General Chat

Good morning :-)

Storm Gareth is now upon us - take care out there!!

Lord God,
you who breathed the spirit of life within me.
Draw out of me the light and life you created.
Help me to find my way back to you.
Help me to use my life to reflect your glory
and to serve others
as your son Jesus did.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

So good to see you both and thank you for the lovely words. <3



Father,
you hate nothing you have made,
and you forgive the sins of all who repent.
Create in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our failings,
may find in you perfect remission and forgiveness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Cx :-)

Dear All

Hello

The words of this song say it all, for peace.

"IF I CAN DREAM"


There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue

If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand

Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true
Oh why


There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away

All the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun

Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why wont that sun appear


Were lost in a cloud
With too much rain

Were trapped in a world
That's troubled with pain

But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream

He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer gonna come somehow


Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle, yeah
And while I can think, while I can talk

While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream

Come true, ohhhhh, right now
Let it come true right now.
Right now".

Songwriters: EARL WALTER BROWN

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

Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Another week of uplifting prayers and beautiful words.

Thank you x

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer) for the 1st Sunday of Lent

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save;
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.

The gospel reading tells us of the way Jesus was tempted in the desert.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Ooops...another day missed. Apologies. Must pull my socks up!! :-D

Lord,
I know how much you love me.
It’s hard for me to feel it sometimes,
but I know your love is always with me.
Help me to use your love as a way
to persevere in my Lenten intentions.
I am weak, but I know with your help,
I can use these small sacrifices in my life to draw closer to you.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Hello Elizabeth, how lovely to see you and thank you so much for those beautiful words. <3


During Lent we will be using prayers and thoughts from various sources.....some old, some new.


Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you,
A heart to seek you,
Wisdom to find you,
Conduct pleasing to you,
Faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
And a hope of finally embracing you.
--Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas


Cx :-)

Dear All

Hello

At present, all over the world and in this country, peace is becoming rare.

This prayer is dedicated to all our young people:

"PEACE"

"Dear Lord,

Lead me away from death and into life,
from falsehood to truth.

Lead me, Lord, from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.

Lead me, Lord, from hate to love,
from war to peace.

Let your peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.

Peace, peace and always peace."

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

"FOR THE PEACEMAKERS"

Dear Jesus, we answer your call to be peacemakers.

We pray for those men and women
For whom making peace is a full-time pursuit.

In areas of conflict, protect them as they stand in the gap between opposing forces;

In places of danger, send your angels to be beside
them as they seek to defuse, disarm and bring stability.

In their darkest moments, Lord, shine a light
And allow them long life, that they might continue to pursue peace for all our sakes".

Amen.

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

Take gentle care
With best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Good morning :-)


The Meaning of Lent

Lent is the 40 day period in the Church calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Maundy Thursday. Because Easter is a movable feast, the dates vary from year to year.

Lent is really about denying yourself of something that you enjoy in order to be reminded that it's God that you depend on in life, that it's your heavenly Father that you most need in life - not facebook or a favourite food. This is the real meaning of Lent. In this way Lent mirrors the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. He voluntarily removed himself from the pleasures of life and company of people so that he could draw close to God, hear from Him, and prepare Himself for what was to come - an intense period of public ministry culminating in a gruesome death and extraordinary resurrection.

Almighty and Everlasting God,
You have given the human race
Jesus Christ our Saviour as a model of humility.
He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man
And giving His life on the Cross.
Help us to bear witness to You
By following His example of suffering
And make us worthy to share in His Resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

~~~~~~ waves to Vera and kandj…. <3

Here we are again – Shrove Tuesday, known as Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras………Why?

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is a reminder that Christians are entering a season of penance and was originally a solemn day. But over the centuries, in anticipation of the Lenten fast that would begin the next day, Shrove Tuesday took on a festive nature. That is why Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (which is simply French for Fat Tuesday).

Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, which means to hear a confession, a sign of penance, and absolution from sin. In the Middle Ages, especially in Northern Europe and England, it became the custom to confess one's sins on the day before Lent began in order to enter the penitential season in the right spirit.

From the earliest days of Christianity, Lent, the penitential period before Easter, has always been a time of fasting and abstinence. Christians abstained from all meat and items that came from animals, including butter, eggs, cheese, and fat. That is why Shrove Tuesday became known as Mardi Gras, the French term for Fat Tuesday.


Love to all Cx :-)

Thank you for your good wishes Kandj <3

Hello all and many thanks to Cynthia for your ongoing postings.

Very belated Happy Birthday Wishes to you Vera (I've only just read back!).

Emma I agree that a laugh is a really good tonic for everyone.

Sending ((hugs)) to those who need one today. xx

Good morning :-)

On Wednesday, Lent begins. No doubt we will be singing ‘Forty Days and Forty Nights’ in church soon. It’s interesting how often the number 40 appears in the bible.

Before his temptation, Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights in the Judean desert.

Forty days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to the ascension of Jesus.

According to St. Stephen, Moses' life is divided into three 40-year segments, separated by his growing to adulthood, fleeing from Egypt, and his return to lead his people out.

In modern Christian practice, Lent consists of the 40 days preceding Easter. In much of Western Christianity, Sundays are excluded from the count.

Rain fell for forty days and forty nights during the Flood.

Saul, David and Solomon, all reigned for 40 years.

Whether days, months or years, 40 represents a time of testing, chastisement and trial. These times end with renewal, restoration and revival.


As Jesus resisted temptation by the devil in the wilderness, help us reflect on his faithfulness to God, his rejection of worldly values and hold these thoughts in our hearts throughout Lent and beyond. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Waves ~~~~ to Emma <3


The Collect (special prayer) for today

Almighty Father, whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory, that we may be strengthened
to suffer with him and be changed into his likeness,
from glory to glory; who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The gospel reading is based on how Jesus was transfigured on the mountainside and then goes on to heal the man with an evil spirit.

Cx :-)

Cynthia I see such a lot of things that are so me :-D :-D

To all who look in have a happy day

:-)

Good morning :-)


I'm pleased that you have both enjoyed this week's postings.....things will be quieter soon as Lent is almost on us.


A CATHEDRAL WELCOME
"We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable or dirt poor.”

"We extend a special welcome to wailing babies and excitable toddlers.”

"We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself”.
"You're welcome here if you're 'just browsing', just woken up or just got out of prison”.

"We don't care if you're more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury or haven't been to church since Christmas ten years ago."

The message continues: "We extend a warm welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.”

"We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters.”

"We welcome those who are in recovery and those who are still addicted”
.
"We welcome you if you're having problems, are down in the dumps or don't like organised religion."

The message concludes: "We offer a welcome to those who think the Earth is flat, work too hard, don't work, can't spell or are here because granny is visiting and wanted to come to the Cathedral."

"We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither."

"We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost in the city centre and wound up here by mistake.”

"We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters... and YOU!"


Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia and Emma for your birthday wishes.

I enjoyed today's poem as well

Morning Cynthia,

Laughing is such a tonic which I did out loud with first verse of
The Perfect Church :-D

It has been a smiley week on this thread which I have enjoyed :-)

Happy belated birthday Vera <3

Good morning..... :-)

We missed your birthday Vera...….despite your lovely but dozy son getting all muddled up, we send belated birthday greetings dear friend. <3

(isn't it people of our age who are supposed to be dozy and muddled???) :-D :-D

Hope this makes you smile - there's a lot of truth in it.

The Perfect Church

If you should find the perfect church
Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake! Don't join that church;
You'd spoil the atmosphere.

If you should find the perfect church
Where all anxieties cease
Then pass it by, lest joining it
You'd mar the masterpiece.

If you should find the perfect church
Then don't you ever dare,
To tread upon such holy ground;
You'd be a misfit there.

But since no perfect church exists
Made of imperfect men,
Then let's cease looking for that church
And love the church we're in.

Of course, it's not a perfect church,
That's simple to discern
But you and I and all of us
Could cause the tide to turn.

What fools we are to flee our post
In that unfruitful search
To find at last where problems loom
God proudly builds His church.

So let's keep working in our church
Until the resurrection.
And then we each will join that church
Without an imperfection.


Cx :-)

Thank you for the smiles this week :-).

I have been in need of some cheering up. The past week has seen the anniversaries of the deaths of my mother, father and a much loved aunt. We have also learnt of the death of another friend and heard that my German friend is ill in hospital. I also tried very hard not to be disappointed when my son and his family appeared to forget my birthday on 24th.

I had a nice surprise 2 days later when I got texts from grandchildren and a large box of beautiful flowers from the family. My dozy, but lovely, son had muddled me up with OH whose birthday is 26th of a different month.

With all this it has been good to start the day with a bit of humour :-D

Can I also share with you a quote from the Dalai Lama that I came across recently which says a lot in a few words. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible”.