Author: Kate & Roger

This morning I am contemplating the new in the context of rest.

Simplicity

I’m sitting in our little garden room – which we call our Abiding Place and which was once a small cedar greenhouse – and contemplating what the year ahead might look like.

Why am I doing this?

I enjoy order. I like a simple plan. I want to hear what He would say to me, so I can simply focus on His plans for my life in the new season.

Resting in His Goodness

I don’t want to rush ahead. God has been so good to me. I want to honour Him with resting in His love, but I also want to step into His new.

I want to be ready. I want to use the gifts He has graciously given me. I want to do this in a timely way.

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Walk, work, watch…

I know that The Message is a paraphrase version of God’s Word, but I do sense Jesus speaking through it.

Perhaps He is saying – step with Me into what you don’t yet understand and then start to watch Me more carefully in this new time.

To which I reply, please give me new vision, Lord. New eyes to see You. Please help me to understand.

The New and the Old

Lord, what old things will be redeemed or restored or revived in the new?

Please help us all to keep this transition simple…..to step out of old ways and into new joys with You.

If this prayer resonates with you, today….please join me in it. Or share your own understandings to bless us all.

In my earlier post I spoke of Jesus as the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 in the Old Testament. King David, once a humble shepherd himself, understood the Lord as his Shepherd, even though Jesus had not been born during his lifetime. David had a real relationship with His God. He knew a personal Lord in his own life.

Matthew 11:28-31

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIVUK

Here, in Matthew’s Gospel in the New Testament, Jesus speaks about His rest. He is not referring to Himself as a Shepherd caring for the sheep, but as an animal bearing a heavy load. He speaks of a yoke which would be used to keep oxen, for example, in alignment as they pulled a cart or a plough together. He invites us to be yoked to Him so that we can rest knowing that He is taking the strain. His yoke is easy, He says, and His burden light.

He understands that we are often weighed down by multiple religious spirits which counterfeit His Spirit and impose all sorts of tiring expectations and heavy burdens on us to perform and achieve in our lives; especially in spiritual ways. We carry much more that God ever intended us to carry!

The Message Version

I love The Message version of these verses.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

I believe that Eugene Peterson, who wrote The Message version, understands Jesus’s offer of real rest. It’s about staying in close relationship with Him.

“Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life…

And that wonderful phrase “learn the unforced rhythms of grace” – what poetry!

So, this is my reflection today as I seek a personal season of rest in Jesus.

I want to learn from the One who was gentle and humble in heart as He walked this earth, doing only what His Father told Him to do.

Here’s The Message version of those verses in Matthew, which I have tried to present as poetry:

Rest in Jesus 

Are you tired? 
Worn out? 
Burned out on religion? 

Come to me 
Get away with me 
You’ll recover your life

I’ll show you how to take a real rest 

Walk with me 
And work with me
Watch how I do it 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace 

I won’t lay anything heavy 
Or ill-fitting on you
Keep company with me 

And you’ll learn to live freely and lightly 

For those who know their phlox from their stocks – flowers that is – I clearly made a howler with the word “flocks”!

Have you been trying to work out which flocks of birds are fragrant? 😂

Allyson knows the answer.

Bless you all tonight…

I finished my last post and went inside our house to make some lunch.

Afterwards I took quite a long phone call, which was about some difficult issues, but afterwards I returned to the garden and sat quietly at a table underneath a tree and feasted my eyes on the lovely views surrounding me.

Without any hard work (!) this poem emerged. Thank you for encouraging me with your posts. I’m dedicating this short poem to Allyson who tends our garden and makes it a lovely place to enjoy. I also thank Linda for sharing the paraphrase of Psalm 23 which is also reflected in this poem.

GARDEN GLORY IN AUGUST

The glory of a garden in summer’s gentle grace
The sun, the sky and breeze combine, creating a new space
A place for sitting quietly and watching things go by
Small seeds of next year’s flowers. The bee, the butterfly

The lavender is swaying, while leaves of copper red 
Are framing new flush rosebuds within a centre bed
The flocks are white and fragrant. And cosmos small and neat
Are nestling by red dahlias, with gravel at their feet

The rhubarb of late summer is flaunting its great leaves
The raspberries of autumn are hiding by the trees
The apples of October - still small - are bending boughs
And green lawns are surrounding all- and showing off the house…
……
All Glory to God for beautiful created things! 

It’s August. I wouldn’t normally think of this as a new season, as my default time of year for a season change would be September. But this year feels different.

It’s been a busy time since last November – so much coming and going and change and challenge. Now, being at home in the UK, I’m trying to rest. Rest is in itself a change of state -and it’s difficult.

Time for Rest

Rest is very elusive if you’re trying to master a new technology at the same time! Someone has very kindly given me a recycled lightweight tablet style laptop. I was excited to have something in Windows format to start writing a blog again, but I’ve got a learning curve to understand the new thing!

I will press on. And try not to get too distracted….or too hooked into trying to get my mind around this. I like to problem solve, but it’s actually quite mentally taxing.

Jesus and Rest

I need to meditate on some key scriptures.

Psalm 23.

Matthew 11:28-31

And, as I write those references down, I realise that I’m rushing to get things down in words. I’m now consciously slowing myself. This isn’t a task or a race. So, I’ll start with Psalm 23.

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3 NIVUK

Actually, it was hard to get those verses into this blog. All sorts of challenges in finding my way around the new system!

I now need to stop for a while and rest….

Poem: Rest

I wrote a poem on the 1st August. It’s not finished but I’m adding it here.

Resting well takes effort. Its hard to enter in
Our minds are overactive. They set up such a din
Noisy thoughts intruding. Yet silence is our aim
But who is this I sense now? Oh I'm so glad You came!

For You are our Good Shepherd. The One who offers rest
And as we let You give us Peace we are forever blessed
Your Presence is our comfort. Your Words are full of power
You speak into our restlessness and change the day and hour

PS. If the poem does not appear on your email, please follow this link to my website and view the post there instead

http://www.poems-and-reflections.com

Change of approach

I’m stopping for now. I’ve changed from the new laptop to a mobile format that I’ve already mastered. The message is that rest is necessary before the new thing can be understood!

Be blessed today with His rest. True rest is only found in Jesus.

I’ve just received this reply from WordPress about blank verse…(!)

Hey there! Thanks for contacting WordPress.com Support. I’m happy to help.

I checked this and it is a bug with the Verse block. It is making the text be white in the email, so you can’t read it with the white background.

We are doing our best to fix it as soon as possible.

We can’t specify a date when the bug will be fixed, it is still in progress. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and we thank you for your patience.

Watch this space……literally!

Dear readers

As you will have read – if you did actually get to see the poem and my own observations and prayers – I invited your comments, too.

When I write a poem I am always thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I’m not going to claim that I always hear Him well, but I know His hallmarks! I give Him thanks and all glory for the gift and for helping me to use it.

Feedback

I was thankful to have some feedback this morning. So I wanted to share it, particularly as it was positive!

Firstly, wonderful poem, it flows so beautifully and is a pleasure to read. The content is precise and true with a balanced mix of factual and spiritual observation. I will be sharing it at the bible study group next Thursday…..let you know how it is received.

With all the various spiritual view points regarding the coronation, I confess it was with reservation I watched the ceremony. There was no doubt I would watch and see, but I didn’t feel a great excitement about it.

However, there was such a sense of the heavy weight of the occasion. I am certain that the King and Queen would have known very well the order of the elements of the ceremony but King Charles still appeared tentative, overawed, humble. It was beautiful.

I am sure, too, that God was present to perform His Word. He was invited and welcomed. Why would He not be there? He knows Charles cannot fulfil his destiny without Him.

I also was encouraged by Queen Camilla, she too seemed humble, accepting of her new role but not with pride, more with a sense of responsibility in supporting her husband.

I do pray that the Word of God contained in the Bibles they were given will be Truth, Life, Wisdom, Revelation and Blessing for them.

The King and Queen will need our prayers,

My response

Once again, thank you very much for those comments. I was very encouraged.

It’s very interesting to me that the poetic “flow” seems to come after a bit of a struggle! I always seek the Holy Spirit’s enabling because He has such exciting “words” together with rhythm and insights.

I reflect on the prophetic content and insights that such a “flow” brings. The image of the oil of anointing “dripping from His glory” and the word “chrysm” – being the precious blood of Jesus – took me by surprise. One drop of Jesus’ blood is the most powerful and perfect cleansing, purifying and salvific “anointing” that anyone can ever receive. It seemed to signify something very special for our nation being imparted from Heaven. Pure grace.

I had watched the ceremony prepared to question its spiritual credentials but, in the end, I simply saw the Almighty over all and in the detail, too. That’s what the power of the blood of Christ and the love of God appeared to me to do – especially at that anointing moment – perhaps to cover a multitude of national sins, even though the actual anointing was hidden behind screens.

And the clear vulnerability of both Charles and Camilla, together with others in the ceremony, made me aware of the greatness of our merciful Almighty God in stooping down from His place of glory to touch man’s frailty on earth. I sense that the underclothing of simplicity and humility before and during the robing and crowning had a real significance.

Ongoing prayers for King Charles & Queen Camilla

I am excited that the poem will be shared in a Bible study group.

I pray that it will bring forth all that Holy Spirit intends it to reveal to the participants’ hearts and minds.

I agree that “the King and Queen will need our prayers…and ask that “…the Word of God contained in the Bibles they were given will be Truth, Life, Wisdom, Revelation and Blessing for them.”

We ask for the grace to pray for them often, as we are prompted by God’s Holy Spirit. That His Truth may prevail in our nation and that His Kingdom may come and His will be done.

God save our King and Queen!

It’s happened again!

The poem doesn’t appear to have published. Another try… but if you still can’t see it use this link

http://www.poems-and-reflections.com

Coronation 2023

The rains of spring were heralding a modern coronation
While summer skies, the year before, marked times of jubilation
But, when that summer faded, and a precious monarch died
A royal prince became a king, a new queen at his side 

And though he was already king, we waited for the day 
When things of royal beauty would crown the month of May
But beauty is a fleeting thing and kings are born for more 
And God Himself was waiting within that Abbey door 

The splendour of the service; the power of the words
The Presence of His Majesty, the One who undergirds
The King of kings in glory was watching over all 
O, dear United Kingdom, He hears His remnant call 

The cry from God’s true lovers, the people of His Word
Has reached His very Throne Room; the place that prayers are heard
And oil of true anointing, from Heaven’s perfect King 
Is dripping from His glory to touch an earthly thing 

For there is yet a chrysm - a precious, precious thing
The blood of Jesus speaking here upon an earthly king 
The One who has the Sword of Truth is going on before
To overrule the darkness that’s crouching at the door

Vivat, vivat! The cries go up - and silver trumpets sound 
As king and queen are honoured there, upon God’s Holy ground 
Yes, life is celebrated here, as flowers embellish gowns
And monarchs feel the weightiness of great and ancient crowns

There is no way to bear that weight without the help of God
Whose perfect Way to kingship is the way that Jesus trod 
For Jesus is the only Name to which this earth will bow 
And Jesus must be honoured, for He is God’s King now

His yoke is still an easy yoke, for those who wear a crown
His burden light for rulers and those of high renown
Who bow the knee in homage in His own Kingdom great
And travel as He travelled - no carriages of State 

The King of kings and Lord of lords was at that coronation 
His Presence for all tribes and tongues and every generation  

Your Majesty, true King of Life, we ask You for salvation 

God save our new crowned king and queen. 

God save our precious nation.

Dear Readers

This blog post contains a redirection…..to a page of my website.

Reflections on Virginia 2006/7 and 2022/3

I’ve configured it like this because I’ve included a number of Roger’s photos and to send it as an email would be a bit overwhelming!

So, once again this is “new” and I hope it works!

Blessings from Virginia.

Kate