Each week, as I begin to search for hymns and songs for Sunday, I use the various indices on HymnQuest to see what pops up... so, typically, Lectionary, Biblical, Thematic.  Each week I've done this for our current series on James this hymn has popped up somewhere along the line...

We pledge to one another,
before the Lord above,
complete and full and perfect,
this union of our love -
a love that will be patient,
a love that will be wise,
that will not twist with envy,
nor lose itself in lies;
a love that will not falter,
a love to hold us fast,
and bind us to each other
as long as life shall last.

We pray that God will guide us
through all the years to be,
our lives be shaped by courage,
hope and serenity.
Through joy and celebration,
through loneliness and pain,
may loyalty, compassion
and tenderness remain,
that those who share the blessing
of love that cannot cease
may walk the paths of gentleness
into the place of peace.

Jill Jenkins (born 1937) © Jill Jenkins

It is, essentially, a wedding hymn, and sung to the lovely tune Thaxted, and yet it speaks volumes in to other relationships too.  I won't be using it any time soon, because I'm not sure it would work in my context, but I think it as a wonderful hymn for an appropriate setting.

I came across this which made me laugh and made me think.

The text evidently translates roughly as 'Pastor Schober wasn't sure whether buying the new crucifix from IKEA was such a good idea after all'

Maybe if we each had to make a crucifix at some point we would ponder the cross more deeply?

This picture was projected onto the screen and prompted gales of laughter, especially from the children.

"it's Mr Tickle" one exlcaimed

"it's a peek-a-boo person" another called out

"he's hugging himself" observed a third

There is a time and place for quiet, reflective worship, and a time for unbridalled giggling - this was the latter.

Btw, it is officially a 'huggy' emoticon

Today's PAYG was based on the story of Jesus healing the Roman Centurion's sevant/child/'boy' and a simple, but profound, question was posed...

The centurion was described as possessing three attrributes: authority, faith and humility.  Of these, which one do you want?

Go ponder!

Someone asked me, a week or so back, why I am so fond of thebook/letter of James.  It's pretty simple really... the writer calls a spade a spade.  It is down to earth, practical, and definitely challenging.  And that, for me, is enough.

Today was James 3, and the challenge of 'guarding the tongue', especially in an era of instant messaging.  It was, as ever, as much a sermon to myself as to anyone else.  In a week when we have seen writ large some of the dangers of ill-conceived high-tech, high-speed, communicaitons, and of dishonesty and distortion, perhaps it was quite apposite.