Saying Grace

[chubby]

I love the way this takes us back to our education, school, college or services, for years I listened every formal dinner to " pro hoc quibo quel ad alimonium nostrus......" it went of for ages and the scholars duly fortified had to recite it, the variety was amazing, as fast as possible, as slow as possible, high church latin, false scouse accents.....a bit like the wahing up, if you made a complete hash your name might be left off the next rota!

 

[lustyd]

<roll eyes> I suppose you'd want "abracadabra" to be translated for the hard of thinking among us.</roll eyes>

Nope, books that say fiction on the cover can do what they like. Books trying to convey "information" should be regularly updated to get the information or message across. My point was that given the text is not original anyway it might as well be updated into modern English. The Bible is generally sold as non fiction so a new edition might be in order if the church is to succeed. Of course, preaching equality while not letting women have jobs might need looking into first but the Bible should be done as a priority after that

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Nope, books that say fiction on the cover can do what they like. Books trying to convey "information" should be regularly updated to get the information or message across. My point was that given the text is not original anyway it might as well be updated into modern English. The Bible is generally sold as non fiction so a new edition might be in order if the church is to succeed. Of course, preaching equality while not letting women have jobs might need looking into first but the Bible should be done as a priority after that

The Bible is commonly updated (at least 3 or 4 major "upgrades" in my lifetime) as scholarship improves, we gain access to new texts and our understanding of the languages used improves. We use non-religious texts that are being found in Egypt, for example, to better understand New Testament Greek, and of course the Dead Sea Scrolls give us a wonderful window into Hebrew. We don't usually use the King James Authorized version any more, as it is based on a single late text, and although brilliant scholarship in its day, its day was 400 years ago, nearly! Have a look at a modern translation like the New Revised Standard or the New International version if you want to see what we really use; these are in modern but perhaps rather academic English. There are many excellent versions in more everyday English as well; these are paraphrases rather than translations (in other words, they don't always express the full breadth of meaning that is present in the original), but the Todays English Version and The Word are very accessible versions. The New English Bible is getting a bit long in the tooth scholarship-wise, but it was deliverately written to in a style that would match taht of the Time newspaper - when it was a broad-sheet! You'll find copies of at least one of these versions in your local church, and no doubt you would be welcome to borrow one! And I've onjly scratched the surface; there are MANY versions of the Bible available today, even including one in Text language!

 

[lustyd]

The Bible is commonly updated (at least 3 or 4 major "upgrades" in my lifetime) as scholarship improves, we gain access to new texts and our understanding of the languages used improves. We use non-religious texts that are being found in Egypt, for example, to better understand New Testament Greek, and of course the Dead Sea Scrolls give us a wonderful window into Hebrew. We don't usually use the King James Authorized version any more, as it is based on a single late text, and although brilliant scholarship in its day, its day was 400 years ago, nearly! Have a look at a modern translation like the New Revised Standard or the New International version if you want to see what we really use; these are in modern but perhaps rather academic English. There are many excellent versions in more everyday English as well; these are paraphrases rather than translations (in other words, they don't always express the full breadth of meaning that is present in the original), but the Todays English Version and The Word are very accessible versions. The New English Bible is getting a bit long in the tooth scholarship-wise, but it was deliverately written to in a style that would match taht of the Time newspaper - when it was a broad-sheet! You'll find copies of at least one of these versions in your local church, and no doubt you would be welcome to borrow one! And I've onjly scratched the surface; there are MANY versions of the Bible available today, even including one in Text language!

Thanks I wasn't aware of any of that! sounds like quite a bit of effort is being put in after all.

 

[johnalison]

We had magnificent Latin graces before and after meals at school, but my favourite was given at a local dinner a few years ago:

Thank you, Lord, for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Without which we we all be a lot thinner.

 

[mcframe]

Newmarket Grace: We're off!

Said by an aquaintance who made the bookies very rich..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZnDt2wEFjk

 

[BelleSerene]

'O Lord our father, Christ divine
Who turned the water into wine
Forgive, we pray, these foolish men
Wo seek to turn it back again'

20 years ago in Nairobi I was asked if I'd arrange a musical Grace for a male sports club. I set this to the music of 'the day thou gravest Lord has ended' and had four of us sing it a Capella (ie just four male voices in harmony without accompaniment).

We did feel it appropriate though to add, spoken, 'for what we are about to receive may the Lord make us truly thankful', to avoid offending any sensibilities.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Years of training, two degrees and from time to time I am reduced to composing rhyming graces for occasions.

I'm not at the dinner this evening so I had to make up the before and after graces for the young officer who has been pinged to do them.

Here's what I composed in a few moments this morning...

Pray silence now, and bend your ears
For dits and stories of the years
Of service that our man has done
Whose time at 43 now has come

Never in trouble or never caught?
Council wise and often sought
Generous and open surely not
It can’t be true for he’s a Scot

He soldiers well, he meets the test
On hill or in the jungle best?
Ice or snow, no-one can tell
A special Marine a true ML

So let us all give thanks above
To God of food and God of love
To God of wine and all things fun
And the RSM who's moving on

You'll have to look up ML - (as in Royal Marines Mountain Leader) to understand the allusion.

Post dinner:

Now comes the time to take our ease
For speeches that we hope will please
For stories of our RSM
His time and cheerfulness again
Stories of his time served here
His work and play for these last years
No need for panic, or for sighs
We know its going to be all lies.

So lift your hearts in thanks and praise
Thanksgivings to our God we raise
For stories we’re about to tell.
And an RSM who’s served us well.

Over the years, I've had to compose dozens of them. They're all appalling doggerel.

 

[Sybarite]

Years of training, two degrees and from time to time I am reduced to composing rhyming graces for occasions.

I'm not at the dinner this evening so I had to make up the before and after graces for the young officer who has been pinged to do them.

Here's what I composed in a few moments this morning...

Pray silence now, and bend your ears
For dits and stories of the years
Of service that our man has done
Whose time at 43 now has come

Never in trouble or never caught?
Council wise and often sought
Generous and open surely not
It can’t be true for he’s a Scot

He soldiers well, he meets the test
On hill or in the jungle best?
Ice or snow, no-one can tell
A special Marine a true ML

So let us all give thanks above
To God of food and God of love
To God of wine and all things fun
And the RSM who's moving on

You'll have to look up ML - (as in Royal Marines Mountain Leader) to understand the allusion.

Post dinner:

Now comes the time to take our ease
For speeches that we hope will please
For stories of our RSM
His time and cheerfulness again
Stories of his time served here
His work and play for these last years
No need for panic, or for sighs
We know its going to be all lies.

So lift your hearts in thanks and praise
Thanksgivings to our God we raise
For stories we’re about to tell.
And an RSM who’s served us well.

Over the years, I've had to compose dozens of them. They're all appalling doggerel.

Or, one of my grandfather's compositions :

Thank you Lord for this good food,
And for all your favours rich and good
But most of all for Living Bread
By which immortal souls are fed.

Teach us to grow in Faith and Grace
Until we meet you face to face
And there with loved ones gone before
Feast at your table for ever more.

Sung to the tune, "Old 100".