In days gone by, on Sundays they rang the church bells to
announce
A wake up call to the entire village to come, church will commence.
Worship was about to begin, “So ready yourself for this
Holy Day”.
Often the holy
were a somber lot, showing people they knew the way.
Those that missed church, or came in late, saw those
pictures of Hell.
Hanging at the back of the church was the “Doomsday Book”,
to tell
By paintings, remembered to this day, I remember them so very well.
People who dressed ‘improperly’ were thought to have lost
their way.
Children were quiet, somber, and often got a slap and
urged to pray.
They could do
little on Sunday; dressed in their best they could not play,
If you thought
they answered back or made a noise you are so wrong,
They were taken quickly
out of the service and belted hard and strong.
What this taught them was to hate church, and God and
parents too.
Children did not talk back to parents or adults, that was
a big taboo.
No-one worked on a Sunday except the necessary farming
chores
But even cooking meals were prepared ahead, labour God
abhors.
To garden, sew or wash just proved what state your heart was in
Who decided what was necessary and what was considered a
sin
Equating God’s
love with forgiveness was then called a discipline.
What happened to those sinners who missed church; they
were told
”You are in grave danger of losing your place, the
priests extolled”.
In the Church of England the pastor was also called “Our
Father”.
The person walking into church wearing black and carrying
a Bible,
With a downcast face was thought to be holy and that was
survival.
The big concern was not missions but donations for a
church steeple.
To have your name on a pew or bell meant you were very
rich people.
Some thought the
more you donated would surely keep you out of hell,
Because, like some churches today, Purgatory was a place
before hell.
But a family could pay to reduce the purgatory waiting
time with money.
Just think of that golden fat purse of the preaching
priest, it was acrimony.
Keeping things in perspective today we still have a
mortgage to pay for,
And pledges and drives, and concerns about wood or carpet
on the floor.
But it does not make us more important to our creator to
donate more!
We read, “having the form of godliness but denying the
power thereof”.
We cannot deny the power of a Living God, we scorn
legalism whereof
We live as carnal Christians cloaked in sheep’s clothing
as in days of old.
We need prayer as never before, an awakening that will
makes us all bold!
We were left the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and
guide, but do we care?
Do we draw upon the Spirit’s strength, learn to listen,
to walk and to share?
We do not need a Priest or a Minister to speak to God on
our behalf, for
We have the Spirit ourselves, and He intercedes for us
and we can all see
That God through His Spirit is able to use us, and He
readily sets us free!
IN THE ANNALS OF HISTORY:-
During the Victorian age, it was thought to be Godly by
certain churches
or chapels, to inform on your “brothers and sisters”, of course only to assist
or correct the
error of their ways. February 2, 1885 - “The Churchman
Newspaper
Galatians 3:10-14 ~ All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written; ‘Cursed is everyone who does
not continue to do everything written in the book of the Law. Clearly no
one is
justified before God by the law, because: “The righteous will live by faith.'”
