General Chat

Hello all

Thank you for the beautiful Peace picture today.

Sharing words from one of my favourite old hymns.

Let there be Peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my Brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment, and
Live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.

Good morning :-)

Day 7 of our Advent calendar.....enjoy <3

https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Day 6 of our Advent calendar....enjoy <3

https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

You're welcome kandj <3

I seem to be spending more time at church than at home these days! If I met myself coming back, I probably wouldn't know who I was :-D :-D


Today is the 2nd Sunday in Advent

Day 5 of our Advent calendar. Enjoy <3

https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b

Cx :-)

Hello all

I'm liking the idea of metaphorically lighting a candle in my mind, to help brighten the dark times in my days. Simple, but effective. Thank you Cynthia.

Wrap up and stay warm and safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

You're welcome Gwyn <3


Day 4 of our Advent calendar. Enjoy <3

https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b


Cx :-)

Thank you Cynthia.

Today's message really spoke to me.

Hello all

Hope and rainbows.... a winning combination.

"God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each one of us - in the dreariest and most dreaded moments- can see a possibility of hope." (Maya Angelou)

A bitterly cold today. Wrap up and keep warm all.

Good morning :-)

You're very welcome Vera. xx


Day 3 of our Advent calendar......enjoy <3


Cx :-)

Thank you for putting up the advent calendar again this year Cynthia and there are two lovely messages of hope to start us off :-)

Good morning :-)


Day 2 of our Advent calendar.................enjoy <3

https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b

Cx :-)

Hello all

Awww, Captain Sir Tom... an inspiration to us all.

Thank you for this years Advent Calendar Cynthia.

Keep warm and stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

On Sunday, we celebrated the beginning of Advent. Today, we begin our Advent Calendar! It is shared with my church of St. Peter. Enjoy <3


https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=eebe0099abcea19ea6173358b3470a1b


Cx

Hello all

Cynthia, I'm looking forward to the Advent Calendar, many thanks for all of the interesting daily postings.

HAPPY St ANDREW'S DAY to all the Scottish people who look in here and especially for Emma.

Oh flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again?
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and Glen
And stood against him
Proud Edward's Army
And sent him home tae think again.

Wrap up and keep warm everyone, stay safe too.

Good morning :-)

Advent - Advent calendars

The history of advent calendars began sometime in the 1800s, when German Lutherans began to mark out the days leading up to Christmas. They would note each day by burning a candle, or perhaps by marking a wall with chalk. Though this tradition doesn’t sound in any way similar to that of the advent calendar, the important thing is that this was one of the first times there was a true countdown to Christmas on a day by day basis.

Later on, each day was marked with hanging a devotional image, similar to the paper image advent calendars many are familiar with today. The first known example of a handmade, wooden, calendar dates back to 1851. Advent calendars as we know them today first appeared at the beginning of the 20th Century in Germany. During the 1930s, some printers started adding short bible verses together with their paper illustrated calendars. Today, Advent calendars feature about absolutely anything, and be very, very expensive.

Tomorrow, we begin our annual calendar – for free!

Psalm 31:24 NIV. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.



Cx :-)

Hello all

Hard to think that already we are into Advent Season and the busy Christmas arrangements.

"Be still and know that I am with you."
Psalm 46:10.

Good morning :-)


So, we are now in the church season of Advent, but what is Advent?
Advent is an important part of the Christian calendar. It means 'coming' and it's the period before Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. It is all about preparing for Christmas Day.

Advent Wreaths
Many churches have an advent wreath with five candles, one for each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day and one for Christmas Day itself. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ.

Advent Candles
Advent candles shine brightly in the midst of darkness, symbolizing and reminding us that Jesus came as Light into our dark world. The candles are often set in a circular Advent wreath and are lit in turn on the Sundays leading up to Christmas. Sometimes people have their own Advent candle at home - a single candle with twenty-four marks on the side--the candle is lit each day and allowed to melt down to the next day’s mark.

Psalm 33:20-22
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Today is Advent Sunday



The Collect (special prayer) for today :

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Before Advent - a bit of this and that


Prayer at Sea
As the storm raged, the captain realized his ship was sinking fast. He called out, “Anyone here know how to pray?”
A pastor stepped forward. “Captain, I know how to pray.”
“Good,” said the captain, “you pray while the rest of us put on our life jackets – we’re one short.”

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

A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas card. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The recipient puzzled over it for weeks, finally gave up and wrote asking for an explanation.

In July he received the explanation on a postcard: “No L.”


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Before Advent - a bit of this and that

One Saturday night, a pastor was working late and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was late but his wife didn't answer the phone even though he let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer and tried again, a few minutes later. This time she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke.

The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The pastor couldn't figure out what the man was talking about.

Then the man said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer."

The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd intended to call his wife.

The man said, "That's okay. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point, my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer!"

The church that the pastor oversees is called Almighty God Tabernacle.

Cx :-)