Doxologies, Delirium and Discussion: Religion Chat Thread number 3

[nickelbabyhatcher]

Here we are!

Roll up and sign in!

Oldies welcome, newbies welcome, anyone welcome!

It's basically a "what happened in church/spiritual life/anything else you want to chat about that's vaguely related (or not) to churchy stuff.

re: amazing Grace- agree - it sounds so much niver without twiddles and stuff.

Hate All Things Bright etc now, sorry. But that's because it's been done to death at weddings! I can see why you like it, if it has personal significance. My mum loves There is a Green Hill far away, because it reminds her of Greenhill Rise in Nottingham which was just round the corner from where she lived as a child!

hehe nickel, we were having a 'who can do the most poncey pose?' competition. We were being very silly

I also hate Lord of all hopefulness but love Be Thou...does not compute!

Old hymns I love....O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder; And Can it Be; Jesus, the Name high over all; Love Divine; Thine be the Glory; We rest on Thee (I know odd one, just love the music, tis all majestic-y); Holy Holy Holy; oh loads and loads of them, could go on a while.

Amazing Grace I love - I do like the Chris Tomlin Amazing Grace (My chains are gone) version but always get annoyed that it doesn't include the 'when we've been there ten thousand years' verse cos I love that one. Huh.

My mum always used to say (when I was forever singing round the house) "Do you know a green hill far away?". I'd say Yes, and she'd say "Well, go and sing on it!" :o

Heard an interesting talk by a blind theologian once, who posed the question about whether we'd feel the same about Amazing Grace if the first verse was

Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound
Which brought me to the light
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was black but now I'm white.

He was right, I didn't...

Off to Maundy Thursday service soon, with watch till Midnight.

nickel, can you post the words to 'as Jesus went to Calvary'? Couldn't quite make them out but found it really moving, thankyou.

Your choir sound fab. I know I'm not into choirs and organs and such but doesn't mean I can't appreciate good'uns. I was once in a proper church choir with RSCM medals and all and it was a good one too, didn't appreciate it well enough at the time being a silly giggly 10 year old but looking back can see the hard work that went into it.

Just looked at some of the other links - never heard that When I survey tune before, trying to make up my mind as love that hymn. I like the Everyday God one, came across that the other week when we used it in our contemporary service, it was lovely amidst a contemplative set.

Must go to bed!

Mary pmsl at your mum!! Hope the services tonight go well.

Well, it was a moving service. The locum priest thought I should also wash people's feet as well as him, so that was quite a moving experience. Then during the stripping of the altar, I fell over, off the altar step and came crashing down on both knees. Both still hurt this morning, and the one I had the knee op on is swollen and tender :(

"As Jesus went to Calvary,
the cross it weighed him down
The thorn bush bent
its branches black
before his thorny crown.
As Jesus went to die.

The thorn bush bowed in shame to see the crown of plaited thorn
that men had used to wound their Lord
with ridicule and scorn.
As Jesus went to die.

But on the third day dawning fair
our lord rose from the tomb.
And in the garden where he'd lain
the thorn bush burst in bloom
As Jesus rose again!"

Oh Mary, I'm sorry - I didn't see your last post when I put mine in.

:(

Hope you have pain killers and ice packs, or whatever helps. :(

mhd - the tune works better when it's not in Lent/Holy Week!

We once did it when it was mid-year and those words were in the reading. (i think it was John or Paul's letters)

We had a lovely "service" last night at St Mary's - similar to what we did last year. We had a last supper, with hymns (modern songs ) and readings and prayers inbetween food. (I think the meat-eaters had lamb casserole. Mine was veggie casserole and we had baked potato too). It wasn't as involved as last year's - last year we did a proper passover meal with all the Jewish elements in it, but this year, we just pased bread and grape juice. We did do a foot washing thing, too, which was a bit weird.
Not everyone had their feet washed, only volunteers. I don't like having my feet touched, so I didn't volunteer!
I took some photos of it all, just for "the record"

The Walk of Witness went through town at 10am today, and that was lovely - I was pleasantly surprised how many people were on it - I swear it was at least double last year's turnout. :)

s'ok Nickel. I have to admit there was a bit of the service which amused me - we had 2 GK songs :o - Meekness and Majesty, and Servant King :o

we had a few GK songs too - Meekness, and something ridicuously hard that the singing group were doing (but no, apparently it was congregational! I'd practised it because DH was playing, but I don't think anyone else knew it!)

the other one was Love Each other (all the room was hushed and still)

Ouch Mary!

Glad various services have gone well. I didn't go to our Maundy Thurs one, dh was doing it (did foot washing too) and said it was good. We have had Messy Church this morning, went v well and had a great turnout so really encouraged by that, dh is off to Good Friday meditation thingy in a minute. lungs playing up so staying here to rest - can't seem to be outside today without it all tightening up quite frighteningly so staying indoors which is a bummer as it is such nice weather and want to be out with the kids :(

:( Hope you feel better. Do you have meds?

Just got back from the Good Friday meditation.
There's a thing we do where everyone is supposed to take turns to hold the cross; but hardly anyone was taking it up, so whoever held it had to hold it for ages before being relieved. I wasn't impressed, because when it was my turn, I had to stand through a meditation, a reading and another meditation. I felt really hot and uncomfortable, and I knew there was a hymn coming up, which I would have to stand through, and nothing to hold on to. I was worried that i'd faint, but everyone I tried to make eyes at steadfastly ignored me [buangry]

Oh nickel that is crap, [buangry] for you [busad]

Does this work? [buwine] need some!!

Yes I have meds, have done nebuliser, steroids, 2 different anti-bs, codeine and various others today but nothing is touching it. Have heard the weather this w/e is bad for people with dodgy chests - seems to be setting in hard for me. any prayers appreciated! Sometimes I get scared. I know things will be fine, but sometimes it gets to me, when the breathing is so poor every breath is hard going and hurts. Sorry to moan...maybe will have a blog moan!!

Hmphhh. No bunny

I've just watched the video and it was nearly 10 minutes before I was relieved - and that was after I begged someone in the Singing Group! [bushock]

ooh, yeah, something to do with the smog, isn't it?
It doesn't help that it feels like the middle of August out there - you're better off inside where it's cool!

you've got to try the [bubear] though! [bugrin]

Signing in again. Just been to a lovely Good Friday service.

Quick question folks - being Catholic I meet two lovely priests weekly - one of whom did my aunt's funeral recently.

He is off for 5 days after Easter Sunday (know this as he told me he is off to veg out for a few days). Was going to give him a bottle of wine on Sunday as both a "thanks for all the hard work recently" gift and as a "chill out, relax and drink wine while you are off" gift. Is that okay do you think? Yes he does drink as he is not backward about joking about it.

Can you think of something more appropriate though or is the wine okay?

I would go with wine as being very appropriate

Yeh - will give him a bottle of wine.

Most "normal" priest I have ever met tbh. My elderly Uncle whose wife recently died took alot of comfort from his approach to the funeral and to the openess to family requests so I have a lot to thank him for.

MHD, how are you feeling?

Nickel, that was :( re: holding the cross. Think of it as a small sacrifice to pay though, if you can! We site the cross in a concrete stand. Our priest didn't put it in properly though - fortunately I was first up to venerate, and as I grasped it, it dropped into place (rather than dropping on my head, or anyone else who went up). It was a very moving service...

Wine is always appropriate. Except at AA meetings or similar. :) Hello, all! Can I join you for a bit?

Thirded re wine

Hi CheerfulYank, of course you can join, you're more than welcome. Have seen you round MN :)

Mary, am a bit better this morning thanks, less tight but staying indoors today, dh has taken the dc to the park on their bikes so enjoying some quiet for now.

Mary - I'm not into sacrifice at the moment - I went through loads of emotions while I was hoping someone would take the cross off me - one was guilt for feeling like I didn't want to hold the cross when Jesus had to carry it - but, you know, someone else carried for him most of the way!