Gems of our faith

The King of love my shepherd is. (TIS 145)
More and more we look to a source of comfort and grounding in troubled times and the words of this beautiful hymn have been a great source of comfort. So much of the words of the Christian life journey hold  comfort and deep peace, gems of our faith, the very words that keep us walking side by side with Jesus through the ups and downs of life. They are words with a warmth and give us a  sense of being cared for,  held, brought back, saved,loved, hugged. Picture this thought; you can't see Jesus but he is right now beside you, gentle yet strong,his staff and rod in his hand.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Words of the Christian  journey

Spirit of the living God.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matt 5:8
We really know so little about God and all his creation but I do know that his Spirit moves through it all, not just us. Experiences in life bring the 'thin space' between God and us and creation into a oneness and creation connects with us in a deep, spiritual way if we are looking to see. On the Victorian Police Face Book Page is a story by a lady who had to drive down the highway past the site of that dreadful accident where four police officers lost their lives. She was anxious and nervous and as she came to the place of where the accident had been four beautiful large white butterflies flew gracefully in front of her windows shield as if in slow motion and after a few moments they flew off.   Was it something special? Was it something to do with God?  Oh yes! Indeed it is because the Blue Wren tells me so.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

The Lord God made them(us) all.

Be thou my vision.

But their eyes were kept from recognising him. Luke 24:16
Walking is always something I have loved doing when ever possible Early morning walks or early evening all bring revelation, recognition, awareness and pleasure  and yesterday while out I paused under an oak tree to look at the fungi growing in the grass. At first glance I thought mushrooms then a closer look revealed they were toadstools. These are 'fake' mushrooms, I thought, and some people don't recognise that which can often lead to death. For many around Jerusalem the rumor of the resurrection of Jesus must have seemed like 'fake' news. Its a scam some would say, should we believe it or not, but the true believers, though stunned and shocked came to see the reality as flashbacks from their journey with Jesus and his parting words suddenly started to make sense.
 Jesus resurrection is no 'fake' news, its no scam. Fake news and scams  rip us off, there is no good ending in them. Reality, the reality of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ is real news, good news and its what will bring us home.

Fake or real?

simple yet profound

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder. (TIS 155)
Sometimes something simple yet profound will remain with us always.I found a note scribbled on a piece of paper in a second hand book I picked up in a book shop and it simply said:'God is everywhere and he is with you now.' On another occasion I found a note on my desk in the chapel of the nursing home where I was chaplain and it came from a lady whose husband was dying, it said: 'Rev'd Anne, can you smell God? I came in here today and the chapel was filled with a wonderful perfume yet there were no flowers.' And every time I open my prayer book I see a picture scribbled on a small piece of green paper and the words Michelle aged 7. This was passed to me during a church service  by a very shy child sitting in front of me and it felt like I had been given a treasure, so special that 26 years later it still holds a place in my prayer book. Mary Oliver wrote: Every day I'm still looking for God and I'm still finding him everywhere - in the dust, in the flower beds - and I want to add in the unexpected note in a tattered second hand book, and in the chapel and a child's picture.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times, in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

simple yet profound

Dance, dance wherever you may be.

For in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Something, anything in life that comes out of the ordinary can throw us off course. What was, is no longer. What  can be or will be  now holds a question mark. But, today, now, this new day is life, this  is how it is, however it is shaped. Stillness and quiet say to us: Look and see. Touch and feel. Bend and smell.   Awareness and appreciation come in stillness and quiet and suddenly we start to see things we have just walked by before. Yesterday I didn't just notice that the autumn leaves were on the  ground but I stood still, under the tree and watched them fall, floating gently, quietly, softly, dancing in the breeze all over and all around me and I suddenly had an impulse to giggle because I thought I heard that coming in the joy of the ride of the leaves from the tree to the ground. Lost in the moment we shared the joy together. Would I have noticed or enjoyed that a few months ago when life was busy and at a hair raising pace? Maybe, maybe not.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Don't blink and you actually 'see' the leaf!

What do you bring home?

How lonely  sits the city that once was full of people. Lamentations 1:1
For this season in time we are experiencing empty and lonely cities, towns, villages and homes but how are we coping with that? Daily life is very different but so many doors can open  for us. Doors of peace and stillness as we slow down from a 'running pace of life' to reflection and awareness. At the close of my day I like to go for a  long walk and find something to bring home. It may be a tiny colourful bird feather that I will place in a grandchild's journal and share with him or her its incredible creation and creator and yesterday I had so much joy from a beautiful coloured flower growing like a bramble beneath a very old eucalyptus tree.As I approached it I could see its petal skirts were red, white and  yellow on stems of bright red with deep green leaves and its perfume filled my space like incense. I picked some of it, all the while telling God how much joy it had brought into my day and taking it home put it in a vase as a bright symbol of a memory filed with perfume in this troubled world.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

So much joy

Easter Day

The Lord is risen indeed. Luke 24:34
A simply lovely Easter gift arrived at my door for Easter Sunday from my family. It gave me great joy and was an expression of what Easter is about for everyone. Made of butter biscuits was the symbol of the cross with the words iced onto it 'He is Risen.', a colourful iced flower and a yellow iced chicken. There was so much joy and celebration in the gift of a families love that I left it untouched on the table before I cold bring myself to demolish it all with a cup of tea and then it was gone!  The gift that Christ gave to us through his death  is not just the gift of his life and death on the cross but all that gift offers us of love, of devotion,of strength, of courage, of perseverance and of eternal life.
The greatest. The most wonderful. The most enduring. The most lasting gift of love is found in the gift of Jesus.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Its not the gift but whats in it

Holy Week

Beauty from brokenness, hope for despair. Lord in the suffering this is our prayer.  (TIS 690)
I held the rough, dirty, round bulb  in my hand before I sank it into the garden and I marveled at its potential. Who would think that in that mass there would be something special, something of delight and beauty yet if you were to slice it open it would reveal nothing but  a cluster of fiber. Marveling at it in my hand I spoke to it asking: 'How is it that something so rough and plain can turn into something so beautiful and perfumed, a glorious flower. How does that happen?' Then I realised my questioning is not to the bulb but to God. In our rapidly changing world in this time we can look and question many things, for example how can the blackened charred and burnt trees ever hold their beauty again yet there are so many signs of new growth with the eucalyptus leaves showing their beauty in the red and green new fresh tips merging up the trunks. Life  comes from death. Resurrections occur and beauty rises.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

A mystery with an Easter insight.

Do not forget who you are.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
All across the world anxiety and fear has come into peoples lives. It has crushed the every day life, and  'normal' and peace hang like a thin thread for millions, its fragile and often out of reach. I read a lovely story recently it said this about a tradition among the Native American Communities: The infant is named at birth in traditional community and is passed around 200 arms, one to another, with each person whispering the child's name so that he or she will not forget who they are. Regardless of the dangers that life presents to us, one thing we must always hold onto is the Love of God for us. He wants us to remember we are his, he has called us by name.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Peace, God's peace

And God turns up!

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
I hear so many  of the older people saying that in the isolation and quiet their 'awareness' is  becoming so acute. There are birds in the garden, tiny birds, that they don't recall hearing  sing in such beautiful harmony and unison with one another as they are now. There is a beautiful rose bush outside their window that only weeks ago was stripped in the destructive hail storms now blooming with mass and colour that they don't recall having seen so beautiful before. And I wonder in this time of quiet and stillness in and around our homes, how God's Glory is impacting on you? Can you see it? Can you feel it? and what is God saying to you?
  I read this quote from  Clement of Alexandria  (c150-c215)Wonder at  things that are before thee, making this the first step to further knowledge.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Beauty from brokeness

There's a bear in there

Comfort, O comfort my people,says your God. Isaiah 40:1
There  is a quote I like from Mother Teresa which says 'we can do no great things only small things with great love.'  What an opportunity lies before us in how we can not only do things with love but in doing, bring God's comfort to others and all from our homes. its a great opportunity for God to open our eyes so we can see the ways we can be more useful. Even in isolation I go out once a day  for a lovely walk in fresh air and sunshine. As I was walking yesterday I saw someone had put a teddy bear in their front window and I later discovered that others were doing this also and it is there for the children so when they go for a walk they can go on a bear hunt and see how many bears they can find in peoples windows.I also heard of a person who had put a hand written note in every letterbox in her street which said. 'I am here, I am well and I am able to shop for you, run errands etc  here is my name and  phone number.. Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. I like this Celtic Prayer: As the rain hides the stars,as the autumn mist hides the hills, as the clouds veil the blue of the sky, so the dark happenings of my lot hide the shining of your face on me yet if I hold your hand in the darkness it is enough since I know that though I may stumble in my going you do not fall.
May the Lord himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne Servant of the Lord.

We can do no great things only small things with great love.

Changing life

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Psalm 22:11
Difficulty and hardship is among us. We have been shut of from our worship places and gatherings. Life is different but we are not shut of from God. There is no need to shout at him across the spaces between you and the church. He is not locked inside the church buildings but is nearer than you think and he knows your thoughts. May our isolated homes become our house of prayer and may we unite  in timely prayers, separated yet  as one.
And don't forget or overlook the little bird sounds coming from the hedge for God  will be found in all places and in all ways.
May the Lord himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

There is a darkness hanging over our world.

Peace under my feet.

God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:5
We are in anxious times and our world is shifting and changing and we don't know how long this will be for.  Anxiety and panic has raised its head in community  yet I can sit outside on this glorious sunny day without a cloud in the sky and its calm and its peaceful and its still.I see the rose bushes recently stripped bare by a viscous destructive hail storm now with full growth and beautiful roses. I see in our burnt out forests new growth springing out of hundreds of  chard  tree trunks from the recent catastrophic fires and the green farm lands rising from a parched drought stricken earth.I see God is  with us. Recovering and restoring brokenness. Recently reread and sitting in my mind are the words (adapted) from the prayer of St Patrick. Peace before me. Peace behind me. Peace under my feet. Peace above me. Peace within me. Let all around me be peace.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Peace like  a river.

Peace in heavenly music.

My security is in his promise to be near me always and in the knowledge that he will never let me go. Portion of Ps 23 from Psalms Now. (Leslie F Brandt)
The beautiful song of the magpie filled the otherwise silent morning  with its glorious singing. Just one, just solo, right outside my window as if singing just for me. Sometimes it can be hard to find God's joy in a year that has gone so terribly wrong for us with a long drought, catastrophic  bush fires,unprecedented damaging  hail storm  and now our whole world as we know it is changing due to the corona virus. Perhaps isolation may come for many of us and I would see  a down time as special times with God. To be still, to be quiet and to listen to the bird songs. Heavenly music carries with it a reassuring peace and presence. I love this little prayer(anon) If you have heard the sound of birdsong in the morning air then you will know that heaven's music is everywhere.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Dressed in his black and white tuxedo.

Sir, give me this water.

The woman said to him. " Sir, the well is deep and you do not have a bucket. Where do you get that living water." John 4:11
As a child I recall going with my parents to visit a lady who lived alone in her home on the top of a hill. When she first went there as a young woman she had all she needed except access to water in the creek below her home. The hill was too steep to go down and carry back a bucket of water let alone do that several times in a day. To pipe it to the house was not manageable yet she knew she could not live without water. She asked for help, for someone to show her how she could access this water so vital to life. A small group of men from church, strangers to her, organised a system of poles,wires and pullies that ran from her home to the creek with a bucket attached and she could operate the pullies to pull the bucket of fresh,water back to her home. All her life, until she passed away at 86 she was able to access the water. We all need water to live  but how much more we need the 'living water' that Jesus offers us. It is accessible, it is life giving, it is free, it is forever. All we need do is ask Jesus to show us how to access the living water.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Show me the living water.

Deep in our heart.

For as the scriptures said: Out of the believers heart shall flow rivers of living water John 7:38
Imagine a heart so filled with God's love that it flows out rivers. Not streams, not puddles not a stagnant body of water sitting in the heart, but water that flows from the heart like a river, watering and drenching all that flows from it, all coming from a heart full of the knowledge and love of God.
Deep in our heart sits the most precious thing, a space  filled with out deep and sacred love of God. Its like God lives there.
I was reading a parable from the Upanishads which says: In the body there is a small shrine. In that shrine there is a lotus. In that lotus there is a little space. What is it that lives in that little space? The whole universe is in that little space because the creator, the source of it all is in the heart of each one of us.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

not a lotus but a beautiful tulip opening out like an opening heart.

Sing, sing,sing!

O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. Psalm 95:1
Today is a day to sing to the Lord. The sky's are grey, not red and black and they are weeping volumes of wet soaking rain. The air is clear and crisp, not smoke filled and blowing a strange wind.. The dry parched and  burnt land is turning green and the farmers dams are full and creeks are flowing. You can almost hear the dehydrated trees clapping their hands for joy and the little birds are singing a new song from their tiny beaks. There are sounds not heard for so long like the kookaburra laughing and  the chorus of crickets singing in the evening. Praise God and let us make  a joyful noise unto the Lord.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne,servant of the Lord

And the darling blackbirds are taking a bath.

God's creatures - God's creation

Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run  with perseverance,the race that is set before us looking to Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:1
Life is a pilgrimage as we look here and look there for God.  One pilgrim called Sister Giovanna (1660 Feast day 1 March) said,  'By being a pilgrim my heart learns to hear the cries of the  refugees,the poor, the impoverished, those arriving and those departing.' I reflected on my life, my calling and how I went to Jerusalem  with all the baggage, the pain and suffering of loss in the bush fire crisis and specifically to lay down the lives of ONE BILLION of our wildlife destroyed in the fires. This weighed heavily on my heart.  I stood at the Western Wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, the most Sacred and Holy place for Jews and placed my prayer note in a crack in the wall to be later burnt by Rabbi's in prayer offerings to God. I lit a candle for them all  in the Church of The Holy Sepulcher, the most Sacred and Holy place for Christians and I offered intercessions daily in the Eucharist in St Georges Cathedral. I came home feeling the weight of it all lifted and with a God inspired blessing to do a memorial service for them all of prayers and candle lighting.
I wonder have you gone away, at times to seek God,  heavily burdened and have come back with a blessing?
May the Lord himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

And I lit a candle in the most Sacred and Holy place for Christians

A miracle?

The  Eastern Wall steps to the old city of Jerusalem

Then Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple. Mark 11:15
A section of the wall of the old city of Jerusalem has a wide expanse of steps leading up to a massive gate that is  permanently closed. This gate is said by Jews and Muslims to open at the second coming of Jesus. This area of the city wall is called the Archaeological Park and the steps are the very steps Jesus walked to enter the city. On a section of the wall at the top of the steps there are ancient inscriptions in Hebrew, names and  words of  thanks for a healing. I suspect we would call this graffiti but no, the names are real and there is a sign on the stone wall which says, 'If you have received a miracle, write your name here.'   I suspect we have all seen or had a miracle in our lives but there are many skeptics. For some time now at the Covenant Care Day Hospice, in our prayer service a couple have been asking for prayers for their grandson who is blind, he is 14. This particular day they revealed with great humility that the doctors carried out a procedure of inserting a tiny stick like implant into one of his eyes. He now sees colour, movement and shapes and the vision is said to improve with time. A modern day miracle? Yes, no doubt about it. The prayers of us all have been heard. Do we write this young lads name on a wall as having received a miracle? ? No, we write it in our prayers and we hold it in our heart forever.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

And the bells rang and rang

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was  Joseph, of the house of David. Luke 1:26
The Church of the Visitation in Nazareth is said to be the site where the Angel Gabriel came to Mary with a call from God to be the mother of Jesus. As I stood in this very large, but beautiful church I reflected on 'our call' by God to follow him. A call to become one of his disciples in this time and in this place he has set us in.  As I was reflecting there was a Eucharist happening in  the area of the high altar and as the liturgy came to the point of consecration the Sanctus bells rang and kept ringing. The priests voice kept strong and fluent, then the church bells began to ring, one by one rising in volume and number until they filled the church with music, yet the priests voice could be still heard, calling people into the sacred moment and I was filled with such a knowing of Christ's love and his call on my life. If I could have, I would have laid prostrate on the floor. How do you recall God's call on your life to follow him. Was it dramatic and perhaps overwhelming like Mary's call or was it the still small voice of God.Ponder on these things and be filled anew with  his love.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Church of the Visitation Nazareth.

And I laid their names on the altar

'......As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man  to carry the cross  with Jesus.' Matthew 27: v32
As I walked down the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem I passed a large number of pilgrims with hand held crosses making their way through the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some were singing and many were crying, obviously moved by the experience and as I came to the small side chapel marked as the place where Simon offered to help Jesus carry his cross, I stepped inside a moment while the pilgrims passed and reflected.. 'Who in our lives do we help to carry their cross? Who do we walk alongside helping to carry their load, their burdens and to my mind came many who I walk alongside in life and many who walk with me and I laid  their names on the altar of the Chapel of Simon of Cyrene.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Via Dolorosa - The way of the cross

The war psalm

Be still and know that I am God. Ps 46:10.
There is a stillness and a calm about the morning and the only sound is the silence. Lately this type of day has not been seen much. The catastrophic fires, the mega hailstorm, the wind that blows erratically with a pace about it we don't  often see and in itself creating massive dust storms. Sometimes we feel quite helpless as all of this rages around us but we remember in our helplessness that God is the helper.  Listen to God - he may use anything to break through - not an earthquake, but a still small voice.

The Lord your God is with you.

The sun will shine again

'.....we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.' Hebrews 6:28
There is hope in the blade of green grass growing on the verge.
There is hope for the burnt trees. They will sprout again.
There is hope for the dry burnt earth as gentle rain falls on its bed of white ash.
There is hope for the farmer that his dams are filling with fresh beautiful water..
There is hope for those who have lost all. The sun will shine again.
There is hope in the more calm of the day where the sky is blue not red and black
There is hope for the remaining wild life being found, fed and nursed.
There is hope. There is hope. There is always hope.
May we never lose hope.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

one green growth pushing through with hope

He has given us a new birth into a living hope. 1 Peter 1:3
There among the debris of bone  dry grass all but given way to bare soil, lay a collective of fallen branches from a tinder dry tree and  leaves that  have fallen prematurely. It was here I came upon a tiny flower its leaves and blooms trying to defy its surrounding circumstances and it was smiling with colours of pale blue and green upright stems. It was just tiny but its presence packed an enormous  punch in an environment that had all but given up surviving in the dry parched land. Its presence lifted my spirit and I called the flower  hope as I lifted my eyes from the gift to the giver.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Open our eyes that we may see

And love came down

Sir, we wish to see Jesus. John 12:21
Its pitch black in the middle of the day and the sun at sunset is blood red. Smoke consumes our daily living and where is God I hear some say. We have just celebrated Christmas and  what is Christmas? Its love that came down to dwell among us in a world full of crisis. Its Jesus love which will never fail us and I can hear him say 'I will never leave you, I will never forsake you, come what may.' and amidst all the chaos and drama there are many tails rising of countless blessings and unexpected miracle and a multitude of neighborly love to strangers and friends and  animals. That is Jesus walking beside us asking no more of us than to love our neighbor.. Nelson Rockerfeller said:Never forget that the most powerful thing on earth is love.'
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

There are a multitude of Christmases in love

Bells and bush fires

'To you, O Lord I cry. For the fires have devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees and fields. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. Joel 1:19-20
Bells have been a part of human life for many years. I recall some years ago the arrival of the bells to complete the set at St Saviours Cathedral in Goulburn, our Mother Church. They had been brought to Goulburn on the back of a semi trailer to be installed in the bell tower. They were all named after the ships of the First Fleet and now summons people to worship and on occasions of celebration and on times of  drawing a community together.  I can think of bells as church bells,dinner bells,school bells, fire bells, all used to gather people. In these terrible times when our country is on fire and lives, property, fauna and wildlife are perishing in unprecedented fire storms and mega fires,we lost the  church of St Saviour's  at Quaama near Cobargo. It had stood there for over 100 years a place of gathering, but the one thing that was left standing was the bell on its bell tower. I see this as a real symbol of hope. It will ring again in the future to gather people of that community  when the crisis is past,to grieve all the losses and to bring comfort and hope. How special is that. The one thing that gathers God's people has survived to gather yet again.
Let there be hope - let there be love.
Anne, servant of the Lords.

The bell --Retreat center Mittagong

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. 

And the silence is itself

Declare your steadfast love in the morning.  Psalm 92:2
Sometimes we can sit so still and quiet as if a bird has landed on our head and our whole being  is  focused on the moment. Pre dawn is always such a lovely time with silence, stillness and presence  and I was reading a saying by Thomas Merton which said: This flower. This moment. This silence - the Lord is here. Best because the flower is itself and the silence is itself, and the silence is itself and I am myself.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

morning stillness. The Lord is here

sweet melody

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise you the Lord.  Psalm 150:6
So does that mean my little dog who lies on my knee in sleep, breathing softly, or the bird that sings at the crack of dawn in rhythm of its breathing ,praises the Lord?  To these thoughts I say yes, yes and yes,I believe so. The bird high on the lamp post as the sun rises and sets, singing its little beating heart out with such beautiful musical notes that it can be doing nothing more than praising God. William Blake said: For every thing that lives is holy. Life delights in life.

Singing to the Lord

I sing because I'm happy

You are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31
Even though the sparrow is a common, plain little bird, he is loved by God and God uses this common little bird to tell us that no matter what we are, no matter how we look, no matter who we are we are valued by God. I watch these little birds scavenging in the garden ever so happy, ever so 'chatting' and busy and cant help saying to each and every one, 'you are special.' Mary Oliver says:Of course I love the sparrows, those dun-coloured darlings, so hungry and so many.' and I found these words : I sing because I am happy. I sing  because I'm free, for his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me. (anon)
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

A sparrow in the tomb garden in Jerusalem

It happens so suddenly.

Is anything to wonderful for the Lord? Gen 18:14
We can be just going about our day minding our own business when a piece of music, the sight of a beautiful flower, a sweet perfume in the air or a butterfly ever so graceful crosses our path, or the blackbird singing in the morning sun rays and our heart flutters for one brief moment and we are raised out of what ever it is we are doing to a 'heavenly place' and then, in just a flash, we are back on our way in our daily routine. 'All the things we enjoy, ' says John Calvin, 'are ladders by which we ascend nearer to God.'
May the Lord of peace himself, give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Lost in wonder

Who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:4
I was always fascinated by the wriggly bark on some gum trees and wonder what God had in mind when he planted that species. Who did he invite to joining in the creation with him? Is it just a pattern on the tree trunk or did he have the assistance of a tiny creature? I think when we look closely at just about anything we can be asking similar questions that steer our minds and thoughts to God. Like the beauty of the rose bud that blossoms into a flower from the inside out. Or an acorn that grows into a huge oak tree, or the small ants that make huge nests. God gave us so much to see, to treasure, to draw us into his presence in wonder and delight. Jean-Pierre de Caussade said: If one looks long enough to almost anything, looks with absolute attention at a flower, a stone, the bark on a tree, grass, snow, a cloud - something like revelation takes place. Something is 'given' and perhaps that something is always a reality outside of self.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Tiny ants, huge nests. How clever is that.

Hope

Love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord. Thessalonians. 1:3
 The catastrophe fire storms have left so many people homeless, lives lost and  stock killed and thousands of miles of bush and wildlife destroyed  . Can there be any hope for those who are in the midst of all of this? I was watching the news and taken by the hope that one farmer has. He was all but burnt out yet in a paddock that had been singed by fire and surrounded by devastation there was a  horse who had just given birth to a new foal.The farmer saw this as a sign, and it gave him a great sense of hope. Amidst the fire storm there was new life,a blessing,  a new beginning and a quote came to my mind: 'Hope is like the sun, which,as we walk towards it, casts a shadow of our burdens behind us.' (author unknown) 
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

New life, new hope.

Take a little rest

Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heavens above, deep deep as the deepest sea is my saviours love. (hymn)
Ah, there is nothing like a rest after a hard days work and that goes for all creatures in our world, not just us humans. Without stepping aside we fail to see the treasures that God has prepared for us, for our enjoyment.I stepped aside for two days and spent it by the sea and God didn't fail in his blessings. The sky was blue, the white topped  waves were playing gently with the breeze, the seagulls were almost aerobatic in their attempt to catch a morsel of food from a passer by before the other dozens of gulls caught it. (a bit like feeding the 5,000) and the pelicans got into clusters to see who could be first to take the catch thrown to them from  the fishing boat that had just positioned itself at the jetty. All the activity of the fishermen and the creatures came to a stop  in the afternoon. It was a time of rest from business and the pelicans caught my eye again, all lined up in a row, resting. The entire day was like a kiss from God.  We have a beautiful world, created for our pleasure and enjoyment if we take the time to stop and enjoy. There is a Jewish saying: On the day of judgment God will ask one question: 'Did you enjoy my world?'
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Time for a break from working.

Oops, they got it wrong.

Then Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord it is good for us to be here;if you wish I will make three dwellings here, one for you,one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' Matthew 17:4
Sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes we over think things and sometimes we rush in before we think or in our excitement we over look the real meaning of what is happening. These thoughts were running through my mind as I was quietly looking at three 'wiltjas' or Aboriginal 'dwelling places.' at a campsite of  story telling  around Alice Springs. As I was looking I thought of  Peter's words to Jesus when he said: 'Lord it is good for us to be here. If you wish I will make three dwelling places. One for  you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. At the first rush of adrenaline, at the first assumption of why they were on the mountain with Jesus, they got it wrong. I love these words of  Mary Oliver.. She wrote: Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.  
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

And there were three dwelling places.

Holding tight

Hold me up that I may be safe: Psalm 119:117
The wind has been particularly wild lately, blowing in all directions and with force, yet as I was driving, I was in awe of a tiny lady bird holding fast to the window screen of my car. Despite the wind which I thought had the power to break a tree, this little creature with its bright red coat and tiny black spots stayed with me on the window of my car. What incredible strength in those tiny legs and how the suction on its feet. (are they called feet on ladybirds?) held her on. I found myself talking to this little creature saying hang on we will be home soon and the moment I pulled up at home this little soul flew off the window and landed on a rose in full bloom. Its a parable isn't it?   I can see how such a story could be our story as we  hang onto God when life gets rough and the strength he gives us to hold on until we arrive 'home' and fly off to safety in him. I read this  saying: The little bugs that scurry, the little beasts that creep among the grasses and the weeds, and where the leaves are deep: All of them were made by God as part of God's design. Remember that the world is theirs, not only yours and mine.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

All God's creatures have a place in the choir.

Free spirit

For he commanded and they were created. Psalm 148:5
There is a survey going on at the moment  to record sightings and colours (what I call their personalities)of the butterflies. There is something about a butterfly. Its like a soft gentle spirit silently passing by and hovering over the perfume of the  sweet smelling flowers.They are like angels, drifting on the air,  a creature that stops us in our path and draws from us a breath of delight -  an AH moment  - and leaves our heart feeling warm and fuzzy. They are those little angels that delight us at the time we are looking to God for comfort or  peace or just an uplifting of our spirits yet when we think about its transformation from a caterpillar to this beautiful spirit we are left in wonder.   Maya Angelou said:We delight in the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty   
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.-  

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. (Richard Bach)

a

Pause as the new day dawns

This is the day that the Lord has made. Psalm 118:24
Its here again Lord, your gift to us of another day and I wonder how much we really appreciate that. Have we stopped to listen and to look at its sights and sounds before rushing head long into it. Is our wakening mind full of the coming events of the day, all those hastily scribbled notes for the days agenda that wait in the diary to be fulfilled.Take a moment, a precious moment and look at the face of spring blooming around you.Go low enough to see the face of the flowers and take in their sweet perfume. Mary Oliver said. O do you have time to linger for just a little while out of your busy and very important day for the goldfinches that gathered in the field of thistles.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways
Anne, servant of the Lord

And a new day dawned

Eastern or Western spirituality.

He is named wonderful counselor, mighty God. Isa 9:6
Around the walls of my office I have a few icons of various sizes that I have bought home from several trips to the Holy Land but there is one that sits on my prayer desk and it comes with me when I go on retreat, on holiday and on many occasions when I have been in hospital. Its small enough to travel  in my pocket, be placed on a bedside table or desk with my prayer book and note book, and other items of devotion and has the image of Mary and the baby Jesus. Somehow, it doesn't matter how many times I look at it in prayerful silence it always has something new to discover and meditate on. Its a bit like sitting in the quiet of a garden and in the stillness gaze at the intricate,  delightful and colourfull  flowers and seeing something new every time, just sitting and looking at my surroundings and reflecting on the creator. I call these icons too. Living icons. that I never tire of. Thomas Merton said: I have a small icon that goes with me, its made of wood and is of Mary and child. Its like a kiss from heaven and is a perfect act of timeless worship. I never tire of gazing at it. It is unutterably splendid and silent.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Lost in wonder, love and praise.

.

From a bud to a rose

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. Matt 13:44
I recall the story of a young boy who was seen by his mother as he sat on the back step of their home just quietly and with curiosity peeling  petals  off  the a tight a rose bud. His mother asked him what he was doing and he said he was trying to open   the  rose.. His mother replied that the rose and all its beauty and sweetness can only be opened from the inside. Its like a parable isn't it? or is it a miracle ? that change and goodness and beauty come from within when opened out by God. That what begins is not how it is.  Spring  is a time when there are  signs of new life and opening rose buds are on full display. I love this line from one of Mary Oliver's poems:Roses- opening now their soft dresses, their leaves are shining. Oh how spring can bring a picture of parables and miracles.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
Anne ,servant of the Lord.

Ah, what beauty, what perfection

created, shaped, drew and painted.

He gave us eyes to see them and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty who has made all things well. ( hymn 135,v5  TIS).
Spring is such a lovely season that carries beauty, perfume and many an 'Ah' moment. But then again so does the autumn with its stunning displays of leafy colours that drifts on the wind from their moorings and yet again we can claim winter as a lovely season with its white frost, magical floating fog and the icy cobwebs that hang on the fence wire. Summer also can claim our love with its warmth, clear blue sky and long balmy nights. Sometimes I am speechless at God's creation. What love for us that he created and made and drew and painted adding splashes of colour, different shapes, different sizes and different sounds all of which draw our minds and thoughts to him.Vincent Van Gogh said: (But) I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Even the laughing kookaburra

.

Live with intention

Be still before the Lord and wait in patience Psalm 36:7
We live in a fast pace world that often leaves us exhausted and under pressure. Today's world is one we know we have to step out of regularly for the sake of our body, mind and spirit and what better place to do that than  in the garden where there is a sense of peace and calm and the only sounds are that of the birds singing to God. A quiet place I love to be  is in my small garden surrounded by open spaces and the rich colour and the beauty of the spring flowers. Its here I  can feel God's presence moving in and the stress and pace of the day moving out.
Elena Pasquali said:I sit still and quiet in this my quiet place, and think of good and lovely things and God's unfailing grace.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Silence and stillness are gifts.

Lost in wonder

For everything created by God is good. 1 Timothy 4:4
I was admiring the beautiful spring flowers that are everywhere in the garden from tulips to blue bells, to jonquils, to lavender and as I reached out my hand to draw the vine of sweet peas closer to get a full burst of their perfume my arm stopped before I touched them and it was like there was a real oneness in that moment.
Pablo Neruda said: Many things give me completeness, they did not only touch me, my hand did not merely touch them, but rather, they befriended my existence. 

Painted by God.

O what a gift, what a wonderful gift.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day so may the light of your presence, O God set our hearts of fire with love for you now and forever. (Daily Office APBA)) 
Every time I say the daily office I think of all of you who are doing likewise. its a practice that bonds us together even though we can be near or many hundreds, even thousands  of  miles apart.  Its a practice not by rote or habit but with a true hart and therefore with sincerity we say 'Thank you Father for this day because its a lovely gift from you and  thank you for the birds. Even if I don't praise you they would go on singing to your glory'  (Treasury of prayers)
May we  focus our eyes and our thoughts and our presence to see God at work in our day. Unwrap it slowly, gently, bit by bit, savoring its silence, its sounds,its perfumes, its beauty.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord  .
.

PEACE