Gold in the morning

' In your presence there is fullness of joy....' Psalm 16:11

Some pastoral visits have a sense that God walked right in the front door with you.

Yesterday morning I was visiting a 92 year old lady of German descent who had survived the war and worked at that time as a social worker......... imagine that task!

It was one of those pastoral visit that leaves you thinking, there is no place I would rather be, there is no other thing I would rather be doing, there is no one else I would rather be with at this point than this person and God.....and Oh how present he was.

Our conversation came somehow to morning walks and sunrises and she said to me, with a far away look in her eyes............ There is a saying we had in Germany about the early morning sunrise, translated it says something like this: ' The gold in the morning, brings God to the mouth.'

(Steiner-Rice.)

Its not the things that can be bought, that are life's little treasures, it's just the little 'heart gifts' that money can not measure.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne

seeds of peace

'Peace I leave with you;my peace I give you.' John 14:27

I had a sense in the small hours of the morning that even though the year is young, there are many out there who need a touch of God's peace today.

I'm a gardener, I love to be in the garden, planting, pruning, potting, enjoying. Its one of those places where I meet God and the signs of his hand work are all around and as for biblical imagery, it abounds.

It's a place of peace but more so the sense of peace comes when you realise the magnitude of our God.

Lucado says: 'Want to see a miracle? Take a seed the size of a freckle. Put it under several inches of dirt, give it water, light and fertilizer. And get ready. A mountain will be moved. It doesn't matter that the ground is a zillion times the weight of the seed. The seed will push it back! Never underestimate the power of a seed.'

Just reflect a moment: If you need peace today, think of the seed, think of the magnitude of God.....wait for the miracle .......and be at peace.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

What a glorious morning

' Praise with joy the worlds creator......' TIS 179

I was reflecting on the beauty and 'God filled presence' of the early morning when two things came to mind.

Following a recent reflection one of the deacons wrote: 'Its a glorious morning here, the birds since the rain have been very vocal and active and their song was heart stopping first thing this morning.'

The other was a picture in my mind of the sunrise across the ocean at York Peninsular.

Both thoughts had me asking myself the question:

Is it the same thing to say, 'Oh Lord what a glorious morning' and 'Come into his presence singing Hallelujah.'

How nice it is to let the hand of God reach out in his presence, and touch you.......before you have barely washed the sleep from your eyes.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

pale blue cornflowers

'Listen, a sower went out to sow......'Matthew 13:3

There is something deep inside me that set a thought off when I saw the pale blue cornflowers flowering amongst the weeds on the roadside.

Something came to mind to do with the parable of the sower,

something to do with growing strong and blossoming into flower despite the hard roadside, rocky soil,

something to do with overcoming difficulty,

something to do with achieving, surviving, growing, despite other issues around you that endeavour to pull you down,

to strangle your growth.

Here were these flowers, growing strong and tall and blossoming amongst the weeds and rocky soil.

I am tempted to say.......'dont just look with your eyes, but with your ears, listen.'

Grace and peace from the Lords Jesus Christ.

Anne

The sheep with their little lambs

' Here is the lamb of God.......' John 1:29

I was at a funeral yesterday in my home town of Tumut and amidst the many memories that come flooding back when I sit in that church, was none as strong as when the choir sang that beautiful classical piece, 'All in the April Evening.' I remember my mother singing that around the house, I remember the choir practicing in the church, over and over and over, for an Easter choral presentation, among them the deep base voice of the one we were fare welling. But what came flooding back more was the reason for this classical piece having been written in the first place. Written by a person who saw a mob of sheep with their lambs being herded across a road to head for the hill side.

' All in the April evening, April airs were abroad. The sheep with their little lambs passed me by on the road, the sheep with their little lambs passed me by on the road......and I though on the lamb of God.'

This scene reminded the composer of another lamb who went to the hill side......the lamb of God.

Isn't it wonderful to be able to look and see the things in life about us and connect with God through familiar scripture, but more so through relationship with God.....one doesn't go without the other.

Grace and piece from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

O sing a new song

'O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things, his right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.' Psalm 98:1

You know, you cant do a single thing outside the presence of God because every minute is in the presence of God......all that is, is God and has God in it.

The beautiful flower created by God and anointed with his perfume.

Every leaf on every tree..... has the hand of God in it.

Every conversation, God is present.

Every dying, God is there.

Every living, God is there.

Every which way we turn, there is God.

Even in sleeping....Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep....there is God.

Steiner-Rice says:

'God's mighty hand can be felt every minute, for there is nothing on earth that God isn't in it.'

Go into the day, each and every day, and all the days that follow knowing that God is with you, everywhere, in everything.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

Because their lives are precious

'He will help the poor....save the needy......be kind to the weak......and save lives.' Psalm 72:12

Isn't this passage from psalm 72 a portion of a job description for followers of Christ..for Deacons.......for all Christians?

There is a story of a man called George, a wheel chair bound evangelist, who is 'dirt poor.' The people he ministers to are even poorer but there is none so rich in faith as George. In his wheel chair he travels from village to village....sore muscles and calluses on his hands, he keeps going....his deepest desire is to share Christ with others. (Lucado)

When I read about George I found myself thinking how far does my love for Christ reach into the needy of the community? How body worn am I at the end of a day from serving others and how deep are the calluses. Interestingly, its not the body scars at the end of the day that we dwell on......its the body count.......the poor who have been helped, the needy who have been cared for, the weak that have been strengthened and the message of God's love sown.....because lives are precious.......to Him.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne

I am the gate

' Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.' John 10:7

As I walked I was reflecting on the morning beauty and the blessings around as the day unfolded, when I saw a lady sitting by herself on the embankment off the side of the track. As I approached I asked her was she alright. ' Yes,' she responded, ' I am just contemplating in this lovely spot.' Our conversation lead to the inspiration that I get from walking this track of a morning and the mention of 'God' came into my conversation. 'Its interesting,' she said, 'how you can get 'God thoughts 'just sitting and contemplating. Did you notice there is a gate up there, just along the track a bit that leads into the sheep paddock.....doesn't God say something about gates and sheep?'

Its so lovely to pause in the fullness of the moment, sensing you are standing on Holy ground, having a conversation, God centred, yet total strangers and it leaves me continuing my morning walk singing a song in my heart, a precious song between me and God.

As Macrina Wiederkehr says:

Breath in the dawn, rise high the chalice of your life, taste the joy of being awake, its the best medicine of all.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

New Year 2010

'The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water continuously gushing up to eternal life.' John 4:14

I couldn't help but notice the rapid green growth of the new grass shoots after the recent rain. Arid patches of dusty track were turning into new growth with this 'living water' sprouting seeds, full of life and colour and goodness.

As we come into a new year with all its new beginnings we often reflect on the past year and all it held. So often I have heard people say its been a dreadful year......cant wait for it to finish....family losses, continuous health issues, some life threatening, personal pain,bush fires , drought and floods.

Its always good to reflect back on the year past and in doing so challenge yourself to see where God was and is, in the 'pain.' What are we learning from the difficult times and are they times that draw us closer to God? The 'living water' that Jesus is to us also brings us to life and new growth if we visit his 'well' often, seeking that life giving drink.

In all the difficulties of life we know, that Jesus is always with us......so go to that well and drink.

This verse is from one of my favourite hymns:

O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee: I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depth its flow may richer fuller be. (George Matheson)

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne