Scatter joy.

Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'
On that first Christmas love came down and kissed the earth and the world was on the verge of change. One tiny baby, a tired mother and father, the donkey resting and cattle gathering around a stable manger as shepherds and sheep arrived to see where and why the star had led them. Love, that is what Christmas is about, and it is needed no less in our world today than it did on that first Christmas. There will be many, many hundreds of people experiencing horrendous loss, grief and a sense of hopeless  this Christmas with the massive drought and destructive,mega, unprecedented bush fires that are ravaging our country, but amidst  it all there will be stories of sacrifice and love. Euripides wrote: Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other. 
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The shepherds are coming.

Hold fast to your faith

They shall know that I the  Lord their God am with them. Ezekiel 34:30 
How hard it is to think of the joy and celebration of the coming of Christmas in a few days while our country is a dust bowl of drought, burning up with unprecedented weather and mega fires and we are choking in thick smoke. Our wildlife, especially the koalas are being lost to the flames to say nothing of human life and property. I suspect many would say 'where is God.' Somehow I think the world would have been in a pretty bad state when God sent his Son Jesus to earth as a tiny baby, to be our Savior. We need to hold our trust in God, and never waver. I like this passage from Ezekiel 34 called The Good Shepherd: This is what God says: 'I myself will look for my people and take care of them in the same way as a shepherds takes care of their  sheep.  I will bring them back from all the places where they are scattered on that dark disastrous day. I will lead them to the mountains and the streams of their own land, so they may make their home amid the green pastures. I shall be their God, their Good Shepherd, they will be my people, they will be my flock.'  

Shrouded in thick smoke

Hear it in a bird song.

I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:6
Some time ago an elderly lady asked me 'can you smell God, because every time I walk into the chapel I can smell this beautiful perfume.' Yes,' was my reply, 'We can smell God, you only have to pause at a rose in bloom, or catch  the sweet perfume  of the jasmine in the evening breeze and that is God. And another question. 'Can God sing to us because we can sing to him?', Again my reply was 'yes,  sometimes it can sound like the wind but then again like a tiny bird. Its all God's love. You can feel it in the wind, smell it in a flower and hear it in a bird song, to say nothing of the laugh of a kookaburra! Just stop a moment and listen.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Baby Galah's sing out of tune!

.

Quite beautiful, quite pretty.

(Zaccheus)  - he was trying to see who Jesus was, so he climbed a sycamore tree.  Luke 19:3-4 paraphrased.
So many things in our day can just pass us by if we are unaware. Take the trees for example. When I was out walking I noticed many of the white branched eucalyptus trees are showings areas of pink on their white trunks  and I marvel at that and I wonder.  Its quite beautiful, quite pretty and as the wind blows the leaves, its like the trees are singing and among the thick of leaves the birds join in and I find myself humming  as I go on my way.. Philip Toynbee said: in Tree scrutiny: I stand apart and look; looking I respect almost to the point of love but what I hope to be loving is God; not because he 'made trees,' but because he gives me the power to see them with such intensity and clarity.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord

White trunk eucalyptus trees

Every night will have its morning.

Comfort, O comfort my people says the Lord. Isaiah 40:1
There doesn't seem to be a place on the eastern side of our country that isn't burning or shrouded in choking smoke. Catastrophic and mega bush fires are destroying everything within their path yet there is a great sense of hope and thanks. Hope that the fires will not destroy their property, hope that lives wont be lost and hope that fleeing animals will be able to outrun the fire. Despite many losses though stories of bravery, thankfulness and praise go up each day especially for the exhausted fire fighters.   There is great comfort in the words of this hymn by Robin Mann. Though your tears be an ocean full, though you cry with hurt of living. Though your eyes see only darkness, though your eyes can see no light, though your eyes see pain and sorrow, comfort, comfort. Every night will have its morning, every pain an end, every burden will be lightened. Comfort, comfort all my people with the comfort of my word.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Hope where it seems no possibility

angels heralding Christmas

And peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17
So many things in a day can make us happy if we just look and reflect. Like the 5 angels at the street library. They gave me great joy. So for this week  choose something that makes you happy and send up a prayer of thanks saying 'My Father, thank you for THIS because its a lovely gift from you.' 
Enjoy the special moments with God's gifts. Look out for them.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

and there are the 5 angels.

There are about 5 angels

There is  joy in the presence of angels:  Luke 15;10
Where I take my daily walk I am always blessed by something. On my walk I pass a street library where a home owner has  set up a little 'house like structure' on a pole  on the edge of the path  with second hand books for people to take free of charge, and add to if they have finished a book they would like to give.To my delight the street library had additions yesterday, the first Sunday in Advent. There was a colourful, spiral streamer hanging alongside from a branch of the tree  and on the ground were about 5 angels made of tin, elevated on almost unseen little spikes and a tiny angel above the door of the library. What joy it gave me and to mind came this quote: Let there be little Christmases throughout the year when unexpected acts of kindness bring heavens light to earth. 
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord

ADVENT.