General Chat

Hello all

Cynthia, Wednesday's poem gave me goosebumps

Happy Thursday Blessings everyone.... remember,

"You are never too old to set another goal or
to dream another dream." (C.S.Lewis).

Good morning :-)


Easter Children's Prayer
God made you and God made me,

He made the world for us to see.

God loves you and long ago,`

He sent his Son to tell us so.

Jesus showed us many things,

To love and share and dance and sing.

To learn and pray, to help and care,

He promised he'd always be there.

He died but then came back to life,

Let's celebrate for he's alive!

Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Two Mothers

Long time ago, so I have been told,
Two angels once met on streets paved with gold.
“By the stars in your crown,” said the one to the other
“I see that on earth, you too, were a mother.

And by, the blue-tinted halo you wear
“You, too, have known sorrow and deepest despair…”
“Ah yes,” she replied, “I once had a son,
A sweet little lad, full of laughter and fun.”

“But tell of your child.” “Oh, I knew I was blessed
From the moment I first held him close to my breast,
And my heart almost burst with the joy of that day.”
“Ah, yes,” said the other, “I felt the same way.”

The former continued: “The first steps he took-
So eager and breathless; the sweet startled look
Which came over his face – he trusted me so.”
“Ah, yes,” said the other, “How well do I know”

“But soon he had grown to a tall handsome boy,
So stalwart and kind – and it gave me so much joy
To have him just walk down the street by my side”
“Ah yes, “said the other mother, “I felt the same pride.”

“How often I shielded and spared him from pain
And when he for others was so cruelly slain.
When they crucified him – and they spat in his face
How gladly would I have hung there in his place!”

A moment of silence – “Oh then you are she –
The mother of Christ”; and she fell on one knee.
But the Blessed one raised her up, drawing her near,
And kissed from the cheek of the woman, a tear.

“Tell me the name of the son you love so,
That I may share with your grief and your woe.”
She lifted her eyes, looking straight at the other,
“He was Judas Iscariot: I am his mother.”

[Author Unknown]

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Easter is more than just the most important celebration on the liturgical calendar - the Resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of all Christianity.

Easter Reflections

With OUR EYES we see
The beauty of Easter
as the earth awakens once more...

With OUR EARS we hear
The birds sing sweetly
to tell us Spring again is here...

With OUR HANDS we pick
the golden daffodils
and the fragrant hyacinths...

But only with OUR HEARTS
can we feel the MIRACLE of GOD'S LOVE
which redeems all men...

And only with OUR SOUL
can we make our 'pilgrimage to God'
and inherit His Easter Gift of ETERNAL LIFE.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you for the kind words, they are much appreciated and it's lovely to have some interaction on here.

The last few days have been manic as there has been so much going on at church - and only coming home to eat and sleep! It's all been well worth it though. Lovely church services - new faces as well as familiar faces. Lots of laughter yesterday as we celebrated not only the resurrection but also a special birthday for one of our very popular clerics. It was a great day.

Sending <3 to you all.

Lord, we thank You for the love You have poured out on us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. May His resurrection be a source of inspiration and renewal for us all. Help us to grasp the depth of your love and the power of redemption. Amen.

Cx :-)

Dear All

Hello

Hope your Easter beings you peace and happiness.

God bless.

Take gentle care
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Happy Easter to all x

So many questions, and still so few answers for me. But I really do appreciate the time Cynthia and others put into this thread even if it provides yet more questions. :-)

Hello all

Happy Easter Blessings to everybody today.

Cynthia, thank you for leading our journey in faith.

Tabitha, you have some amazing memories to reflect upon, thank you for sharing them with us.

Vera, I hope all is well with you and your husband.

I'm still singing the last hymn from church this morning......... another great favourite of mine.


THINE BE THE GLORY.

Thine be the glory, risen,conquering Son
Endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment, rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes, where the body lay.

Thine be the glory risen, conquering son.
Endless is the victory, thou o'er death has won.

Have a Happy Easter Day everyone.

A very Happy Easter to you all - Sorry i haven't posted in a while, but i have been looking in on you all.

Your Saturday post made me think of the time I spent in Jerusalem, just wondering around & thinking of what happened there & that i was walking in his footsteps.

Sitting peacefully in the Garden of Gethsemane, reflecting.
Visiting all the sites, sailing on the Sea of Galilee and paddling in it in the early hours of the morning, visiting the Dome of the Rock and so on.

How i wish i was back there again, feeling the peace it gave me.

I wish you all a blessed time at Easter.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

HE IS RISEN!

A very Happy and Blessed Easter to you all. <3

Cx :-)

Good Morning

Holy Saturday is the day between Good Friday and Easter Day. It is a continuation of the sorrow of Good Friday, when Christians of all traditions remember the disciples’ hopelessness in the wake of Jesus’s death on the cross; when they are unsure whether to believe that he will rise from the dead, as he said he would.


We think of Mary and John and those who left with them; of Peter wandering distraught through the streets of Jerusalem. It’s all too easy to imagine the disciples left to their own devices the night before and facing a new day, a chill sunrise, with their confusion bumping up against their faith.

Food had to be found in the marketplace, cooking in the kitchen, and cleaning to be done as the guests for Passover left for the countryside. It seemed to most of them to be “life after Jesus.” What now?


Cx

I see I haven't posted for quite a while but I have been looking in every day and following your Lent and Holy Week posts, Cynthia. There has been a lot of food for thought so thank you for continuing to add to the thread even when you are not getting a lot of response. I am sure there are plenty of others who look in from time to time.

Thank you to kandj too for her support of the thread.

Hello all

Thank you Cynthia for all the Holy week postings.

I joined my church family last night for a service followed with a Passover meal to think about all that Holy Thursday means.

This afternoon at 2pm I'll go along to a local church for the Watch by the Cross hour of music/scripture readings and quiet reflection time on this Good Friday day.

Journey with Jesus

THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE DAY WE WERE DREADING. GOOD FRIDAY

Today, at 2pm. in church, we will quietly gather to remember the events of that first Good Friday. This is the most difficult day of Passion Week. Christ's journey turned treacherous and acutely painful in the final hours leading to his death.

Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, was overcome with remorse and hanged himself early Friday morning.

Jesus was arrested and endured the shame of ……..
false accusations,
condemnation,
mockery,
beatings,
and abandonment.

After multiple unlawful trials, he was sentenced to death by crucifixion, one of the most horrible and disgraceful methods of capital punishment known at the time.

Before Christ was led away, soldiers spat on him, tormented and mocked him, and pierced him with a crown of thorns. Then Jesus carried his cross to Calvary where, again, he was mocked and insulted as Roman soldiers nailed him to the wooden cross.

Cx

Good morning :-)


Journey with Jesus
Christians need to journey with Jesus through Holy Week, and now things take a sombre turn.

HOLY THURSDAY
From Bethany, Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to the Upper Room in Jerusalem to make preparations for the Passover Feast. That evening, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as they prepared to share in the Passover. By performing this humble act of service, Jesus showed by example how we should love one another. Today, many churches will have a small foot-washing ceremony as a reminder of what Jesus taught.

After he had washed their feet, Jesus shared the feast of Passover with his disciples. We know this as the Last Supper – the Holy Communion – The Mass – The Sharing of Bread. Jesus instructed His followers to continually remember his sacrifice by sharing in the elements of bread and wine.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Journey with Jesus
Christians need to journey with Jesus through Holy Week.

Yesterday we heard how Jesus chastised the Temple leaders for being hypocritical before moving on to speak about the end of the age. We continue the story from there……………
.
HOLY WEDNESDAY also known as Spy Wednesday. The Bible doesn't say what the Lord did on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of Passover.

Just a short time previously, Jesus had revealed to the disciples, and the world, that he had power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave. After seeing this incredible miracle, many people in Bethany believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their faith in him. Also in Bethany just a few nights earlier, Lazarus' sister Mary had lovingly anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume.

The Spy connection comes from the fact that this is the day when Judas Iscariot plotted with the Chief Priests to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Journey with Jesus
Christians need to journey with Jesus through Holy Week.
Yesterday was HOLY MONDAY when Jesus cleared the corrupt people out of the Temple. We continue the story from there…………….

On HOLY TUESDAY morning, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. The Temple leaders were upset with Jesus after yesterday. They tried to organise an ambush to place him under arrest, but it failed, and Jesus had harsh words for them….”You are hypocrites! You are like white tombs which look fine on the outside but are full of all kinds of filth. People think you are Godly, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and evil”.

Jesus moved on to the Mount of Olives which overlooks Jerusalem. He gave a very detailed prophecy about the end of the age and his Second Coming and the final judgement. After a long and exhausting day of confrontations and warnings about the future, Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany to spend the night.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Journey with Jesus
It is said that to fully appreciate Easter in its truest meaning, Christians need to journey with Jesus through Holy Week – otherwise what is the point? If we don’t experience the agony of Good Friday, how can we appreciate the true glory of Easter Day? There are services on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon to help us to understand that Easter is not about chocolate eggs (nice as they are!)
Yesterday was Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey – we take up the story from there…………….

Holy Monday
The following morning, Jesus returned with his disciples to Jerusalem. When Jesus arrived at the Temple, he found the courts full of corrupt money changers. He began overturning their tables and clearing the Temple, saying, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves" On Monday evening Jesus stayed in Bethany again, probably in the home of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

TODAY IS PALM SUNDAY AND THE BEGINNING OF HOLY WEEK.

Collect (special Prayer 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.
All Amen.

Cx :-)

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

That was a shock announcement from the Princess of Wales yesterday. We pray for her complete recovery and privacy for the family as they come to terms with this diagnosis. May God bless them all. <3


Aspects of Lent – almsgiving

Focus on self only makes
the world a dreary place to live.
But you make it a brighter scene
when you find a way to give.
Share with random strangers,
not only those you know.
It's by practicing such kindness
God's love in you will show.

Try to give to people
who have no means to repay.
This may then return to you
in a most unlikely way.
Practice giving out to friends,
it helps to make them smile.
No matter if they have it all.
It's a gesture most worthwhile.

Leave a gift for someone
who won't know it's from you.
Give God all the glory
It makes giving pure and true.
When you find a way to give,
you sow seeds of joy around.
You leave behind a scent of hope
and make the light of God abound.

Cx :-)