Well! It’s May now although it’s felt like November lately with the hail and rain and winds! I trust all is good with you and your family and friends. This month, with lockdown easing, I thought it would be good to look at the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.Here Jesus invites himself into Zacchaeus house for a meal. I expect you are all looking forward to opening up your house and inviting friends and family inside for food. It’s been a long time hasn’t it? We can learn so much from this story of friendship, hospitality, welcome, forgiveness, and an openness to everyone whatever their background, race or gender. Zacchaeus was so ready to welcome Jesus into his life and to be changed by the experience. This is a real story of hope and transformation.
Coming this month:-
Jan Kear, our brilliant chef, has sent in a Spring soup recipefor us to try and a delicious zesty lemon scone treat for those tea parties you are going to plan. Maybe after all this time of restrictions and with so many people being on their own, it’s a good time to think about inviting people, maybe those you don’t know really well, into your home for one of Jan’s delicious scones. Hospitality was so important to Jesus in his ministry.
How about having a go at some creative writingtoo? Barbara has set you a challenge with some hints/ideas for this. It looks fun so do give it a go and send it to us. Your contributions are always so interesting, creative and thought provoking.
Do keep in touch with us as we love to hear your news and how things have been for you during this time. We WILL get together soon.
With love Alex x and Sue x
May 6th
A Creative Writing Challenge!
As we are all looking forward to a face to face meeting our friends face to face for a cup of tea and a good chat, I chose “friendship”, for this month’s activity.
Jesus made friends with a wide range of people, including fishermen, (Matthew 4;18-23) a tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19;1-10), and Martha and Mary (Luke 10; 38-42)
He had many wonderful qualities: so, what do you think makes a friend?
Please will you write about your friends or friendships and why they are important to you. You might include their qualities, how you met, what you enjoy doing together, or a favourite memory you share.
For a real challenge how about putting it into a Haiku or a poem?
I look forward to seeing your thoughts in writing.
Good luck! Barbara
May 11th
A soup for Spring
The colour of this soup is reminiscent of the new green growth of spring and is highly nutritious. It can be adapted for vegans by missing out the cream and eggs, milk or milk substitute could be used in place of cream, or just miss it out. It serves 4.
Ingredients
For the croutons:-
4 slices of sourdough bread., crusts removed and cut into cubes.
1 tbsp olive oil.
For the soup:-
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 celery sticks chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre vegetable stock
1 large broccoli head (350g)
250g spinach
100ml double cream
4 medium eggs
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Make croutons, preheat oven to 200 degrees centigrade, or mark 6. Toss bread, oil and seasoning, place on a baking tray. Cook for 10 min or until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over low heat and cook the onion for 5 min, add the celery and cook for 5 min. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more.
3. Stir in stock and bring to the boil. Chop broccoli including the stalk and add to the pan. Simmer for 10 mins. Stir through the spinach to wilt. Place in a blender or liquidiser and wiz until smooth. Stir through cream (if using) season to taste.
4. Poach the eggs for 4 mins, test by lifting out with a slotted spoon – the white should feel firm but the yolk remains soft. Drain eggs on kitchen paper.
5. To serve ladle soup into 4 bowls and top each with an egg, croutons and a sprinkling of chilli.
The soup can be cooled and frozen without the toppings.
We had our second ‘Zoom’ gathering at the end of March.
A big ‘thank you’ to all who took part in it, for the wonderful and quite emotional dramas, to the lovely music and such meaningful prayers and the beautiful art work from our archives and to all who joined in. The sharing time at the end was so special, hearing people’s heartfelt stories will stay with me. Alex
Here are some samples from the morning – memories for those who were there, glimpses of what you missed for everyone else:
Crosses
Barbara
Using last years palm cross as a base; I glued metal objects such as washers, staples, nails etc to represent the nuts and bolts of life. The cross, as a Christian symbol, represents for me Christ holding together our lives.
Bob
At Christmas I was tasked with helping to remove the Christmas tree from the balcony of the church and it was suggested that it should be saved for an Easter project. The project was to trim it, cut it and form a cross to represent the crucifixion. A prime bit of recycling, representing the journey from birth to death.
Lesley
I made these crosses from woven painted paper strips, the random patterns and weaving reflecting how God takes every aspect of my life and weaves it together for his purposes. I have now added the lettering ‘He is risen’ and ‘Our Loving Hope’ and sent them for my Easter cards.
Helen
Quilling
While making the cross, I felt most grateful for all the spiritual help over many years from churches and people. However, it was difficult to imagine the sheer horror of the crucifixion. I remembered the large cross we made at Kingdom Arts, with the triumphant gold of the resurrection on the reverse of the horror and we must give thanks for this especially at this time.
Alex
Cross made with Dorset buttons
Holy week has always been a very important week for me, not only following the way of Jesus every day from Palm Sunday through to Easter Day but because of a significant event that happened in Holy week many years ago. My Dad, who was a wonderful Christian and who I was very close to, died in Holy week. I had sat with him and my sister and Mum for several days when he was so ill. I took some cross stitch work and made lots of different shaped crosses which I gave to the staff caring for him. This Holy week I decided to make some Dorset buttons and make them into a cross to place in our window. We have been studying the book “Living His Story” this Lent and how to share our story of faith with those we meet. I am hoping the cross will be a talking point in sharing my story with my neighbours. I have made the cross in yellows and golds, the colours of the Resurrection.
Ruth
My cross is made from cubic letter beads which one of my grandchildren originally made into a bracelet for me. The letters spell out the several different names by which the family call me: Ruth, Grandma, Grandma Ruth, Mandma and simply Mum. I used these letters to make my cross.
As I gazed upon it and thought of the Easter story the scripture from Galatians 2:20 came to mind. “I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
It occurred to me that just as Jesus died for each one of us and rose again from the dead to give us resurrection life, using the letters of my name to make the cross was a symbolic way of expressing this reality for me personally.
Take some ordinary pegs and remove the springs . . .
Design 1 : Using 14 pegs
IMPORTANT: Allow the glue to dry after each stage. Be patient.
Remove the springs and glue 13 of the pegs back-to-back. Leave the last peg unglued . . .
(There are only eleven shown in the picture)
Glue three pegs together . . .
Make four of these.
Extend the fourth one using the remaining glued peg and the last two halves and glue together as shown . . .
Position the four arms of the cross.
I found it useful to draw a cross on paper as a guide.
Glue on a centre piece of your choosing. This gives the cross a little more strength.
The cross can then be left plain or decorated.
The final cross
Design 2 : Using 15 pegs
Remove the springs and glue the pegs back together. (15 separate pegs – not one great big lump!)
Paint five pegs a different colour (I’ve painted mine black)
Not sure why there are only four black ones in the picture, there should be five!
Glue three pegs as shown below. The middle peg should be black, but I’ve made it grey so you can see how they are arranged more easily. With hindsight, I see that I should have used a lighter colour than black!
Make five of these.
Glue them onto a backing as shown.
Check out the internet for ideas or experiment.
You can use full size pegs or smaller ones sold by on-line craft shops.
The very small ones are a bit fiddly.
KINGDOM ARTS invite you to Join us on our Easter Journey
ZOOM in on TUESDAY, MARCH 30th
10.30 -12.00
Have your Hot Cross Buns ready!
Make your own Cross
or find out how to make one here on the Kingdom Arts website (see March 8th below)
RSVP to your contact person for ZOOM login details
March 3rd
Imbolc
Imbolc or Imbolg, also called St. Brigid’s Day, is a Gaelic traditional festival marking renewal, resurgence, and the beginning of Spring. It was traditionally held on 1st February. It lands about halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. (Wikipedia)
Shefali writes:
It’s not been easy to get started.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to break out wake up to begin to arise, part of me is still not sure.
But yesterday I started to dig my garden for first time, to clear leaves etc. and as I did I looked for signs of cracks in earth, looking for signs of life, the miracle of hope that seeds had survived and, there it was, a few light green shoots starting to appear.
In this lockdown it held magic and beauty for me and that night I cried as I was thankful things had survived underground, when there seems no life and all is dead, when in my own journey I grieve for many loved ones I have lost this year to untimely death and my thought of whether I too will ever survive and rise again.
There it was, hope cracking open the earth to find its way on its journey of life. Waking up a song I have yet to sing, here be picked in my drawing. It just developed.
She and He came, moon and sun together, the awakening to possibilities.
And I am reminded of Song of Songs, chapter 2
Awake, wake up, rise up and come away, the winter is past, flowers are appearing, the season of singing is coming.
For our Easter Zoom meeting, we invite you to think about The Cross and to join us as we travel towards our individual Easter journeys.
To help you do this we would like you to make your own cross in any way you wish. We are posting a few ideas to get you inspired.
Sue says:
Whilst on retreat a while back I came across this little book –
Making CrossesbyEllen Morris Prewitt
It gives encouragement to pray through the making of crosses. The crosses in the book are constructed from natural materials or found objects. They are simply made. It is a chance to use what we perhaps regard as rubbish and to give it new meaning, or to take something already imbued with beauty, in order that we can concentrate on our feelings of love, awe and gratitude for God.
The pictures below need no explanation as to how they were made, but the cross put together with two pieces of Welsh slate holds significance for me and is a reminder of a particular Easter when my life was at a turning point. The actual making of the cross helped me to focus on God.
Have a go, be creative with what you can find in your house or garden.
You will be able to show any cross you make to others at the Easter Zoom meeting. We look forward to seeing your efforts. Sue.
Examples from Sue:
Examples from Vikki:
Beads on wire
4 horse shoe nails and stiff wire
Design 1
Design 2
These last three are made from wooden clothes pegs.
If you would like to see more detailed instructions for Designs 1 and 2 click here >>Making peg crosses
March 9th
Mothering
Early morning Spring mists clear,
revealing Mother God’s nurtured Earth.
Restless to reveal hidden treasures,
as ladies-in-waiting
count the days towards new life.
But only God knows the day and time
for mothers and Earth to give birth,
rejoicing at the wonder of the Holy gifts.
With nodding snowdrops ringing joy,
birds joining the chorus.
A counterpane of royal gold and purple,
spreading over gardens and verges.
Soft, soothing greens
beginning to cover the land.
While mothering hands tend receptive young,
fulfilling needs and giving love.
Encouraging them to cross over
the rocking suspension bridge of life,
preparing for the path ahead.
Like resilient, reliable daisies
that brave the winter storms and trampling feet,
ready for future moral battle,
to weave threads of joy and peace
amongst the tangled threads
of pain, loneliness and fear.
Strengthened and upheld
with the constant Mother love of God.
Now you’ve asked me to be your guide, you will know that we tread the path of life together. That means, for you, there will be a new way, a new normal, a new experience. We will be so team spirited that those meandering paths in life will seem straight and the landscape flat to walk on. I will be your shelter, your living water, your nourishment for life’s journey. You can look back, but it will offer you so little reward that you will want to face forward and move forwards. The view will fulfil you completely. Your perception will be clear. No matter what lies ahead, you will know that all is possible with me. You will not need to be afraid. You will see families, friends and nations come together and be reconciled. Enough of this ‘walking solo’. We will have a community focus. I am doing something new. I am bringing a new desire for unity, a new perspective to treasure and you will all want to remain responsible for its care, because you will see that I care for you with a love that is deep, strong, and unquantifiable because of its magnitude.
You know that, like many before you, you have had eras of your life that have left you dry and wanting. You have walked those desert paths! All life tries to protect itself from the rays of the sun, the piercing sun, that burns as though it has doubled in size and intensity. In your desert era, you tried desperately to escape from it but there was no shelter and no way to progress pain free. On those desert paths, walking, hopping, or running burns underfoot, scolds and forms sores on your skin. Anything and everything made your own desert era worse and there was nowhere and no way to hide, though you tried. Desert travel turns the sensations of thirst and hunger into close enemies. Your own desert experience made enemies of your own mind, body, and soul. You endured the valleys of life’s arduous paths whilst being chained to false hope for better times ahead. Those times were like deceptive paths of promise that are steep, rocky, and dangerous to climb. In that time of your life, you longed to see a fresh landscape heralding better times ahead because you felt your life was at stake.
But you can be reassured, pilgrim, your life is safe because I am the author of life. I do not deal death in the way people often understand death. People understand death as an end, as if life is finite but I am without beginning or end and I work outside of time. My time is in the eternal era of ‘everlasting’. You are my creation and life, your life, doesn’t end. Your life is precious to me because I formed you. As your creator, we will always have an indelible connection. There isn’t even anything I would give you up for. I have everything and you are treasured part of my everything. There’s no one I would give you to. Why would I give you to someone or something that I have created, that I already own? I wouldn’t even want to put you under someone else’s authority. To do so wouldn’t make any sense. What would be the point of giving you to someone who would not love you as I love you? I would never part from you because my love and compassion for you is perfect and insurmountable.
So, let’s talk while we walk this journey called life . . .
As memories of pancakes vanish
the Lenten offering awaits
for bowed heads and contrite hearts.
Humanly torn crosses lie dismantled,
echoing past and present human conflicts,
along with self-made, bewildering human pain
that numbs and paralyses the mind.
But those crosses are blessed,
purified by God’s cleansing fire,
igniting the promise of growth to come.
Blended by drops of healing, Holy oil.
Ready to be used as a witness
to God’s great forgiveness and everlasting Love.
Strengthened with a million uttered prayers
from every race and nation,
And outstretched helping hands,
so that we can live with renewed strength –
in God’s Faith, Hope and Love
Helen McNichol
February 22nd
A reflection from Frances:
The Lord is the Greatest Creator
The Lord is the greatest creator and we are full of joy.
Built into the laws of the universe,
hope can be found in disaster
and we are included so we can bring hope
and light up love as the answer.
Integral to the laws of the universe,
growth is seen in unforeseen places
and deep inside we thirst to thrive
and do the unexpected.
Innate within the laws of the universe,
We can find peace in discord and separation,
and we are included so that we can bring
accord and reparation.
Inherent in the laws of the universe,
There is a pure source of patience,
And we are included so we can resource
patience in static situations.
The Lord is the greatest creator and we are full of joy.
We kick off this month with a thoughtful article from Frances which includes a pop-up picture and some creative writing inspired by Isaiah Chapter 43.
Frances explains:
Last month’s Kingdom Arts focused on Isaiah 43, verse 19: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
I took ‘springs up’ quite literally! I wanted to try to make a pop-up from a picture with streams of water in what would otherwise be a desert wasteland. Despite looking beautiful because of the water in the foreground and a stunning sunset, the terrain would have been uninhabitable. Perfect for the metaphors in Isaiah 43!
Using the original, I altered and printed a copy. I positioned it on the original scene and decided to keep both suns to emphasise the intensity and ferocity of heat on the desert and its creatures.
Frances’ pop-up, Isaiah 43, image 1
Initially, I felt as though I was forming a miniature theatrical set! It took many attempts to get my head around where to make the cuts! Trial and error technique … helped by a trusty tube of prittstick glue.
I set to work with the challenge to make details pop-up. In order to extend the background, I had to use an identical image right at the back.
When it began to come together, I was able to focus on the verse rather than the maths needed to do the art – but I soon needed to read the whole chapter of Isaiah and rewrite them as a word from God to a modern audience who can empathise with ‘desert experiences’, particularly in this time when we are in a covid-19 lockdown.
Hello Again, We seem to be in the same position as we were last time we wrote to you except, of course, some of you may have received the vaccine….. a great step forward ! As it says in Psalm 126:3
“The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”
As we look outside and see the beginnings of Spring with the bulbs shooting up and the sun shining, even if weekly, through our windows, we can take heart that better things are on the way. We live in the Hope of the gospel.
I happened to come across this from Pope Francis’ work “Laudato Si” and it was entitled a Prayer for our Earth. I am sure this will get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy reading and praying it. You could print it and illustrate it in some way and send it to us so we can put it on the website as a breath of Spring and Hope to encourage us all.
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
STOP PRESS
Kingdom Arts Gathering on Zoom to celebrate Easter.
TUESDAY MARCH 30th . . . 10.30a.m.
Details to come.
With love Alex and Sue xx
February 17th
Ash Wednesday
As memories of pancakes vanish
the Lenten offering awaits
for bowed heads and contrite hearts.
Humanly torn crosses lie dismantled,
echoing past and present human conflicts,
along with self-made, bewildering human pain
that numbs and paralyses the mind.
But those crosses are blessed,
purified by God’s cleansing fire,
igniting the promise of growth to come.
Blended by drops of healing, Holy oil.
Ready to be used as a witness
to God’s great forgiveness and everlasting Love.
Strengthened with a million uttered prayers
from every race and nation,
And outstretched helping hands,
so that we can live with renewed strength –
in God’s Faith, Hope and Love
Helen McNichol
New life springs from the harshness of winter.
February 22nd
A reflection from Frances:
The Lord is the Greatest Creator
The Lord is the greatest creator and we are full of joy.
Built into the laws of the universe,
hope can be found in disaster
and we are included so we can bring hope
and light up love as the answer.
Integral to the laws of the universe,
growth is seen in unforeseen places
and deep inside we thirst to thrive
and do the unexpected.
Innate within the laws of the universe,
We can find peace in discord and separation,
and we are included so that we can bring
accord and reparation.
Inherent in the laws of the universe,
There is a pure source of patience,
And we are included so we can resource
patience in static situations.
The Lord is the greatest creator and we are full of joy.
Two reflective pieces of creative writing from Helen:
‘Thoughts during a Cold Spell.’
A Changing World
We went to bed with temperatures falling,
and awoke to a changed, white, still World,
reminiscent of Winter coverings
in closed holiday homes.
And a bleary-eyed sun struggled to shine,
but ice-encrusted grass blades rose up,
ready for moral combat.
Piles of dormant, brown, Autumn leaves –
transformed into jewel-decked treasures.
The robin puffed up his feathers,
as we put on another jumper,
and found our protective clothing.
The elderly stayed at home,
while youngsters slide on ice with glee.
Motorists muttered quietly
as they scraped away the clinging frost,
to give them clearer vision
What are our homeless thinking?
Will they survive another night?
With God’s help and strength we will survive
to face and help a changing World. Helen McNicholl.
Thoughts on a late afternoon Winter Walk
Thoughtfully I kicked my way
through motionless leaves,
fallen from resting trees.
Suddenly a breath of the Holy Spirit
sent the leaves flying and twirling.
A glorious resurrection before my eyes,
filling my heart with hope and joy.
Words from long ago were remembered;
uttered by a ‘wheelchair bound’ Joan.
“Oh Joy, when I’m in God’s Kingdom
I will walk, run and dance again.”
Do we try to dance to your tune God?
A seagull was perched on an old telegraph pole,
an avian refugee from coastal parts,
sampling Birmingham’s kind inclusiveness.
Was he dreaming of distant waves,
beating against rugged cliffs and ledges,
which once were home and company?
Or was he just thinking
‘I am King of the Castle’ ?
Who reigns supreme in our lives?
Gazed in wonder at the day’s last trumpet call,
overwhelmed by the colours of the setting sun.
How often have we missed the vision –
working late, pulling curtains?
Silhouetted, stripped trees were standing proud,
Their pure shapes visible for all to see.
No disguise or pretence.
Has Advent de-cluttered us?
The warmth of home beckoned
like the stable long ago welcoming shepherds.
Thank you Lord that you welcome all
to the home of your heart. Helen McNicholl.
All of us at Kingdom Arts wish you a very Happy New Year for 2021.
We hold on to God’s promises for us for this New Year, for us to receive the Vaccine and a return to meeting with one another again. I hope you had a good Christmas Celebration, perhaps not in the way you may have hoped but one that you will remember for a long time! I expect, like us, you are just waiting for our world, our country, our lives to get back to some sort of normality, order and routine.
Maybe you haven’t had the energy or desire to even think about being creative ! Today is the day for you to look ahead into 2021, to thank God for keeping us all safe and to ask him what to do in this next period of our journey here on earth. I love this from Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”
We have to keep moving forward. It is only in moving forward that we can accomplish what God has in store for us. We can’t stay where we are and after last year we don’t want to go backwards! The only way is forward….So let’s move on, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. He has called us to do amazing things. He will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert for us. It’s time now to focus on what lies ahead, it’s still uncertain and still scary but if we look to Him for our answers we can have confidence in the future laid out for us.
Maybe the Isaiah verse will get you thinking creatively – or maybe not!! -but do keep us in touch with how you are and what you have been up to. It was really great seeing so many of you on our Christmas Zoom Gathering. What a lovely time we had together, worshipping, singing, praying and sharing … not forgetting the soup too! Did anyone have a go at making it? I am sure Jan would like your feedback. Thank you to those of you who wrote to us afterwards to encourage us to plan another. Watch this space!
A big thank you to all who have sent in bits and pieces for the website, making it so interesting, varied and creative. Do send anything at all which you think may interest others – practical items, art, music, poetry – anything which has helped you to cope during lockdown. We can display words, pictures, sound and video as long as it’s your own creations. This website is only as good as the contributions you send in.
May the God of Hope and Peace watch over you in 2021.
With love Alex xx and Sue xx
January 9th
An Advent report
Jan Butterworth received a message from Lesley Brown, one of our regular Kingdom Arts members, which included a detailed description of activities which took place in her local community during Advent. It all sounded so interesting, we thought you would like to see it . . .
Despite not being physically in church, the Christmas period has been just as busy as usual for me. We have our Sunday morning 9.30 gathering on ‘Zoom’ and have between 50 and 80 joining. A great joy has been having people who are distanced from us yet can join in our worship together – past members, relatives and some who have found themselves marooned in Europe – in Devon, France, S Africa & Nepal. I have ‘preached’ on Advent Sunday, midnight on Christmas Eve and last Sunday, Epiphany.
Greatest difficulty with ‘Zoom’ is it’s not good for children. As a Parish we thought of some different ways to celebrate Jesus’ coming. I was involved particularly in 2 initiatives.
Before Christmas we ran an Advent Light Trail, involving 10 houses putting up a lighted display of some sort in a window of their house. We created a Trail booklet with a heading, a Bible verse and a thoughtful question for families to engage with as they walked and looked. They were distributed to all the children at our First School & in church.
I had Joy to the World ‘I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people’ Luke 2:10 What’s the best news you’ve heard? How did you feel?
I used a couple of old Christmas cards to plan my design. I made a cardboard frame to fit my bedroom window and stuck some glassine paper across it (found that in Malvern art shop – strong so didn’t tear). The rest was done with black card and tissue paper…
Finished work from the back – before it was placed in the windowClose upView from the ground
I met a few of the people coming round on the Trail and the neighbours loved it.
Between 20-28th Dec we created a semi-life-sized nativity scene in the porch of our old little church at Cofton. Normally the church is used for services so the pandemic presented an unusual opportunity! Lots of people walk past St Michael’s because of where it is and it backs on to the new houses that have been built on the old Rover factory site – all in our Parish.
I constructed the body forms using things we had for junk modelling in Messy Church & stuff lurking in my house…..carpet rolls, cardboard tubes, chicken wire, old cushions & tights!
It all looks a bit Dr Who at this stage!
There was much hilarity taking those to be dressed by a couple of others, who did a magnificent job with the clothes & painting of face masks….
The feedback has been amazing – lots of visitors! I also did some thoughtful signposts on the path to it . . .
“God welcomes us. Come on a journey to look for Jesus” “Wealthy wise men, smelly poor shepherds…we can all come to God just as we are” “God in the flesh. This is the manger which one night became God’s throne room. Rest here in wonder!” “Gold, frankincense & myrrh…What will be our gift to Jesus?” “God guided, Joseph & Mary trusted, God has plans for us today!”
I send my love to you all and do look forward to the day I can join you again.
This is the prayer I used on Sunday, Epiphany…
God of surprises, Older than we can imagine, yet ever new; Help us to face change with courage and to live without fear because we know that you journey with us. Open us to hear you speaking through unexpected people, in unexpected places, at unexpected times, even those we have written off. Enable us to embrace the unknown with joy, and to be the light of your love in the world of today.
Very much love and greetings in our Lord, Lesley Brown
January 17th
Two reflective pieces of creative writing from Helen:
‘Thoughts during a Cold Spell.’
A Changing World
We went to bed with temperatures falling,
and awoke to a changed, white, still World,
reminiscent of Winter coverings
in closed holiday homes.
And a bleary-eyed sun struggled to shine,
but ice-encrusted grass blades rose up,
ready for moral combat.
Piles of dormant, brown, Autumn leaves –
transformed into jewel-decked treasures.
The robin puffed up his feathers,
as we put on another jumper,
and found our protective clothing.
The elderly stayed at home,
while youngsters slide on ice with glee.
Motorists muttered quietly
as they scraped away the clinging frost,
to give them clearer vision
What are our homeless thinking?
Will they survive another night?
With God’s help and strength we will survive
to face and help a changing World. Helen McNicholl.
Thoughts on a late afternoon Winter Walk
Thoughtfully I kicked my way
through motionless leaves,
fallen from resting trees.
Suddenly a breath of the Holy Spirit
sent the leaves flying and twirling.
A glorious resurrection before my eyes,
filling my heart with hope and joy.
Words from long ago were remembered;
uttered by a ‘wheelchair bound’ Joan.
“Oh Joy, when I’m in God’s Kingdom
I will walk, run and dance again.”
Do we try to dance to your tune God?
A seagull was perched on an old telegraph pole,
an avian refugee from coastal parts,
sampling Birmingham’s kind inclusiveness.
Was he dreaming of distant waves,
beating against rugged cliffs and ledges,
which once were home and company?
Or was he just thinking
‘I am King of the Castle’ ?
Who reigns supreme in our lives?
Gazed in wonder at the day’s last trumpet call,
overwhelmed by the colours of the setting sun.
How often have we missed the vision –
working late, pulling curtains?
Silhouetted, stripped trees were standing proud,
Their pure shapes visible for all to see.
No disguise or pretence.
Has Advent de-cluttered us?
The warmth of home beckoned
like the stable long ago welcoming shepherds.
Thank you Lord that you welcome all
to the home of your heart. Helen McNicholl.
Position the four arms of the cross.
But only God knows the day and time
