Yes, it is I

In your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures forever more.  Psalm 16:11

Some mornings are just magnificent.........one almighty 'Hello' from God expressed in the sky of deep red, orange and the  fading black of the night. 'Here I am ' it was saying, 'Here I am right here with you. What you are looking at , what you are in awe of, is me.

Meister Eckhart said: Who ever possess God in their being, has him in a divine manner, and he shines out of them in all things: for them all things taste of God and in all things it is God's image that they see.'  So very very true.

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

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Your blessing only

Hearts burning within us. Luke 24. ( and so they saw Christ) 

Sometimes the presence of God's blessings takes your breath away. Sometimes  the blessing is meant to be just yours and it turns into a prayer on your breath. Such blessings often catch you unawares and last a life time. One such blessing came when my ear rested on the merry trilling  song of the Blue Wren and my eyes fell on it brilliant metallic blue feathers. The first blessing this little bird gave me has impacted my life and bonded with me. God's blessings come in many forms, often sighted or heard by just you at that particular time. That is your blessing, God sent.

 Jehovah - Shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                              Darling little things of God.

Caught off guard

The Lord bless you and keep you. Numbers 6:24

How lovely are the spring flowers. It's like God opened a window in heaven and poured out his blessings. Joyce Rupp says: The loveliness of a single flower in radiant bloom can sing my drooping spirit into joy. How true. How very true. I cant look at a rose bud, or poppy capsule, or pending daffodil and not sense the blessing to come and as for the sweet peas, how can such a glorious perfume fill that small pod?  I read this prayer by 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 splendour, always and everywhere, barely hidden, beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                The great Love of God O how lavishly given.
 

Morning glory

 Give me joy in my heart, keep me singing, give me joy in my heart I pray.  (New Harvest 58)

So many things wrap my heart in joy but nothing more so than the rising at first light. There is such an urgency and excitement about the dawn - its like a calling - 'Come, it says, come quickly before I pass and we haven't met.'  The sweet song of the blackbird, first call of the morning is saying come, come quickly for my first song is just for those who choose to hear it. But best of all in this morning call is the love of God who fills it all.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Glorious things of thee are spoken

I just have to be present

 O breath of life come sweeping through us.... O breath of love, come breathe within us TIS 409

What is it that sustains you? There are some things in life that draw me closer to my inner self, that feed my soul, that  beckon me  to be present. Its like a breath-taking sunset that compels you to stop in your tracks in awe, in wonder and delight. The sight hits you deep within and communes with your soul. Likewise the beautiful little honeyeater getting its joy from deep within a flower as it feeds on the nectar that fills it with delight. If you are close enough to it you will see the rapture in its eyes. And I am  draw by the perfume in the evening air  coming from the vine of sweet-peas and I just have to be present.  What is it that sustains you?  I am reminded of the Latin phrase 'The Vestigia Dei - the fingerprint or footprint of God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Fill thou my life O Lord I pray

Here is seed for you.

 Here is seed for you, go and sow the land. Genesis 47:23

These words thread  right through our understanding of passing on the word of God. Any plant seed that is given to us and planted will grow but if we leave it on the bench it will wither and die. Some of the biggest Oak trees I have ever seen in my life were in Sherwood Forrest in the UK yet they grew from a tiny acorn. I love to stand under a big tree and ponder on its journey from the small seed to this massive growth of branches and leaf canopy. If no one is about I might talk to it and tell it what a miracle it is. As for the blossom trees, how come such a tiny seed can produce not only a tree but beautiful blossoms. How does all of that fit in a tiny seed? What a wonderful God. We are full of the seeds of knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ, sown into us by someone where it has grown and blossomed. Life changing, life filling, life meaning. Never underestimate the power of a seed, sown it will grow.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                            

                         I ponder on how many seeds have grown from this original one..

Feathered blessings

 For he is our peace. Ephesians 2:14

Isn't it a great space to be in with yourself when you feel you could just sit and watch the birds in the bird bath all day long as they splash, paddle and sing spring songs. I see them as little feathered blessings and such pondering gives me a great feeling of rest, peace and quiet, a feeling that says 'just stay where you are and let the world roll by'  But its more than that, its a feeling of the presence and Jesus and that's why its hard to pull away from it. Into my mind comes a picture of the disciples sitting on a hillside with Jesus filled with love.

Jehovah - Shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    Such delight!

Skies of blue, clouds of white

 

For in him all things were created. Col 1:16

Whether it’s a thick fog full of mystery, a storm of lightening and clashing thunder, a brilliant sunrise, an even more brilliant sunset, crashing waves on the sea shore, birds of every type filling our skies or flowers, a kaleidoscope of colour in the garden, it is all made by the hand of God our creator and I say, 'When you see the beauty around you, let each little detail remind you to lift your head in praise.' O God, our God, how wonderfully you have made it all for our joy and delight.

I love that song which goes:  I see the skies of blue, clouds of white, the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night and I say to myself, what a beautiful world. (Louis Armstrong)

Each day. Every day lift your head and thank God for all you see.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                   Yes, he made you too!

 

Lost in wonder love and praise

For this is how God loved the world. John 3:16

Jesus would say: 'Loose yourself in me and find my love.' Oh how I love to do that. It can be as simple as looking into the face of a beautiful flower, or a passing moment when you turn the  corner in the garden and its filled with the perfume of the sweet peas or roses, or it can be looking into the eyes of the rosella who slowly turns its head away from the bush of berries it is feeding on to give you a look of knowing. And its so easy to feel that love  sitting with a group of elderly people in the nursing home service singing 'The great love of God O how lavishly Given.' Loose yourself in me and find my love, says Jesus.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Its all God's love

The morning stars sang

God of unchanging power, when the heaven and earth were made, the morning stars sang together and the host of heaven shouted for joy: open our eyes to the wonders of your creation. (APBA portion of the prayer of the week)

 Every night, last thing before I hop into bed, I go outside and say good night to God as I look up to the night sky. The bright moon - the multiple millions, no billions of stars, winking at the earth, all taking their places in the universe and order of things and I am in wonder and awe of our God. Somehow it leaves me with a great sense of love and peace. 

Camille Pissarro said: Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where others see nothing.

Peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord. 

                                                            God is in his house.

The banquet house

 He brought me to the banqueting house and his intention towards me was love. Song of Solomon 2:4

Simple joys can be found every day  if we are open to them. We can look with our eyes and not see or we can look with our soul and see so much. For a week or more now I have been watching the roses budding. The swelling of the bud with a hint of colour showing through its tip is a daily watch of expectation. Expectation of what is hidden, of what is to come and the wonder of all through  its phases of its life until it reaches its full potential -  perfect formation in its layers of petals, or layers of skirts as Mary Oliver would say, and the perfume well, as we say, is heavenly and yes, there are thorns but they also have a message. I think I will call the garden the 6th gospel, full of messages and stories that link us to God. (The 5th gospel is claimed in biblical Israel when you follow in the footsteps  of Jesus)

Enjoy all you see with the eyes of your soul. Pause in wonder and see through it to God.

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            God's love

Sing your spirt into joy.

 My peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. John 14:27

The endurance of us all in lockdown is perhaps running a bit thin. We have mixed feelings. Perhaps we are keen to resume some form of more natural living or perhaps we might want to just stay in our own home bubble, either way our spirit is probably waning. Around my garden and on my permitted walk I find my spirit is lifted considerably as I see, with more awareness, the beauty of spring, the birds of the air and sense the perfume of flowers. Have they all been more obvious because we are living in a quieter, stiller life and how do we retain that when life resumes again in all its business? Thoughts for reflection and prayer.

Joyce Rupp writes: The loveliness of a single flower in radiant bloom can sing my drooping spirit into joy.

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

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                A thing of beauty.

Where green shoots grow

 'I am the resurrection and the life.' says the Lord. John 11:25

Something stirs in my spirit when I look at a dead tree stump that is rich with new growth. The stirring is of God, the image is of God, the thoughts are of God.

Joyce Rupp said: A green shoot grows out of an old stump, announcing to the world that power lies in death. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Faith in resurrection.

God's hour

 Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary: Psalm 96:6

There is such an urgency and an excitement about the dawn of a new day. Its like a 'calling' that can't be resisted. 'Come, 'it says, 'come quickly before I pass and we haven't met.'  The air is still and the morning light is infused with colour in anticipation of the rising sun. The dew is still on the grass and little notes of morning welcome, the only sound to hear, comes from within the trees as a little bird sing its praises of a new day. I picture it standing tall on its spindly legs, head held high and its tiny beak wide open sending forth note after note of praises to God.  I like to think it is singing morning praises to God, just as I do when I am 'called' to see the dawn. I reflect on the words of  William Wordsworth who said: Blessed was it that dawn to be alive.

Jehovah -shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord

And the little bird sings.

God in full view.

 You are before me, Lord, you are behind, and over me you have spread out your hand; such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to high to grasp, to great to understand. TIS 87

I read a quote which said: 'Life should be a constant vision of God's presence.' (Maclaren) and I found myself nodding in agreement as I watched the bulging life giving drops of water run off the end of the eucalyptus leaves not only marvelling at their jewel like colour as the sun shone through them but also reflecting on the 'living water' that Jesus offers us and the sustenance it gives his creation. Then I can turn around to see the swelling buds on the rose bushes and think of the potential of beauty amidst the thorns, of pain and of glory, and then the spring bulbs that have risen from the dark earth into the light and in the corner of the garden other flowers have heads bent in prayerful posture. There is very little space that I turn to that is not filled with God's presence. It's like something that is always with you, and it is,- always with you, for God is never far away. Learning to live in the vision of God's presence comes when we learn how to live in the moment day by day, when God is near and worries are far off.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Heads bowed in prayer.

Do you look under the bed at night?

 Fear not for I am with you. Isaiah 41:10

I hear so many say, 'O yes, I trust God,' yet they are compelled to look under the bed at night before they hop in!' I think all of us have probably done that at some stage in our life but that's before we really and truly put our full trust in God, before we really and truly knew him. When I look at the spring flowers of the garden that faithfully reappear every season and the new fresh green growth on the barren winter nakedness of the trees I am inclined to believe in full trust. I see the baby birds growing up in the so fragile looking  nest that seems to just cling to a branch, vulnerable to the wind , yet it stays there. Now that is trust.  There is so much going on in the world that can alarm us but.- Trust in the Lord with all your heart.(Proverbs 3:5)

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                        Trust!

Have the vines budded?

 Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blooms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom -there I will give you my love. The mandrakes send out their fragrance and at the door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover. Song of Songs 7: 12-13

Often I say to God, let us go out and have a look at the garden. Let us go and see and touch and smell all of their beauty and commune together on their mystery and your creation. The garden I find is full of the scriptures, in fact every living thing is God's words in life and how much more aware of that are we after the spring bulbs have pushed their way through the cold dark earth to blossom into a thing of great beauty and delight. They tell of death and life, of the flowers of the field that blossom and fade away and of the 'glorious thing of thee that are spoken.'   Sit in the garden with God and commune on his marvellous handiwork which he created to shower us with his love and fill us with his joy.

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

                                            Glorious things of thee are spoken

Love God

 The Great love of God O how lavishly given. TIS 164

I often wake up with this lovely hymn on my mind and am still humming it as I get breakfast. The love of God who gave us his Son Jesus and this beautiful world we live in and the joy of that is something I want to shout to the world. I want to say come, taste and see that the Lord is good.  I had been sharing an agape meal on zoom with a small gathering and this beautiful prayer was said: Beloved friend, stay in love with God. As God's light shines in your lives, shine that light into your world. Our meal here is ended, but God's banquet continues. Take the banquet into the world, and never give up until all people are fed. Ah yes, stay in love with God and - Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

Anne, servant of the Lord 

                                                    For-get-me-not.

God's recreation

Glorious things that speak of God.

 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole world is full of his glory. Is 6:4

I say amen to that! Having just come in from a walk around the garden I am 'full of the images of God's glory.' Not just from the colour of the glorious spring flowers and the perfume filled air but also with the song of the birds and the chatter and business of a pair of wattle birds as they gather and feed their young in the nest. I marvel at the birds ability to build such a structure that withstands wind and rain and is hidden among the branches and leaves for safety. God has given every living thing gifts, even the birds of the air and the flowers with their beauty to give joy. Well we can pray: For the beauty of the earth, for glorious things that speak of you, dear Lord we give you thanks.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Glorious things of you are spoken.