General Chat

Good morning :-)

A busy morning yesterday but a happy morning too. Everyone received a palm cross with their service book and the crosses were held aloft as a prayer of blessing was said. There was no sermon but, in it's place, three of our members read the Passion Narrative - taken from St. Matthew's gospel. There was absolute silence as we listened to the familiar story.

I can't say there was silence after the service as we had four baptisms...... :-)


Although it was Palm Sunday yesterday, I thought the following gave a different perspective....


It is Passover time,
A busy time,
people jostling,
riding donkeys.

Near a gate of Jerusalem
A smallish,
almost non-descript
donkey stood tethered.

None seemed to want him
until two men approached.
They looked and then nodded.
He will do nicely.

A fellow nearby shouted,
“What are you doing?”
For our Master’s need
to ride this donkey.

Jesus patted this smallish beast,
Climbed on his back
To the donkey’s delight.
“Where am I going?” he thought?.

To his astonishment shouts
clamoured about his ears
palm branches tickled his side.
Who is on my back?

My feet took my rider
Over cobblestones to the temple
He patted me on my back
A job well done!

Sometime later
A passer-by said, “Look!”
A cross this donkey has
marked clearly on his back.

I had my triumphal hour,
A honour no other had.
Carrying the Saviour of the world
To cleanse his Father’s temple.


Praying for kandj and all those who wait and watch. Cx :-)

Sign of the times ?

http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/index.ssf?feature_id=Family_Circus&feature_date=2014-04-12

Amen to that

My thoughts and prayers for kandj and all in need of comfort.

Emma x

Good morning all.... :-)


So Lent is nearly over and we face the final few days before the glory of the Resurrection.

Today is Palm Sunday - the day when Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection - the beginning of Holy Week.

The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross.

Many churches will, I am sure, be singing this hymn today:

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;
O Savior meek, pursue thy road
with palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin
o'er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
The angel-squadrons of the sky
look down with sad and wondering eyes
to see the approaching sacrifice.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
the Father on his sapphire throne
expects his own anointed Son.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
bow thy meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O God, thy power, and reign.

- Henry Hart Milman (1791-1868)


The Collect for Today:

Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; 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. Amen.


We continue to pray for kandj and all those who watch and wait beside a suffering loved one.

Cx

Good morning..... :-)


I haven't heard from kandj but I'm sure we are still thinking of her and her husband and sending lots of love. <3


As we approach the end of the season of Lent and with Palm Sunday and Holy Week almost upon us, I offer this short prayer for today:


Blessed be God the Father for his gift of this sacrifice of praise.

Lord,
your commandment of love is so simple
and so challenging.
Help me to let go of my pride,
to be humble in my penance.
I want only to live the way you ask me to love,
to love the way you ask me to live.
I ask this through your son, Jesus,
who stands at my side
today and always.

Amen.



Cx :-)

Good morning........and thank you for the kind messages. They are most appreciated and I am sure that kandj will know that we are all thinking about her and her husband.

Hopefully, my son is to have an operation to fuse two discs in his back, the drawback is......there is a waiting list. Meanwhile, we press on. He even has a photo of his spine on his phone and you can see the troublesome area quite clearly. I often wonder what our grandparents would think of technology these days. :-)

I drove him to the appointment and his sister came with us as the school where she works is on half-term. His consultant was running late and so, leaving son sitting in the waiting room, daughter and I trolled off in search of coffee and for a browse of the shops within the hospital. We landed back to the waiting room - daughter with a new bag and myself with a new T-shirt :-D


Our prayer for today:

Holy God, too great to be trifled with and too wise to be deceived by insincerity; compose our thoughts as we enter your presence, order our minds as we bring our petitions, and grant us grace to offer you the loving sacrifice of hearts both steadfast and obedient; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Susanna Wesley (1669-1742)


Susanna was the mother of 10 children, including John and Charles - two men who grew up to bring millions of souls to Christ. What an example she must have set them!

Take care....Cx :-)

I look in most days too, and enjoy reading your posts, but never post.

Cynthia, hope that the specialist will be able to do something for your son, and that he will soon get better.

Kandj, so sorry to hear about your OH, hope that he feel a lot better soon.

Thinking about you all and sending lots of positive thoughts to everyone.

Love, Sallie,xx

kandj ...........

thinking of you and your OH at this time. xxxxx

Cynthia and kandj my thoughts and prayers to you both
at this time, that your son may get relief from his pain Cynthia,
and kandj thinking of you at this worrying time.

Never miss looking in to read all who post, a good way to start
the day.

Emma :-)

Back again......should have said thank you to Susan for that link. It's great....I saw it on FB yesterday and it's well worth a watch.


Last night we had 4 babies down for baptism this coming Sunday. As it happens, another 3 turned up that we didn't know about.......arrrrghhhhh.....it seems our new priest in charge had taken the details but had forgotten to tell us.......talk about manic - it was chaos - but nice chaos... :-)

Good morning everyone.....it's so nice to see folk popping in :-)


I've received a message from kandj confirming the information which Vera has shared with us above. Our love and thoughts and prayers go our friend at this worrying time.


A prayer for today:


When we are deeply disturbed with a problem
and our minds are filled with doubt,
And we struggle to find a solution
but there seems to be no way out.
We futilely keep on trying
to untangle our web of distress,
But our own little, puny efforts
meet with very little success.
And finally, exhausted and weary,
discouraged and downcast and low,
with no foreseeable answer
and with no other place to go,
We kneel down in sheer desperation
and slowly and stumblingly pray.
Then impatiently wait for an answer,
which we fully expect right away.
And then when God does not answer
in one sudden instant, we say,
“God does not seem to be listening,
so why should be bother to pray?”
But God can’t get through to the anxious,
who are much too impatient to wait —
You have to believe in God’s promise
that he comes not too soon or too late.

— “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8

- Helen Steiner Rice



My love to you all.....Cx :-)

I have just seen on the bird watching thread that Kandj's OH has been taken ill and she may not be posting for a while.

If you are looking in, Kandji, my thoughts are with your OH, you and your family. May he make a rapid recovery. Hugs for you. <3

I also look in most days, but rarely post.


So sorry to hear that you son is having such problems, Cyn. I hope the consultant can do something for him xxx

I look in most days Cynthia <3


I found this and thought of you all

Singing priest's Hallelujah wows wedding guests

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26957527

Good morning. Thank you Vera, I do sometimes wonder if anyone is looking in but I am happy to continue with this thread.

Thank you also for your good wishes kandj. I took our grandson to the dentist yesterday and so, we were able to spend time with our son. He will be glad when it is all sorted out - he doesn't like being off work for so long.

To night is baptism prep class once again. We will be greeting four families in the hope that we can share the true meaning of baptism with them. :-)


A prayer for today:

Father of all,
pour into our hearts the love that casts out fear,
the truth that sets us free
and the grace that is sufficient for all our needs,
and grant that we may rejoice that though you are unseen,
you are not unknown and that,
though you are hidden from our eyes,
we may behold your beauty at the last;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)


I have another busy day ahead........take care everyone..... Cx :-)

Just a thank you to Cynthia, kandj, and other regulars who continue to post even when there is not much of a response.

There must be others like me who read the posts but seldom comment so please don't think you are being ignored I appreciate your efforts and often see something that makes me think a bit.

Thank you.

I will continue to send healing vibes to your son. We also have experience of debilitating chronic back pain and so can truly sympathize with him.

Very definitely thought provoking words Cynthia and thank you for sharing them.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) born in Belfast, died in Oxford and known to his friends as Jack. Lewis was honoured with a memorial in Poet's Corner,
Westminster Abbey.
I remember reading his book Surprised By Joy, in which he wrote down his feelings when his wife Joy was diagnosed with cancer and how their Christian belief helped them both to cope with this disease until her death......... that also was very thought provoking and meaningful too. Many years since I read it, but still can remember it.

Today I am thinking of Sir Bob Geldof and the tragic death of his young daughter.
Praying that he will find the strength to cope with his deep pain and heartache.
RIP Peaches.......... re-united with her Mum once again.

Good morning..... :-)


Worthy of sharing indeed kandj. We now, very quietly, sing the Taize verse 'Lord hear my prayer' between the various aspects of the intercessions on Sunday morning. There are some lovely chants which spring from that Community.

My son is still in severe pain unfortunately. He is to see the consultant, re his back problem, on Thursday. The knee operation was an added 'extra' sadly. Hopefully all will be sorted out soon.


By way of a slight change, I hope you don't mind if I use a small article which was in our parish magazine recently. I found it both interesting and helpful, and I hope others do too.


'We know from evidence outside and inside the New Testament that Jesus existed.

C.S. Lewis - of Narnia fame - put it like this:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said, would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice.

Either this man was, and is the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

We are faced then, with a frightening alternative. The man we are talking about was (and is) just what he said or else a lunatic or something worse.

Now, it seems to me obvious that he was neither a lunatic nor a fiend; and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God. God has landed on this enemy occupied world in human form'.



Thought provoking words. Cx :-)

Yes the old Dry Bones song is really catchy Cynthia and will be known to others.

To communicate with Christ
Is there any light more transparent than
a life steeped in forgiveness
and an infinite goodness..
A life, in which reconciliation
is lived out, day after day.

However little we understand of the Gospel
it is a bright light in our midst.
However little we perceive of the Holy Spirit,
He is life for us., now and into eternity.
However little we grasp of the Eucharist,
It is Christ's presence in us.

Words I have just read written by Brother Roger of Taize and worthy of sharing.

Cynthia I am continuing to pray for healing for your son and I hope his pain is less and that he is improving daily.