Early morning
A woody wood pigeon
Heavy-weight dove,
With white outlined wings
And pristine necklace
Flies into the Scots pine
Seeking breakfast
Expectantly.
Ailerons yawing
Awkwardly lands
Cautiously advances
Staggering intoed
Along a slender branch
Which dips and sways
Flipping him downward
Unseemingly.
He briefly fumbles
Flutters
Rises efficiently
Soaring skyward
Returns moments later
Landing on a sturdier bough
To search for food
Determinedly.
Trees bow down in awe
At God’s mighty power
Sun gently warming
With God’s love transforming.
Rain, heaven weeping
Wind, Holy Spirit speaking
Together both are seeking
To communicate with me.
All creation’s bringing
Praise and thanksgiving
To their Sustainer singing
Through all eternity.
From disorder and darkness
God formed our world
And, one by one,
By a spoken word
Unfurled the sky
The sun, moon and stars
Gave to this world
His light.
Many years later
In the darkness of night
Once more God spoke
Gave the world His light
By sending His Son
Down to the earth
Announcing to shepherds
The holy birth of Jesus Christ
The Light of the world
God in flesh
The Living Word.
Genesis 1:3&14-18
Luke 2:11
John 1:9&14, 8:12
Life gets hard
Bad things happen
Is God chiselling?
God you love me
Chisel away
It hurts but I want it.
The chisel is painful
It is not fun
But the result is amazing.
Yes, God is producing
From me and many others
A masterpiece.
All put together
His workmanship forms
An artistic poem of love.
Lord keep on chiselling
Reveal your image hidden in me
Divine poetry.
Ephesians 2:10
Poiema = Greek for ‘that which is made’
Creator of the universe
Manager of time
He was and is
Always will be
Almighty God
Through eternity
Greatness
Splendour
Power
Might
Ruler of time
Day and night
And the universe
Held in His hands
Yes, but this creator God
Sent Jesus, His Son into the world
To become
My Redeemer
Deliverer
Friend
The one on whom
I can depend
He promised
“I will never leave
Will hold you
In my hands.”
1 Chronicles 29:10-12
Psalms 31:15 & 119:73
God
Who created the heavens
Founded the earth
Established the seas
Will one day
Fold them up
As worn out clothes
Will replace them
With
A new heaven
A new earth
Completing
His kingdom eternal.
Hebrews 1:8-12
Revelation 21:1
In the beginning
God’s boundaries were set
Day was light; darkness – night
Earth from sky; water from land
All separated
By God’s own hand.
Fish for the sea; birds for the air
Then the pair; man and wife
Into their nostrils
God breathed His life.
To man, all God’s garden
Was totally free.
There was only one small boundary.
Every tree in the garden
Could be used for food
Except one tree
Knowing evil and good
But man disobeyed
Crossed the boundary fixed
Ate from the tree that God forbade
Was afraid – and hid.
Now, because this one rule
Had not been met
Holy God a new boundary set
To keep man out of His Garden
Sweet relationship broken.
Separation.
Over time man went
From bad to worse
Turned away from God
And even cursed
His creator.
The gulf became wider
The boundary higher
Big barrier of sin
Blocked the way
To God’s presence.
But God in His mercy, love & grace
Wanted man to see His face
Sent to earth His son, beloved one
Jesus.
The almighty everlasting God
Stepped down into time
Became a child – Word spoken
Two boundaries now broken.
He lived in our world
Humble – a servant
Lord of all!
Another wall breached
To reach
Me.
Yet the final boundary
That had to be smashed
Was the barrier
That kept me away from God
My sin.
By Christ’s death on the cross
And His rising again
The last boundary crashed
So now I can come
Through the veil of His flesh
To commune once more
With my Father God.
His own blood, the price
To open paradise
For me.
Jesus out of love to reach me
You broke down every boundary
So now I in turn
Reach out to you
With my love, only weak and small
But I give you it all
I love you.
Genesis 1:3-10
Philippians 2:6-8
Hebrews 10:19
Wilderness, desert and wasteland
All rejoicing and blossoming
Spring bulbs flowering
An abundance of plants
Singing and joy
The glory of the Lord displayed
The splendour of the Creator portrayed.
Springs gushing forth
Satisfying thirsty land
Streams watering parched land
Grass, reeds and rushes flourishing.
Blind eyes opened
Deaf ears unplugged
Lame ones leaping
Dumb speaking and singing.
Through once deserted land
A magnificent road
The Holiness Highway.
Isaiah 35
Sometimes as I walk through a forest glade
Beneath tall trees that give me shade
I think of how a tree was cut down
To form a cross for the Son of God.
I hear the birds as they worship on high
Praise and thanking in the clear blue sky
As I stroll in silence I think of Him
Who, on that cross, took away my sin.
How Creator of all this beauty I see
Was willing to die on that cross for me
And my heart swells as I consider my Lord
So I stop, sit down, open His Word.
Where I read how great my Saviour is
And my heart overflows with love for Him
Understand His idea for my redemption
Was in his plan before all this creation.
Psalm 92:5
Ephesians 1:3-7
Thoughts taken from the hymn ‘How Great Thou Art’
Silvery dawns and golden sunsets
At the beginning and end of each day
Remind me that the divine Creator
Is in control in every way.
He causes the sun to rise and set
To open and close each day
By this I know He loves me still
For His light always shows me the way.
It’s a light quite unlike the moon
It does not wax or wane
It never flickers or dies out
But constantly stays the same.
The sunlight reminds me that God has said
If I walk in the light of His light
I’ll be blessed; will never stumble
Won’t be concerned by the darkness of night.
For I know that His light will guide me
Along the path He has chosen for me
Which is leading me ever onward
To my heavenly destiny.
Psalm 113:3; 56:13; 89:15
John 8:12
