Monday 26 December 2022

Bank Holiday Bits (1)

NOTICE

The original blog planned for today, although fascinating beyond compare, looked a bit too serious for holiday reading, so is postponed until later in the week.

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Too Big

The above picture appeared in a twitteration under the heading, "How can a car this big be legal?" Good question. But you might reply thus:-
How can a coach this big be legal?

Perhaps it bends in the middle?

Too Good

Church was full yesterday at 1030 (Kilmngton Baptist), a refreshing change compared with many which struggle for a viable congregation on Christmas Day. 
Maybe because it was Sunday?

Note the nativity scene ...
... a duplicate of part of the display at fbb mansions.
Sadly the new set of white lights on the third element of fbb's display have failed. So not really outdoor then?
Fortunately the real cross of CHRISTmas never lets you down!

Too Much?

Full seasonal fayre main course at fbb mansions, prepared by fbb. Sumptuous Christmas pud, home made by Mrs fbb. The celebratory feast was followed by a detailed inspection of the inside of the fbbs' eyelids before listening to KC3.

Too Bad?

The original livery planned for East Yorkshire's service 66 from Hull to Hessle.
Disappointingly this is what later appeared ...
... just a bit of red sticky backed plastic at the front.

Too Hard?

Where or what is Escafeld?

It was East Yorkshire who did it first ...
... now others have joined the ancient language club. The bus below is branded "aquae".
That's Latin for "waters"!

Of course it is an "omnibus", which in Latin means "for all". Mr Johnson would be thrilled that fbb has remembered something from his O level Latin resit course enjoyed (?) at age 15! He passed!

To Morrow!

Which UK station does this picture illustrate? It is from an on-line news service and the station that is the subject of the article is in the UK. Answer tomorrow.

You will never guess!

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 Advent Calendar Day 26 

Zooming to Zion

Well, we had to finish the alphabet!

Zion?

It is the name of one of the hills on which the Jebusite town of Salem was built. Yes, that is the basis of the later name Jerusalem!

Soon, Zion became another word for Jerusalem itself.

Later it was a tag used to describe the whole nation of Israel.

As time went on, Zion became a bye-word for the eternal City of God, the "New Jerusalem", Heaven itself.

Your author preached regularly at Zion Chapel in Ryde, but not exactly "heavenly"!

If course we have no adequate words to describe heaven - it is beyond our earthy experience and vocabulary - BUT ... 

... some modern cosmologists give us a clue as to where Heaven might be.
Of course they don't agree! 

Many folk just treat the images of heaven as a cartoon joke ...
But the visionary biblical words do not describe wrought iron gates, even if they could be made from easily breakable strips of pearl. The "Pearly Gates" are just that; "gates" that are huge pearls.

An angel showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City, coming down out of heaven from God and shining with the glory of God. The city shone like a precious stone, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass.
There they are at the bottom. Elsewhere we are told that the "city" is a cube with sides of 1500 metres.

Of course it makes very little sense if we try to understand it literally. But the images of rich glory, utter beauty, stunning perfection and the Almighty-ness of God's home, outside our Universe, but part of the infinite Multiverse (being explored by today's clever scientists), are images that are captivating.

It seems that when we "pass" (we are not allowed to "die" any more!), the Bible suggests that we do indeed pass from death into life.

But only if we are cleansed, redeemed, reconciled by the forgiveness that Jesus bought with his death on the cross.

And that is the CHRIST of CHRISTmas.
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 Next Bank Holiday Bits blog :  Tuesday 27th  December 

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