Christmas

Ah, dearest Jesus, little one, prepare a bed to lie upon, a soft clean bed within my heart, that you and I may never part. (TIS 296)

Every shop I went into I looked to see if their was a nativity set for sale (not that I needed one) and there were none. I could not find one anywhere. Santa yes, tinsel yes, baubles yes, trees yes. but no nativities, no sign of Christ, born in Bethlehem, Saviour of the world. I felt a sadness  because in all the people shopping no one had the chance to see God in the season. This year in the community hall of the village I live in I placed my collection of nativity sets on a table for all to reflect on.  There are six from different countries, the oldest is from Germany and is over 150 years old. I thought of that one in particular and how many eyes had seen that nativity over those years and pondered the wonder of Christmas. I also look at them  and see how the light of Christ shines around the world.  My prayer this Christmas in a very anxious and troubled world, is that God's love will grow through us all and shine as a light in the world.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Bethlehem today

Take off your shoes.

 Take, take off your shoes, you're standing on holy ground. Well, the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, from waters beneath to heavens above, Take, take of your shoes. TIS 651

I can not hear the melodious call of the blackbird  or the bell like tinkling of  the tinniest bird on the bough and not think of our creator.

I can not see the most beautiful deep purple flower on the Buddleia tree without stooping to smell its rich honey perfume or look at a plain ordinary succulent that has raised up an incredible cluster of dainty pink flowers on a stem and not think of our creator.

I can not look into the crib of a nativity , and not see our creator. Instead of just a baby I see the one who created all we have including love and life.  Those tiny hands had the power to create, to float planets above the earth, fling stars in the sky and have the grace to give us light for life and dark for rest and shower us with continual love.  Its a special feeling when we can see more than just what we are looking at.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            exquisite creator

Never let it lose its joy.

O what a gift, what a wonderful gift. TIS 278

The Christmas gifts are starting to gather under the tree and soon there will be gatherings on Christmas day to open them, to express joy and excitement, food and laughter. But, soon it passes, the gifts lose their gloss, the tinsel starts to droop and the Christmas wrapping is in the bin  - the day has gone and life resumes as it was before.  But we know the real gift - the lasting gift -that brings great joy and feeds our soul. The gift of Jesus, not for a day, not for the moment but a gift that hold all we need for life. 

Now none but Christ can satisfy.

None other name for me

There's love and life and lasting joy,

Lord Jesus found in the. (anonymous)

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ . -For life.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                        Jerusalem.

Pause and enjoy life's wonders

 His name is Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God. Isaiah 9:6

I stopped by the fading vine of the sweet peas with the last few flowers remaining and I inhaled long and deep the sweet perfume - long and deep I inhaled as if to draw it into myself in an attempt to capture all I could to hold the memory until next spring. I walked away with a real blessing and it was like a little celebration. Life is good if we want to make it so. I read this quote: Each day can be a day of  celebration if we just pause to enjoy life's' wonders, large and small.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord

God's love is peace.

 God is here among us. He continues to be our refuge and strength. Paraphrase Psalm 46

Where do you find peace? That stillness of the heart and soul, that space where there is nothing but you and God? I heard it said that a place of peace is so, because there is nothing there. Its like walking along the  beach with the sand pushing between your toes and there is nothing other than  the sand, the sunset and the quiet rolling of the gentle sea. Or sitting outside at the break of day as the rising sun kisses the night away and I am reminded in the stillness that this quiet, this stillness is 'love' listening and God is always arriving. That to me is peace, a lasting peace that goes beyond understanding and so it is and so it will always be.

                                                In the presence of  Peace

What shall I cry.

 Comfort, O comfort my people says your God. Isaiah 40:1

I see the spring growth of the grass already browning off and dying in the summer heat and the first flush of the roses, glorious in their time are fading, dropping petals and coming to the end of their life. Nothing is for ever and our hearts can be anxious living in a world of China tensions, climate change, bushfires and a killer disease. All a threat to our existence as is aging, but the one thing that will stand forever, and will sustain us for ever is the fact that God is an everlasting God who holds our gaze and his word will stand forever, nothing can blot that out.  ' The grass withers, the flower fades but the  word of our God will stand forever. 'Isaiah 40:8.  If ever there is a time to read Isaiah it is now.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                 The flowers fade.

Are you ready?

Stay awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come. Mark 13.35

This time of the years I find myself just folding into the sounds  and sights that seem to come as we wait for  Christmas. The smell of the dust dry earth bedded with crisp brown eucalypt leaves and that chorus, that wonderful  chorus of cicadas  singing notes  high and low until they become one voice.  And, O yes, the baby Galahs' driving their parents to distraction with their endless squawking for food, and more food. To me, the sounds and sights of the coming Christmas, and its time to get ready for the celebration. Yesterday at church there were shepherds, part of our nativity set, just gathered in a distant corner  as if they were getting ready for something. Another sign that Christmas is coming and a wake up call that as we celebrate his birth we need to be mindful and ready for his coming.  Celebrating Christmas reminds us that Christ has come and Christ will come again. 

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

                    While shepherds watched their flock by night.

Power in silence.

 Be still before the Lord. Psalm 37:7

I was having a quiet time sitting outside in the evening. It was still and a silence was present. And I thought, there is power in silence. Think of all the things that happen in silence.  A tree  grows in silence into something big and strong. A flower grows from a seed into beauty of colour and perfume, in silence. The stars shine  out at night in silence and the dew falls, unheard  bringing a freshness to the day while a spider weaves its web in silence. What wonderful miracles, all happening in silence and as Blackfoot would say: 'There is the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.' In  the silence, with miracles all around there is God, the creator of miracles.

Be still,  be still, be still before the Lord. There is power in that.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                 The trees and flowers grow and bloom in silence.

 

Take God with you everywhere

 - .for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible. Col 1:16

Little treasures are hidden all around us but are they hidden or do we just not see them. It is so lovely to be blessed by a treasure. I stumbled across one when out walking in the country and the smile on my face broadened with delight. Two small pine cones nuzzled together in the grass and their parent tree had fresh small droplets, small sacs of life, hanging from its soft needles. I think I found more than one treasure on that walk; the pine cones, the tree, the smell of fresh pine needles and God, because without God on my mind I suspect I would not have really found any treasures.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                  hidden treasures

Surprises of beauty and colour

 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder. TIS 155

There is nothing more delightful and surprising than coming across something of beauty and colour when it wasn't expected. You can be meandering along on a walk as I was doing amongst the long dry grass and suddenly God through in a surprise of colourful pink flowers, dainty and bright that caused me to say aloud ' O how beautiful you are, thank you God.'  Patience Strong wrote: Something unexpected may be around the bend. Something to encourage you. A gift, a friend, and I say a flower, a beautiful king parrot or a pewee splashing with joy in the birdbath. 

The unexpected gifts from  God are our delight.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                        Unexpected joy and delight

Unfolding parasols

 O Love that will not let me go. TIS 602

Lots of what we see in our world  can bring such healing to our rushed and anxious spirit if we just stop a moment and pause. Be still.  And when you do you see the wonder that puts a hush in your spirit and a smile on your face. I mean just look out side - have you seen the magpies kicking in the tan bark, as Annie Dillard would say, or the unfolding parasols of the glorious roses, and the growing size of the baby Pee-Wee birds that nested not long ago in the gum tree? And as for the sunset across the water, that can only be described as a pathway leading straight to the  golden ball of the sinking sun. Ah, go find his love it will lift your spirits.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                        A golden pathway

Not just a rose

 O the deep, deep love of Jesus it washes white as snow. TIS 232

I looked with wonder at a white rose bud that was just opening. It was perfectly formed, pure white with dots of red and crystal clear rain drops on its petals and as I pondered its beauty something drew me beyond its floral beauty  and I saw the white as the purity of Jesus,  the red drops as his blood and the raindrops as his tears and  as I gaze at it I see the love of Jesus. Though I don't know the name of that rose I call it the ' sacrificial rose.'  

May the Lord of Peace give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord

O the love of Jesus

Woo me to your world.

 Listen to me for I have excellent things to tell you. Proverbs 8:6

There is nothing better than getting out into the countryside. Its like all the cobwebs are blown away and for a few hours you are in a different world, a world that delights and reinvigorates both body and spirit. And on this day God was dressed in all his glory of colour and spender, in red and yellow, orange flowers, striped with black and dotted in paler shades that lined the country road  and even those amidst the dead branches on the ground still shone their brightness.  And I see God had even more fun with his painting pallet scribbling on the tree trunks and painting the hills purple with Salvation Jane. And ahh, the quiet and the peace....

In our changing world that coops us up, the freedom of a country drive is life giving.

Blessings are the life breath of those who believe in the sacredness of space and place, all things and life. (Joan Chittister)

May the God of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

God has been painting his glory.

God who pursues us

 Surely your goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life. Ps23:6a

Dare we envisage a God who is on the move, who chases us, tracks us, follows us with goodness and loving kindness all the days of our lives? Ah such a comforting remembrance. 

I read this quote written by St Ambrose: The Lord is near to all of us, because he is everywhere. We cannot escape him, nor deceive him, nor lose him. God watches everything, he sees everything, he is close to each of us as he sys: 'I am a God close at hand.' and that makes me wonder why is it that at times like we are living in now some are so fearful. The God we envisage who is on the move, keeping pace with us, following us with all the goodness and kindness of his heart  will be there for us and with us always.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

 In good times and barren times God is on the path with us.

and love, joy, hope like flowers

 The tide of time shall never, his covenant remove; his name shall stand forever, that name to us is love. TIS 275

As I look out the window at a wet day my surrounds are like living in a park. Lush green grass and everywhere in the garden flowers are springing up all over the place. Flowers in all their beauty and glory - Roses, Sweet Peas, Grandmother's Bonnets, Forget-me-nots sprinkling around like confetti , Azalais, Dutch Iris, none dressed the same, all showering us with their beauty and all washed afresh with streams of rain drops,  and the Pee Wees, bless them,  are  scratching the wet earth for worms to feed their family. Its a joyful and peaceful scene and  I get a sense that despite the crisis in our world there is hope and that hope shone when I found myself singing the words of a hymn; He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth and love, joy, hope like flowers spring in his path to birth. (TIS 275)

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                  Grandmothers bonnet's and sprinkling of forget-me- nots

Here they are.

 Is anything to wonderful for the Lord? Gen 18 : 14

I wonder sometimes why it is I hardly  see a butterfly. I was pondering this while I was out walking and then, almost unbelievably a mass of white, a mass of hundreds of white things were flying through the air and they were butterflies. They flew towards me and past me and I found myself stationary and in awe and saying, 'what just happened then.'  I had never seen anything like it. I think God was listening to my ponderings and with a chuckle said to himself, 'I will show you butterflies!'  Ann Levin wrote: 'You  do not have to look for anything, just look. You do not have to listen for specific sounds, just listen. You do not have to accomplish anything, just be. And in the looking, and the listening and the being, find me, (God.)

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                  And one took a rest

The mystery of God

 Is anything too wonderful for the Lord. Gen.18:14

God is so clever, his skills and abilities are far beyond our understanding. He is the God of unexpected surprises in what he lays out before us for our joy, our  wonder. He is mystery, he is clever, he is skilled, beyond our understanding or comprehension, a God of unexpected delights and I saw all of  that in the small Pee Wee  birds( Mud Larks) who have toiled  to build their mud nest, their home. How is it that those tiny beaks can carry mud to and forth for days and mix it with some dry grass and 'glue' it somehow to a branch that despite torrential rain, and high winds, it holds firm. Only God can  make that possible and its a joy and delight to observe. It is sacred.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    Home sweet home.

A grain of sand, a wild flower, a rose

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so  that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

For days I have been watching the rose bushes gather more and more buds and some are ready to burst into glory but then I saw one had escaped its tight cocoon and there it was, the first rose of summer dressed in its layers of colourful skirts, glorious in its beauty and literally smiling at its achievement. (How did that beautiful flower fit in that tiny bud?) I could not resist the pause to smell the flower  and I was blessed with a burst of rose perfume. William Blake said: I see the world in a grain of sand and  heaven in a wildflower. And Tertullian said: If I give you a rose you won't doubt God anymore.

Go find that first rose of the summer, created and blessed by God just for you to enjoy.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                Dressed in their skirts.

What is your mantra?

This is my story, this is my song, praising my saviour all the day long. (Blessed Assurance.) Although born blind Fanny Crosby could still write beautiful hymns.

Don't let anything steal your joy! That's almost a mantra for me. There is so much good around us, there is so much beauty around us, there is so much love about us. Yes, and there is so much pain and  suffering yet, with God our joy can be complete. I mean, look about you - have you ever seen the earth so alive as in this spring? I look at the gardens, beautiful flowers all dressed in their best, each one a meditation in itself, and the green paddocks and those yellow with canola  and I just want to sing: Glorious things of thee are spoken. And 'the  birds are singing, throwing into the air praises.' (Mary Oliver) 

I like what St Benedict says:  Am I  fully alive - alive in my senses? Am I living with open ears and eyes?

Peace to those who are near and peace to those who are far off.

Anne, servant of the Lord

.            Green paddocks and yellow canola and the Lord is our shepherd.

 

Coincidence or God's grace

 The Glory of the Lord fills the temple. Ezekiel 43:5

It was a very dark overcast day, pouring with rain and as I sat in the service at the nursing home looking out the window. I could see the rain drops falling on the leaves of the tree and as they fell they ran down the seam of the leaf and fell with life giving droplets on the garden below and the words of the celebrant came to my ears .- 'May the Glory of the Lord shine upon us all' and at that exact moment the sun broke through the clouds and the room was bright with its rays and the world outside turned to a bright, deep yellow before the sun went again behind a cloud. It drew everyone who saw it to proclaim the presence of the Lord,. God's Grace or a coincidence? 

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, savant of the Lord

The glory of the Lord.

Onward and onward.

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

Sometimes I wonder about the people that are around me out in community. Who are they? What is their life like in todays world and do they have God in their lives? I was standing in a que outside a shop, socially distanced of course, just pondering these things and looking at the beautiful  pale blue wisteria climbing over a large trellis, its perfume filling the air. Politicians were gathered in a group each voicing their own views and ideas and from somewhere, I don't know where, I could hear gentle upbeat music and was astounded to hear it was playing Onward Christian Soldiers. I thought, no, it must be another song using the same tune but as it continued I turned around the the man standing behind me who was humming the tune and then I heard the person behind him also humming and I realised  how much the presence of God is around and about us in our community and I started to hum also. We made quite a choir as we stood there on sacred ground. And yes, it was Onward Christian Soldiers followed by When The  Saints Go Marching In, yet I still couldn't see where it was coming from!

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            Peace in a rocky world.

Live with intention

 Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. Philippians 4:4

I love what God does. This morning he brought two King Parrots  to my home and they were like visitors just spending time with me, sitting on the fence, watching, happy and content with their visit,  They stayed awhile, as visitors do, before flying off in song to scatter joy at some other  home or place. George Bernard Shaw wrote: Life isn't meant to be easy, my child: but take courage - it can be delightful.

Peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                        Welcome.

The sun is shining through

 Sing to the Lord a new song: sing to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1

Mildred Bell wrote: The mornings here, another day, the sun is shinning through, I left my worries all behind, today I start anew. And I think how could you not leave your worries behind as its so beautiful outside and the spring is so much waiting to make you smile and as the Syrian Clementine Liturgy would put it: Its the abyss of peace.  There is a small but O so colourful butterfly on the lavender pods of perfume and his tiny wings are closed as if in prayer -  and the birds are singing with the gift of song. Our world is full of so many life giving symbols of God's greatness may we not let the worries of yesterday, or today, take away the joy of God in his creation, his presence is so visible there. Pause like the little butterfly, sing like the little bird and choose to love this day because its a love that heals.

May the God of peace be with all of you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        The mornings here another day

A life of faith and love

 I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you O, my  soul rejoice. (Christian music - Laurie Klein) 

 As much as I see the face of God in the beauty of nature I see him in the face of the elderly. Faces lined with a  long life and hearts still praising God, a journey of faith over so many years and still, in the difficulties of aging,  living with the Lord. I was at the nursing home church service   sitting next to an older lady who has dementia  and as the intincted  bread and wine was placed in her hand and the words of life said she looked at the sacrament for a moment then  said :  ' I love you Jesus.' It was quiet, it was real and it was said with such humility and love that I felt the power of standing on sacred ground. What a blessing, what faith, what love, what encouragement.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                   I love you Jesus

Created love kissed with blessings

 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth..........to him be glory for ever and ever. Colossians 1:16 Paraphrased.

I saw a burst of love  when I saw the Crab apple tree in full bloom: I saw a burst of love  when I saw the golden wattle:  I saw a burst of love  when I smelt the perfume of the sweet peas:  I saw a burst of love  when I was given a bunch of violets that filled the moment with  a life time of memories. And (as Paula D'Arcy wrote) 'My heart whispered 'thank you' but it seemed shallow compared to the gift.' It's in these things, created by God for us to enjoy, that give me strength for the day. To see his created love that's kissed with blessings for us.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, Servant of the Lord.

                                                                    A burst of love

Behold our God

 Behold the maker of sight and sound. Romans 5:8

God loves to decorate. Have you noticed that lately. He is decorating with pink and white blossoms and visible green new leaves: he is decorating with yellow flowers with trumpets and pink, red, white and yellow cups of the tulips: red bottle brush filled with the pleasure of the honey eaters and have you noticed the tiny blue wild flower amidst the field of grass to say nothing of the yellow smiling faces of the Cape Weed daisies and the fresh happy songs of the birds.  There are bursts of love everywhere. God's love, to give us joy and pleasure. And, he is also decorating within you, a picture of kindness of love and compassion.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

Love abounds

Given with love.

Therefore I say unto you. Be not anxious for your life behold the birds in the air and the lilies  of the field. Matthew 6 :25 paraphrased
William Wordsworth wrote: 'I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills when all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils.' That's  a poem remembered from school days and when I read that line I get a sense that the poet  was wondering deep in his own thoughts and his spirit was lighten at the sight of the crowd of daffodils. Flowers and gardens do that for us, they can lift our spirits. Its like the plaque I have in my garden ....The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, you are nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else of earth. How true, how true and be it daffodils, a garden of flowers or a single blossom on a flowering crab apple tree, all God made and all God blessed, they have a way of drawing us to reflection. Times are hard, times are different but to lift our gaze from our room to our window, to glance a flower, a bird, the sunshine, our spirit can be lifted.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

You cant help but smile.

Where is God?

My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14
I recall a time in the outback when I sat by a pool of water, life giving water in the desert,and there were  rock faces  and lots and lots of red sand and I ask God, 'where are you in this arid place?' He replied, 'I am here within every grain of ancient sand. I am here in the life giving water in an arid place, I am here, I am here in the tree roots clinging  to the rock face. I am here, even in the meter span of a cobweb reaching from one rock to another, blowing in the wind, unbroken. He says I am here, I am  here from ancient times to with you now. And I ask God, 'where are you in the pandemic' and he replies 'I am here, I am here.'
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Breakaways Coober Pedy SA

Bright yellow, dazzling in fact.

Lord, the light of your love is shining, in the midst of darkness shining.......shine Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father's glory  TIS 675
Bright yellow, dazzling in fact it is so bright. That's the wattle in bloom everywhere at the moment. Every time I look at it a smile comes across my face and my heart stirs.. There it is, clusters of fluffy balls of cheer dancing with joy in the gentle breeze and I am reminded of the lovely words of Macrina Wiederkehr 'A tree full of Angels.'  One glance and my day is brightened.  One glance and I am filled with blessings. Because of our love of Jesus we can shine this bright in God's world. We can put a smile on someones face today. May many we encounter today leave with a smile on their face and a blessing in their heart.
May the Lord of  peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

God's love is shining

shards of love

Richer than gold is the Love of my Lord: better than splendour and wealth (TIS 534)
Love is a God gift that is given to us all. The one factor that gets in the way is that we rush through life and miss so much of this gift of love . We miss the love gifts that God has given us that enrich our lives and give us a 'warm inner ' feeling and a sense of his presence. In a busy life the challenge is to see the gifts as we live life and to not go right past things that show us God's love. It is spring and God's love is abounding. The roses are flush with abundant new growth, the Daphne is not only a sight to behold but carries God's fragrance as does the bed of violets and the tree of  wattle  and the daffodils. I mean, really its only love that can create their  bright yellow colour and unique trumpet and its hard to go past one without smiling!  God's love shines in so many ways , made just for us, but we have to slow down to see it.

God's love

Small joys and big ones.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. The new is here! 
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Anxiety  consumes so many in the crisis of today's world. I came across  this one liner  a while ago which said: May you refuse an anxious heart and embrace  a faith filled one. Anxiety cripples our life style. It cripples our hopes and dreams. It consumes our every moment thoughts.
The first bird song of the morning, the tiny rich coloured pink wild flower hidden in  a field of green grass yet visible with love from God if your focus is on him. That tiny florescent green and red tipped feather lying on the ground you bend to pick up, a God sent gift to take home and put in a special place to  enjoy and remember its finding blessing always. When we seek out the day with God its filled with small joys and big ones. Shake of the anxiety, go for a walk with God,walk in his blessings. Our lovely world is still there in all its beauty.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

A field of blessings

A small cloud full of hope

Look, a little cloud  no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea. 1 Kings 18:44
Recently I heard a version of this which said 'a fist full of clouds' and it has been on my mind ever since. That small cloud was full of hope for the people who were desperate for rain. It held all their dreams and desires and prayers. They had watched a dry and 'cloud empty sky ' for a long time and then this small cloud of hope rose from the sea and went onto produce great rain. Life is like that at the moment. We look about, we pray, we trust and we hope things will change, we seek the small signs that will tell us all will be well, we believe God will come to the rescue. I believe that. Why? because I love the world. I think of the green grass, the increasing blossoms of the trees, the spring flowers, the baby animals, the sunshine, the rain (and snow!) and more so, God's great love for us. So much of God's great love for us.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

A fist full of clouds

God's good deeds and countless blessings

The heavens declare the Glory of God: the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech: night after night they reveal knowledge.  Psalm 19:1-2
Lovely are those words: Day after day they pour forth speech: night after night they reveal knowledge. What a wonderful God who created birds that sing and animals  that talk their own talk. Flowers that smile and speak in perfume and stars that fill the night sky. As the changes blow into our lives with a virus in its wind instead of looking for the  signs of blame and drawing wrong conclusions and criticism and build around us a wall of fear, look to this wonderful creator God, remember his good deeds and countless blessings in your life. As its said, keep an ear bent towards heaven and God will be your guide and your comforter.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Proclaim the work of his hands

change comes bearing gifts

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!  Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 4:3:19
Its the time of the year when the garden is full of blessings of colour and perfume. What was hidden is now revealed. The tightly closed buds of the prunes blossom are open and alive like tiny pink dolls on the trees, dancing in the breeze. Change is happening from the winter into spring and change always comes bearing gifts. Even in the changed, anxious world we are living in today there are gifts. God is doing something new. I think of the blessing of zoom technology and how that has made connection possible with friends, family and church, how it has blessed so many through these tough times and drawn more people from community into a faith community. Something new is happening in our lives in many ways and it is making a pathway through the trouble.
May God use you to bless others.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God is doing something new

A feast in front of your eyes.

May your eyes be open day and night.  2 Chronicles . 6:20
Thich Nhat Hanh would say that day by day you become aware of the feast life offers - a feast that is right in front of you. I was so reminded of this when I sat  down at my desk and looking through the window my eye caught the movement of the Wattle bird feasting on the lush red blooms of the Grevillea bush  and I was reminded of a saying I hear a few days ago 'that my gaze was a blessing.' I was indeed blessed by the sight and the thought of this bird enjoying its feast of nectar. So often our gaze is just a sweeping  glance but when we pause and look, no gaze, what we see is far more.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

My gaze was a blessing.

And God is in it

Grace and peace from God our Father. 2 Cor 1:2
It is a troubled world we live in. In every direction there seems to be something out of the ordinary that shakes our 'normal' so why is it that the fresh sweet small of the Daphne lift my spirits so? Is it because it transports me back to memories of days of family,of peace,of 'normal?' Is it because it has a sense of hope in that a change of season is coming? And then under the tall trees where I go walking and popping through the grass I see and smell the memory filled scent of the wild violets. I lean down and pick one so its perfume will linger with me on my walk. What is it? Why is it in all of that I am somehow filled with comfort, assurance and peace?  I don't know but what I do know is that  it is comfort and it is God.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace  at all times and in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord

The sweet perfume of the Daphne

 

Looking for God

When morning gilds the sky my heart awaking cries, may Jesus Christ be praised. TIS 227
Morning comes pushing aside the last shades of the night and I like to spend that time, those last few minutes of darkness with no one except God.  Every day I look for God and every day I find him. He is in those moments of morning waking, he is in the silence, he is in the first song of the early birds . He is present in my rising and welcoming with treasured gifts of beauty, of colour, of  tiny precious sightings  along the walking path. The kiss of the new day finds me meeting God where I left him the previous evening. Are you still looking for God in whatever your situation is? He is there.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Morning has broken.

What does this say to you?

Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me. Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me. (New Harvest 173)

It is so amazing to know that you can  cut open a flower bulb and inside you will see the flower. What does that say to you? What image comes to mind? There it is, this beauty, tucked away hidden in the center of a plain brown bulb and planted in the right place it will emerge from the darkness into the light, unfolding  to flourish. I think we can relate this to us: ordinary people with the light of Christ hidden within us. Break us open by the Spirit of God and there will be revealed our beauty, our compassion, our love for one another  and an even greater love for God. And we will flourish. May many see the beauty within all who follow Christ. 

May the Lord of Peace himself give us peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Break me mould me so I flourish.

keep the balance

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it. John 1:15
Tough times world wide and it seems at times like the darkness is creeping over us but I like to remember the light that is always there. I think of the bulbs deep in the cold soil preparing for spring,  where they will rise out of the darkness and grow and blossom and bring pleasure and joy. I think of the tiny seed of the sweet peas, so small yet when they rise from the darkness they will pack a punch of perfume that can be smelt right across the garden to your front door. We to will rise from the darkness that is hanging over us but keep all things in balance remembering the light is always there, it hasn't moved.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Out of darkness into the light

From the heart of Jesus

Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9
There is no way of telling what each day will bring and in such troubled times as we are in now with a world pandemic and a record of this year being one unimaginable catastrophe after another our days and lives can change at the blink of an eye.  So how do we pray? I seem to recall this question being asked by the apostles when they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. he then gave them words - he taught them the Lord's prayer, a prayer that meets our daily needs and one that assures us that God is with us. Imagine this: Every time we say the 'Our Father,' God looks at his hands where our names are etched. 'See I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands (Isaiah 49:16). What a beautiful image. What an expression of the love that God has for us all. One of the most encompassing, personal yet universal prayers we can ever have and it was given  to us, word by word from the mouth and heart of  Jesus himself. They are his words, he made them up just for you and for me and for generations past and future. May we never say, 'Lord I don't know how to pray.'
May the  Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

(Israel) All along the wall in every language are the words of the Lord's prayer.

Waters of life

Rivers of living water will flow from his heart John 7:37-39
In the  softness of the dawn, the stillness as the new day starts to arrive, the morning song of the birds who sing to greet this new day - that is my morning prayer. I watch as the birds so enjoy the water in the bird bath, splashing it all over and under their feathers, singing with joy and shaking droplets of water into the air that fall on the garden flowers and I think of the water of life - Christ himself, the fountain of blessings, the living water. Our world is so inflicted with pain of the  suffering of the sick and dying and the fearful yet we can see the faithfulness of God, our God in the daily softness of the coming dawn of each day. May we never lose sight of the morning song of the birds and the faithfulness of God.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Splashing water all over and under their feathers.

Soaring in the heights

Fear not, for I am with you always. Isaiah 41:10
I recall when I lived in the outback the great strength, power and size of the wedge tail eagles.The sheer magnitude of them.  Their ability to be able to take off graciously and soar in the heights, hovering and gliding, master of all they survey. It was a sight that left me in awe and wonder at our creator but it also brought to mind the image of a God, strong, powerful, gracious, gliding, soaring and hovering over us all. A great and mighty protector. Of whom (or what) shall I fear?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Surveying everything.

A presence recognised

'.......And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' Isaiah 53:1
'Sometimes experiencing God is overwhelming.'

Grace and Peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

The Glory of the Lord

It wont crack or crumble

Show me the faithful love of the Lord. 1 Samuel 20:14
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other soil is sinking sand.(Edward Mote)  I love the power and determination of the words of that hymn:  Somehow, in the situation in our lives today,however that may be for you, there is power, assurance, peace and defiance in those words. That solid rock of Christ will never crack or crumble or fall. Put your footing on it -  Stand tall on it and proclaim God's faithful  love.

Lord, open to us today the sea of your love - the ineffable sea of your love.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Sea of Galilee 

gather fuel

Please accept my gifts that I brought you. Genesis 33:11
There are daily things that we gather into our hearts like the sight of a soaring eagle or bird song, or the tiny coloured feather lying on the ground. the smile of a stranger, a glorious sunrise and the sweet perfume that lingers as I plucked a wild violet on my walk   Things like people are never the same. 'Why do you watch a sunset daily?' the young man asked the monk on Patmos and the monk replied. 'I am gathering fuel, I am collecting material so that tonight when I pray I shall discover the presence of God in my own heart.' (anon)
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord

a soaring eagle - thank you God

Walking paths

This way, his way, is perfect. Psalm 18:30
Walking paths all hold many mysteries regardless of  where the path is. Perhaps its a bush track filled with the smell of the eucalyptus trees and dry tinder undergrowth with tiny pink orchids peeping out from near a twist of dry bark or a mossy rock. Perhaps its in a pine forest with the deep smell of the sap of pine trees, a carpet of fallen needles and clusters of different shape and sized pine cones eagerly gathering a few for a dried arrangement when I get back home or perhaps its on the edge of a field where the ground is hard and stony yet a tiny blue wildflower is flourishing and the 'shimmer grass' is shaking itself in the gentle breeze. Perhaps its in suburbia on a concrete path with the beauty seen in passing gardens, autumn trees or pink blossoms, and  others travelling the same way. There are many signs from God along lifes path. His word, his church, wonders of nature, godly parents and loved ones, joys and sorrows. Its what we see and observe on the way that enriches and encourages us, that fills us especially when our way, our path is following God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

treasures on the way.

Breath in the morning

Every day I will bless you and praise your name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:2
How lovely it is to watch the night give way to the morning light - a new day. In the stillness and  quiet I want to open the door and let it fill my home. Slowly across the landscape it is a creeping light that engulfs the remaining shallow dark. The evening star is tucked away, the moon has gone to another place and the sun is about to show its rising glory.  Creations shadows  take form and the birds begin to sing and my heart begins to sing for God has blessed us with a new day - another new day. Every day is a gift regardless of our situation. Embrace it and hold it  for it is life.
Rabindranath Tagore said: Do not say, 'Its is morning' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a new born child that has no name.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Creations shadows take form

Love embedded in life

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. (New Harvest 173)
The crispness and depth of beauty of the morning frost carpeted the ground in white and hung from the dew drops on the wire fence like tiny crystal balls. There is a stillness. There is quiet and its as if the day has frozen just so I can enjoy it a bit longer and it  'smacked' of those beautiful words from Psalm 46:10 'Be still and know that I am God.'  We are living in a changing,troubled and anxious time where for some, fear is very real but the one thing that never changes is God and his love for us.Steven Foster wrote, The unchanging spirit, that indescribable force of love,  is like a flower rising up from the secrecy of a small seed. One spirit, one heart, but only those who make peace with change will see it.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Stillness and peace

The light that brings change

A little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6
One, two, three red and yellow leaves are all that remain on the trees before  the last of the autumn splendor is gone. What a magnificent display of colour those  trees have given so many, they brought so much joy and delight to their onlookers and given themselves a wealth of food stored in their roots for the new life in  spring. A Sunday school teacher asked her class why the leaves change colour  and a small boy said such a profound thing. He said: 'I guess they are like us, they need light to change them, like Jesus brings his light to us and we are changed.' How special it is when we can take nature and all it has to offer, into the spiritual realm  and see God in it.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

What joy, what delight.

It may not be what it seems.

Open my eyes Lord, that I may behold. Psalm 119:18
Sometimes something can take our attention and hold it in mystery for it means more than it is. I am thinking of the large wooden cross behind the glass sanctuary at church, wet from recent rain but all along its cross beam was a row of rain drops, so visibly, so prominent, so beautifully formed. It seemed to hold a greater meaning than just raindrops on a piece of wood and its like an image I treasure from a fellow deacon that is a play on light in the sanctuary of his church, but is it? its so like the dove of the Holy Spirit.. When you open your eyes what do you see that appears to be just something ordinary but bring God into it and what a God moment, what a blessing.
May the Peace of the Lord himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Just a play on light?