General Chat

Good morning :-)


Epiphany:

The Irish call it the Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas or Women's Christmas. On that day, women traditionally rested and celebrated for themselves after all the cooking and hard work of the Christmas holidays.

The men would take over cleaning, preparing meals, and looking after the children for the day. This left the women of the house free to socialize with female relatives and friends and generally let their hair down after a busy and probably quite exhausting holiday season.

Today, women typically dine at a restaurant or gather in a pub in the evening. They may also receive gifts from children, grandchildren or other family members on this day.

Other Epiphany customs, which symbolize the end of the Christmas season, are popular in Ireland. They include the burning the sprigs of Christmas holly in the fireplace which have been used as decorations during the past twelve days.

Sounds fine to me!!!


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The tradition of ‘chalking of the doors’ is a centuries-old Epiphany practice used throughout the world and I can remember it happening on our church doors 3 or 4 years ago.
It’s simple: take chalk of any colour and write the following above the entrance of your home: 20 + C + M + B + 23.

This is the explanation and blessing.

The three Wise Men,
C Caspar,
M Melchior,
B and Balthasar followed the star of God’s Son who became human
20 two thousand
23 and twenty-three years ago.
++ May Christ bless our home
++ and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



Epiphany is celebrated in unique ways around the world.
In Greece, Bulgaria, and other Eastern Orthodox countries, priests bless crosses and toss them into freezing waters. Young men dive in after them. The first to find the cross is blessed with good luck for the new year.

In Latin America, the Phillippines, and Spain, Epiphany is called Día de los Reyes Magos. During the celebration, the Three Kings bring gifts to good boys and girls, leaving them in the children’s straw-filled shoes left out the night before.

In the Netherlands and Belgium, during Epiphany children dress as the three kings and visit neighbours’ houses, singing songs and receiving sweets and coins.

In East Harlem, New York City, El Museo del Barrio (a cultural museum), puts on its annual parade celebrating the arrival of the three kings, complete with music, dancing, and even live camels.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)




Throughout the world, there are several traditions which are observed at Epiphany time – one of these is the custom of the Epiphany cake.

The cake is baked with great love and candied fruits in honour of the three kings. It is generally circular, in the shape of a crown. (Plenty of recipes on Google).

After the cake is baked, a certain secret mark (such as a ceramic figure of the Baby Jesus) is placed inside one of the pieces. It is then decorated. The child who takes the piece with the secret mark is proclaimed “king” for the day.

There was a custom in France that 2 portions of the cake are reserved for the poor. This was a reminder that Jesus, though King, was also humble and poor and that it is fitting that the poor should have a share in the joy.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Costly Gifts

by Paul Berchtold

When wise men came to find the Child,
They brought with them costly treasure.
They gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Presents for the new king's pleasure.

God is pleased when we bring to him,
Virtues that these gifts symbolize.
The gold of love, myrrh of sacrifice,
And incense as prayers before his eyes.

It's wise to give the gold of love,
Kindness in thought and word and deed,
It's often the little things that count,
A smile, a word, help one in need.

It's wise to give the incense, prayer,
Rising up as smoke sweet-smelling,
Not just prayer from our lips alone,
But deep from our heart, upwelling.

It's wise to give myrrh, sacrifice,
In everything to do our best,
To give with generosity,
In what we do we will be blest.

But be wiser. Unite with Christ,
He is the Gift. He is God's Son.
The best we give, it is nothing
Compared to Christ, what he has done.

Jesus gives us his boundless love,
He came to show us how to pray,
He gave his life in sacrifice.
He is the truth, the life, the way.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Amen, thank you Cynthia.

Vera, I can understand your liking the T.S.Elliott poem as the words are just beautiful.

Tabitha, I hope that you and your OH are coming to terms with your much loved dog not being around.
My brother now has a little Patterdale dog to train and keep him busy, since he lost his precious old faithful dog three months ago. They are both happy.

A favourite hymn to share with all who are feeling low and troubled today....... In Christ Alone..........

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Strong through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when striving cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

Gentle hugs to all who need them now.

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today :
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

It's good that the poem means so much to you Vera <3

Who Were the Three Wise Men of the Christmas Story?

No nativity scene is complete without the three wise men presenting their gifts to baby Jesus, a gigantic star hovering over a stable bathing them in light. It’s such a beautiful picture, majestic kings kneeling in the hay with the shepherds among the oxen and cattle, all adoring a baby in a manger.

Except that isn’t what happened.

Who were the wise men really? Where did they come from? Did they ever see the stable? And were there actually three of them? The answers may not be what you think.

The word ‘Magi’ originally meant to refer to a class of Persian wise men that were something like priests, interpreters of special signs, and especially astrology.
Sometimes the magi are referred to as kings, but the Bible never calls them that, nor does the Bible say how many there were. The idea of three wise men probably comes from the fact that they brought three gifts.

No one is exactly sure what star the wise men followed, or whether it was even a “star” in the strictest sense at all. A supernova? A comet? A specific massing of planets?

Whatever the star was, the important thing is that it led the wise men to Jesus.
The wise men believed that Jesus was “the king of the Jews” whose birth had been portended by a powerful sign in the skies. They expressed a desire to worship Him. They travelled from afar and brought Him gifts because they believed He was a king and worthy of worship.


Cx :-)

How on earth would you remember all your names if you had one for every letter of the alphabet ;-). My brother only had one name and felt very hard done by as I had been given two!

I know I’ve put this on the thread a few times before but for the sake of anyone new who may be looking in: one of my all time favourite poems is The Journey of the Magi by T S Eliot. I always re-read it at Epiphany. I was introduced to it by an English teacher when I was around 12 or 13 and that was when I started to get a more “grown-up” view of the Nativity and what it might mean. Nearly 70 years later I still love that poem.

Sending a gentle hug to anyone in need today <3

Hello all

Celebrating Epiphany today and the Three Wise Men (Kings), Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar who travelled to visit the baby Jesus born in Bethlehem, and brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

We Three Kings of Orient are.
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect light.

Yesterday's names were interesting and the post made me smile too..... thank you Cynthia.

Good afternoon - a busy morning! :-)


Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany which is one of the oldest Christian feasts. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to reveal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.

Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance:
1. The Baptism of the Lord where the Holy Spirit descends, and the voice of God is heard declaring that Jesus is His son. *This is the reading on Sunday.
2. Christ's first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
3. The Nativity of Christ, where the angels bear witness to Christ and the shepherds bow down before Him.
4. The visitation of the Wise Men or Magi where Christ’s divinity is revealed to the Gentiles – the whole world.
Epiphany also marks the end of Christmas tide

Lord, you have shown us how Jesus became known, loved and worshipped. Guide our Church as we try to show the light of Christ. Bless all who lead and teach Christians in this community. Teach us truth, unity and praise: fill us with the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


What’s in a name?

Whilst biblical names have maintained popularity over the years, it’s interesting how some parents named their children after battles such as Verdun, Ypres, and Mons, or even cities – Savannah, Madison, Lincoln.

Nowadays, there are baptisms of babies with names which are more unusual – Nevaeh (Heaven spelt backwards), names which are spelt phonetically and names of TV characters.

On census records it’s interesting to see how some names tally with the person’s occupation.
1851 Mary Drudge – housemaid
Frank Guest - visitor
Harriet Goodhand - domestic servant
Phoebe Brain - scholar
1881 John Pounder - blacksmith
William Scales - piano maker
Robert Speed - bus driver and post runner
Thomas Boozer – brewer
1891 William Faith-Congregationalist Minister of Bulkington, Warks

How about parents who named their daughter alphabetically………
Anna Bertha Cecilia Diana Emily Fanny Gertrude Hypatia Inez Jane Kate Louise Maud Nora Ophelia Prudence Quince Rebecca Sarah Teresa Ulysis Venus Winifred Xenophon Yetty Zeno Pepper

And those who named their sons after entire football teams?

What’s in a name indeed?

And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

What’s in a name? Surnames.

In Bible times there are no surnames as such, but people were identified as maybe where they came from. Mary Magdalene: "Magdalene" identifies this Mary as from the town of Magdala and distinguishes her from the many other Marys in Jesus' life. Simon the Zealot - This was another disciple of Jesus; "zealot" identifies his political affiliation and distinguishes him from Simon Peter.

As time went on, people with the same name gradually differentiated themselves either:
By where they lived: A John who lived near the woods would often call himself “John of the Woods,” or simply John Wood.

By their social status: People would often use their occupations as a way to distinguish themselves. A man called Thomas working as a mason would be called Thomas Mason.

By their inherited status: Sometimes people inherited the names of their parents and used them as their surnames. Paul, whose father’s name is Jack would call himself Paul, Jack’s son, which would later evolve into Jackson

By their personal characteristics or nicknames
People would also go by their most prominent features or are given a nickname by the public. Someone large or tall could be called big. As spelling wasn’t strict, this could be written as “Byge” or “Bigge”. As a nickname, think of Little John in Robin Hood – he was gi-normous!


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


What’s in a name?

In Bible times, people only needed one name and generally went by something like ‘Simon, son of Jonah’. Through the ages, in the western world, Christianity had the biggest impact on how parents named their children. Names were often inspired by saints, who were the “celebrities” at the time. Naming your child after a saint was seen as a protective measure, with parents believing these saints would watch over their children.

Over time, less religious emphasis was placed on names. People would often name their children after famous people at the time, mainly from kings, artists, warriors, and such. 'William' became enormously popular when William the Conqueror ascended to the English throne.

As the population grew, it became increasingly difficult to identify people with the same name - something more was needed. This is where surnames came into things.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Yesterday, we remembered the circumcision and naming of Jesus. The angel, Gabriel, told Mary she would conceive a son and she should "call his name Jesus." From the Hebrew language, the name ‘Jesus’ means ‘save/rescue/deliver/Saviour’.

We have many baptisms at our church and it’s always interesting to see what people are going to call their children. Names come and go out of fashion. According to the BBC, the top 3 girls' names for 2022 were: Lily, Sophia and Olivia. For boys: Muhammad, Noah and Jack.

Like others on here, during my research, I have come across some weird and wonderful names over the years - but more of that during the week.

For today, we give thanks for that most glorious of names - Jesus - Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Cx :-)

Good morning and a very happy and blessed New Year to you all. <3


Today, the church remembers the circumcision and naming of Jesus


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Almighty God,
whose blessed Son was circumcised
in obedience to the law for our sake
and given the Name that is above every name:
give us grace faithfully to bear his Name,
to worship him in the freedom of the Spirit,
and to proclaim him as the Saviour of the world;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

A very familiar poem to share now that we are in New Year Eve.........................

The Gate of the Year.

I said to the man
who stood at the gate of the year,
"Give me a light that I may tread
safely into the unknown."
And he replied,
"Go into the darkness, and put your
hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than a light
And safer than a known way."
(Minnie Louise Haskins, 1908).

Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

Good morning :-)

I liked the story when I first read it and wanted to share it. Glad you liked it. <3

I remember O Brother man but only vaguely. Thank you for the reminder Vera. xx


And so we come to the end of another year. A year of mixed emotions and events. A year of ups and downs, of swings and roundabouts. For some, a year which brought joy and excitement, for others, a year which brought untold heartache and sorrow. For each of us, a year that is now ending.

The following poem was written by John Clare (1793-1864)

The Old Year
The Old Year’s gone away
To nothingness and night:
We cannot find him all the day
Nor hear him in the night:
He left no footstep, mark or place
In either shade or sun:
The last year he’d a neighbour’s face,
In this he’s known by none.

All nothing everywhere:
Mists we on mornings see
Have more of substance when they’re here
And more of form than he.
He was a friend by every fire,
In every cot and hall–
A guest to every heart’s desire,
And now he’s nought at all.

Old papers thrown away,
Old garments cast aside,
The talk of yesterday,
Are things identified;
But time once torn away
No voices can recall:
The eve of New Year’s Day
Left the Old Year lost to all.

Cx :-)

Hello all

What a wonderful story Cynthia, I'm reminded of the scripture Hebrews 13 v 2 in the King James bible....
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby
some have entertained angels unaware."

Tabitha, I'm so very sorry that you are having many problems. I do hope that you and your OH are getting better after the flu virus (I know how ill that makes you feel), I hope your OH is well after falling

You are bound to miss your lovely dog and need time to work through your bereavement just now.
You were given the courage to make the decision that was the right one for your family pet. My brother had to make the same heartbreaking decision recently and says it isn't easy at all.
I hope you can take comfort knowing your lovely dog is now at rest and free from all pain.

Vera, I don't ever remember singing O Brother Man but I've just found the hymn on YouTube..... it has such beautiful words and I've learned something new today. Thank you.

This is a difficult time of year for many people and so I'm sending a gentle hug to all who need one.

A lovely little story today Cynthia. It reminds me of the hymn "O Brother Man", particularly the line "Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer". I hope you are beginning to feel much better.

Oh dear Tabitha, you have been through the mill. I hope you are now through the worst and life will start to look brighter. Your pet was a loved family member so give yourself time to grieve and take solace from knowing that he had a happy life with you and at the end you made the right decision for him <3