The festival without which there would be no festivals

Ascension Day... "that festival which confirms the grace of all the festivals together, without which the profitableness of every festival would have perished. For unless the Saviour had ascended into heaven, his nativity would have come to nothing ... and his passion would have borne no fruit for us, and his most holy resurrection would have been useless."

 Attributed to St Augustine - bonus points to anyone who has a citation

HT: Philip Robertson on The Face Book

The Happy Man

Glen quoted this remarkable passage about Jesus from Lord Hailsham, the former Lord Chancellor, last night in his superb talk on Jesus, the ultimate hero, Commander, Host & Doctor (Luke 5:27-32):

The first thing we should learn about him is that we should be absolutely entranced by his company. Jesus was irresistibly attractive as a man. The one they crucified was a young man, vital, full of life and the joy of it, the Lord of life itself, and even more the Lord of laughter, someone so attractive that people followed him for the sheer fun of it. The twentieth century needs to re-capture the vision of this glorious and happy man whose mere presence filled his companions with delight.

(from The Door Wherein I Went)

Freedom

John Stott quoting Peter Marshall who as the chaplain to the United States Senate once opened a session by praying: teach us to see that,

Liberty is not the right to do as I please

but the liberty to be pleased to do what is right

From a talk available on the All Souls Langham Place website (1 Jan 1971 Freedom from the slavery of self John 8:31-36)

Love

Love is in the air
Love is all you need
Love is giving someone your last Rolo

1 Corinthians 13

John Oxenham = William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 - January 23, 1941):

Love ever gives. Forgives outlives. And ever stands with open hands. And while it lives, it gives. For this is love's prerogatives -- to give, and give, and give.

Other stuff?