Retreat

 God has given you rest. Deut 25:19

It is so lovely to have a retreat day away from the business of life. To step out of the normal and create something different. Its so life giving and refreshing. This was the experience when I walked along a beach recently looking at the long sweep of the beach, watching rock pools form ,  listening to the sounds of the sea gulls, the waves rolling onto the sand and the wind bringing in the lovely smell of sea air. The sights, the sounds, and the smells took me into a different realm - one of peace and calm.  I read these lines from Ainslie Mears. 'Its all about on the mountain top, in the deep of the forest, on the curving sweep on a lonely beach and kneeling in the cool crispness of summers night.'

Do it. Take a day to visit your special place and you will find your sacred space is there, waiting.

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

                                            Watching rock pools form

Gifts of love.

 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father above. James 1:17

The sacred space is carpeted with hundreds of  multi coloured autumn leaves , a kaleidoscope of colour and the birdbath is filled with floating leaves  like little ships in a port while the gentle breeze is falling the remnants of leaves from the near naked trees, falling gently like confetti. God was filling the sacred space with his blessings.

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

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Little ships at sea.

A lasting deep peace.

 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believers ear. It soothes his sorrows heals his wounds and drives away his fears. ( Hymn: John Newton)

So often we in the church are constantly wanting to try new hymns and modern Christian songs which is wonderful but lets not forget the ones that have been around for a long time and held so much meaning in peoples lives. This is one of the most asked for hymns from the older people in the nursing home. It brings a true sense of peace, of being held by God and that feeling goes deep, deep into the soul. I think of all the names that come to mind that are encompassed in the name of Jesus and I come up with; redeemer, saviour, master, comforter, healer, friend. Lee Self says, ' Jesus, I try to encompass all your names but they slip from my grasp. When I hold nothing I hold you. When I hold you I hold everything.

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

                                            

                                                A lasting peace.

Give thanks

 O Lord how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all, the earth is full of your possessions Psalm 104:24

Take a look at everything that is in your field of vision and reflect. God made it all and what strikes me  is that he is still making, creating and being extravagant. Every sunrise, every new day, the fresh shower of rain that transform the roadside with pink and blue and yellow wild flowers. The baby birds in the nest. Everything that is in your sight God made. They are his. They are his possessions (had you ever thought of creation in that way?) and he wants to share them with us.

 Lord, you are a constant, faithful creating God and we thank you. 

 Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                Made for our joy.

He comes disguised.

  Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty early in the morning to you our song shall be. (TIS132)

Its a beautiful  autumn morning where the fog weaves its way through the naked trees and hovers across the ground giving an offering of what I call haunting beauty.  There is a mystery  about it, a stillness and a calm - and a presence -  and it felt like God was passing by. I was drawn to think on God and how his love covers the earth. He has a heart and a love for us all, enough to cover the whole world and  as June Bacher would say, 'yet small enough to curl up inside your heart.' 

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

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                There is a mystery about it.

Sing to the Lord

 Come into his presence singing Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord. (Scripture in Song)

 I woke up to the sound of rain falling on the dry leaves in the garden outside my window and my thoughts immediately went to God and how faithful he is. Rain....life giving water for us and for the earth and I thought of life giving streams of water that flow through our lives from the love of Jesus and how we have that wonderful opportunity, the unique opportunity to flow those life giving  water onto others and I found myself humming, 'Come into his presence singing Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord.'  I reflect on my quiet time with Jesus, of his faithfulness and of the people he already knows that  we will encounter today .  I also reflect on the saying: 'those who sing pray twice.' Keep singing and we are constantly praying. Keep singing and we are in his presence always. 

Mane nobiscum Domine - Stay with us Lord.               Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    Precious gift.

Have you seen God today.

 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Psalm 95:2

 One of the greatest, most powerful, most humbling experiences we can have with God is those occasions when we find ourselves and him alone together and he whispers, 'here is a gift for you.'  Those moments can come in a flash: Be it a feather of stunning colours or a brilliant autumn leaf lying at your feet or a very busy Wattle bird in the Grevilia bush filling itself with delight, or an autumn fog weaving itself through the naked, undressed trees of autumn  its a God moment, gifts from God as he stands there with you handing them out one by one. Gifts that linger and stay in your memory. I love these gifts. Its like having something special in your pocket, you put your hand in and pull it out again being blessed every time. When we are gifted with the awesomeness of God's presence we savour every moment of it, we let God hold us and carry us as the sea holds and carries the boat.

Mane nobiscum Domine - Stay with us Lord.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                A gift for you.

Greet the day.

Therefore my heart dances for joy. Psalm 28

What a blessing to be able to sit down in a sacred space and listen and look, and wait for the Lord. I watched a Peewee walking very delicately along the garden fence looking so like a gymnast, one spindly leg after and over the other, balance perfect, with his eyes on me as if to say, 'Look at me, how good is this' and from the garden came the perfume of the last rose of summer. It was Thich Nhat Nanh who said ' As we sit down next to a stream, we can listen to its laughter and watch its sparkling waters -  an offering of peace and joy' and that's how it is when I come to sit down in my sacred space. Its a place of listening, peace and joy, 'waiting for the Lord to appear, listening so closely that I will hear his footsteps as he nears my humble place and I see his face.'  Was that  him in the Peewee and the perfumed rose?  Ah yes, he has come.  Be blessed by greeting the day with inner peace -find your special place and wait for the Lord.

Mane nobiscum domine - remain with us Lord.                            Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            The last rose of summer

A beauty!

Lost in wonder love and praise. (Christian Hymn) 

The autumn is stunning. The colours, the sunlight through the tree, the carpet of leaves on the ground, just beautiful and all I could do in front of a beautiful tree dressed magnificently in red was to stand still and be astonished. Wow, what a God, what a creator. I like these words from Paul Kelly. 'God you take our breath away when we see such beauty everyday. Our hearts are filled with more than words can say' you take our breath away, you take our breath away.'

Mane nobiscum, domine - remain with us Lord.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                    

                                                        Glorious

I am the Lord of the dance said he.

 I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth. TIS 242

The words of this hymn rolled off my lips as I watched the kaleidoscope of coloured leaves falling, rolling and  dancing down the path in the wind, ever so playful, ever so cheerful, a flurry of joy and delight. Ah, what a wonderful creator we have, ever so colourful, ever so creative and I am forced to stand still and be astonished at the dance. holding back the impulse to join in and I could feel the love of God welling up in my heart. What a delightful morning prayer filled with God's love.

 May the faith that gives us hope, may the love that shows the way, may the peace that cheers the heart, be yours today.

Anne, servant of the Lord.
                                                  

                                                    A kaleidoscope of colour

Faithful God

 If you believe, you will receive what ever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 12:22

The peace and quiet in the sacred space is just lovely on this autumn morning though it is fresh and I found myself pondering on prayer after my quiet time talking to God and asking him to  take what comes my way  today and shower it with blessings for me and those who cross my path and I wondered how much faith we put into our 'requests to God. 'I remember reading this little quote (author unknown). Do you pray and then believing, grab your boots and parasol; Scrub the barrel and get ready  for the rain you asked to fall?  So in believing that God will bless my day, and yours and all we do in his name be ready for his response.

May the faith that gives us hope. May the love that shows the way, may the peace that cheers the heart, be yours today.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Blessings on your day.

The mark of God

 The Lord God made them all. (TIS 135)

Perhaps these are the words of a Sunday School song we first learnt as a child but its one of those early learnings that have stayed with us all our life. The song is full of words that show us the beauty and wonder of God's creation and when we look about us at his creation we can see his mark everywhere. The massive grandeur of the night skies, the  stillness  of the stars and the silence of the sunrise. If we want to see God's glory then just stop where you are and look it straight in the face. What you see is a love letter from God, his priceless gift to us. Socrates said: ' Speak that I might see.'

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

                                                        Made by God.

Stone of help.

 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer, for he said: 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.' 1 Samuel 7:12. NRSV

I am often reminded of this text when I reflect on a small round stone I have on my prayer desk with the word 'peace' carved on it. Somehow when I look  on that word on the stone I have a sense of the ever present  help of the Lord and how that word alone can  calm what ever storm might be raging and affirm the victories  won. It reminds me of God's faithfulness throughout my life. It reminds me that  Jesus came into the world to bring peace and peace comes to us when we surrender to his will. I like the translation from the TEV.' The Lord has helped us all the way.......and he named it stone of help.' How good to remember that God's help is just a stones throw away. As he was for Samuel so he is for you and me.

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

                                                Peace.......be still and know that I am God.

These seasons.

 Sing to God with joy and gladness. (TIS 92)

Already we see the trees are changing colour as the season  move into autumn to be followed by winter and then the cycle begins again, Spring and summer but I also note the seasons of life in other ways. A ruffled feather, a tattered leaf and elderly face. summer grasses swaying in the breeze, wildflowers dotting the  field and the little cheeps of the sparrows. Thich Nhat Hanh would say.'  Enjoy the many wonders of life that are available in the here and now. The blue sky, the beautiful trees, lovely faces of children, the flowers, the birds, they can nourish and heal us in a moment.'

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

             

                          Summer grasses swaying in the breeze.

Thankful.

 Thankful under the beauty of the moon and stars for all your creation. ( Celtic Liturgy)

The full, whole moon rising over the encroaching evening light, crystal clear countryside from its shinning, - A silence profoundly beautiful -  an evening meditation.

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

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Silent beauty

Always here, always present.

 I am with you always, day by day, until the close of the age. Matthew 28:20

Morning after morning is a God experience, like looking into the face of God, seeing him eye to eye as he makes 'a new day.' Splendid colours, fresh clean air, peaceful quiet only broken by the chorus of birds expressing the same thanks to God of the new day. I talked to a lady recently who was struggling with a seemingly hopeless diagnosis of cancer. She said, ' and I am  filled with tears and fear, and when I woke this morning and before anything else these words came to me: Nothing will happen to you that you can't handle  because I am with you. I believe God said that  to me, it was like we were in the same room, just him and me  and he wanted me to have assurance and trust in him.'  There will be her strength in her weakness for the days to come, whatever they hold.  These 'Aha' experiences that tell us God is present anchor our souls to our maker and its there we find deep peace.

May your day be richly blessed from the first encounter, the first 'Aha' that God is with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Slandered  colour of the new day.

No sweeter sound.

 As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God set our hearts on fire with love for you. (APBA Morning Office.)

 There is no sweeter sound at the break of day than that of a Magpie warbling in the silence of dawn - there is something sacred about it.  I see it as their prayer, their song of praise to their creator God for the gift of a new day.

Did you sing to the Lord at day break giving thanks for the gift of this new day?  Was there something sacred about it?

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

                                                And thank you for food.

Dead yet full of new life.

 Beauty from brokenness. TIS 690

There is one particular old tree that has been in my life for over 45 years now. It was beautiful and  I watched it flourish, age and eventually fall down. It was a home for many a bird that nested in its branches and even when it fell it still provided shelter for the birds in the holes of its trunk. It still looked majestic and grand. I read these words: The gnarled old tree lay broken and dead, struck down,  yet in its brokenness is beauty, timeless weathered out beauty....mosses root in its crevices, birds nest in its hollows, a tree dead yet full of new life. Beauty from brokenness - life from death and I reflect on how nothing really dies, it just  lives on in another way, 

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

                                                Still giving.

Little messages of love.

 Love divine, all love excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down. (Charles Wesley)

Silent in the sacred space I saw a feather, so  colourful, dressed in shades of blue, dancing in the breeze then gently it rested at my feet. Little gifts. Little messages of love and I said a silent prayer: Creator God -you clothe all your creation in beauty - may we also dance in the breeze leaving little gifts, little messages of love where we have been. Amen.

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

                                                        Dressed in shades of blue.

Christ in the heart

 Standing before the Grevilia bush had me in awe at how, with some seemingly dead brown branches, the bright, deep red of a flower were a delight...…deep, deep red amidst the brown bush.

'He heard things which cannot be put in words.' 2 Corinthians 12:4

This verse drew me to reflect on what it is that we 'hear in our hearts' and can not put into words. The magnificent scenery in a special place. The reflection on a pond. The peal of a church bell. The chorus of morning birds when all else is asleep. Time and history etched on the face of the elderly. The perfume of the Jasmine. The  quiet spaces. The reaching out of hands for the sacrament. They cause a small voice in our mind to say 'Ahhh' and sense the presence of God that can't be described.

Matthew Henry said: The ground of our hope is Christ in the world but the evidence of our hope is Christ in the heart.

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

A quiet place - peace and Ahhh, the presence of God.