General Chat

Good morning.... :-)


Today is known at St. George's Day so I have been looking around for some information on this Saint.

It appears he was born in Cappadocia, Turkey around the time of AD275, to a Christian family. His father was an officer in the army and his mother was from Palestine.

He joined the Roman Army when he was 17 and was soon known for his bravery.
He served under the pagan Emperor Diocletian, but he never forgot his Christian faith.

On one of his missions, it is thought that he came to England but then heard that the Emperor was putting Christians to death, so he returned to Rome to help save his fellow Christians.

He pleaded with the Emperor to spare their lives but to no avail. Eventually, he was arrested, tortured and put to death c 23rd April 303 AD.


The legend of the dragon comes from a story in Libya where a dragon was devouring people and attempting to eat the King's daughter. Eventually, George killed the dragon and over 20,000 people were baptised and George cut the head off the beast.


On this day, when our Prime Minister has urged us not to be afraid to say that England is a Christian country, I use this prayer (but was tempted to use the words of the hymn "Stand up, stand up for Jesus".)


Almighty God,
We have been taught by the legend of St George
to fight against dragons and to rescue the helpless.
Deliver us by the truth of the gospel
from that great dragon who leads the whole world astray.
Free us from our slavery to sin and death.
And grant that your light may dawn again on this nation of England.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


I don't know how many of you received Easter eggs on Sunday but I received one which was rather special and a type I have never seen before.

It was a gift from our close friend who is a Roman Catholic priest, and with whom we often have good inter-faith discussions.

On the outside of the box, the Easter story is told in a very short and easy to read way and ends by saying "Easter eggs are a reminder of this Good News. Eggs are a symbol of hope and new life. For some, eggs represent the stone that was rolled away from the tomb of Jesus".

Inside the box is the egg and an olive wood holding cross from the Holy Land.

How fantastic is that? :-)


Our prayer for today:

Lord God, as we wake,
we remember that this day is yours.
You bring to us the hope of each new day
and fresh opportunities to heal a broken world.
May we hear in many places your whisper,
inspiring us to pray and act
with the compassion of Jesus,
the light of the world,
in whose name we pray. Amen.

Lord God, as we go to sleep,
we remember that this night belongs to you.
We bring to you the joys of the day,
along with our tiredness,
our anxieties,
our concerns
and the regret of things left undone.
May we hear your whisper granting us peace
and a good night's rest;
through Christ, our risen light, we pray. Amen.

- Paul Hill. Inspired by Psalm 74:16


Thinking of kandj with love. Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia for those words and may kandj find strength
and comfort at this time.

The Jelly Bean Prayer I had never heard before and have copied
for my grt grand daughters when old enough to understand.

Emma x

Good morning everyone and thank you so much for all the good wishes. As with others, I was thinking of and praying for kandj and others known to us who are going through difficult times at the moment. I do hope that the Easter Message has lifted them from despair and given them confidence to face the future.


First thing in the morning yesterday, I had a text message on my phone saying "He is Risen!" What a wonderful way to start the day :-)

Church was very busy and the atmosphere was happy and relaxed - such a change after the solemnities of the last few days.

My family came for lunch and it was rather like Christmas all over again - but better because there had been no commercial stress placed on us.

Our prayer for today:

In the glorious Easter story
A troubled world we find
Blessed reassurance
And enduring peace of mind.

For though we grow discouraged
In this world we're living in,
There is comfort just in knowing
God has triumphed over sin.

For our Saviour's Resurrection
Was Gods way of telling men
That in Christ we are eternal
And in Him we live again.

And to know life is unending
And God's love is endless, too,
Makes our daily tasks and burdens
So much easier to do.

For the blessed Easter story
Of Christ the living Lord,
Makes our earthly sorrow nothing
When compared with this reward.

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

and for the young at heart....:-)

Jelly Bean Prayer

RED is for the blood He gave.

GREEN is for the grass He made.

YELLOW is for the sun so bright.

ORANGE is for the edge of night.

BLACK is for the sins we made.

WHITE is for the grace He gave.

PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow.

PINK is for a new tomorrow.

A handful of jelly beans,
Colourful and sweet,
Is a prayer ... a promise,
A loved one’s treat!

May the joy of Christ's resurrection
Fill your heart and bless your life.


Cx :-)

I hope that you all had a Happy and Peaceful Easter.

Thinking of Kandj and hoping that her faith is helping her find the strength to cope with the situation.


Love, Sallie.xx <3 <3 <3

A Happy Easter to all of you.

And my thoughts too are with Kandj I hope her faith is helping her to cope with the situation. <3 <3

Dear All

Hello

Hope you are all okay.

Very nice to see people popping in with their good wishes.
Always appreciated.

A simple prayer for this day:

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THE LORD'S PRAYER


Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.


Taken from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 1662.


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Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth,
xx

Happy Easter to all who follow the Faith <3

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!


ALLELUIA!



I wish everyone who looks in at this thread today, a very Happy and Blessed Easter.



ALLELUIA!




Cx :-)

Hello everyone and thank you for the good wishes and lovely words. We continue to hold kandj and Sharron in our thoughts and prayers at this very special time of the year.

Yesterday was an hour of Silence. Prayer. Readings. Silence. Prayer. Readings. Silence.......as we recalled the events of Calvary. Very moving. Very necessary if we are to feel the joy the Resurrection brings.


A prayer for Holy Saturday

Before the dawn of Easter
There came Gethsemane...
Before the Resurrection
There were hours of agony...
For there can be no crown of stars
Without a cross to bear,
And there is no salvation
Without faith and love and prayer,
And when we take our needs to God
Let us pray as did His Son
That dark night in Gethsemane-
"Thy will, not mine, be done."


Cx

Dear All

Hello

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FOR THE FORGOTTEN"


"Dear Lord, to the forgotten,
the people who were born in countries an situations

where resources are not rich,
where the TV cameras do not journey,

I pray you can send such blessing that it would be beyond compare.


Strike joy into the hearts of the poor,
and bring healing to the sick,

And, as for me, make me someone who remembers them,

In prayer and action, and all for your sake,
you who knows each of them by name.

Thank you".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DEAR JESUS"


"Dear Jesus,


I was unable to go to church to be with you today.


I thought of you throughout the day, of your pain and suffering
as you gave your life to save the world.


You were only a young man,

Just as you are with me in times of need, so as your humble servant,
I am with you."

I am comforted that you will return again.

Bless you Jesus",

Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth,
xx

My thoughts also with kandji at this time,
and also Sharron.

Emma

Still thinking of Kandji and hoping her faith is giving her strength.

Thinking also of Sharron as she grieves for Fred

Sending all my best wishes to the regulars that post on this thread I know this is a very special time for you all <3

Good morning and thank you for those moving prayers Elizabeth :-)


A solemn day for the Christian faith. A day when we recall the hideous and painful death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. A day of fasting, prayer and repentance. A day to remember just how much we are loved.


Christian churches will be holding a service of some sort today. Many will be held between 2pm - 3pm which is known as 'The final hour'.


Thousands of people will be singing the following hymn which I will use as the prayer for today :


There is a green hill far away,
Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.

O dearly, dearly, has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiven,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to Heav’n,
Saved by His precious blood.

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.

O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander (1818-1895)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epZe1NXyhUo



Cx

Dear All

Hello

The second of the prayers:

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"Lord, we pray for all who are lonely,
children who are being bullied, abused and feel unable to tell anyone,

shy people who find it hard to make friends,
those who feel rejected and isolated;

those who have suffered loss,
and elderly people who miss their families and old friends.

Lord, please be with them all and let them know they are not alone".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth,
xx

Dear All

Hello

A couple of prayers I have across:

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"Even if my old familiar ways of praying are taken away from me,
I am never taken away from you, Lord,

for you are here now, reaching out to me,
loving me now.


Even when I am denied space to be quiet with you,
there is still space within me, Lord,

an inner room where you are waiting for me,
and which I can enter any moment.


Even though at times, I may feel miserable and worthless,
I am still precious in your eyes,

because I am your child,
and you are waiting to open your arms and embrace me.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth,
xx

Good morning........ :-)


Maundy Thursday.


The name 'Maundy' is derived from the Latin word “mandatum”, meaning a commandment. Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper commanded, as he washed the disciples' feet.....'And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.' John 13:34. This is the night where he was betrayed.

Many Christian churches will re-enact the foot washing ceremony as part of the service to commemorate The Last Supper. I have been to several of this type of service and always found it very moving.

In many Anglican churches, during this service, the altar will be stripped of all cloths and silverware - right down to the plain table. Everything will be put out of sight during Good Friday and Holy Saturday until Easter Day when, it will all have been replaced in beauty. Very humbling to watch this take place.

Today, The Queen will be at Blackburn cathedral today to hand out the Maundy Money - the Monarch giving money to the poor - a tradition dating from the 13th century.

I was once invited to this service as a guest when it took place in Liverpool cathedral, a building I know extremely well. The pageantry engendered an atmosphere which I can't describe, and the sight of the tiny figure of the Queen entering the immense West doors was amazing.

A prayer for today:



Lord, grant us simplicity of faith
and a generosity of service
that gives without counting cost.
A life overflowing with Grace
poured out from the One
who gave everything,
that we might show
the power of love
to a broken world,
and share the truth
from a living Word.
Lord, grant us simplicity of faith,
and a yearning to share it



Continuing to pray for kandj and all those in distress. Cx :-)

Good morning..... :-)


Wednesday of Holy Week......


It is thought that today is the day when Jesus rested after the events of Palm Sunday and in anticipation of the forthcoming Passover.

I managed to get to church last night and was pleasantly surprised at how many folk turned up. There is a small service of Holy Communion each night up until Good Friday and it is good to be reminded of the events of this week again.

Sometimes, we get so used to a bible story that we are in danger of becoming complacent and forgetful. These services help to keep us on track and I am a great believer in thinking that I can't celebrate Easter fully - unless I have walked the way of the Cross. We used to have a banner in another church which read....."No Cross - No Crown".


My Saviour,
do you invite me to share
in the glory of the resurrection?
Please stay with me
as I struggle to see
how accepting the crosses of my life
will free me from the power
of the one who wants only
to destroy my love and trust in you.
Help me to be humble and accepting
like your son, Jesus.
I want to turn to you
with the same trust he had in your love.
Save me, Lord. Only you can save me.


Each of us has a cross of some sort to bear.......and we continue to think of kandj and all who suffer, in whatever way.

Cx :-)

Good morning my friends.... :-)


Tuesday of Holy Week...........


Today, we think about Jesus and his disciples returning to Jerusalem where, at the Temple, he chided the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Later, Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives which overlooks Jerusalem and he spoke to them for a long time........what he spoke about is known as The Olivet Discourse - warning them about God's future plans for Israel - the end times - his Second Coming. So much for the disciples and us, to take in.

Biblical scholars have indicated that it was on the Tuesday of Holy Week that Judas negotiated with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus.


A prayer for today:


Please, Lord, guide my mind with your truth.
Strengthen my life by the example of Jesus.
Help me to be with Jesus in this week
as he demonstrates again his total love for me.
He died so that I would no longer
be separated from you.
Help me to feel how close you are
and to live in union with you.

Amen.



With continuing prayers for kandj and her husband and for all who wait and watch and weep. Cx :-)