General Chat

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 28:

MEDITATE: Micah 7:8 “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be a light to me.”

PRAY: Lord, in the dark seasons of my life, shine your light. When I am doubting, remind me of who you are. When I am weary, bring me peace. When I am restless, may I find my rest in you. You are the victory-- hallelujah!

REFLECT: How have you seen Christ meet you in your dark days?



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 27:

MEDITATE: Romans 10:6-7 “But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

PRAY: Jesus, help me to not fear death, for I know that you have gone ahead and made a way for me into eternal life. I choose today to accept again your great gift of life eternal in heaven with you, and pray that you would give me confidence for every step of my journey until then.

REFLECT: What does the death and resurrection of Jesus mean for your own eternity?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today is Mothering Sunday - the day when we especially remember those who have cared for us and, of course, our Mother Church.

For hundreds of years, the church has been known as a place where we are cared for, protected and fed with God's word. We grieve when we hear of wrongdoing in the name of the church, but we give thanks for those places which fulfil their purpose and mean so much to people. Mother Church can also be the church at which you were baptised.
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The Collect (special prayer) for today.
God of compassion,
whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,
shared the life of a home in Nazareth,
and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:
strengthen us in our daily living
that in joy and in sorrow
we may know the power of your presence
to bind together and to heal;
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

Today’s Gospel tells of Mary, Mother of Jesus, standing at the foot of the cross.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 25:

MEDITATE: Psalm 110:1. “The LORD says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Daniel 7:13 "As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.”

PRAY: Jesus, we pray that you would open our hearts and minds to understand more of the cultural and historical contexts of your life, your death, and your resurrection. Help us to gain greater understanding as we look at what it all meant for the world then and now.

REFLECT: Consider the ways Jesus was challenging the leaders of the time. Consider the political and social consequences of his claims and consider how his death and resurrection changed the world forever.

Cx :-)

Hello all

I hope all our Irish GR friends have had a happy St Patrick's Day.

"May the lilt of Irish laughter,
Lighten your every road."
Irish blessing.

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 24:

MEDITATE: Mark 15:3 “Then the chief priests accused him of many things”.

PRAY: Jesus, you were scorned, beaten, mocked, and crucified for our sake. We cannot thank you enough for enduring such cruelty for the sake of our salvation. You are God’s one and only Son, the greatest sacrifice, our Saviour and Redeemer. We praise you and thank you with all we are.

REFLECT: Think about what it means for you that Jesus is the Son of God.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 23:

MEDITATE: John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

PRAY: Lord, you are true to your word. You have always been faithful and you will continue to be faithful. Thank you for fulfilling every promise you made. You are trustworthy and good.

REFLECT: What does it mean for us today that these prophecies were fulfilled by Christ?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


LENT DAY 22:

MEDITATE: Romans 5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

PRAY: Redeemer, Lamb of God, he is worthy. Thank you for the Cross, Lord.

REFLECT: How does the cross affect your life, your hurt, your sin, your debt?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


LENT DAY 21:

MEDITATE: Acts 10:2 “He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.”

PRAY: Lord, I want to celebrate this season with my whole family. Show me ways we can draw near to you together this year in worship and adoration, as well as celebration and joy.

REFLECT: How can we celebrate this season as a family? How can I engage my family members in new ways this year?

Cx :-)

Hello all

It's hard to think that we are halfway through Lent?

Heavenly Father, may your light guide my day and your spirit bring me peace this night. Amen.

May tonight be a blessed one for everyone who looks in. Good night, sweet dreams.

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 20:

MEDITATE: John 20:17 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’

PRAY: Lord, help me to have a worldview that is big enough to include all that the resurrection means, for me, for the church, and for mankind everywhere, for all time. Thank you that the resurrection is not just a personal reality, but a cosmic reality.

REFLECT: How do you see the resurrection playing out in your life and on a broader scale?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
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 of Jesus meeting the woman at the well.

Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

I've been waging war with my printer...... :-D


LENT DAY 18:

MEDITATE: Colossians 1:27 ‘ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’

PRAY: Lord, I pray that focusing on contentment with who you designed me to be for forty days would help me to relish in the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection more. He died so that I could have a full and abundant life, not so that I could hide and cower. I pray that I realize more than I do now that Jesus is in the Father, I am in Christ, and Christ is in me.

REFLECT: How are you finding contentment in Christ in this season?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

FOR LENT DAY 17:

MEDITATE: Matthew 6:16 ‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.’

PRAY: Lord, remind me of my frailty and continual need for grace. I rejoice that my appetite for sin has been forgiven and will one day be erased! I want to focus on you through all fasting in this season and beyond.

REFLECT: How can you give God glory in this season, whether you eat or fast?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Haven't sung that hymn in ages kandj! it has a good rhythm to it, doesn't it?

FOR LENT DAY 16:
MEDITATE: Mark 7:7-9 “ in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines. You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!’

PRAY: Lord, open my eyes to new ways that I can remove distractions from my life in order to see and know you better. Help me to be creative in the choices I make, as I seek to discover more of who you are without anything in the way.

REFLECT: What unusual ways could you consider to shake things up in your faith?

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, I'm sure we all can relate to days like that.

A worship song taken from today's scripture verse.

I Am A New Creation, written by Dave Bilbrough.

I am a new creation
No more in condemnation
Here in the grace of God I stand.
My heart is overflowing
My love just keeps on growing
Here in the grace of God I stand.

And, I will praise you, Lord
Yes, I will praise you, Lord
And I will sing
Of all that you have done.
A joy that knows no limit
A lightness in my spirit
Here is the grace of God I stand.

Take care during the snowy days ahead.

Good morning :-) Oh dear - I missed yesterday so apologies. It was one of those days where you get up earlyish because a workman is coming and, when they don't turn up, you have to start phoning and contacting the firm. He arrived at around 6pm!! I even missed having my hair cut!

I am meeting myself coming backwards printing things for church at the moment. My grandson bought me a laminator for Christmas, so most of what I printed, I then laminated. Luckily, I enjoy this sort of thing! :-D

Vera, it all sounds pretty wonderful to me and you are truly blessed to have such a large, supportive and loving family around you. Yorkshire is a wonderful place. <3

FOR LENT DAY 15:

MEDITATE: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

PRAY: Lord, do your resurrection work in me. Transform my heart and my life into one that gives you glory and praise in every way. Pull me deeper and bring me closer to your heart.

REFLECT: Why is it important for you to observe Lent rather than just go straight to celebrating Easter

Cx :-)

Hello all

I hope that Cynthia is well today.

Vera, your son and dil are sure to give all of your extended family members a really warm Yorkshire welcome. It's such a special gathering and begun by your Grandfather, family time is very precious.

Lent day 14

Merciful God.
Thank you for your gentle forgiveness.
Grant me the grace to live a life
that radiates peace.
In Jesus name,
Amen.

I pray that the gift of peace will bless us all today,
especially all who are coping with great worries.

Kandj, I pop in every day to read and think about the latest post from Cynthia and anyone else posting on the thread. I only vaguely know that hymn from hearing it occasionally on programmes such as Songs of Praise. I had to go on YouTube to remind myself of the tune. Now it will be going round my head all day.

It is great that between you, Cynthia and kandj, you keep the thread going. I don't post regularly and others only post on rare occasions, but there are probably quite a few who read and appreciate the thread.

Cynthia, you mentioned that I seem to have found a solution to meeting up with family. There is a longstanding arrangement on my paternal side that we will have a big family gathering once a year (Covid restrictions permitting!). This has been going on for maybe 50 years. Anyone who can get there does so, booking hotels, b&bs, or pitching tents according to their means. Not everyone can make it every year but we normally have about 50 people. This year my son & dil are the organisers so it will be in Yorkshire. The idea was started by my grandfather who was upset as his little "flock" moved away and to whom family was everything. It was a much smaller group at first but the original children have grown up and brought along their own children who are now starting to bring their children! Anyone who marries in or is adopted or fostered is immediately a welcome member of the family. It all sounds a bit insular but I think being part of a widely extended family helps us to embrace the idea of the importance of the family of man and the need for us all to be there for each other when there is a need.

I have rambled on a bit. I hope you are enjoying this God-given day <3

Hello all

Thank you for another Lent post Cynthia.

I now have this lovely hymn going around in my head. I'll probably be singing the words all day.
(Vera too, if she pops in and reads this.)

As the deer pants for the water
So my soul longs after you.
You alone are my heart's desire, and
I long to worship You.

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield,
You alone are my heart's desire, and
I long to worship You.