Skip to main content

Peace


Stumbling into the eerie peace of early dawn,
Trying to hear the time chimed out by our grandfather clock,
I paused. . .
Our most beautiful autumn
That scene of colorful trees of gold and crimson
 Lay silent. . .
Except for the humming of the winds
Swirling through the leaves.
Taking my walk and run uphill with Goldyn
Led to downed trees and branches.
Evergreens snapped apart
Now lined up like fallen dominoes.
Eucalyptus trees and towering oaks appeared to have just toppled over,
Revealing shallow roots
That stood no chance against ferocious wind.
The serenity of nature lay broken,
Where is this way of peace?

No doubt those people of long ago questioned too,
Since so much time had passed. 
Their world seemed fractured
Their nation ruined, oppressed by Roman rule.
But God in His infinite love,
Breathed Peace in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Birthed in a back inn stall,
Humbly entering our human life
Jesus the Savior was born.

The Prince of peace,
God Himself came to dwell among us.
He showed us life
Gave up His life
Providing peace with God and man,
Rejoice!
The Way of peace has come! 

Our greeting comes this year quite simply,
May you know God’s Peace today.
A peace that supersedes all understanding,
Not found in worldly values.
May Christ’s peace rule in your hearts
May you rediscover God Himself
That He’s enough for all your crises of this life.

With grateful hearts for each of you,
We send this Christmas greeting,
Circumstances and situations are not the reason for our rest,
The Peace we’ve found lies in our hearts.

Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit  in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1: 78-79)







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

   " Put yourself in the path that God will work." (Pastor Martin Smith, 1/2024)  On a crisp, clear Saturday morning, I started up the hill with Gypsy Rose eagerly leading the way.  I was more caught up in the fresh air feeling that was invigorating, than paying attention to the few cars that passed us by.  But there up ahead, a small red truck had slowed to the curb to flag me down.  "Could I help him find his son's house?" He was an older gentleman with his phone in hand.  He couldn't reach his son because the calls only went to voicemail, and he didn't have his address, only that it was somewhere here in Rancho.  I googled his son for him, but unfortunately, it only brought up an older address which was the current address now for this man.  There was no updated address for Rancho Cucamonga.  I told him the bad news, but he was so very gracious.  He did everything to show me that he was for real, pulling out  his driver lice...
Post a Comment
Read more

Awe

  The thunder resounded with a loud clap! Certainly, it came as an afternoon surprise.  The expected rain seemed less than what was forecasted, but with the thunder came a bucket of heavy raindrops splashing against my kitchen window.  I wanted to take it all in, the fresh aroma of falling rain and the beauty of water drops hitting the leaves of my nasturtium and petunia hanging baskets.  Unfortunately, the rain cloud quickly fled, running away into the eastern sky.  But then the sun made its way onto the scene, and I was drawn to a thick band of rainbow colors shining up at me.  The western sky was magnificently orange, completely bound up tight with that solo color scheme.  I went outside to catch it all before it would disappear.  Creation again was causing me to pause in awe and wonder. . . Awe is that reverential wonder, that even includes fear and respect.  It is only a 3 letter word, but it takes bigger and grander words to define it....
Post a Comment
Read more

Corrupt Leaders, Corrupt People?

  There's a pattern over and over again in the history books of the Old Testament.  It goes something like this, the king did evil in the sight of the Lord, in which he made the people sin, and provoked God to anger with their idols, (I Kings 16: 13).  God is not human, and we are limited in our language to truly describe an Infinite Invisible Being.  We use our human terms to describe outcomes or actions that are visible to us.  The people viewed their King as their protector and advocate.  If it went well with the King, it was well for them, even if the King veered from the teachings of their heritage, i.e. the Law of Moses.  It seemed as if there was no real discernment on their part, but rather a complicity of going along with majority thought or rule.  I could be wrong, but the phrase that the King made the people sin, makes me wonder.  After all, isn't there personal choice with our decisions?  Are we any different today, on this ...
Post a Comment
Read more