General Chat

Good morning :-)


Collect (special prayer for today).

O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

It’s odd how Ascension Day is a national holiday in many countries and yet not in Britain. Apparently, we are one of those countries that doesn’t have a day of rest. We call ourselves a Christian country, but………?

Several years ago, there was a campaign called ‘Keep Sunday Special’ when we were encouraged to make Sunday a day where families could be together, where non-essential businesses could close so that their workers could have a break. Many signed a nationwide petition against Sunday trading, but………….?

How do we keep Sundays ourselves? Is it a special day or not? Is it just another day of doing the same old thing? Some try to make it special by not shopping and taking it easy. Others mark it by church attendance and family time.

Regardless of age, we all cherish weekends as an opportunity to unwind, recharge, and reconnect with what truly matters,,,,,,, and what truly matters is God.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


So, Ascension Day.

Yesterday, we were reminded of how Jesus was lifted in front of his disciples, to be taken into heaven.

Does anyone remember Auntie Mabel and Pippin the dog? “Look up, look down, look all around, up in the air and on the ground”. Yesterday, at our service, we were encouraged to always look up, up, up and look to Jesus. There is a verse in a hymn which puts this beautifully….

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Cx :-)

Hello all
Thank you Cynthia, Ascension Day is a very special day in the Christian calendar.

Wishing all who look in Happy Ascension Day blessings and peace and kind thoughts to you all.

Good morning :-)


Today is Ascension Day


The ascension of Jesus is a key belief in Christianity. It's about Jesus physically going up into Heaven. This happened 40 days after his resurrection.

The Feast of the Ascension has been celebrated for many centuries. Although there are no written records of it before the 400s, St. Augustine believed that it came from the Apostles themselves and wrote about it in a way that showed all Christians celebrated it long before his time (he lived from 354 to 430 AD).

The Ascension is an important event because it shows that Jesus' human body was taken into Heaven, indicating that human nature can be with God.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The tulips dance in radiant hues,
Beneath the skies of brilliant blues.
Each bloom declares the Saviour’s name,
A glorious sign of love’s great claim.

The earth adorned with petals bright,
Proclaims the truth in every sight.
From ashes we rise, in faith be strong,
In spring’s embrace, we all belong.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling, too.

I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled, I realized,
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about my smile and then
I realized its worth.
A single smile like mine could travel
right around the earth.

If you feel a smile begin
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick
and get the world infected


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Gracious Lord,

On this Monday morning, I seek the peace that only You can provide. Calm the anxieties and worries that may try to steal my joy. Fill me with hope and grant me the patience to navigate through the busyness of the week. Help me find moments of stillness and reflection amidst the chaos.

May this week be marked by Your peace, and may I be a source of peace to those around me. In Your loving presence, I find everything that I need. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Collect (special prayer) for today:

God our redeemer,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us
to eternal joy;
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.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, more thought provoking words from you. Thank you.

May your Saturday be blessed with;
Wonderful smiles,
Lovely moments and
Simple things that make life
Beautiful.

Happy Saturday blessings everyone.

Good morning :-)


Some of you may have had a really hard week - life gets like that sometimes.

Dear God, I give you thanks for getting me to Friday. It’s been some kind of week, and I’m looking forward to the weekend that begins tomorrow. I’m grateful for all you have done for me each day this week, and now, on Friday, I can take a breath. I pray this prayer of gratitude through Jesus Christ, Amen.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Thinking of the Reformation.......a poem attributed to Martin Luther.


Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God,
Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart,
Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever,
For though all things shall pass away,
His Word endures forever.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you kandji - it's a pleasure! <3

The Reformation. So, what was the problem?

A monk named Martin Luther began to question the practices of the Catholic Church as he studied the Bible. He found many areas where he felt the Bible and the Catholic Church disagreed. On October 31, 1517, Luther took a list of 95 points where he thought the Church had gone wrong and nailed it to the door of a Catholic Church.

However, in a separate split from the Catholic Church and over a different issue, King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife because she did not produce a male heir for him, but the Catholic Church would not let him. He decided to split from the Roman Catholics and create his own church called the Church of England, which would allow him to get a divorce.

This traumatic time led to both Protestant and Catholic individuals being persecuted and executed for their beliefs.

Cx :-)

Hello all

I'm a bit late in thanking Cynthia for all the interesting "Gate" postings for last week. Each one reminded me of the famous Gate of the Year poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the Bank Holiday weekend.

Good morning :-)

Today, the Church of England celebrates the witness of the Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era. But what was the Reformation?

The Reformation was a time when people wanted to change the Catholic Church, leading to the creation of Protestant churches.
During the Middle Ages, few people other than monks and priests could read and write. However, over time, more and more people became educated and learned how to read. At the same time, the printing press was invented, allowing the Bible to be easily printed and distributed. People were able to read the Bible for themselves for the first time.

So, what was the problem?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer for today)

Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help
we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen


In today's Gospel, we hear Jesus say that no one goes to the Father except through Him. Thought-provoking words.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." - Jesus



Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

Who hasn’t heard of the Pearly Gates?

In Christianity, the term "pearly gates" refers to the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21:21, where each gate is made from a single pearl and the streets of the city are described as pure gold, transparent as glass.

While the phrase "pearly gates" does not appear verbatim in the Bible, it has become a widely recognised symbol of the grand entrance to Heaven. The gates are often depicted in popular culture as large, radiant gates in the clouds, sometimes guarded by Saint Peter, who is imagined as the keeper of the keys to the kingdom, determining who may enter.

Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

Jesus is THE gate.

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” — Matthew 16:18

The Gates of Hades.
The word ‘Hades’ appears numerous times in the Bible, but the Gates are only mentioned once.
In the biblical sense, Hades is often translated from the Greek word Hades, meaning the abode of the dead. This understanding strays from the traditional notion of Hell, which is often associated with eternal punishment. Instead, Hades can be viewed as a temporary holding place for souls awaiting resurrection or judgment.

The gates of Hades represent the power of death—but Jesus claims that even death cannot stop Him or those who trust in Him. Jesus is stronger than death.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Jesus is THE gate.

The Beautiful Gate

One day, Peter and John went to the Temple at three o’clock, the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service. There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg for money from the people going into the Temple.

The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money. Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” The man looked at them, thinking they were going to give him some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you. By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, stand up and walk!” Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up.

Immediately, the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.

All the people recognised him as the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and they were amazed. They wondered how this could happen.

Cx :-)