There you are again, God

 Let us see your face Lord. Psalm 79:2

The beckoning I get to go to the sacred place is so powerful of an early morning. Its like God says: 'Come, sit quietly with me,  open your hands and your heart and  take this day, its a gift for you.'  O there is so much to see of God from the sacred space today. The petunias of deep purple and those striped yellow and red (isn't God clever?) The glorious blue of a blue flower, the magenta pelargonium  and the fuchsias, always in a pose of prayer. The kaleidoscope of colours just go on and on. Let us see your face Lord - let us see your face.  Alice Carwardine said: There you are, again, God the creator. God of all beings. There you are again.

Jehovah-shalom. The Lord is peace.      Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Fuchsias, head bowed in prayer.

Wonderful creator, mighty God

 Have you not known, have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. Isaiah 40:28

Time does nothing to dull the awe and wonder of the greatness of God. Such is his creativity that at times it leaves us speechless - the acorn so bright green with its little brown cap has the potential to grow into a very, very large tree. The little egg in the nest that is anxious to burst out and be what its meant to be - a little bird, and the glorious coloured butterflies on the Buddleia bush. What a wonderful God we have who showers us with delights. A Rennie says: 'Let us seek and find the small joys that are the 100 and 1,000's scattered on our daily life.'

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

Wonderful creator. 

Christmas

 How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion ,'Your God reigns.' Isaiah 52:7

I thinks I have already received the most treasured Christmas present. One of the small children in church came to the communion rail and holding out her hand she placed a small red star into my hand and said. 'This is for you,  to remind you that Christmas is coming.' She is all of 4 years old. I read this saying today. Christmas is a gift from God  that we cannot keep unless we give it to someone else.

                    Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                              Plaque in the church of the Nativity Bethlehem.

God's love

 God is love. John 4:8

From the sacred space beauty hovers in colours of summer through the garden. The first glorious flush of the summer roses has passed leaving behind memories of colour, of perfume, of shape, of revelation of miraculous  openings - of joy and delight, and I think of how nature is full of  things of love  - God's love.

How does God's love flow into you? What gives you life and a deep inner  peace?

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                        A vase of God's love, fresh from the garden, to give in love.

Windy days

 Wind wind blow on me, wind wind set me free. ( New Harvest songs)

I thought of this song when the strong wind was blowing  the past few days and reflected on how God is present in every action of his creation, even that wild wind which we often dislike so much. I read this little verse by Christine Rossetti:

'Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you. But when the leaves hang trembling, the wind is passing through. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I. But when the trees bow down their heads - the wind is passing by.'

Creator God of all things, there are some days when we might want to pray, just calm it down a bit, but then I think, others need the wind, and remember, remember, the wind of the Holy Spirit.!

May the God of all things, bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            We need the wind!

Look out and about

 For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, Christ, our God, to you we raise this our sacrifice of praise.  (Hymn TIS 137)

It was a pink and orange  and purple dawn that offered the promise of this new day. A new morning, a sacred time, when all things are made new and, as Annie Rennie would say, 'the world around us is full of small wonders.'  How true is that when I look at the garden that adorns my sacred space that is dressed in magnificent roses of many colours, spotted and stripped petunias, colourful geraniums, cheeky johnny jump-ups peeping their heads through every available garden space and  the beautiful colourful sweet peas are throwing their sweet perfume over it all. The place is filled with the presence of God. Joyce Rupp said:' Even though I know only a tiny portion of who you are God; I love what I do understand and experience of you in my life.'

Look out and about - lift up your hearts - for God is here in this place.  Anne, servant of the Lord. 

                                                                 Sweet Pea.

Pack peaches or grow an orchard.

Psalm16: You will show me the path of life, the fullness of  your presence.

Sometimes the people I walk among in daily life have no hope. They see no purpose in their lives and struggle to exist. I love this thought by John Gardner: When people are serving, life is no longer meaningless. We can see more in our lives than what it seems. It's like this: some people spend their days sorting peaches or cutting out pockets to sew onto pants and they do this all their lives and never feel the exhilarating sense of creativity that comes from within such as growing an orchard or  designing a suit for the pockets. The meaning and the blessings that accompany our life come not from achievement but for what we do for others out of how we live. Gardener goes on to say, if  we are lovers of beauty , then beauty will fill all our days and if we are committed to justice, then justice will drive us ever beyond fatigue. My prayer is that we all see more in our lives than what it seems to be.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord

                                              A bird dose not just build a nest but makes a home.

And he showed his face.

 Come my heart says, seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Psalm 27:8

Many a time I would take to the walking track, not just to go for a walk but to seek the Lord and it is there surrounded with creation,  that I would ask God to show me his face. On one such walk I laid my request before him and then, right across my path came this most magnificent echidna, shy and nervous, hesitant but trusting as he walked across the path before me. Then, within meters of me, was a mother wallaby grazing, and from her pouch the tiniest face of her joey looked at me with great interest through long dangling legs. God continued to show me his face as he pulled down the shutters on the day over the  stone faced, magnificent mountains before me, lit in awe inspiring colours of the sun set.

I asked the Lord to show me his face and he did.

                                 As you go into this day, ask the Lord of no more, than to show you his face.

May the peace and presence of God fill your life every single day.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                   Mother and joey.

The aroma of God

 Beauty from brokenness, hope for despair, Lord in the suffering, this is our prayer. (TIS690)

Ah yes, the glorious roses have come into bud and bloom again amidst a garden full of countless 'God miracles' and their sweet aroma, the aroma of God, fills my sacred space where there is quietness of the soul, peace reigns, and conversations are had with God. Its here I reflect on the broken world, God's world, our world. Oh, if only this beautiful aroma of God could fill our world. If only it could waft over Israel, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine, Africa and all the other troubled places ,what peace it could bring, what multitudes it could put  on their knees.

 Take our broken world into your sacred space with God and pray like never before that God's aroma will cover the earth.

Mane Nobiscum Domine -remain with us Lord.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's beauty

Awakening

 Then their eyes were open and they recognized him. Luke 24:31

Sometimes I wonder if we are a bit like the disciples who were walking along the Emmaus road and were startled to find their companion was the risen Lord Jesus Christ and likewise the disciples on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked towards them on the water and as for us, we can be startled also when we recognize the Lord is with us and this is often a wave of recognition for me and particularly I sense this from my sacred space where I am surrounded by the beauty of creation and colour in my garden. It is there I see him and there is almost a 'thin space' between us in this real awakening.

Friedrich Buechner said: Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty so at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendor, always and everywhere, barely hidden, beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.  Where is it that the Lord catches you unawares?

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.   Anne. Servant of the Lord.

Here in all your splendor.

As they open we are blessed.

 All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, then thank the Lord, Oh thank the lord, for all his love. Hymn by Matthias Claudius.

You can almost see the full buds on the plants in the garden  bursting to come forth with their colour, shape and beauty. They are little unknown pockets of beautiful colour and perfection, a mystery to us  until they burst and open and we are blessed. The sacred space is  just where I want to be these sunny mornings surrounded by God in all his creation and I believe that anything which  brings such joy and delight is surely from the Lord. I mean, just imagine the size of his painting pallet. Imagine the variety of colours on it. Imagine his thinking as he raises the paint brush to begin these delights for you and for me and I can almost hear him saying: 'This one is for you, your favourite colour and shape.' 

Oh thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his love.    Anne, servant of the Lord

Made by God.

Astonish me again!

 So we have come to know and to believe the love God has for us. 1 John 4:16

It is such a delight to be in the sacred space, in the warm sun of early morning, where the garden is alive, as Annie Rennie would say, 'with small wonders and ordinary joys.'  You can feel the love and presence of  God and his work  and as I gently touch the petals of the variety of flowers and encourage the new buds of the yet to bloom roses I silently whisper, 'God, you continue  to astonish me.' Oh, may we never see the things about us as common place and ordinary, but open the eyes of our heart, our mind, our spirit to see you God, in all things.

May the love of God fill your life every single day.          Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's beauty.

Gold, silver and grey.

This is my fathers world  (Thanksgiving hymn)

 I came over the rise of the hill and there before my eyes as far as I could see were fields of brilliant, golden canola, coming to life with the creative spark of God, even more brilliant  in colour by the sky shrouded in silver and grey rain clouds - the contrast was amazing and reminded me in a strange way of the Sunday school song, 'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.' It was Maltbie Badcock who said: 'This is my fathers world, he shines in all that's fair, in the rustling grass I hear him pass and he will speak to you everywhere.' - even in the golden canola!

May the peace of Christ be with you.    Anne, servant of the Lord.                                         

                             

                                                    Gold, silver and grey

The creators presence.

He made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 

I could feel the presence of the creator as I stood amongst the gardens of pure delight. The daffodils, the tulips of every colour, and the boarders of pansies, their 'faces' smiling back at me, the brilliant yellow of the 'broom bush' and trees dressed in fresh green new shoots amidst pink and white blossoms and such a variety of other beauties. It was a kaleidoscope of colour and I  felt surrounded by miracles. And the blackbirds melody surrounded this lovely sacred space and my heart also sang, O, God, O Lord, you are so beautiful, your face is all I see.' 

 In truth we gaze but do not see - when you look around you, what do you really see?   

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

Pink and white blossoms

Presence and presents

 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God Where can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2

Spring is the time when God surrounds us with his smile. Glorious colours of the blossoms and the flowers, deep green grass and breathtaking sunrises and sun sets. Creation shouts before our eyes, it 'shouts' the smiling face of God in all its glory. His presence is such a present. What a treasured gift. Its not so much a case of 'taste and see that the Lord is good'. Its more about look and see, feel and see, touch and see, smell the spring air and see, for the Lord is good.

For the gift of this new day, dear Lord, we give you thanks.     Anne, servant of the Lord

Glorious things of you are spoken.

Calling, calling to sit and be.

(Psalm 26:8).O lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory dwells. ......where the morning mist hovers, almost kissing the earth and the sacred space was calling, calling to sit, to be, to take in some moments with you the creator of it all as the new day was coming to light, waking, singing, full of the bird chorus and waving daffodils.  For the gift of this new day Lord, we give you thanks.

May the peace of Christ fill your life every single day.     Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                       Where the morning mist hovers.
.

 The Lord said: 'Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.'  Mark 6 :31

The song of the morning rose in joy from within the golden wattle trees as the honey eaters and thornbills shared the feast of golden balls together and its in these treasured moments I feel I am one with creation and I reflect on how 'there is no time like spring, where life's  alive in everything.' as the poet Christina Rossetti would say. As I reflect on the rising of spring from a very cold winter, I feel blessed, blessed by a God who gave us the four seasons to enjoy and to see his handy work in them all: the beauty, the shapes and the  colour and sounds. What a wonderful creator God, what imagination far beyond our thoughts that season after season after season God gives us such joy and blessings. To get the true blessings we need to look and see about us, pause awhile, and be present to what God has created for us. 

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                The beauty of the wattle.

Fluttering and dancing

My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

  Out in the garden and behold I see a patch of golden daffodils that take my breath away and the words of William Wordsworth came into my mind: ' And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.'  I look at their long yellow trumpets and skirts of perfect yellow petals and the happy little buds that are yet to turn into flowers and O how they bless me!  And I think about the day ahead and it doesn't matter whether a day is good or bad, what matters is what we do with it, so today Lord, make us grateful for every minute of the day and open our inner eyes to see your love in the beauty around us and especially in the yellow daffodils 'fluttering and dancing in the breeze' 

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Golden, yellow daffodils.

Eyes to the right. Eyes to the left.

 O Lord, you light my fire, your face is all I seek and when your eyes are on this child your grace abounds in me. (Christian Song)

On the Camelia bush is  the most beautiful, the most glorious, the most perfectly formed flower of the deepest, deepest red and I sensed God's presence in every petal of its creation and as I turn my face to see its glory there is the most wonderful blessing. As Annie Rennie would say.' It lets the sparks of heaven into our hearts.' 

Look, don't just pass by the beauty about us, and see the face of God, his creation, his beauty - its a true refreshment that lifts our hearts in a troubled world.

May the love of God be always with us.       Anne, servant of the Lord

                                              Glorious things of you are spoken

A taste of heaven.

 Great are the works of the Lord to be pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111

I just have to say it again. The perfume filling the air from the flowers in the garden is just heavenly and I can feel the love and presence of their creator all around. I stepped out into the moonlit night before settling down for the evening and the perfume from the flowers was 'a taste of heaven.' Rich, deep perfume rising from the daphne and the violets and I wished I could put that smell onto paper so we can all enjoy God's love this way. O, the night air - its just bursting with fragrance. I read these words from Willkie Au. 'We experience a taste of heaven in moments of profound love, beauty, joy and peace in God's presence - swept away into another world.' and that's how it feels in the garden, 'swept away into another world, a world of love, beauty, joy and peace in God's presence.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            'Little violets'