General Chat

Good morning :-)

Volunteers

Blessed are the tea makers! In most organisations, the people who come to the rescue of others are those who provide tea and other refreshments.

Whether it’s decorating the church for an event, or at the end of a service, there they are, with their steaming mugs of tea or coffee ready to welcome and refresh anyone in need of a pick-me-up.

This very humble task reminds us of Jesus ….. “ and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Grateful for our volunteers

One of the most important volunteer roles in church life is looking after the finances. It’s not as simple as just counting the money after a service, there is so much more involved such as paperwork and banking. Gift Aid is a big help in bringing in extra funds, so a volunteer has to take responsibility for that.

Each Church of England church is expected to pay towards the central organisation of the church and, for my church, that amounts to almost £50,000 per year. We rely on volunteers to take an interest in fundraising. We also rely on volunteers to take the collection plates round each Sunday. Thank God for our volunteers.

Giving is our response to the love of God. Only as Christians can we fully appreciate this, because it’s in the nature of being Christian. We need to think about thanking God for that generosity to us; His love for us, and for the fact that however ‘busy’ we are, and disobedient, He’s always there.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Volunteers

Of course, a church needs other volunteers apart from those who keep it clean. Take those who look after the things needed for services – the Server.

Serving at the altar is a privilege and forms part of an act of worship in which all can take part. Under the general direction of the clergy, the Server undertakes the overall preparation of set services, making sure that the bread and wine, the candles, and the necessary books are all in place. It may be that he orders the wafers and the wine and generally keeps an eye on things on behalf of the clergy.

Many churches also have junior servers who help with various things such as carrying candles. This is a great way for youngsters to learn more about the faith.

Lord, we so appreciate our volunteers grant each and every one of them a sense of belonging, an awareness of God's love, and an enlarged vision for loving our neighbours. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

That's an interesting point Vera and I know just what you mean. Over the years this has happened to me too and I have come to the conclusion that if the church is well-used and cared for, with a happy and active congregation, then the walls 'absorb' that feeling of being loved. On the other hand, if there is a dwindling congregation and, maybe, a lot of tension with the life of the church, then the building feels cold and unloved. Maybe my fantasy, but that's how I see it.


Over the last few weeks, our church has been reaching out for more volunteers to help with the many jobs that need to be done in church life. The result has been encouraging thankfully.

Last week, we had the funeral of our BB captain and the church was packed out but, before the funeral could take place, we had to make sure that the building was clean and tidy. Our volunteers spent a long time ensuring that the brass was polished, the pews dusted and the carpets vacuumed.

On the day, a posse of church members welcomed the visitors and ensured that everyone had a service sheet or hymn book. People stayed behind to tidy up afterwards.

Without these volunteers, the church would be a poorer place. We are more than grateful to these wonderful people.

Everlasting God, strengthen and sustain all those who volunteer in our churches;
that with patience and understanding they may love and care for your people;
and grant that together they may follow Jesus Christ,
offering to you their gifts and talents;
through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Cx :-)

That’s an interesting poem Cynthia. We like to go into different churches and I find it strange that, even if we are the only people in there, some churches feel welcoming and “comfortable “ while others can seem quite cold and forbidding. I wonder why that is?

Good morning :-)

Within The Gates
- David W. Foley


I love to step inside a church,
To rest, and think, and pray;
The quiet, calm, and holy place
Can drive all cares away.

I feel that from these simple walls
There breathes a moving sound
Of sacred music, murmured prayers,
Caught in the endless round

Of bygone worship, from the store
The swinging seasons bring —
Gay Christmas pageant, Lenten tears,
And the sweet hallowing

Of all that makes our human life:
Birth, and the union blest
Of couples at the altar wed,
And loved ones laid to rest.

Into my soul this harmony
Has poured, and now is still;
The Lord's own benediction falls
Upon me, as I kneel.

Once more, with lifted head, I go
Out in the jarring mart,
The spring of gladness in my step,
God's peace about my heart.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer for today)

Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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 for today tells us about Jesus asking His disciples who they thought he was.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The most Inspirational woman in the Bible.

Mary – Mother of Jesus

The story of Mary is found in the book of Luke where she is described as ‘favoured’ and ‘blessed’.

What qualified Mary to be the mother of Jesus? The simple answer is: the quality of her spiritual life. Mary lived her life in such a way that she was always in God’s presence. Everything she did or said, wherever she was, Mary was always very aware of the presence of God.

For Mary, God wasn’t a grandfather who lived beyond the starry sky. Mary knew that God was with her. All. The. Time.

God was for her a close friend with whom she had a deeply personal relationship. God was with her because she desired his daily company in her life and did everything she could in her humanness to entertain His presence with her.

Mary knew how to practice the presence of God.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Inspirational women in the Bible.

Priscilla is mentioned exactly six times in the New Testament. Just six times. And, although limited in detail, those six mentions tell the story of a woman who used her gifts and resources to influence the spread and nurturing of the early church.

Priscilla was a businesswoman who, with her husband Aquila, owned leatherwork/tent-making shops in several places. Priscilla and Aquila were also good friends of and ministry partners with Paul who also made tents. When Paul met the couple in Corinth, they were already believers.

Priscilla used her gifts of hospitality, hosting house churches in her home and using her gifts of knowing God’s truth to clarify the Gospel message. She used the fruits of her business acumen and welcomed Paul into the heart of her leather-works shop, providing him a platform to teach and to preach. And she used her gift of friendship to encourage the greatest evangelist who ever lived.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Interesting women in the Bible

Deborah is one of the most influential women of the Bible. She is known for her wisdom and courage and is the only woman of the Old Testament who is known for her own faith and action, not because of her relationship to her husband or another man.

As a prophet, Judge Deborah was said to hear God's voice and share God’s Word with others. As a priestess, she did not offer sacrifices, as the men did, but she did lead worship services and preach.

Deborah was an uncommon leader because she was a woman. God called her to a prominent position as a prophetess and judge at a time in history when He commonly appointed men to those positions.

We pray for the women clergy of today.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Interesting women in the Bible

Hannah is one of the best examples of prayerful women in the Bible. She is one of the two wives of Elkanah. The problem was she had no son. Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah, would torment Hannah and make her life miserable but Hannah never lost hope.

Every time she went to the sanctuary of GOD she could expect to be taunted - this reduced her to tears and she had no appetite. Her husband was worried about her as he loved her greatly.

One time she slipped into the sanctuary where the priest Eli was on duty. She prayed to God to give her a son and made a vow that any son would be given back to God for a life of service to Him.

Eli could see how fervently Hannah was praying and said, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel give you what you have asked of Him.”

Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, “I asked God for him.” Samuel grew to be one of the greatest prophets in Israel.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Interesting women in the bible


Mary Mother of Mark - The Hostess (Acts 12:1-17)

Mary was a really common name in the times of Jesus, and this Mary is sometimes skipped over when we talk about the ‘Marys’ in the life of the early church. This particular Mary was the mother of John who was also called ‘Mark’.

Peter had been arrested and the church needed a place to gather for prayer. Mary offered her home and let people bring their fears and hopes with them. They prayed and God sent an angel who led Peter out of prison, and he went to Mary’s house. The church continued to grow.

Not everyone is called to lead through teaching, but anyone can lead by opening their homes to others.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yesterday's Gospel reading was about a mother who had great faith.
There are many amazing stories about mothers in the bible.

Sarah: The Mother Who Waited

Sarah was married to Abraham but she was not able to conceive a child and this upset them both. Abraham asked God “What will you give me Lord since you have not given me an heir?” God tells him to look at the stars in the sky, for that would be the number of his descendants.

Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years before the promise was fulfilled and Sarah bore a son, Isaac. She said “’God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’ And she added, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’”

Can you imagine waiting that long for a blessing? Sarah tried to believe the promise, but she had doubts until it finally happened. Then she laughed with joy at what the LORD had done. Isaac would go on to continue the legacy of his father Abraham.

Cx :-)

That little prayer took me right back to my primary school days as well. Cynthia, like kandj, I have often wondered how you manage to think up all the different weekly themes and make them so interesting.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a happy and peaceful week ahead <3

Good morning :-)

Yes kandj, a prayer many of us will never forget. <3


Collect (special prayer) for today:

God, you declare your almighty power
most chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
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 the story of the mother who had great faith in Jesus.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, that was the simple thanksgiving prayer said before a meal in my primary school.
My brain is really amazing at remembering this!

Good morning :-)

No list, just a simple thanksgiving for food.


Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today’s bible shopping list: Fish

Fish was a common meal, and was often eaten with bread
Even though there are many stories about fish in the bible, It is interesting to note that no fish is mentioned by name in either the Old or New Testaments.

Seafood was a staple in the Bible. However, only certain fish and other seafood were suitable for eating. According to Leviticus 11:9, edible seafood had to have fins and scales. Shellfish was prohibited.

Fish was cooked either by roasting on a charcoal fire, generally using a wooden or iron spit, cooking directly on the charcoal, boiling in a pot of broth or frying in olive oil in a saucepan.

We all have passwords on our computers and, in the early days, because of being persecuted, those who followed Jesus needed a password too to recognise another Christian. The fish became a symbol of Jesus because, in Greek, the translated word for fish was ‘ichthus’. The early Christians found a way to create an acrostic using the first letters of the Greek word which is exactly spelled as ??T?S. The fish was like a password. Whoever drew the fish indicated, without speaking that they were a Christ follower.

You can still see that symbol on the back of cars and other places today.

And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today's bible shopping list: Meat

The Bible distinguishes between clean and unclean animals. In the Old Testament, clean meats are those from animals with a cloven hoof and chew the cud. Jewish dietary laws taught God's people not to eat the blood of animals or any meat that had been sacrificed to idols. These foods were considered unclean. Clean animal meats of the Bible were:
• Calf (Proverbs 15:17; Luke 15:23)
• Goat (Genesis 27:9)
• Lamb (2 Samuel 12:4)
• Oxen (1 Kings 19:21)
• Sheep (Deuteronomy 14:4)
• Venison (Genesis 27:7 KJV)

These birds were considered clean and suitable for eating in the Old Testament.
• Partridge (1 Samuel 26:20; Jeremiah 17:11)
• Pigeon (Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8)
• Quail (Psalm 105:40)
• Dove (Leviticus 12:8)

ln general, meat was either boiled in a stew in an earthenware pot or roasted over an open fire. Meat was also frequently salted to preserve it. Various condiments and spices, familiar throughout the ancient Near East, were eaten with the meat.

In Christ, we have freedom of choice in this matter. However, as with all Christian freedom, we are to use self-restraint to avoid hurting another believer. Ultimately, eating anything should be done to the glory of God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Glad you like them kandj, :-D

Shopping List: Vegetables
The benefit of having ‘5-a-day’ is not new.

Vegetables formed a very important part of the diet in biblical times. Two main types were used: those whose nutritious seeds could be easily stored and those which were eaten freshly gathered from gardens.

Pulse seeds provided a useful source of vegetable protein, while fresh green vegetables were vitamin rich. Pulses could be eaten boiled, or their dried seeds could be ground up into flour and then made into nutritious soups. Fresh vegetables were eaten either raw or lightly cooked, usually by boiling in water.

At one time, in Babylon, Daniel and his friends observed a diet of only vegetables (Daniel 1:12).

• Beans (2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
• Cucumbers (Numbers 11:5)
• Gourds (2 Kings 4:39)
• Leeks (Numbers 11:5)
• Lentils (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
• Onions (Numbers 11:5)

“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables.” - Genesis 9:3

Cx :-)