What do we see.

Even birds and animals have much they could teach you.......all of them know that the Lord's hand made them. Job 12:7-9

I can sit in my sacred space and feel the presence of God all around me. Its like meeting God face to face. Like he is waiting for me there, calling come, look and see I am here.  He is there in the lovely pinks of the fuchsia flowers that always look like they have heads bowed praying,  he is there in the delicate violas dressed in purple, blue and yellow, he is there in the trees offering a haven for the birds and they too hold his presence singing in chorus to their God as day breaks. He is even in the thunder that rumbles around the hills and the aroma of the lavender that's drenched in the recent shower of rain.  I read this poem that says it all: I see his blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of his eyes. His body gleams amid eternal snows, his tears fall from the skies. I see his face in every flower, the thunder and the singing of the birds........his crown of thorns is twined in every thorn, his cross in every tree. (Joseph Plunkett)

What we see is more than what we see and sometimes we need to sharpen our vision.

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

                                                In you I see God your creator.

That put a smile on my face!

 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from the Father. Matthew 10: 29

So many things can put a smile on your face and can brighten any dull day. The beautiful red, yellow and green coloured Rosellas with a ting of blue, feathers all brunched up, dancing around and under the sprinkler on the lawn with sheer delight and joy on a hot morning. A speckly brown sparrow on a fragile tree branch that's swaying up and down in the wind, quite unperturbed, in fact enjoying it. (can a sparrow smile? I thought I caught a glimpse of one) So much about us can bring a smile to our face. Morning stillness had me reflecting on our creator God and I thought how can anyone think that God doesn't care about the life of these enjoyable creatures, or see them as his creation?  Ah, they don't know God at all.

                                                Dancing around and under the sprinkler.

Such a fragile little thing.

 Count your blessings name them one by one. (Hymn)

My mother use to say precious things come in small parcels and I thought of that when I saw the beautiful small feather lying on the table in my sacred space. A gift for the morning. It wasn't just any light brown feather because when it caught the light its true colours were revealed in a magenta  shining colour which caught you by surprise. Such a fragile little thing yet so full of beauty and I thought of the bird who had left it there for my delight and I thought of its creator and I thought of how the light of Christ can come and shine on us and reveal our true colours. Joyce Rupp says: 'And so in my life, what I see as fragile, weak and frail, may be my greatest gift.'

Left for my delight.

                                                

First fruits

May the foot of God walk with you and his hand hold you tight. (TIS 779)

 There is something magical about the time of the new day when  the sun filters through the night sky and breaks into light. Stepping out the door   for the first time in a new day is like my feet touching the newness, the 'never walked on until now' path of the new day and as God comes along side I discover the offerings of the day that would have otherwise been missed. Offerings and events that give joy and blessings and the days strength, like the magpie kicking in the tan bark, the different shades of glory covering the sky as it ventures further into the day and have you heard the call of the starlings? I love it, they sound like tiny horses whinnying. The wonderful morning gifts, of time with God, new every morning  are the most powerful pearls of great price to deposit in our heart and mind as we go further into the day, into the unknown. I love these words of St Patrick's lorica: Christ be with me. Christ be within me. Christ behind me. Christ before me. Christ beside me.

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

                                                Morning Glory.

Sshh, the Lord is here.

 The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Isaiah 40:5

Ssshhh, I heard the Lord coming through the garden, treading softly on the dew laden grass, clothed in the beauty of floral colours and surrounded by an air of incense. Quietly in the sacred space I wondered, if I was in a hard place, a noisy place, or in front of a breath taking moment would I still hear the Lord coming to me? I believe so, because isn't it said by God, 'Where I am there you shall be also.' (John 14:3)

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

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                  The Lord is with the lost children of Ukraine

Like a bell ringing - softly.

 

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17

The tinkling call of a little bird is just like a bell ringing  softly and gently -  peace, calm, joy. Those words came to mind from Macrina Wiederkehr as I sat peacefully in the sacred space, the growing day showing up all its glory across the perfectly blue sky and the perfume of the Gardenia and Jasmine filled the air. So often I would just love to stay there in that space because God is so present, so inviting, so embracing. His presence seen in the beauty of his created flowers so full of joyful blooming and his Spirit felt in the gentle breeze that crosses my face. O how much we miss out on if we don't pause awhile with God and allow him to prepare our hearts for the day ahead. May your morning experiences be also filled with peace, calm and joy.

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

                                            Rooted and grounded in love.

Give God the Glory

 That my heart may sing your praises and never be silent. O Lord my God I will give you thanks forever. Psalm 30:12

I love the way God comes in so many disguises and sitting in the sacred space on this beautiful summers morning I am blessed by so much of the presence of God. One flower  in particular caught my eye and stopped my wandering thoughts with its beauty, its perfect formation, its shifting colour in the sunlight as if the master creator was still at work in it.  What a magnificent creation but more so, what a magnificent creator. O give God the glory for all his creation.

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

Anne, servant of the Lord

Stop and stare.

 Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Stop and stare is something I do frequently when out on a walk or just sitting in the quiet space, just me and God. Stop to look more deeply and stare to see beyond what is in front of me where a wild flower in the grass is more than a wildflower, in fact its a thing of great creation planned by God for our enjoyment and the pleasure of the bees and butterflies. I pause at the song of the birds to just take in the beauty and perfect rhythm of their song and at Christmas I found myself pausing for long moments in front of the baby Jesus in his crib in the nativity scene and the more I stared the more I saw the wonder of  not a baby but God.   A New Year resolution might well be to pause and stare - just take the time to pause and stare.

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

                                                Pause awhile with me.

Christmas.

 Come and worship Christ the new born King. TIS 309

This is such a special time of the year. Step aside from the rush and bustle of Christmas shopping and  all that goes with trying to get gifts brought and wrapped in time and feeling flustered and threatening to yourself that this rush wont be part of your Christmas preparations next year, that you will plan it better, earlier - Step aside a moment and reflect on Christ and his birth. How he came into this world to bring love and salvation  as a saviour of all, breath in his love and all he means to you.   At this time may the love of Jesus fall on Ukraine and may there be peace in Jerusalem.

I want to thank everyone for your encouragement and support of our Blogspot reflections and I trust you have benefited from them personally and in sharing with others and using them in your ministry. I look forward to sharing again in 2023.

Emmanuel, God is with us. Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                              Christ the new born King.

Making a difference.

 'I am the voice of one calling out in the desert.' John 1:23

Can we learn and begin something new this Christmas and carry it into the New Year? When God sent Jesus down to live among us that first Christmas he sent him to bring the light of love - a four letter word packed with so much potential. The potential for wars to cease, for the homeless to be housed,    the refugee  to be embraced and welcomed, for the hungry to be fed, for the poor to have plenty, the unwelcomed welcomed.  That is love, true love not just love as an intention but love as action and a determination in the name of Jesus to bring change about. When you think of this four letter word packed with potential, what comes into your mind?

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

                                                      Light and love came down.

Go duck Go!

 God created.........all kinds of birds. He blessed them all.........told the birds to increase in number. Gen 1: 21-22 (Paraphrased) 

Yesterday coming out of the crematorium I held up all the traffic as two very concerned adult ducks escorted six of their babies across the road. The fussing of the parents and their concern for the safety of their little ones was a wonder to see. This little family of ducks had crossed two major roads without harm. As I watched them arrive in the safety of the scrub I let out a sigh of relief and whispered 'God was looking after you all.'  Gen 1:21-22 came to mind: God created all kinds of birds.He blessed them all and told the birds to increase in number. 

May you find a God moment in your day today.    Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Up you go little ones!

Star bright

 How beautiful on the mountain 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.' Isa 52:7

I still recall one of  the most precious Christmas gift I have received from anyone when I remember some years ago one of the small children at church  came up to me at the greeting of the peace and putting her small hand in mine she placed a tiny red star there and said.' This is for you, to remind you that Christmas is coming.' She was all of four years old.  It reminded me of the Wise Men and the guiding star they were given and the star that shone so bright for the shepherds just over Bethlehem. Its amazing the impact of something as simple as a star given at the right time can have!

                                                    The door into the chapel on shepherds field

Morning blessings

 May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day. TIS 609

As I sat in the sacred space I found myself saying to God the lovely word I had read  that come to mind now and then, these words: : God  Catch me off guard,  surprise me with some blessing, and you know what that blessing was this morning? It was the tiny garden heroes, the butterflies in the sweet smelling Buddleia bush and the busy bees in the flowering ground covers, tiny tiny legs laden with pollen, their treasure for the day. How wonderful it is to see God in the big and the small. How wonderful that what we see draws our thoughts to God. 

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

                                           The Buddleia bush - a delight for the butterflies.

The morning mystery.

 In the morning Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

I love the mystery of the morning. The space between night and day and in the quiet and stillness the blackbird is calling. I love the increasing chorus of the bird calls, the morning choir. I love the dew laden grass and how it falls softly on the roses. I love the time of just me and God. I love the mystery of the morning. What do you love about the morning?

May the peace of Christ fill your life every single day.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                 The glory of sunrise.

Joy and delight

 Lord how various are your works, in wisdom you have made them all and the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:1

I so often think - If you don't sit with it you miss it. The holistic value of 'just being' is so precious. I was watching a family of  Starlings bathing in the bird bath, all of them in together, about nine in all and they were having the time of their life, splashing, jumping, singing. The babies, new to life, taking great delight in it all then off they would fly, stumble and try again. It all brought a smile to my face and in my heart and I knew that inner smile would be with me all day and I would not have missed it for the world -  for the joy in my soul. The image  reminded me of the words of Noel Davis when he said the family of wrens were spilling joy all throughout the garden 

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

                                                Splashing, jumping, singing

regular daily appointment

The hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Ezek 8:3

In the Jewish tradition the home itself is called the 'Mikdash meyat ' a little sanctuary where God can dwell.  I feel that, I sense that and it extends into the garden where the 'special' sacred space is among the  shimmering colours of the flower display, the birds sing and perfume fills the air and its here I invite the Lord to meet me . Its like a regular daily appointment  and it has the same feeling  I had as a child when I came home from school and would sit with my mum or dad and tell them all about my day, the ups and downs, the laughter and joy and it made me feel warm inside.  Sacred spaces, quiet spaces, pauses and reflection, places of peace, love and healing  - this is the makdash meyat, the sanctuary where God can dwell.

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

A sacred space.

O so beautiful a song

 Morning has broken like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing.. TIS 156

There is never anything more pleasing to my ear than the sound early morning and evening of the song of the blackbird. It is so melodious, so pure, so beautiful and every time I hear it breaking into the silent dawn or peaceful evening I am riveted to the spot, just listening and enjoying O so beautiful a song. It's call draws me to God our wonderful creator who made everything for our joy and delight, even the plain blackbird with the beautiful song. As Joyce Rupp says: The thin veil moments of sheer surprise when not only eye( and ear)  but heart is kissed.

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

                                                    Morning and evening the blackbird sings.

Miracles, everyone of them.

 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see our God.  TIS 448.

It is such a miracle to see the rose bush gather its new fresh green leave, sprout tight buds ready to burst into colour and then open, open into the most beautifully formed, petal upon petal rose, breath-taking in formation, breath-taking in colour and packed with a perfume that momentarily sends you to heaven and back! Oh only God can create such beauty and delight from almost naught. Miracles, every one of them. Thich Nhat Hanh says: 'Around us, life bursts forth with miracles - a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, rain drops - miracles everywhere.'  Do you see it like that? Do you have time to stop and see God's miracles? They are happening right before our eyes.  As Joyce Rupp would say: ' Its a trip, a spiritual adventure uniting self with hidden beauty, with the our creator.'

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

Petal upon petal

Holding on.

I will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isa 12:3 

It was in great wonder that I stood and looked at the massive Eucalyptus trees in the very dry, sandy Todd River bed and wondered when they had last drunk from the deep waters. Their trunks were well above the sand and their massive exposed roots held them together, stopping them from toppling over yet when I put my ear to their trunk I could hear the rushing of water going up and into every branch, nourishing the entire tree from deep, deep down in the earth. Oh it reminded me so much of how our deep roots go into the love of Christ who nourishes us with the living water of Jesus. Even in times of spiritual dryness, that living water is still there holding us up.  If our roots are well imbedded in Christ we can stand strong in all circumstances.

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

                                                                    Deep rooted.

The Lord God made it all.

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our  birth over and around us lies.  TIS 137

  Wander around outside and you wont go far before God's beauty is revealed in the greenest of green grass, the abundance of new growth on  the trees and flowers of every kind and colour flourishing in the garden beds and fields and  its an absolute wonder to sit in the sacred space and be filled with the love of God all around me. The Aquilegia's, grandmothers bonnets, are yellow and purple and blue, their heads nodding in the gentle breeze and  the forget-me-nots  are making a final hurrah  reminding me that we are never  forgotten. But God's glory doesn't stop there. The night sky holds so much mystery and wonder and beauty of its own. Psalm 65 tells us to look at the heavens and see the works of your (God's) fingers. Today, deliberately take in the beauty of the earth and tonight the beauty of the skies and be touched by the blessings.

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

The beauty of the night sky.