Angel Dust

 May the Lord bless his people with peace Psalm 29:11

Sometimes there are no words when I look to the west in the evening just on sunset and the countryside is lit with colour and radiance and a sense of fine dust filtering through it as if its find gold dust falling from heaven. I call that angel dust sprinkling our earth for our joy and pleasure. Have you seen it?

                                 I read this prayer from Frederick Buechner:

Lord catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty so that at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are  here in all your splendor, always and everywhere, beauty hidden, beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.

As you bless me with light at the suns setting, shine on me now with love.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

Sunset. Evening glory.

A sacred silence

Morning has broken, like a new morning. ( Hymn TIS 156)

Its just past day break , a lovely autumn morning. The fog was twisting, weaving its mysterious silence through the trees and across the dew leaden grass  and a stillness and quiet  hung in the air - a silent mystery full of haunting beauty. Daniel O'Leary says: 'Enjoy something good and beautiful today even if it's just to take a moment to look at the shape of a leaf.' or as for me, to stand on the edge of the fog with God  and be shrouded in its mystery. 

As you bless me with light at the sun's rising, shine on me now with love.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                       Silence.

When I in awesome wonder

 O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder consider all the works thy hand has made. I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. (Hymn TIS 155)

Its nothing short of awe and wonder and amazement when I go outside at night and pause in the sacred space in the dark quiet and stillness and gaze at the night sky, a multitude of billions of stars and that perfect roundness of the glowing moon , its a humbling experience, and I pause and think there are four humans up there in a tiny space capsule, a great human endeavor but in all of that I am struck with the words of one of the astronauts who was so speechless about  what he was witnessing as they rounded the moon with it so close to them and also seeing the blue sphere of earth below it that  all he could do was declare the handiwork of God. A person of faith or not he said this would leave you in no doubt. Perhaps I wonder is this all part of God's plan? Not only will the astronauts return to earth with a great deal of knowledge and scientific data but as great witnesses to God. May we also be great witnesses to God through  life experiences that leave us with no words except to say 'that is God'

Peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's handiwork.

                                                Photo by Guy Thomas.