh....just what I don't need! A streaming cold in Christmas week......... :-(


Never mind, we press on in faith...


“Behold, I Bring You Good Tidings of Great Joy”
“Glad Tidings? herald the Christ Child’s birth-
“Joy to the World” and “Peace on Earth”-
“Glory to God” – let all men rejoice
And harken once more to the “Angel’s Voice”…
It matters not who or what you are,
All men can behold “The Christmas Star” –
For the Star that shone is shining still
In the hearts of men of peace and good will,
It offers the answer to every man’s need,
Regardless of colour or race or creed…
So, joining together in brotherly love,
let us worship again our Father above,
And forgetting our own little selfish desires
May we seek what “The Star” of
Christmas inspires.

by Helen Steiner Rice



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Thank you for that link RottenR......it was different, interesting and helpful. :-)


As we enter this special week..........

Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter,
we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us:

for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger.

We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child.

We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.

Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible
comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder.

We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wisemen.

Help us to rise bigger than we are.

Amen.


Love to all......Cx :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7FgdChoXus

Thank you RottenR for that link..... absolutely beautiful. It gave me goosebumps!

Your presentation sounds really interesting Cynthia, its good to remind people Christmas begins with Christ. Thought provoking no doubt for some folk.

Emma, it's hard to believe that 26 years have passed since the Lockerbie air disaster. A terrible tragedy. R.I.P.

Thoughts and prayers now for all who feel sad today, for whatever reason.

Remembering those who died this day in 1988
at Lockerbie.

Good morning :-)


Thanks RottenR, that was a beautiful version of a beautiful hymn. Much appreciated. :-)


Yesterday, I arranged a Christmas afternoon at church. There was a powerpoint presentation which was themed at 'Christmas starts with Christ' - a campaign which is running through many churches.

I continued on from the presentation I led in August where we commemorated the 100th anniversary of WWI. I took the life of one of the soldiers on our War Memorial and looked back at Christmas 100 years ago in the Edwardian era. After that, we adjourned to the meeting room for a festive tea and some carols and entertainment. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, so that's alright then! ;-)

Today, we light the fourth of our Advent Candles.....

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.


Continuing to pray for our friends........Cx :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITIaYoWCPkE&list=FLjSBvB--PxRtX_Vk0FFJV-w&index=1

Cynthia hope you get that toilet before Christmas :-D
Loved Santa's Prayer x

kandj HSR and Christmas Glitter thank you x

Remembering those in need.

Glad to know all is progressing well with your building project Cynthia.

Thank you for today's posting. Such a happy and exciting time for little ones.

With all the added stress and pressure for us adults, let's not forget to look beyond the tinsel glitter to remember and discover the Christian story of Christmas this year.

CHRISTMAS GLITTER

With our eyes
we see the glitter of Christmas,
With our ears
we hear the merriment,
With our hands
we touch the tinsel-tied trinkets,
But only
with our hearts
can we feel
the miracle of it.

Helen Steiner Rice.

Sending special Christmas blessings to all who are struggling today.

Good morning :-)

I hope everyone is well. The work on my downstairs loo is almost finished - I now have a door on it! All that is needed is.......................a toilet!


Time for something a bit different I think.

Santa's Prayer on Christmas Eve

The sleigh was all packed, the reindeer were fed,
But Santa still knelt by the side of the bed.
"Dear Father," he prayed "Be with me tonight.
There's much work to do and my schedule is tight.
I must jump in my sleigh and streak through the sky,
Knowing full well that a reindeer can't fly.
I will visit each household before the first light;
I'll cover the world and all in one night.
With sleigh bells a-ringing, I'll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter of each little hoof.
To get in the house is the difficult part,
So I'll slide down the chimney of each child's heart.
My sack will hold toys to grant all their wishes.
The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.
I will fill all the stockings and not leave a track.
I'll eat every cookie that is left for my snack.
I can do all these things Lord, only through You,
I just need your blessing, then it's easy to do.
All this is to honor the birth of the One,
That was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.
So to all of my friends, least Your glory I rob,
Please Lord, remind them who gave me this job."


- Warren D. Jennings


With love to all Cx :-)