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Saturday |
Jul-21 |
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I am reading a book called 'The People's Prayers' at the moment. I like the following two prayers.
God's Promise
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow or sun without rain. But God did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and a light for the way. And for all who believe in God's Kingdom of love, God will answer their faith with peace from above.
The second prayer has no title but it goes as follows. May you always have an angel by your side, watching out for you in all the things you do, reminding you to keep believing in brighter days, finding ways for your wishes and dreams. May you have hope that is certain as the sun, giving you the strength of serenity as your guide. May you always have love, comfort, courage and may you always have someone by your side. May you have someone there to catch you if you fall, encouraging your dreams, inspiring your happiness, holding your hand and helping you through it all. And may you always have an angel by your side. |
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Friday |
Jul-20 |
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'We can no more go back to the way we were, than we can put toothpaste back into a tube.' ~Brendan Hoban
There are many things we will try and get on well. But if we try and put toothpaste back into a tube again, we know it will be a task very much beyond us! This can reflect on other things in life too. When we make a mistake or do something wrong we can often be like the toothpaste. It can't go back in and we can't go back on what we have done wrong. The only way forward is to start again, learn from where we went wrong and do our best not to make the same mistake.
The image of the toothpaste and the tube can also refer to what is old and new. Sometimes we're stuck in the past, stuck to what we know, stuck in what is sometimes old, stale and lacking energy. We're slow to try something new or do something different. In many of our Gospel stories Jesus gently invites us from the old and stale. We are encouraged to embrace life and do things that bring us energy and inspiration. This will be different for everyone and can be quite different each day. As the month of July swiftly moves along, what gives you energy at this time of year? What do you like doing that helps you unwind? What in your life is stale and negative? Can you do anything today to let go of one thing that's old, stale or negative? Then in place of that one thing, what can you do to try something that is new, refreshing and energising? |
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Wednesday |
Jul-18 |
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The following is one of Liam Lawton's songs called 'There Is A Place' dedicated to our loved ones who have died but who will always live in our hearts.
There is a time to remember, a time to recall, the trials and the triumphs, the fears and the falls. There is a time to be grateful for moments so blessed, the jewels of our memory where love is our guest.
There is gold that is gleaming in a past we once knew, in our tears and our laughter, 'twas love brought us through, there's a road we have travelled where sunlight has kissed, that carries us onwards when loved ones are missed.
There is treasure in our fields, there is treasure in our skies, there is treasure in our dreaming from the soul to the eye, for wherever we gather in the light of God's grace and for all whom we remember there will ever be a place.
In the quiet of the evening, at the close of the day, we will rest from our journey; to the Lord we will pray. May we thank God for blessings and for the moments we have shared, as we look to tomorrow, close by us they'll stay.
There is treasure in our fields, there is treasure in our skies, there is treasure in our dreaming from the soul to the eye, for wherever we gather in the light of God's grace and for all whom we remember there will ever be a place. |
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Sunday |
Jul-15 |
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The following reflection is by Jane Mellett called 'Be Church'
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff - no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. ~Mark 6:7
Jesus calls the disciples by name, recognising their individuality and their gifts. Yet he sends them out in twos so they must work together. Sometimes we may feel we can do his work alone or that we have all the right answers. We should celebrate our gifts but also recognise the things that perhaps we cannot do in the faith that others compliment our efforts. The disciples can only bring a staff, sandals and a single tunic, no baggage to be brought with them on their mission. Early Christians travelled light, relying on the generosity of others and this has a lot to say to us today.
It might seem harsh for Jesus to tell the disciples to shake the dust off their feet when they are rejected by people. We constantly fear rejection and when we experience it, it can leave us feeling exhausted and upset. Jesus' message here may be to free ourselves and move on. To not let that disappointment and upset control our lives because if we do, we lose our freedom, it holds us back and it starts to define us.
a quotation to finish...
'For the people of God who are sent to support us, for the people of God who are sent to disturb us, for the people of God who are sent to inspire us, for the people of God who are sent to trouble us, for the people of God who are sent to enthuse us, for the people of God who are sent to still us, thanks be to God.' ~Peter Privett |
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Tuesday |
Jul-10 |
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'Life is like a box of chocolates. Each chocolate is like a portion of life. Some are crunchy, some are nutty, some are sweet, some are chewy but all are delicious in their own way. Without each one, life would not be complete.' ~Maria Fontaine
If everything was exactly the same, life would simply be dull and boring. There is such variety in every community. Like a box of chocolates we all have our own likes and dislikes. Even when there are only a few left to choose from, we are often tempted to lift the layer and take one from underneath! The same goes with people. We are all so different, so unique and because of this so special. Our Gospels encourage us to be the person we are. We don't have to try and match someone else. We don't have to be better than them. We don't have to waste energy trying to do what they are good at. We are encouraged to just be, to enjoy the things that work for us and to make the most of what's given to us. Like a box of chocolates, we are limited if we're just one on our own. But if that one becomes part of a bigger team, then there are endless possibilities. |
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Monday |
Jul-09 |
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'I am quite confident with my weaknesses, with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.' ~2 Corinthians 12:10
We are uncomfortable with our weaknesses. To say we are weak suggests something negative, that we are way behind someone else and that it's not a good place to be. St Paul says to be weak is a strength or a blessing. What is he really saying here? He is certainly not saying that we should go around with our heads down, moaning about our weaknesses and throwing the towel in. What he is saying is that we all have weaknesses and limitations. This includes everyone. If the world's population is over 6 billion, then every single one, including you and me have weaknesses and limitations. It is part of our human condition. No one is perfect and trying to live perfectly will mean a very frustrating and unhappy life.
We need to accept and own our limits and our weak points. Instead of stumbling blocks they should become stepping stones. Using them as stepping stones allows us to concentrate more on our endless possibilities and good points. The stepping stones give us better views and we can see more of the good around us. Hugely important is to see the good within you. It bubbles up, energies and gives you the reason to keep going today. Whatever today holds for us, we ask God's blessings in our weaknesses and in our strengths. |
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Sunday |
Jul-08 |
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The following reflection is by Jane Mellett called 'Small Towns and Big Ideas'
And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house' and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. ~Mark 6:5-6
Today's story of Jesus visiting Nazareth is well known and probably well related to for many people. You can imagine the scene of a young man returning to his family, friends, those whom he grew up with, played with as a child and worked for. A young man arriving home to tell the people down the local about his travels, how well he is doing, how much he has changed and so on. And the response is still the same: 'Who does that fella think he is?' 'Oh so you are an idealist now?' Jesus is having such an experience in today's Gospel as the people of his hometown simply won't accept him.
He may have achieved wonderful things, only last week we heard of the miracles he worked. But the time has come to return to the home country and to teach there. People simply do not see him in the same way. We can sympathise with Jesus in this story, or perhaps recognise ourselves in those who refuse to accept that the local carpenter is now calling himself the Son of God. The people question him and his authority.
The Nazarenes are unable to see God working through someone who they know well. He is unable to be a prophet in his own country. Jesus can't work miracles there because miracles require faith. How many times has Jesus come to us in the form of someone we knew well but we could not see him?
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Saturday |
Jul-07 |
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'Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to.' ~Author Unknown
To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I have reached my own limitations.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it is to allow healing to begin.
To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to be more responsible for things in their life.
To let go is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize and regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
To let go is to fear less and to allow more of God's love into my life. |
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Monday |
Jul-02 |
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'A handshake is a symbol of seeing you as a human being and acknowledging your humanity. For each to shake hands needs a generosity of spirit, a letting go of the hurt from the past and a sense of a brighter future where we can begin to live with our differences and knowing we both have valid stories.' ~Jo Berry
The photo of Queen Elizabeth and Martin McGuiness shaking hands last week was printed worldwide. Given his history as a former leader of the IRA, it was a defining moment on our progress along the peace process. There are many kinds of a handshake, one of welcome, one of sympathy, one of care and love, one of congratulations and affirmation. There are handshakes that are firm and strong, there is the weak and fish handshake, there is a handshake of hesitation and reluctance, and then there are times when there is a refusal of a handshake. In sport we remember earlier this year the controversy caused, when Liverpool player Luis Suárez refused to shake hands with the Manchester United captain Patrice Evra.
The handshake between the Queen and Martin McGuinness will certainly go down in history and a sign that peace is the only path forward. Jo Berry whose father was killed in the Brighton bombing reflected on the significance of the historic handshake by saying: "Peace happens when we treasure everyone, all creatures, our land, our planet, and work together to find solutions in which everyone wins." |
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