Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

Cool Choirs, Clappy Choruses, Cringy Coffee: Religion Chat Thread No 5

999 replies

madhairday · 09/09/2012 16:16

I thought seeing as our other thread has gone somewhere into the oblivion that is old MN pages, I would start us up again anew for a new term. This is a place for those who are Christians (and anyone who's not, we're not an exclusive little club) Grin to chat about life, theology, church, any other stuff and of course Graham Kendrick, as nickel would not forgive me if I forgot to mention him Grin

So all welcome, old and new, it would be fun to chat and chew over anything that comes to mind. Lurkers say hello!

Anyone got a nice juicy topic to get the ball rolling then? Or if not come say hi anyway and tell us how you are doing. :)

OP posts:
nickelbabeuntiladvent · 02/12/2012 17:58

yes in the church it's 4 Sundays before Christmas. so as Christmas is n a Tuesday, the 4th Sunday before is today.
last year it was 27th November because Christmas was a Sunday and therefore couldn't be advent!
secularly they do the month of December so that advent cale ndars are the same every year.

nickelbabeuntiladvent · 02/12/2012 18:00

oma - that would make it a lot easier for us. because thn we would know where his loyalties lie (or he rs!)

TuoComeOComeEmmanuel · 02/12/2012 18:49

Hello all. Just unveiling my Advent name. What do you think? [twirls] Xmas Smile

Sorry to hear of your chorister hassles, Nickel. I agree that you need to give him an ultimatum. It'd be a shame to lose him, but he cannot go on thinking it's OK to mess you around.

DD2 was on acolyte duty today (second time ever, but this time was planned rather than emergency cover when someone didn't turn up). Her candle wobbled alarmingly at a few moments, and her alb was a bit long, so going up and down any steps while carrying a lighted candle was a touch dicey, but she behaved impeccably.

nickelbabeuntiladvent · 02/12/2012 19:18

oh lovely. i bet she was dead cuffed! sounds like you need to do some hemming.

TuoComeOComeEmmanuel · 02/12/2012 20:03

Xmas Hmm You appear to be mistaking me for someone who knows how to use a needle, nickel! Xmas Wink

cloutiedumpling · 02/12/2012 21:34

I was reminded of your video clip at church this morning Mary.

The kids have been talking about nativity plays because DS2 has one at school. I'm wondering if I should break it to him that the wise men weren't at the stable? I think I'd better wait until he knows not to cause an argument with his teacher about it. I don't want to get marked out as the awkward parent quite yet!

TuoComeOComeEmmanuel · 03/12/2012 01:13

Hmm... Thanks to today's gospel and the sermon thereon, DD2 is now worrying about the end of the world and specifically about what will happen, come the Second Coming, to DH and DD1 if they don't believe in God. Oh help!

TuoComeOComeEmmanuel · 03/12/2012 01:21

PS Sorry cloutie... was going to say that I can't remember how old your DS is, but if he's old enough to have been to other plays (even if just the pantomime or whatever) you could tell him that time 'on stage' is not the same as 'real time', and that sometimes events that really happened in a more spread-out way are condensed to make them fit into the time allowed for the play. Hence the Wise Men at the stable...

DutchOma · 03/12/2012 10:59

The only thing you can say TUO is that God is just and merciful and that He wants everybody to come to Him. We need to trust Him for our loved ones, pray for them and show them that God loves them more than we can ever do.
That often is easier done in deed than by words. Obviously we all struggle with loved ones that deny God and just don't want to know and there is no quick answer to it.
But: There's a wideness in God's mercy....

MaryBS · 03/12/2012 11:37

TUO, DD went through something like this when DH didn't go to church. Something else which might help is the story of the workers in the vineyard, that not everyone comes to God at the same time. The other useful image is the one of the Good Shepherd and how he left the 99 sheep to go and retrieve the one who is lost, and didn't come back without him. The Good Shepherd doesn't wait for the sheep to come back on its own (perhaps it can't). The Good Shepherd isn't happy until all 100 sheep are safe.

dingdongMadHairDayonhigh · 03/12/2012 13:27

Really good answers from Oma and Mary, TUO, I can't add to that. I sincerely believe God is just and somehow brings all things together and gives all a chance, longing for them to come to know him.

Advent started with a swing here with a messy church type thing in our home, it was very messy! Doing carol singing at the local garden centre at the weekend for their festival, should be good.

Hope it all resolves with JC1, nickel. Glad the new vicar came along and enjoys your choral tradition.

niminypiminy · 03/12/2012 17:28

Love the advent names !

TUO, Paul says somewhere or other that if there is one Christian in a family it sanctifies, or blesses, or something, the whole family, I think because as a family you are all part of one another. That might comfort her.

Ist of Advent here was the best all age service for ages -- possibly because one of our ordinands on placement and I ganged up on the Vicar and made him agree we could change the way it always is a bit.

For the intercessions the children decorated candle-flame shapes and gave them out to everyone to write their own prayers on, and then made them into a big flame-shaped collage. DS2 wrote on his 'help me have more confidence'. He's only 6. I feel so sad not at his level of self-awareness and ability to spell confidence but that he's thinks of himself as lacking. But then again, I'm moved that he gave that to God.

Bluetinkerbell · 03/12/2012 17:35

mhd have you got time before Christmas to meet up? :)

TuoComeOComeEmmanuel · 05/12/2012 01:16

Thank you all for your kind words and good examples to use - I wish I'd thought of the Good Shepherd, but I went a bit blank. I had to think on my feet a bit, and I ended up telling her that Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love God, but also to love one another, and that the reason for that was that, if we are made in His image and likeness, then in loving and serving one another we are also loving and serving the image of God that is in us. So if DH and DD1 claimed not to love God but loved their neighbours they were also serving God in a way, whether intentionally or not. Which may be theological codswallop, but it helped her to sleep.

Oma... that's one of my favourites.

She's not having a great week, as today, bless her, she came home upset because a Year 3 child had told her she was ugly and unpopular.

Niminy - I am impressed at your ds's self-awareness (and spelling). I am convinced (as a 'recovering un-confident person'[?]) that knowing that the problem is a lack of confidence (and not, as I used to think, just 'being useless') is half the battle. Confidence can be learned - and to some extent you can 'fake it till you make it': I didn't realise that till I was in my 20s, and I wished I'd sussed it out sooner.

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 05/12/2012 14:26

i've skipped the advent name and gone straight for christmas.
Blush

i missed out on my prize last year in the competition because the one i had when it was judged was the least strong of the triptych

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 05/12/2012 14:30

talking of priests appearing at services - I missed the advent carol service, but apparently so did the priest who was supposed to preside. the churchwarden (and also chorister) had to take the service.
i know the priest doesn't do much, but it doesn't look good - especially when the missing priest is the Team Rector and didn't even give notice...

thanksamillion · 05/12/2012 19:54

Hi all, sorry not been around for a while, back in Moldova. We've been back for about 3 weeks, spent one of them in hospital with DD2 having an emergency op (she's fine now) and our first visitors arrive tomorrow! Will hopefully have time to catch up on the thread next week Grin

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 05/12/2012 19:56

ooh that sounds stressful.
have a Brew and spill :)

MaryBS · 11/12/2012 19:12

Just wanted to add a squeeeee because they had David Wilcocks and John Rutter being interviewed on the news. Brought back happy memories :)

DutchOmainthestable · 11/12/2012 20:03

Sqeee indeed. I always miss things like that.

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 11/12/2012 21:31

:)

jc1 update.
i spoke to cw about it. she said what you lit said that he hasn't earned the solo.
she also said the dh should tell them - save my blood pressure she said Wink
and basically that he's just an average boy who can sing quite well. that he's not as brilliant as mum tries to make out.
cw speaks as she finds and always puts things fairly.
and it means that we have the backing of a cw should we need it.

DutchOmainthestable · 12/12/2012 09:13

Xmas Smile more power to the elbow of your dh.

MaryBS · 12/12/2012 12:56

Sounds like a good plan, nickel :)

niminypiminy · 12/12/2012 13:52

Nickel, I think your CW and ours were separated at birth. Except that yours probably doesn't swear quite as much as ours. Once when the vicar had done something particular twattish she marched off saying, 'right, I'm just going to go and grab by the balls'. I've no doubt she did, too.

niminypiminy · 12/12/2012 13:53

Ok, and now in English:

Nickel, I think your CW and ours were separated at birth. Except that yours probably doesn't swear quite as much as ours. Once when the vicar had done something particularly twattish she marched off saying, 'right, I'm just going to go and grab (Rev X) by the balls'. I've no doubt she did, too.