General Chat

Good morning and sorry for missing yesterday :-)


I've been looking for more presents with a Christian theme which are suitable for Christmas presents....its amazing what's out there when you start to look.

One of the things I liked most was the small wooden 'holding' crosses. These are small crosses which fit in the palm of your hand. They can be given to people at various occasions such as baptisms and confirmations.....they can be used to give comfort and as a reminder of Jesus. They are not a good luck charm or anything like that, but simply something to hold on to. They remind me of that old, old hymn The Old Rugged Cross.


On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame,
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.


Cx :-)

Hallo everyone
Christmas does seem to become a little more frantic and more commercialised every year and the shops seem to think Advent begins about July. I have to admit to enjoying the decorations and food and presents but I refuse to do anything before 1st December and Christmas really starts for me with the Nine Lessons & Carols service from Kings College.

In the meantime I hope you all enjoy November :-)

Good morning :-)


Keeping Christ in Christmas – it’s up to us!

Christmas present ideas. In keeping with our faith, we are going to be looking at helping those in need during December so keep watching!

I am sure most people could do with some help in finding something a little bit different but not too expensive. I have been looking around and have come up with a few ideas which have a gentle Christian theme.

There are tea towels for ‘the overcomer’; A good friend is a gift from God; In this home; May the Spirit of Christmas; Bible quiz and others.

There are candles for Peace and joy and those with popular verses on them - all shapes and sizes.

I’ll see what else I can find for tomorrow.

Thank you God for sending the best present ever – your Blessed Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Keeping Christ in Christmas – it’s up to us!

With this in mind, what about the cards we send to family and friends? Some people have opted out of this altogether and, instead, give a donation to charity but, for those who still give cards, do we give cute, funny, traditional winter scene cards or do we give those which represent what the season is actually about?

Sometimes it can seem hard to find religious cards, but they are out there if you look hard enough. Your favourite charity should have at least a couple of religious cards to choose from.

If we as Christians do not send religious cards, then they will disappear from the shops. It’s up to us.

Lord, help us never to be afraid to stand up for you. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Did I miss yesterday? Ooops. apologies for those who look in.


A week with a difference. Christmas is coming……. how about some ideas for gifts, but with a Christian twist?

Keeping Christ in Christmas – it’s up to us!

First though, we have Advent. I have been trawling through the many and various Advent Calendars which are on offer. There is everything, from the cheap to the mega expensive. I have found cal-endars containing, chocolate, toys, candles, cosmetics, jewellery, al-cohol, Lego and much more besides.

There are Advent calendars which are cute, funny, character based, silly, rude, religious and non-religious but what are Advents calendars all about really? Advent is the time of year when Christians prepare and wait for the coming of Christ, so the calendars are used to help us ‘countdown’.

As Christians, it is up to us to lead the way in keeping Christ in Christmas – so what better than to give out a Christian ‘religious’ calendar rather than a ‘cutesy’ one?

There are religious calendars available but not so many have chocolates in them but I found two - one from the Real Chocolate company and one from Traidcraft - there may be more.


Lord, help us to keep you at the centre of our celebrations. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Boundaries, pews, prayers, hymns, all familiar things to us and to our ancestors, but the most important thing which binds us across the centuries is our faith – faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Creed is something which unites us together forever – it’s a short summary of the Christian faith handed down from generation to generation.
It tells of what the Church teaches, and of what Christians together believe. Saying the Creed binds Christians together as a believing community, across different traditions and practices.

As we say the Creed, we join Christians past and present, and from all over the world, in proclaiming our common faith.

The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Dymchurch! Yes it's coming back to me now. Thanks Gwyn. x

Parish boundaries, pews, prayers and hymns – so much we share in common with our ancestors. The other thing, of course, is the vicar. Until fairly recent years, each parish had its own parish priest. Nowadays, things are rather different.
Parishioners got used to whomever was appointed – sometimes a good man, occasionally a not so good man.

Clerical dress has altered somewhat over the years but would probably still be recognisable to our ancestors from several hundred years ago. ‘Dress down Sunday’ seems to be the thing now but I am not sure why. What could be more fitting than to wear something which proclaims you serve Christ? That you are someone to turn to in times of need? To be one of the crowd is fine and dandy, but if I wanted a policeman, I would look for a uniform.

Britain does pomp and ceremony like no other country. Think of the recent royal wedding and the distinctive dress of the clergy. They would have looked well turning up in jeans and T-shirts!
.
Thank you, Lord, for those who are called to serve you in leadership roles. May they be shining examples of your goodness and truth and encourage us in our own roles as we share our Christian journey with others. Amen.

Cx :-)

Dr Syn featured in a set of novels relating the exploits of a gang of smugglers.

They were often based on real events, when smuggling was rife.

Every 2 years, Dymchurch holds a Day of Syn event remembering the characters.


Interesting post regarding worship songs and hymns.
I like some of both.

Good morning :-)

Was it Dr Syn Gwyn? That is rattling around in my head.


Hands up those who enjoy a good old ‘sing’ in church - our ancestors were probably just the same.

We hear much about ‘worship songs’ nowadays, but what is the difference between a hymn and a worship song? I found the following info….shortened version….

'A hymn is a formal song, sung to God in public worship and consists of words only, while the music to which a hymn is sung is the hymn tune. It reinforces all of the positive aspects of the Christian faith in a way that can be passed from one generation to another.

A worship song is a style of music that is simple in nature. Unlike hymns and hymn tunes, a praise song cannot be separated from its music. Its "shelf-life" is short, even disposable. That is why, over the past thirty years, few worship songs have survived.'

Before we had hymns, our ancestors would have known the psalms. It seems that the first English hymn to actually be used in church, was written by Isaac Watts(1674 - 1748). Isaac wrote a hymn a week for a number of years so he would be well known to each and every one of our ancestors as he is to us. 'Joy to the World' and 'When I survey the Wondrous Cross', were both written by him.


Cx :-)

Cynthia

You remember correctly.
A lot of smuggling went on in this south east corner with goods being brought to and from the Continent and often hidden in churches to avoid the Customs officers.

Special thoughts of kandj today. <3

Good morning :-)

Hi Gwyn.....I used to read the books about the clergyman on Romney Marsh - smuggling stories? Or have I got it wrong?

Most of our churchgoing ancestors would have been familiar with the 1662 version of The Book of Common Prayer which was actually first published in 1549.

I quote..
“The Prayer Book was the English nation not only at worship but also at work and play. Its basis was the Bible and its purpose to show the nation how to put the Bible's teachings into practice in everyday life.”

The Book of Common Prayer is central to the Christian faith as practised by the Church of England.

So, although we now use a contemporary version of this book with its variations, our churchgoing ancestors, whether living in Wigan where I am now or in Meopham, where my ancestors hailed from, would have been using exactly the same service book. What a tremendous feeling of unity of faith that must have been.


Cx :-)

Good morning Cynthia and other friends too.

I often look in, but seldom comment.


Interesting reading about the pews, today.
Our local 'daughter' church now uses chairs, which are more comfortable, but not nearly so easy to accommodate the nearby whole school of children, when they come for Christmas, Harvest and Easter services....there are a lot more children than chairs, but we cope.

Not far from here is Romney Marsh, which has many old churches. Many have box pews, where each pew has it's own door to close and just room to seat about 4 or 5 people. Great for keeping little children in one area as it's like a family playpen, but I don't suppose little ones would have been allowed to roam, anyway, when the pews were first put there.

Good morning :-)


Don't worry Vera - there's no pressure to respond honestly. :-D


I have been reading about church pews...….boring you may think but, actually, no :-D

When we enter a church, we are used to being able to sit down on something but our earliest ancestors would have struggled. Pews weren’t introduced into Christian churches until about the time of the Reformation in the 1500’s. Until then, people stood, leant against walls or just milled around. Occasionally, some churches would put some sort of seating around the wall of the church which is said to be where the saying ‘The weakest to the wall’ comes from.

The first pews weren’t as simple as the ones we are used to. If our churchgoing ancestors were wealthy, pews could be bought and paid for or even rented. Sometimes they could be quite high with curtains round them and some had a fireplace too! These special pews brought in some much needed income but, eventually, common sense prevailed and they were gradually replaced by the ordinary pew we know today.

Nowadays, some churches are replacing their pews with chairs. For me, one question remains…..how on earth did our female ancestors with their voluminous skirts, manage to perch on a pew? There are so many cartoons about church pews……….

Lord we thank you for the seating in our churches – the seating where we sit and meet with our friends in worship; the seating from where we pray and sing hymns. The seating which, in many cases is where our ancestors once sat – in worship and in praise. Amen.


Cx :-)

You are right Cynthia when you say it is thee and me, and I am afraid it is rather more thee as I only post now and then.This is partly because I never feel I can add much to your excellent posts and partly because, even at my advanced age, I am still struggling to decide exactly what I do believe.

Your posts often make me think and that can't be a bad thing.

I am sure Kandj will be back to join us before too long, when she feels better able to cope. In the meantime she is in my thoughts <3

Good morning :-)

Lord, thank You for my health. Thank You that You are my Healer. I ask for Your power to help me function. Bless me with an increased measure of health today. Help me to feel it, acknowledge it, and thank You when I notice it.

Give me wisdom to be disciplined in managing my body, in what I eat and how I exercise. Protect me as I go about my day. Thank You that You are a shield around me. Thank You for life. Help me to embrace what I can do today in Your strength.

Love to all Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

It seems to be me and thee these days Vera.....never mind. Its always good to hear from you.....or anyone :-D



The Collect (special prayer) set for today

Grant, we beseech you, merciful Lord,
to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their sins
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The gospel is taken from St. Mark and tells of the two disciples who asked to sit with Jesus in heaven.

This morning we have the annual Enrolment Service for our Boys' Brigade. This organisation continues to flourish which is good news.

Cx :-)

Thank you for this week's posts Cynthia. OH and I always seem to be so busy but I do make time for a quick look at this thread each day.

I hope the bereaved family found comfort in the "send off" they gave their little boy and I pray for strength for them as they continue to grieve.

Keeping Kandj in my thoughts as well <3

Good morning :-)


The funeral of the little boy went off very well, all things considered. There was a piper, a glass carriage with white horses who sported pale blue plumes. We were joined by Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Superman. An immense procession followed the carriage to the local cemetery. It was a bit eye-opening but that it what the family wanted. God bless them in the days ahead.

For today:

Wigan has been a powerhouse of prayer for generation upon generation. It has It is our responsibility to pass on the Christian faith to others – to our family, neighbours, friends and workmates.
O Lord Jesus,
You manifested Yourself in the world
when You lived among human beings
in the days of Your earthly life.
Today, it is only through Your members –
such as myself-
that You are manifested in the world.
Help me realize that we live in
what has aptly been termed a ‘global village’,
where all feel the need to share their experiences
and enrich one another.
In such a world
let me regard Your truth
not as something to be hoarded
but as something to be shared with others
by my actions as well as my words.
Help me to share my faith
with all whom I encounter –
not ostentatiously but quietly,
not with pride but with humility,
not out of fear but out of love,
not to overwhelm them but to inspire them,
not for my gain but for Your glory.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Today we have the funeral of the little boy who drowned on holiday last month. It is going to be a mammoth event I understand. We pray for his family and friends on this sad day.

Dear Lord,

I don’t know who or what will cross my path today. But I do know that You are my rock and my fortress. You are my shield and my strong tower. Help me to anchor myself to You today. Teach me how to stand strong in You and choose only Your way today. Help me walk by Your truth and not my feelings. Help me to embrace anything that comes my way as an opportunity to see You at work and as opportunity to point others to You. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-D

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of family and friends. Holding them in my heart is one of the most precious things I can never get tired of. Bless everyone, for they deserve all goodness You have given to me. If I may do something wrong today, please forgive me. Amen.


Hope everyone is okay. Love, Cx :-)