General Chat

Good morning :-)

Another of the Plagues of Egypt and not a word we often use these days……

Pestilence

The Egyptians worshipped many animals, and many animal-headed gods. Horses and cattle were not only highly valued in the land of Egypt, but they were also sacred.

Then God sent a fatal pestilence that killed most of the domestic animals of the Egyptians. How the people must have grieved when they saw their beautiful horses, the pride of Egypt, perish; when all the cattle and sheep of the fields were stricken at the word of Moses; and when the animals upon which they looked as gods died smitten by the plague!

The Cattle Plague was a response to the Egyptians' criminal actions in taking cattle belonging to Jews. By destroying the Egyptian livestock, God, as it were, took back the Egyptian cattle, so demonstrating that unjust enrichment would not be tolerated.

Unfortunately for Israel, the fact that Israel’s cattle did not die enraged Pharaoh and hardened his heart further, and still, he would not let the Israelites go.


Lord, as we read of the injustices of the past, we ask that you guide our daily thoughts, words and actions that we may live by the Spirit of truth and that honesty may prevail in the world today. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

David 2020 is a year never to be forgotten.

Cynthia, one of my favourite hymns. Thank you.

A couple more regulars back in church yesterday. Good to at least try to get a little more "normality" back into our daily lives once again.

Take care and keep safe everyone.

Good morning everyone :-)

The current pandemic Corvid-19 that started as a disease
may be a move on from earlier diseases like swine flu, bird flu,
mad cow disease. Even the experts disagree. With the huge increase in
Earth's population how do they "accurately" compare the current pandemic wit earlier plagues ?
In N America they are also suffering an infestation on giant Asian hornets..
2020 is a memoable year. And there is soon to be an asteroid closer than the moon !!

Good morning :-)


It's a bit overcast again.........hey ho!

We are now emerging from lockdown after a pandemic which has caused much distress around the world. Of course, this isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened – think of The Black Death in the middle ages and the Great Plague in 1665 which killed millions of people.

Plagues are often mentioned in the bible but are different to what we have experienced recently. The plagues (disasters) in the Old Testament were sent upon Egypt by God to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves from the bondage they had endured in Egypt for 400 years. It may be interesting to look at a few of them this week.

The Plague of Frogs

“After due warning, another plague came to Egypt. Aaron stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs swarmed forth. They covered every inch of land and entered the houses and bedrooms; wherever an Egyptian turned, whatever he touched, he found there the slimy bodies of frogs, their croaking filled the air. Now Pharaoh became frightened, and he asked Moses and Aaron to pray to God to remove the nuisance, promising that he would liberate the Jewish people at once. But as soon as the frogs disappeared, he broke his promise and refused to let the children of Israel go.”

Lord, we have promised to serve you – help us to keep to that promise.

O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Thanks kandj <3




The Collect (special prayer) for today

Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified:
hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth
to the glory of your name;
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 reading for today tells of the Parable of the Sower.

Love to all

Cx :-)

Hello all

Demot/JoyLouise, sadly the Clergy isn't the same as it was. Gone are the days of feeling that the Vicar was your family friend. Don't suppose it helps not having one Priest for one parish any more, like it was back in the day.

Cynthia, an interesting week reading about all of the various flowers. Thank you.

Good morning :-)

Lovely to see you Joy Louise... <3

Dermot, we have much the same situation here. I don't know if you are on Twitter, but the differences between how the clergy are handling this situation are quire startling. There are those who are keeping contact with their flock and trying to keep things as normal as possible and then there are those who have, as a friend put it, run for the hills.

Round and round the garden.....

The Violet

The violet is the emblem of humility, thus the phrase "shrinking violet". Because of the three characteristic leaves, medieval monks called violets "Flowers of Trinity". They also used the name ‘heartsease’ because healers carried it with them to treat heart disorders.

Also among the Christians of those times was widespread belief that the violets were, until the day of Jesus' crucifixion, flowers that raised up their heads to heaven. After the crucifixion, the shadow of the cross fell upon them, and the flowers bowed their “heads” as a sign of embarrassment at the treatment of Jesus. In art, the Virgin Mary holding the Jesus child in her arms, is often depicted with purple flowers, signifying her modesty but perhaps as the premonition about the death of Jesus.

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet,
For song of bird, and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
For pleasant shade of branches high,
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

Cx :-)

It is sad, Dermot.

I have had weekly emails from our local Cathedral (very near) during this crisis and I know I can call someone there to chat at any time. It's been a long time since I visited but my name is still on the roll, apparently.

Your priest could do better, I think - but, is he, himself, ill?

My fellow parishioners are all looking forward to re-establishing contact with our Parish Priest who, it would seem, has adhered to the much published 'lock-down' rules & regulations during these long few months.

His apparent inability to enquire about his 'faithful' congregation by phone, for example, during all this time is discouragingly sad to say the least..

Good morning :-)


Round and round the garden…..


The Rose

Roses have been a part of Christian symbology since the 11th century. In Christian symbolism, the red rose stands for the blood shed by Jesus on the cross; it has also become a symbol for earthly love, a tradition which continues today especially on St. Valentine’s Day and other romantic occasions.

The white rose may represent the Virgin Mary, and thus virginity, or fertility and passion. In the middle ages a crown of white roses was worn by virgins, as it illustrated innocence. Mary is known as the "mystic rose" or the "rose without thorns" among some Christians, because of her role as the mother of Jesus Christ.

Like other plants, a rose, especially one that is still alive, can also carry overtones of growth, renewal. The thorns of a rose represent on how nothing is perfect – thus the saying "Every rose has its thorn". In actuality, the thorns are prickles that are used to cling onto other vegetation or to protect itself.

From the hymn ‘Crown Him with Many Crowns’ vs 2

Crown him the virgin's Son,
the God incarnate born,
whose arm those crimson trophies won
which now His brow adorn;
fruit of the mystic rose,
as of that rose the stem;
the root whence mercy ever flows,
the Babe of Bethlehem.


Cx :-)

Eusebius records that Pilate committed suicide out of remorse for his part in Jesus’s execution. But the Ethiopian church believes the former prefect was martyred and has canonized him and declared June 25 as his feast day.

Good morning :-)

Many congratulations to your granddaughter Vera - she has done well. <3


David, take a look at John Chapter 5. The Day of Judgement could certainly be construed as a 'frightening' time for many. When you read the story of Jesus you realise that he came to encourage, support and teach us that if we trust in Him, we need not fear death. <3

Round and round the garden…..

The Lily

The white Madonna lily is the most recognized symbol for the Virgin Mary and Christian churches are generally festooned with them at Easter. Christians hold the lily as a symbol of chastity, innocence, purity and piety and they are mentioned several times in the bible.

It is said that the white petals represent Mary’s flesh and the yellow pollen covered stamens is her soul. According to Christian tradition, the lily was born from the tears of regret from Eve when she left the Garden of Eden.

The lily features in many Christian paintings and are widely used at both weddings and at funerals. They are associated with 30th wedding anniversaries.


“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ...”



Cx :-)

Hello all

Very strange David. Time alone will tell methinks.

Vera, Congratulations to your granddaughter. She must have worked really hard to achieve a 1st and I'm sure that you are all over the moon at her result.

Another interesting topic. I love my garden and find the flowers therapeutic especially at this strange time

In 1994 while working a night shift alone I saw my own Mother in the back seat of a car inside a locked garage that I had locked. This after being present at her death in Hospital, disposing of her clothes and furniture and house, arranging and attending her her funeral. It scared me, big time.
Now it says in the Bible that at some time in the "near" future all graves are going to open and that the occupants will be granted eternal life or sent to Hell.
Is this massive grave opening going to seem like something from a horror story ? :-S

You’ve chosen another interesting theme this week Cynthia. Thank you.

I love the stories behind the flowers. I remember there being something in the news a few years ago about Leonardo da Vinci’s “Madonna of the Carnation” and wondering what the symbolism of the flower meant. I intended to google it but it went right out of my head. Now, thanks to you, I have at last found out.

Flowers are a great blessing and can be very therapeutic. I have been so grateful for our small garden during lockdown and have felt so sorry for anyone coping without access to outside space.

We have much to be thankful for today. We have just heard that our eldest granddaughter has been awarded her degree and has achieved a First, so we are very proud grandparents :-(

Good morning :-)


Round and round the garden.......

The Orchid – an interesting story.

These flowers represent the blood of Jesus Christ from the Gethsemane garden and Calvary. In one of the legends of early Christianity, it relates how a monk stole the hand of a statue depicting the Jesus child. While hiding the monk in the mountains, he lost the way and, before dying of exhaustion and hunger, he buried the stolen treasure. The following year, in the place where the monk had hidden the precious object an orchid had sprung up, a flower whose roots reproduced exactly a child's hand.

The flower symbolism associated with the orchid is love, beauty, refinement, many children, thoughtfulness and mature charm. Orchids are associated with 14th and 28th wedding anniversaries.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

As I have looked through Twitter and FB etc., I have been heartened at the number of online church services and how they have adapted their worship. One church (in Canada!) has the vicar leading a service and there are maybe 3 or 4 of his choristers with him. They keep to all the social distancing rules and sing the hymns. They have lovely voices too!

Many church musicians are chomping at the bit ready to begin rehearsals again. They do say that being in a choir is very beneficial to your health :-D


Round and round the garden…..


The Daffodil

The daffodil is acknowledged as the resurrection flower and is seen more than ever around Easter. It declares the path of Christ through death and resurrection. The sight of the daffodil would summon people to church.

It has also been said that the trumpet shape of the flower represents Gabriel’s trumpet calling for rebirth and new life; and the petals represent life after death. The stamen is said to portray Christ’s kingship.

In France, the daffodil is a symbol of hope and, along with the leek, it is the emblem for Wales and for the Marie Curie nurses. The daffodil is also associated with 10th wedding anniversaries.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Cx :-)

Cynthia ............... OH said that their choir mistress and pianist (no organ) has apparently taped or recorded some music and posted it online (I think on FB), so that people can sing the hymns to music at home.

Hello all

Thank you for Tell Out My Soul. I am now singing along with this traditional hymn.

Our church service had no hymn singing and was shorter than usual too just like your husband Sylvia.

I pondered about going along yesterday although I desperately wanted churches to be opened. I guess self isolating for the last 15 weeks made me hesitant.

I loved being back in church with the small church family and I'll look forward to next week now.

Good morning :-)

Sylvia, I am seeing lots of comments from organists and choristers who are really, really wanting to get back to the music side of things.....they are very frustrated! It's understandable your OH feels the same.

Glad you made it to church yesterday kandj.

Only one of our churches has opened so far and they streamed the service on their FB page yesterday. It was well done, well thought out and was good to watch. They had a soloist and some music but no hymns as such. Only a few wore masks and everyone was dotted around the building. It is a church which has been there since the 1100's and this is the first time (I think) that it has ever been closed for worship in all those years.



During lockdown, I know that many of you have spent time in your gardens, especially in the good weather. It’s interesting to read of the various meanings attached to flowers and plants, including some religious meanings too. Let’s wander around our gardens, however small or large they may be, and pray as we tend the plants….

The Carnation
Christian artists often adorned scenes of the Madonna and Child with a red carnation, signifying the Virgin’s love of Christ and as foreshadowing of his crucifixion. This is how they became associated with motherly love.

Carnations are given on 1st anniversaries as a sign of love and commitment. They’re the second most popular cut flower after roses.

This hymn, based on the words of the Magnificat, is associated with Mary.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore.


Cx :-)