O that today you would listen to his voice.
Harden not your hearts.
We have a choice.
To make new starts.

As at Meribah.
As on that day in Massah in the desert.
We can see , if we wish, far.
But is anything truly a cert.

I  woke up with a new resolution.
To never think of myself.
What a joyous thought, an inspiration.
To put others first , not myself.

And how long did it last.
As long as breakfast.

……

Listen to his voice
As on that day in Massah
As at Meribah

…….

See Psalm 95

He healed many who were sick.
With various diseases.
And what makes us tick.
What can we let go of , what seizes.

He would not permit.
The demons to speak.
Again are we entirely fit.
What do we really want or seek.

And Simon searched .
So often we are sick in body or mind.
Have we really searched
To ourselves are we at all kind.

Jesus went to a desolate place and prayed.
Can we say of ourselves in our pain that at least we prayed.

……

He healed many sick
With various diseases
But will he heal us

…….

See Mark 1 : 29-39

Jesus came into Galilee.
Teaching.
And also for us to see.
Is understanding.

The time, he said, is fulfilled.
And the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Hope like flour needs to be milled.
It need not be like a thousand grains of rasping sand.

Repent .
He told us and believe.
Fear can be spent.
We only have to receive.

He said Follow me.
That we too might see.

…..

The time is fulfilled
Is at hand now
Repent and believe

…….

See Mark 1 : 14-20

A voice cries.
In the wilderness.
Amongst all our sighs.
But full of tenderness.

Prepare the way.
Make straight in the desert .
A highway.
For our God with our every effort.

Every valley shall be lifted up.
And every mountain and hill laid low.
A new holy cup .
We cannot say No.

And the glory of the lord shall be revealed.
All this in our heart sealed.

…….

In the wilderness
A voice cries make a Highway
For this is our God

……

See Isaiah 40

The people dwelling in darkness.
Have seen a great light.
Away with this restlessness,
As we keep him in sight.

And for those dwelling in the shadow.
On them a light has dawned.
Always working not to be low.
Our life, whatever it is, will be mourned.

It is a freezing winter day .
And I am ill.
But the dawn brings a new day.
And , God willing, we will be there still.

Looking forward.
Not backward.

…….

Dwelling in darkness
But then seeing a new light
That is our future

…..

See the Gospel Acclamation of the day

Beloved, we loved.
Because God loved us.
We have survived.
Because he created and knows us.

If anyone says , I love God and hates his brother.
He is a liar.
For everyone is our brother.
But only if we think of them like our father.

He who does not love his brother whom he has seen.
Cannot love God whom he has not seen.
So no need to be mean.
It’s enough to know and to have seen.

It’s enough just to love God.
Because we are born of God.

….

Beloved we loved
Because our God has loved us
And created us

….

See 1 John 4

Do not believe every spirit.
But test the spirits.
To see if they are from a godly spirit.
For many out of the world are false spirits.

Perhaps just have confidence.
In our own spirit.
What is this but our conscience.
Our very own personal spirit.

If we obey our conscience.
We really cannot go wrong.
Because we can only test our own not others’ conscience.
This is our , no one else’s divine song.

So much is measured by conscience.
Nothing matters quite as much as conscience.

…….

You cannot believe
Every spirit out there
But just trust yourself

……

See 1John 3

And the star that they had seen when it rose.
Went before them until it came to rest over the place.
And do we follow the light wherever it goes.
We wonder if we will ever complete our race.

We may be happy with our lot or not.
Or we may be disappointed.
But out there is our star bright or not.
We do not need to be faint hearted.

We do not know where it will come to rest.
Or indeed how and when it arose.
But somewhere is our final nest.
It will be as a beautiful rose.

We just need to keep our eyes heavenward.
And follow our star onward.

….

They followed the star.
Until it came to rest there
Where the child was born

…..

See Matthew 2 : 1-12

Jesus said , what are you seeking.
And they said Rabbi, where are you staying.
Jesus answered come and you will be seeing.
So they came and saw where he was staying.

The disciples , saw, followed and stayed.
I wonder will we do the same.
Will all our doubts be allayed.
Perhaps we are different not the same.

Of course we cannot know him personally.
There is only a story to follow.
But we can pray daily.
Our belief need not be hollow.

In our imagination he is passing.
Will we be following.

…….

What are you seeking
They asked where are you staying
Do we do the same

…….

See John 1 : 35-42

The word became flesh.
And dwelt among us.
The words come every time utterly fresh.
And we know in our hearts it is Jesus.

How extraordinary and loving.
That if there is a supreme designer.
He should bestow this ultimate giving.
Or are we a mere dreamer.

But these words move.
They have enormous power.
There is nothing more to prove.
He was is and will be for ever.

Believing.
Receiving.

……

The word became flesh
And dwells among us always
That is our belief

…. ..

See John 1

All the ends of the earth
Have seen the salvation of our God.
Delighting in nature there can be no dearth.
Everything seems right, ordained by the artisan God.

A glorious winter’s day.
The sky a brilliant blue.
Nothing could go wrong today
All this teaching seemed true.

I looked at the sun through the church window.
A brilliant orb framed by glass.
For a moment I believed , I could not be low.
All was right in this silence.
As abiding as ancient church brass.

We can believe if we accept.
We need not be bereft.

……

All the ends of earth
Have seen God’s salvation
And yes so can we

……

See Psalm 98

He was called Jesus.
The name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
This was all for us.
To bid farewell to the finality of the tomb.

And this year what is our destiny.
What are we called for.
Beware , we are our own enemy.
We need to be happy with less not more.

I realised that tweeting on politics.
Makes me a lot less happy than writing a religious sonnet.
It’s to do with not being hurt with stones and sticks.
Positive  not negative thoughts can be met .

A New Year for all of us beckons.
Less depression, more happiness I reckons.

…..

He was called Jesus
Meaning that he is with us
Now and for always
……

See Luke 2: 16-21

Let the heavens rejoice.
And earth be glad.
Let us find our true voice.
No need to be sad.

An old year ends  and New Year arrives.
The years passing.
Ours just one of countless lives.
Arriving , being, leaving.

But we survived another year.
It wasn’t all that bad,  have we forgot.
He told us, have no fear.
So let’s be happy with what we’ve got.

One New Year we won’t be here.
We will be at peace , certainly with no fear.

……

Let heavens rejoice
And let all our earth be glad
We can all rejoice

… …

See Psalm 96

The reason why the world does not know us.
Is that it did not know him.
But he will never desert us.
As long as we believe in him.

We know that when he appears we shall be like him.
Because we shall see him as he is.
But of course in this world we can never be like him.
Because we come and go but he always is.

Whatever we ask.
We receive from him.
That is our only real task.
Understanding that all comes from him.

We just have to believe in him.
And know in our hearts that God resides in him.

….

The world does not know
The world did not believe him
But do we believe

……

See 1 John 3

posted on the 29 th December

God is light .
And in him there is no darkness at all.
We ask ourselves continually , what is right.
How do we free ourselves from doubting thrall.

Everywhere today is shrouded in mist.
Yet as I sat in the church  reading the words of John.
I sensed a gap in the doubting mist.
That this was truth, a new dawn.

As he writes , if we walk in the light.
We have fellowship with one another.
As he is the light.
We seem to know anew our father.

As I left the church the mist remained.
But hope had returned.

…….

We know God is light
In him there is no darkness
But do we seek him

…….

See 1John 1

 
In those days, St Stephen, full of grace and power.
Was doing great wonders and signs.
The first martyr died with prayer.
Beyond all previous confines.

Will, like him, our last words be.
Lord Jesus receive my spirit.
And what then after death will we see.
Irrespective of our merit.

I think of St Stephen’s chapel.
Dedicated by Edward the Third.
The home of the House till the fire’s 1834 appel.
All those historic voices heard.

Now just a hall to walk through.
But every thing finds or not its due.

…….

He was full of grace
Dying he said one prayer
Lord receive spirit

…….

See Acts 6: 8-10 and Acts 7 : 54-59

What then will this child be.
For the hand of the Lord is upon him.
We neither know or can see.
We are bound  by our ego’s narrow rim.

We do not really know who we are.
What is this consciousness we call I.
Actually we can hear little but we think we see far.
This all enveloping ego is a lie.

All that matters is the soul’s being
But about this we know nothing.
It transcends everything .
But is in any material sense nothing.

Who is this we call the I.
When it has no ear or eye.

…….

What will this child be
And what will we be after
We just do not know

….

See Luke 1 : 57-66