General Chat

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


I was looking around for something interesting to post and came across the following. It certainly rang some bells for me so I thought I would share it.



"Feeling a little desperate, I was wondering why God let me endure so much when this thought crossed my mind: “Am I a fair weather Christian?” If I’m a fair weather Christian, perhaps I seem to believe and even honestly think I believe when all is well and then blame God and turn against Him when stormy or bad weather comes into my life. I don’t think that’s true of me in spite of my desperate moment.

There are, of course, Christians of the opposite kind—those that cling to a buoy in stormy weather but float carefree along in calm waters, caring not about their saviour when all is well. You have probably heard about Christians like this. They say there are no atheists in foxholes. Sadly, for many years I was this type of Christian; but I think I have grown in Christianity over the years.

The third type of Christian is the kind I want to be and hope to be most of the time. This type is thankful for blessings and turns to God with thanks for all the good things in life. When things sour, they turn to God for direction and when God says, “No” they try to understand; and through all times and all disturbances, no matter what happens, they have the peace of the presence of the Lord in their lives.

Which kind of Christian are you?"

~ B. Killebrew



Enjoy your day Cx :-)

An interesting post as always Cynthia, thank you.

I don't ever remember being a Fair Weather Christian but I have met many who turn away from God when things go wrong in their lives.

I can't think I have ever been the second type of Christian. Being brought up in a Christian household then God was and still is a natural part of my day.

I was nodding my head at the third section and so I guess that this one applies to me BUT I am ever in training!!

Hi kandj :-)

I find that I can relate to being a 'fairweather' Christian up until I was in my late 30's. Oh yes, I went along to church every Sunday, but when I got home, I used to hang up my faith along with my coat - not really using it until I needed it.

All that changed through attending some bible study groups and doing more reading on the subject...........yep...those scales just fell away!! ;-)

Hi everyone

thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.

As you know, I'm not a churchgoer although I was raised in the church and went to an Anglican church school from 4 to 11 ........................, but the prayers you offer mean a lot to me, as well as to OH and his sister.

A retired vicar from a neighbouring town is coming in every day to give Holy Communion to sis-i-l and anyone else in the house who wishes to participate.

She is peaceful, sleeps a lot, but also is pretty lucid when awake.

I'm just hoping for a peaceful, quick end for her.

Sylvia, you will be supported greatly by many on this Christian thread as you wait for news of your sister in law.
What a blessing it will be for her to receive the Holy Communion. It seems in Canada that the situation is similar to in England where the retired clergymen are on hand to help and support where needed.
I hope that the bad weather in Canada will not hinder your OH or others with traveling or in other practical ways. Our thoughts and prayers are ongoing for you all.

Good morning everyone and I echo kandj's thoughts. Receiving the Holy Sacrament will mean a great deal to your sister-in-law Sylvia, as she prepares to face the Lord whom she has served so devotedly for so long. She must have ministered to many others in a similar situation and now, it is her turn to receive. I too pray that her passing may be peaceful. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. <3


The Collect for today :

Almighty God, in the birth of you Son you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word , and shown us the fullness of your love: help us to walk in his light and dwell in his love that we may know the fullness of his joy; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The gospel reading for today is taken from John 1:10-18 and begins with those wonderful, wonderful words which we usually hear at midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.....................'

A beautiful, beautiful reading.


Enjoy your day.......Cx :-)

Sylvia, my thoughts are with your sil and your family. I am sure her faith will sustain her and bring her peace.

Some long time ago I posted my all-time favourite poem on a poetry thread. I was introduced to it by my English teacher at school when I was about 14, I think. I'm not sure I fully understood it but for the first time I saw something beyond the "fluffy" nativity story I had been taught as a child. It's a bit long for this thread but as it is appropriate for the period of Epiphany, I thought perhaps it would be OK to post it. It's by T S Eliot

The Journey Of The Magi


'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

Thinking of the Lectionary reading today which is John i 10-18 as Cynthia has said made me think of:
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not"

Tomorrow is Epiphany (also my late father's birthday and my mil also - both born on same day in 1918*), and one of the readings for The Epiphany is from Baruch (in the Apocrypha, the middle bit that used to be in our Bibles). Baruch iv 36-37:

"O Jerusalem, look about thee toward the east, and behold the joy that cometh unto thee from God.
Lo, thy sons come whom thou sentest away, they come gathered together from the east to the west by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God."

* Dad died 1978, aged 60. Mil still going strong. Will resist any mil jokes as she is positively the best mil in the world. :-)

Good morning everyone and I hope you are all well. :-)


At church, we are still suffering from the occasional traumas of 'too many chiefs and not enough Indians' syndrome as people, as folk still struggle to come to terms with the loss of our Incumbent. No doubt it will settle shortly.

Tonight we are taking down the Christmas decorations which have festooned our church for the last few weeks. It will look a bit bare without them but we soon get used to it.


Today is the Feast of the Epiphany so I thought I would use the following poem:

The Epiphany Poem

Take, O Child,
The gift that I bring,
Rich and rare as befits a King:
Gold that glints as the star looks down -
Gold to gleam in a great king’s crown.
When the kingdom comes, when the flags unfold,
Remember me, and my gift of gold.

Take, O Child,
The gift that I bring,
Rich and rare as befits a King:
I kneel as a king, to a King divine,
Receive my praise, and this gift of mine
Which is frankincense for the altar fire
To burn in worship to the World’s Desire.

Take, O Child,
The gift that I bring,
Rich and rare as befits a King:
Costliest myrrh from the East afar
For the tomb foretold by the travelling star.
When they bear you slow to your kingly grave
You shall lie at last with the gift I gave.


Strange are the gifts that the Wise Men bring
To so small a Child, to so strange a King.
Sovereign gold, but his brow was torn
When they hailed him King, with a crown of thorn;
Frankincense, that they might provide
Perpetual praise to a God who died;
But none so strange as the myrrh they gave
To anoint the clothes of a three-day grave.


~ Timothy Dudley-Smith



The following may be of interest to Vera :-)

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=7070



Cx :-)

Thank you for the link Cynthia. I had heard it before but it was good to be reminded of it.

I enjoyed the poem you have posted today.

Vera

Prayerful thoughts for Sylvia and her family as they face uncertainty today.

6th January is the traditional Feast Day for Epiphany. This word is derived from the Latin word meaning Arrival.

Epiphany is the Christian festival celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus into the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

Thank you to SuffolkVera and Cynthia for their special poems for today.

I offer my very favourite Epiphany hymn, just for today.

BRIGHTEST AND BEST OF THE SONS OF THE MORNING.

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid;
Star of the East, the horizon adorning
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.

Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining;
Low lies His head with the beasts in the stall;
Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,,
Maker and Monarch and Saviour of all

Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion
Odors of Edom, and offerings divine?
Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean
Myrrh from the forest or gold from the mine?.

Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
Vainly with gifts would His favour secure;
Richer by far is the heart's adoration
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

Good morning... :-)


'Brightest and best' - that brought back some memories kandj - thank you. I can't remember when we last sang that but you had me humming along for a while. :-)



For today:

Today I Smiled

Today I smiled, and all at once
Things didn't look so bad.

Today I shared with someone else,
A little bit of hope I had.

Today I sang a little song,
And felt my heart grow light.

I walked a happy little mile,
With not a cloud in sight.

Today I worked with what I had,
And longed for nothing more,

And what had seemed like only weeds,
Were flowers at my door.

Today I loved a little more,
And complained a little less.

And in the giving of myself,
I forgot my weariness.

~ Author Unknown ~



Cx :-)

Have had a weary start to the day, so words for this morning have cheered me up (how I hate January and February, and all the cold and dark). And Brightest and best is a favourite. Call me weird, but I just love all these old-fashioned words. "Ample oblation" :-D Yes, you can say it in modern English - something like "the fullness of his sacrifice, once offered for all us sinners" but amp. ob. is so simple.

Have just spotted the last words of Jesus at the end of Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapter 7 verse 25):

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

"And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and does not obey them, shall be likened unto a foolish person, which built his house upon the sand.

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

"For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

:-D :-D

My favourite hymn? "From sinking sands, he lifted me" by Charles Gabriel

John, I had forgotten this lovely hymn. Like Cynthia who has humming my choice, then you have left me remembering and hummming your favourite hymn....
thank you............ All together now:-.

In loving kindness Jesus came,
My soul in mercy to reclaim,
And from the depths of sin and shame
Through grace He lifted me.

Refrain
From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me;
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!

He called me long before I heard,
Before my sinful heart was stirred.
But when I took him at His word,
Forgiven, He lifted me.

Refrain

His brow was pierced with many a thorn,
His hands by cruel nails were torn,
When from my guilt and grief, forlorn,
In love, He lifted me.

Refrain

Now on a higher plain I dwell,
And with my soul, I know 'tis well;
Yet how or why, I cannot tell,
He should have lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hands He lifted me;
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, Praise His name, He lifted me!

Hoping and praying that Sylvia's sister in law and all the family are being lifted and strengthened right now.

Someone has asked on another thread what is a "born again Christian". That lovely hymn says it all, kandj.

There are two things that make me cry EVERY time (not very manly, I know):
1. The end of the film Carousel when Billy sees his daughter at her graduation.
2. Singing "from sinking sand he lifted me". Cos He did :-D :-D

Many hymns make me cry often, but not every time. Always struggle emotionally with the words of "When I survey the wondrous cross" - and they were written 300 years ago :-0 Start coughing and blubbering as soon as the organ starts up (or, these days, the guitar starts strumming) :-D

OH came back yesterday from 4 days helping with his sister. Now it is just a matter of waiting for the end. She is being kept comfortable, and pain-free. She requested to die in her own home, and the local hospice is helping with her care. It sounds as if it is all superb!

She is never left alone, there is always someone sitting in the room with her ....... friend, member of the family, grandchild, member of the congregation where she preached, etc

OH says she seems very peaceful, brain is still working very well even though speech is difficult. Her heart and breathing are both strong ......... so I think she will be with us for a few more days.


I just pray that she goes easily and painlessly.



Thank you all for your support xxxx






s
xx

<3 Sylvia

Sylvia,
Gentle hugs just for you, for all the support that you are giving to your family now. xx

Good morning everyone. :-)


Sylvia, our prayers remain with you and your family as your sister-in-law's life draws to a close. I said to someone recently that I have often found that older folks who are ill, come to terms with their approaching death in a calm and gracious way. It reminds me of the words of Pope John XXIII who, on his death bed is reported to have said, "My bags are packed, I am ready to go". Much love to you all. <3



Whilst I was browsing for this thread, I came across the following. I feel it is pertinent for those of any faith ....... or none.


The Wolves Within

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil ... he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other wolf is good ... he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."


Cx

Thinking of you, Sylvia.


Watch thou, dear Lord,
with those who wake,
or watch, or weep tonight,
and give thine angels charge
over those who sleep.
Tend thy sick ones, Lord Christ.
Rest thy weary ones.
Bless thy dying ones.
Soothe thy suffering ones.
Pity thine afflicted ones.
Shield thy joyous ones.
And all, for thy love's sake.
Amen.

- Saint Augustine's Evening Prayer -




I hope that readers have enjoyed the carols in http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards/board/general_chat/thread/979039 .