General Chat

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 34:

MEDITATE: Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

PRAY: Lord, thank you for the deeper meaning of Easter day. Thank you that bunnies and colourful eggs are not all that this Easter is about-- thank you that it’s all about so much more. Help us to shift our eyes from what the world says to celebrate, to what you have done for us.

REFLECT: How have you made Easter about worldly things? How can you turn your focus back to Christ?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Ooops so sorry - looks like I missed yesterday. To be honest, I am still meeting myself coming backwards at the moment. Must do better! :-D

Here is yesterday's post!

LENT DAY 32:

MEDITATE: John 13 – this is a fairly long chapter and tells of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.

PRAY: Lord, I want to follow you. I want to do what you did, love as you loved. Help me to see opportunities to love the people around me well, to serve others, and to be gracious unto them.

REFLECT: How do others around you know that you are a follower of Christ?


Cx :-)

Hello all

Day 32 in Lent.

A prayer for political leaders.

Heavenly Father

Draw our nation's leaders close to you, and help them to follow you when making difficult decisions.
Amen.

Good morning :-)


LENT DAY 31:

MEDITATE: John 20:11-18 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). 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. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

PRAY: Jesus, your resurrection power is mightier than we could ever imagine. I am so thankful that resurrection changes everything about the world around me-- you are with us now and forevermore.

REFLECT: How does the resurrection change your outlook on your circumstances?

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yes, indeed Vera and kandji, Emma did pop on here quite frequently. I wondered what had happened to her. So very sorry to hear this news bless her. Love to her family - may she rest in peace and rise in glory. <3


LENT DAY 30:

MEDITATE: Matthew 28 6 “ He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was”.

PRAY: Jesus, I believe you are the one true Saviour. I believe you conquered death to bring us into eternal life with you. In the times when I am tempted to doubt that you truly died and rose again, remind me of your truth.

REFLECT: What confirms for you that Christ is the Risen Lord?

Cx :-)

Thank you Vera, I've only just read the very sad news about Emma who used to add to this thread.

I send sincere thoughts and prayers to Emma's husband, to her family and friends.
RIP Emma and rise again in glory.

In case you missed seeing the thread headed “Sad News” I thought I would post on here that Emma sadly died today. I think she was quite a regular contributor to this thread a while ago. Thinking of her family

RIP Emma <3

Good morning :-)

LENT DAY 29:
MEDITATE: Acts 4:33 “ With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all”.

PRAY: Jesus, I don’t want to forget about Easter once the calendar changes. Help me to keep the cross in mind daily -- it changes everything and I never want to forget the life-changing and beautiful impact of salvation in my life and in our world.

REFLECT: Brainstorm ways you can keep celebrating the spirit of Easter after Resurrection Sunday.


Cx :-)

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.
??
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 :-)