God bless the Queen

 I am among you as one who serves. Luke 22:27

This is one of my favourite verses from the bible and has been the backbone of my ministry. I recall the words of William Penn when he said ' I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow being, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'   I heard a similar saying from a speech the late Queen Elizabeth the 11 gave when she said :'we are all persons in this life just passing through. May we do our very best to care for all who come our way. ' May we take into our hearts and minds the great Christian love and devotion and service to God and people  as shown to us by our late Queen.

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

                                                Queen Elizabeth 11

God's whisper

 Ever whispering God. (Collect for 13th Sunday after Pentecost)

Ever whispering God, whispering in our hearts and minds in the still of the night and the rush of day. Whispering in the gentle breeze. Whispering in the beauty of the  blossoms of the prunus and wattle tree. Whispering in the sweet perfume of the spring flowers in the garden that greet me every time I open my front door.  Whispering in the first bird call of the morning. Whispering in the love of a puppy.

Ever whispering God, keep our ears and eyes open to hear your whispering.

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

                                                Whispering in the wattle tree.

The mark of faith.

 In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. Psalm 62

I was driving home from Goulburn reflecting on the things the deacons had shared at the cathedral and into my mind came the words of Joyce Rupp when she says 'Driving along in my car - my little hermitage on wheels. ' (Don't you love that.)  It was on that drive I reflected on two things I discovered at the cathedral that over all these years, had never known. One was the bricks that pave the foyer and along the isles of the cathedral which are from the original cathedral and were made by convicts. On the back of them is an arrow, the convicts mark. Then down the isle among an array of  the bricks was a Cross carved into one of the bricks, its origin unknown. These were the marks left by the builders. In Israel the Crusaders left the mark of their cross on the columns and massive road pavers. Where, I wonder have you left your mark?  I don't advocate walking about carving crosses on columns but have you left your mark of faith on the lives of those who God puts in your path ?  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                The cross in the brick.

Quiet pools of stillness

 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

There is a Chinese proverb that reminds us that we can not see ourselves in running water. We need those quiet pools of stillness for reflection.  This morning as I opened the blinds in the early morning light I pauses and my gaze fell on the scene before me - the green of the grass was glistening with a frost like a  million sparkling diamonds as the sun rays ran across the ground and up the pure white trunks of the eucalypt trees. The air was still - I was still - and I stayed there for quite a moment admiring the handy work, the beauty of God's created new day, the peace and pondered the things of the day before me. Pause,  just a small moment of pause, can centre us and set the entire day on a different course.  The moment was so special that I know it will come into my mind many times during the day, that stillness, that quiet. 

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

A frosty morning  stillness

Pockets of perfume

 How great is our God, sing with me how great is our God and all will see how great is our God. (Christian song)

The change in the air is obvious that spring is around the corner and even the sacred space has had a change with the perfume of the spring flowers, especially the abundance of violets, filling the air and as I look at these little pockets of perfume and colour, fragile in amongst the larger plants yet smiling boldly my thoughts go to God, our God who is so mighty and so powerful who can create the  massive mountains of the Himalayas, throw stars into the night sky and with the same hands form such delicate, small beauties as the violet. Wow!

Joyce Rupp says: Even the frailest beauty can enthral.

Let the peace of God dwell in your heart.      Anne, servant of the Lord.

,                                                 Little beauties.

They shone in a different light

 Bless us from all places where you dwell. Psalm 134

I was looking at the group of people out for a walk from the nursing home, people I have to come to know well, and as they approached I suddenly saw them in a different light. I saw them as God's children and therefore siblings. The image was, as Joyce Rupp would say, ' an explosion of God's love.'  Thich Nhat Hanh believes that 'we have to look deeply at things in order to see and then the beauty comes home to our souls, moving us to wordless knowing.'

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

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                    We are all God's children and therefore siblings.

a tree or a patch of green grass

 I'm asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he will give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. Eph 3:16 (ESV)

Thich Nhat Hanh said: 'Here is the foot of a tree; here is an empty, quiet place, here is the cool green of the grass my child, why don't you sit down.'   And you know, when we do that especially after an exhausting day, what relief, what calm. To sit in a sacred space, alone with God, just feeling the peace with the fragrance of the world calming the mind. Such a  place is peace, is rest,  is strength,   is renewing, is calm, is God.  It's such a lovely space that you get a sense of never wanting to leave it, so go, sit at the foot of a tree (or on its branches) or find an empty space, or a patch of fresh green grass and just sit, sit with God.

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

                                                    Resting on the branch of the tree -peace.

From little things, big things grow.

 Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders ? Psalm  33:8

From small seeds something big or beautiful will grow. I can hold an acorn in the palm of my hand and admire the shininess of its shell and the neatly fitting cap on one end and think to myself, that hasn't been made in a hurry with no thought, that is neatly and perfectly crafted and its packed with a power we can't see, a power to create a massive oak tree. How does God do that?  How then does he create a small brown nut like  seed that turns into the beautiful flower clusters of the Daphne with their stunning memorable perfume, smell it and you feel like you are in heaven among the incense of the angels. How does God do it?  How does he change a small seed into something big or something  beautiful?  I believe somethings have to remain a mystery and just marvel at what a magnificent God we have, and I add, go and look in the mirror and you will see what he has done with something that started so tiny, yet is packed with potential.

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                        Acorns full of a great Oak tree.

Same same but different.

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

Not only were the two wattle birds delighting in the nectar of the Grevilia bush  but they were also delighting in the drops of water falling all over them from the water sodden  leaves of the nights rain. I looked at them, almost identical but no, there is a slight shift of colouring in one of them. Then my eye caught the beauty of the deep blue violets amidst a cluster of healthy leaves, almost identical but no, a slight difference in their size and in some their shape and in colour to the bunch next to them. I looked from the birds to the flowers in wonder at our God, who creates the same yet makes them different.  And so it is with us, with you and me, As Max Lucado says: When God made you, the angels stood in awe and delight and declared, ' We have never seen one like that before.' And they never will again!

Peace to you beyond all understanding.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    Spot the difference.

Packed with wonder and delight

Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderous things . Psalm 119:18

Ah, the daphne is out full of clusters of flowers packed with perfume, delight and memories. As I stooped to take in it's delight to the eye and nose I was drawn to reflect on the words of Eva Jackson when she wrote: 'I was drawn like a bee to pollen - nose to flower and it rested for a second on the fragile sense of wonder -saying nothing - knowing such moments can be trampled by the smallest word.  How much do you treasure the God moments in your sacred space? How much do you see beyond what is right before your eyes? How much do you yearn for those 'God moments' to stay and not be trampled on?

Let the peace of Christ dwell in your heart.  Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Memories are made of this!

Come, come and be with me.

 The hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Ezra 8:1

Macrina Wiederkehr wrote. When there is nothing left to do and no where else to go - remember your knees.

There is something humbling about falling on your knees before God. Try it!  For me it takes me back to the beginning of my friendship with God - the child who knelt by the bed every night to talk to him, to put my body and soul into his care and protection while I slept. I never felt closer, or more comforted by God than when I was on my knees.  

Kneel before the Lord your God and humbly pray.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Let us pray.

He alone does great wonder.

 To him alone who does great wonder, who by wisdom made the heavens, who scattered the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights - the sun by day the moon and stars to govern the night. Psalm 136

R.M.Brown said: God uses the ordinary things of life to bring about  wonderful happenings. 

That is so true. Just look at what the rain does to the parched earth, as it falls the grass grows. The sun rise declares a new day and the sunset draws it to an end but look at what the day has held. A bulb planted in the cold earth, with a little warm sun produces a flower of beauty and a tiny baby was born to be the Saviour of the world.  To God be the Glory.

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

                                                He turns gum nuts into spectacular flowers.

Sing with intent

 The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning, its time to sing your song again. Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.  Bless the Lord, O my soul.......for all your goodness, I will keep on singing like never before: ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. ( (Paraphrased, Christian song. 10,000 reasons.)

Does your day start by making space to hear and see things of God?  This day he made with the solo song of the beautiful Rufus Whistler, his rusty orange feathered chest puffed out in joy as he sang from the sacred space, his song full of intent to please his creator, as if it knew it was so. Do you begin your day  with singing?  Singing a song so  full of joy and intent to please our creator? 'What ever may pass, whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.'

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                His song full of intent.

Come, just come

In his hand are the deep places of earth; the heights of the hills are his also. PS 95:4

Does God take your breath away? 

The brilliant hues of the sunset bounce  and ricochet off the soft evening landscape,  and kiss  the mountain tops, an explosion of God's love,  before fading into the ascending evening dusk and at the end of the day peace arrived. I ask again, does God take your breath away?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    The sun kissed the mountain tops.

Like a warm smile

 

I am the rose of Sharon, a rose of the valley. ( The Shir Hashirim  - Song of Songs 2:1)

What is it about the very last rose of winter that buds then blossoms in the midst of the cold?  The last one on the bush like a light shining in the darkness and its  bright yellow like a warm smile. As I meditated on its beauty I thought of an elderly lady who sometimes comes by my place with the walking group from the nursing home. She is a lovely Chinese lady always with a smile and always in just shorts and a tee shirt. I asked her one day if she was cold and with a beautiful smile she said, 'No, I have Jesus in here(Pointing to her heart) and he keeps me warm!  Like the last of the winter rose, isn't that just beautiful.

The peace of the Lord be with you. 

  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                               Yellow like a warm smile.

And so he saw Christ

 Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him. Luke 24:31

Eugene J Burkhart  says: Seeing requires paying attention to a variety of things: conversations, stories from fellow believers and strangers, new interpretation of scripture, grief and a strange burning in the heart.  

I was talking to an elderly resident in the nursing home as we waited for the service to begin. He was sitting with his wife, a devout Christian but he had always professed to not 'being that' and had not been at the service before. Somehow during the conversation I remarked how good it was to see him here and he said: 'I have come to support my wife which I should have been doing all along but more so I have come because of what Russia is doing in the Ukraine and suddenly  realised that its only God who can bring down the  Russian leader and condemn him and the more people to pray for that to happen, the better, so God encouraged me, opened my eyes really, to see that and to see how much we need him in our lives.' It was a lovely God moment of revelation, of how God can come into our life journey and walk along side us.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Anne, servant of the Lord.

The deep presence of God.

 In your presence is the fullness of joy and from your right hand flow delights for ever more. Ps 16:11

Some times silence is my time with God in the sacred space, no words are needed, just sitting and reflecting on his creation, his goodness, around me and that was this mornings experience and in  the quiet I just reached out my hand to touch a flower, its perfume flowed like incense  and I felt the deep presence of God. In that was enough depth and assurance to carry me into this broken world.

Jehovah -shalom. The Lord is peace

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    perfume like incense.

Full but hungry

 O Lord you light my fire, your face is all I see (Song of praise)

Fresh cold snow on the mountains sparkling in the sunlight like a million crystals and an icy cold wind of winter. A clear night sky full of stars, the deep colour of the rising sun and the soft hue of the sun set. Beauty in creation. Uniqueness of every bird. A special fiend. An elderly face. A needy person.

Ron Lessin wrote: Lord keep me full but hungry. Content but needy. Complete but never satisfied.

Let the peace of Christ dwell in your heart.

Anne, servant of the Lord

The uniqueness of every bird

On a journey

Sit here while I go over there and pray. Mat 26:36 

The sacred space was dew laden and mist covered but still, ever so still and quiet and there was a peace about it. I think the birds are still tucked up in their feathers because there is not a sound. My eyes went to the garden already turning into its winter look as if dying for the season but then I see there are green leaves of the jonquils rising from the cold ground that in their time, will flower in their glory, and buds are forming on the Daphne bush where I try to catch the smell of that heavenly perfume but its too soon yet. Going to the sacred space is a bit like going on a pilgrimage for it is a journey in itself, not of distance but of seeking God where we are, isn't that what a pilgrimage is about, a place to go, to reflect, to cast off your cares and see and seek and find God?    Where is your favourite pilgrimage? Where do you seek and find God? 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                       Let the journey begin.

A sparrow on a twig

 Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. (TIS 599)

I had paused a moment in the early morning to look at the thick fog that was so thick that it was like darkness with only dim shapes and images visible in the gloom and then in an instance the sun broke through and it was light - the clear, clear light of a sunny day and the biblical imagery  of darkness and light leapt out at me.  I noticed the   grass so green and dew washed and thought of the pastures green 'where he leadeth me.'  and the puddles of water on the path that resonated in my spirit as  'streams of living water' and the life giving waters of refreshment we have in Christ. And that darling little sparrow sitting on a  twig to remind me that God loves me and them. I reflected on the words in a poem by Sue Monk Kidd that God comes to us in the ordinary things of life. She says: 'Everyday the nearness of God collected in me like rain water. I sensed him coming and coming and coming, in the common things that shape my day.' I could look upon the most mundane things and think of God, ever present, ever near. What are you seeing this morning and what God thoughts spring to mind?

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

.                                                God's love.