January 24. The Message Of The Train Wheels      

1 John 3:11: For the original message, as you know, is that we should love one another.

The train stood impatiently at the station waiting for the signal to commence its journey. Water trickled from outlets toward the rear of most carriages, while beside the cab it seemed a dragon lurked, so loud and persistent the hissing exhaust of overheated water sounded. Passengers and well-wishers crowded the platform as if time were of no consequence and timetables mere irrelevancies. Porters plied their trade moving suitcases, some as large as cabin trunks, to various luggage coaches. Paper sellers noisily proclaimed headline news as an inducement for travellers to purchase the latest editions. It seemed there was to be no cessation of the farewells, no end to damp handkerchiefs pressed against tear-streaked eyes.

Yet finally, cutting across all conversations, came the shrill insistency of a guard's whistle, and all at once figures that had seemed frozen into postcard stances sprang to life. Steps were climbed, doors slammed shut, and windows opened to permit a final word to be spoken. Conductors moved swiftly along the platform, checked each door was firmly closed. As they reached the rear of the train a flag appeared, together with a lantern, in the guard's hands, thus signalling departure time had arrived, and the train was ready to commence its journey. The engine snorted its impatience as coal was fed into its hungry fire, and with a toot of farewell played on the whistle the train shuddered, then recovered and moved slowly from the platform. Heads crowded through open windows for a final glimpse of loved ones and handkerchiefs now fluttered bravely as banners of farewell. Slowly it seemed for some, yet by far too fast for others, the train shouldered its way between the platforms and, clanking across a series of points, headed for less crowded vistas and ultimately open landscapes.

Tucked in the corner seat of the lounge car sat a little girl, fiercely clutching her doll in her arms. She glanced across at her grandmother who was busy with her knitting. "Listen, Granny," she murmured in a hushed voice, "can you hear the train speaking to us?" Her Grandmother smiled gently over the rim of her glasses. "What is the train telling you?" she enquired. "Can't you hear, Granny, the wheels are saying 'Going to the seaside'" the little girl replied. The older woman sat back, cocked her head and after but a moment smiled. "It sounds more to me as if the wheels are saying, 'What a pretty dolly'" she suggested. The little girl dissolved in laughter, her eyes sparkling and so a new game was formed, one in which imaginations, both young and old, could find words to match the pattern of the wheels as they moved along the tracks.

So often when we witness an event, or hear a message, we interpret what our senses have registered quite differently from that which another person in the same place at that time registers. It is not that one of us has distorted the truth, but rather that because of triggers caused by memories of previous circumstances our brains evaluate events and sounds individually. Perhaps the sonata we have just enjoyed proved to be an irritation to another who considered the performance to be somewhat lacking in interpretation. To many, Jesus' command, that we should love one another, can be swiftly overlooked whenever what we consider "our own good" could be compromised. Yet for many others this simple message has turned their lives around, and they devote their time and energy to caring, as would Jesus, for those who have been hurt, or are lonely or in need. For those who hear, this same message, interpreted so differently, can mean the difference between merely existing and living life to the full. Listening to messages in the wind or those created by the rhythm of train wheels may occupy our idle hours, but when one hears the message and is spurred to action, then life takes on new meaning.

Prayer: God of sound and light, of small children and grandparents, today your message has reached into our hearts. Show us how to live so that we may reflect your love. Amen.

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January 25. The Price Of Tears      

Psalm 116: 8: For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. Isaiah 25: 8: The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.

The shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept." In this one action Jesus opened up our concept of God, for tears have always been reserved for humanity, and never do we hear of the tears of God. There is no doubt that as a carpenter Jesus was a strong well-muscled man, and no hint in Scripture that he was effeminate. Yet he wept, and he wept openly in full view of the crowd of mourners who had gathered upon Lazarus' death. Eyewitness accounts of the reaction of the crowd tell us that those who watched him were convinced these tears were the result of his distress, and a mark of the love Jesus felt for Lazarus. No one in that crowd considered this display of tears to be an unnatural demonstration of grief. In Jewish and Arab cultures it is acceptable to cry and weep openly. In fact there is a prescribed period of mourning during which time family members do not return to their workplace after a death.

In Western societies nowadays boys are taught that it is a sign of immaturity and of weakness to weep, either publicly or privately. They are expected to seal off their emotions behind expressionless faces, and to deny the consequences this repression causes. Men are expected to bottle up the pain and loss they experience as though displays of emotion by men are unacceptable. In fact often both men and women are expected to see all the consequences of life as "learning experiences" that we have brought upon ourselves. We are asked to use these events to focus on areas of our lives that need to be recognised as damaging. However, most of us have outgrown such damaging advice, for there is ample proof that each time we deny our feelings we open the door for them to be expressed in self-destructive ways. We may find that we are subject to bouts of anger or rage, to overeating, to the use of drugs including alcohol and smoking, or to depression. What a price some expect us to pay for the supposedly healthy repression of our emotions!

Life seems to comprise both good and evil, happy and sad times, and joy and also pain. If we pretend the shadow side of life does not exist, or that it has no effect on us, how then can we fully celebrate the sunny events in our lives? How can we welcome love, its joys and responsibilities if we are not prepared to acknowledge loss? When Jesus wept he opened the door for a healthy expression of our feelings for the whole of humanity. We are able to own and voice the disappointments life presents while not withholding our delight at unexpected pleasures. In Jesus, God shows us the way to celebrate the whole of life, both the sunshine and the shadow.

Yet Lazarus' death was not the only pain that Jesus knew, for in time he was denied by his friends, mocked by the leaders of his day, and murdered judiciously. On the way to his death he looked into the faces of the crowd and wept for them and their impending fate at the hands of their conquerors. His was a love that moved far beyond convention that embraced more than family and close friends. His love reached out to every heart and every life, not only in his own time, but also for all time yet to come. He refused to be governed by divisions of race or nationality, by gender, age, wealth, health or illness, or by any "ism" others would propose. He was able to live free of humanly constructed restrictions because neither cultural customs nor religious law could contain his love. Sometimes full expression of our lives is denied by conventions and creeds. We are subject to those who refuse our emotions and also place restrictions based on cultural or religious creeds. What price will we pay for the freedom to be the persons God created us to be, to live to the fullest extent?

Prayer: Overshadowing God, who has wept, and yet wipes away our tears, today we seek to live fully. Open our eyes so we may see past biases and customs, and love as freely as did Jesus. Amen.

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January 26. Third Sunday After Epiphany - You Didn't Wait, Lord. You Went Ahead And Did It.      

John 16: 24: Up to now you have asked nothing in my name; ask now, and you will receive, that your joy may be overflowing.

Sometimes we become so involved in worrying about things we forget to pray. We look at the problems, be they our own or someone else's, and become so absorbed in possible and probable outcomes that the problem occupies every drawer and shelf in our minds. There is simply no space left to enjoy other things, to sit and chat or share some fun, for we have squeezed the whole of our attention into a mental forcing bag which is saturated with just one concern. Have you ever noticed how, when we become this fixated, we leave God outside?

It is almost as if we divide our lives into two spheres, things we share with our Creator, and things we would rather tackle ourselves. Often our choices are made subconsciously, out of sheer habit. We don't really mean to leave God out of the equation, to exclude God from this or that, it just happens that way. After all we are adults, supposedly capable of making our own decisions and working out our own destiny. It's not that we are too proud to ask God's help; it's rather that we forget. Sometimes we worry ourselves to a state where we no longer have an appetite and our sleep is disturbed by nightmares.

Perhaps life's barometer is joy - for what else would be a good measure of our relationship with God? Joy has little to do with external circumstances for it bubbles up from deep within our spirits. Joy marks the constant awareness that God loves us and is interested in every detail of our lives. God never intrudes in what we do, but is always close by when we choose to share our thoughts, circumstances and even daydreams. In Matthew 11:29 is recorded Jesus' invitation to people just like you and me: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me!"

God never expects us to weary ourselves by speculating about the future, despairing about the past or fearing the events of today. So often when we feel lonely it is because we have forgotten we have a Friend who loves us more than we can ever measure. In those times when we simply have no idea how we are going to meet our expenses, especially if there has been an illness or accident, we panic and our minds begin to trace a loop of despair and fearfulness. We need a reminder that help is available every moment of our lives. God can see far beyond each of our todays and is truly a God of miracles. Taking our concerns and problems to God allows God to show us different and unexpected ways to view these events. The problems may not change, but through God's eyes and in God's strength we are able to meet these challenges with the assurance that God is by our side.

So often as we look back we find, among the memories of times that have been difficult, those bright jewels we recognise as God's hand working miracles in our lives. When we were grieving, God provided a friend, a phone call or even a book, which brought us peace and understanding. There were those verses of Scripture that almost leapt from the page those times we were anxious or fearful. When we realised that a distance had grown between ourselves and folk we once called friends and moved to close that gap, we discovered that Jesus had gone before us, and those friends were hungry to bridge that gap. We may have forgotten to ask, but God had not forgotten to help.

Prayer: Ever loving God, thank you for hearing the prayers my spirit spoke, even before I was aware that I needed you. Remind me every time I begin worrying about the future, and even about today's events, that you are with me in every circumstance of my life. Remind me of that day at Calvary, long before I was aware of how my selfishness and deliberate and calculated acts impacted on the lives of others and stained my soul, when you paid the penalty for my sins and set me free. You didn't wait, Lord, until I asked. You went ahead and paid my ransom even before I became a captive. Amen.

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January 27. Talk To Me, Please      

Isaiah 65: 24: Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

Lately it would appear that, contrary to our own experiences, we are encouraged to believe our custom is important to both commercial and Government bodies. We queue interminably on the telephone, hearing at regulated intervals a voice that states all the lines are busy, but as we are important to those we have phoned, we should stay on the line until our requests can be attended. Then there are those calls that demand we make a multiplicity of choices, so that we may be directed to the appropriate person who can best attend to our needs. The voice drones on in a loop, instructing us which number, or symbol, to press in turn.

Have you noticed the number of accounts, or promotions, which arrive in our letterboxes and ask us to supply our email address and fax number? One could assume that this information would enable us to receive swifter service free of errors, whereas in fact often these details are sold to companies who then use the information to bombard us with their literature and their products. Most days the mail delivery incudes not only appeals for finance to aid legitimate charities but also invitations to purchase tickets in various art unions. It would seem that we can no longer expect our private phone and mail will be reserved for those people with whom we actually choose to communicate. In so many cases, and check the first page of correspondence to confirm this yourself, we have been relegated to a number.

To a wide variety of bodies, we are just that, a number in a file. They have no need or desire to know us better, to discover if we are sad or glad, incapacitated or healthy; their only interest in us is financial or, in rare circumstances, as a statistic for whatever survey is being completed. The daily post is no longer looked for with the anticipation former years evoked, for personal correspondence has all but been swamped by commercial mail. If we look closely at our relationships with others we may discover that the intimacy which previously marked friendships is also missing. Too much has been written about developing inner growth that has not dealt with interpersonal communications. To many people today, their inner self is totally absorbing; they have no time to waste on other interactions. The narcissism complex, contained in some measure within each of us, has been allowed to warp our involvement with the rest of the world.

We were never meant to live as isolated beings, as islands; we were created to be part of an ongoing cross-dimensional stream of people whose lives touch, often with no more than a fleeting glance, but on odd sometimes becoming attached to one another. We were designed to express ourselves, our emotions and our interests in creating music, by drawing, over mealtimes, by letter writing and other means of communication. Inside us is a need to be part of a community that shares similar ideals or family connections. Laughing and crying, singing and being silent are all part of communication, and as we open ourselves to honest communication with each other we grow in emotional maturity. From others we learn, perhaps languages or ethics, maybe skills to sharpen our minds or hone our craftsmanship. Just as within us we have a need to be part of a communion of friends, we also have a need to develop a spiritual communion. Throughout the ages humanity has reach outside itself to find the cause of creation and a reason to live. Sometimes we stumble blindly from one guru to another until we have exhausted their options, until in despair we cry out to God. In God we find the balance to our lives. We find a place where we can be totally honest, where we are known and loved intimately. In God alone we discover we have the right to be ourselves.

Prayer: Word of Life, you made us to share our lives with you, and somewhere we forgot. Teach us to walk your path, and hear your truth today in total and honest communion. Amen.

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January 28. By Word Of Mouth      

John 5: 36: These very actions which I do are my witness that God has sent me. 1Thessalonians 2: 5: You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed - God is our witness.

Have you ever noticed when it comes to employing a tradesperson, the first thing many people do is ask their friends and neighbours if they can recommend someone for the job. Not all the advertising in the world, be it in glossy magazines, trade journals or on our screens, will induce us to employ someone whose work has earned a bad reputation in the minds of those whose opinions we trust. Promotional give-aways, reward schemes or promises of discounts available some time in the future will never persuade us to entrust our business to those whose integrity we doubt. Banks may attempt to woo our dollars from us with the promise of fee-free accounts, and restaurants with the offer of a second main course at no extra cost, while mobile phone networks offer their handsets without cost to those who sign up for a one to three years' contract. At the back of most consumers' minds, is however, a conviction that there is no such thing as a "free lunch," somewhere there is a hidden catch. Development or building applications that seem to be in conflict with environmental and planning laws are pushed through either local or state governmental departments, leaving concerned residents totally perplexed and powerless against such decisions. Communities analyse and debate news of such projects with the speed and passion all verbal discussion excites.

People talk. There's no doubt that word of mouth has created more business for firms in which courtesy and service for customers are paramount. It is equally true that firms whose workmanship is not up to scratch or where after-sales service is given grudgingly or not at all will lose future clients as word of their slip-shod practices gets around. Car salesmen are often the butt of jokes, but when a dealership is found to have employees who give honest assessments of trade-in vehicles, and really listen to the requirements of customers, then that business will boom even at those times when their competitors are finding projected sales figures impossible to achieve. Those planning to celebrate special occasions at a restaurant rarely make bookings without first consulting a trusted friend, colleague or family member who might have dined there themselves. No amount of coercion from a restaurateur will persuade anyone who has heard a bad report of either food or service to try the wares offered there. Tradespeople, employed to remedy faults or to undertake new work for any householder, will find that work well done will generate more business from associates and friends of satisfied customers.

We all tell of our experiences, it's just a human trait. If I were to tell you a restaurant recently opened in the village of Eureka, where one may choose to dine in the open air overlooking paddocks with views that extend to include the mountains and a glimpse of water shimmering in the Falls, you might listen with interest. But when I add the food is scrumptious and the service delightful, I would expect you to ask for the name of this restaurant and directions to find such a place. This same word of mouth process is exactly how the good news of God's love has spread across the world over centuries. Those who have experienced the love, peace, forgiveness and healing an intimate relationship with God affords simply can't keep quiet. Instead they burn with a passion for others to encounter God in the person of Jesus, for this is the most precious gift they can offer those they love. Word of mouth - songs sung by troubadours and balladeers, testimonies written on prison walls and in children's diaries - since primitive humanity painted history and culture on cave walls we have shared our stories and our news. Jesus came to tell of God's love, and we share in that recounting.

Prayer: Living God who has spoken through the cloud and the fire, we remember Jesus who walked on this earth telling of your love, healing and forgiveness. May we always be conscious of the effect our words and actions have on the lives of all we meet. Amen.

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January 29. Can You Believe It?      

Mark 9:23: Everything is possible to those who believe. Mark 11: 24: Whatever you pray about and ask for, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

Sometimes the news we hear seems almost too good to be true. One man leaving the medical centre in which he had been previously hospitalised could hardly believe his ears. The three-monthly check-up had disclosed no return of the cancer that had invaded his prostate gland. Death no longer stalked him daily as it had when the tentacles of cancer invaded his body.

In a surgical ward lay a woman, pale and wan. Although almost too tired to answer, she smiled at the approach of the resident with his invariable "How's our prettiest patient, today?" Sitting beside her, he reached out his hand to grasp hers. "It's all over. The surgical team are delighted, the transplant went well." After his departure she pondered her situation - how close she had come to death, in fact she would have died without the heart and lung transplant so recently performed. Now her fate was in the hands of medication prescribed to combat her own body's rejection of the donor organs. Soon, all being well, she would be able to recommence her life, but this time it would be different. From now on she would cherish every day, and would treasure the gift of extra time with her family.

It was Tuesday morning, and as the pages of a national paper were turned, the previous night's Lotto draw was revealed. One man looked at the six numbers that comprised first division, and noted that there was but one winner for that particular draw. He fumbled for his wallet, and drew out the slip issued by his newsagent the previous day. There they were, the self-same numbers printed before him. At last a chance to pay off a mortgage, give others an opportunity for a university education and even travel if this was their choice. He sat as the hands on his watch completed their circumnavigation and started marking a new hour. Slowly and almost stiffly, he rose and walked to the nearest Post Office where he slipped the pasteboard key to a fortune into a registered letter, and forwarded it to the Sate Lottery office.

On a summer's afternoon, amid the noise and smoke, the gusting wind falls silent, just one hundred metres from a house ringed by fire-fighters. They look at each other in amazement, almost unable to believe the stillness present at the cessation of the sound of the buffeting wind. One house saved, the only one to survive from the community that previously stood on the ridge overlooking the lush, forested valley.

News headlines across the world, radio, television and print media all pushing each other out of the way in an effort to be the first to announce that at last a cure for asthma had been discovered. An accident, no less, for this was not the intention of the researchers, yet they had found an inexpensive cure for a condition that had crippled the lives of so many, and cost the lives of many more. At last, the ability to breath deeply would be accessible to all people.

In Capernaum, two friends lifted the tiles from the roof of the house and let down a paralytic man when the crowd would not part to let them carry their friend through the door to Jesus. Jesus not only forgave the sins of the crippled man, but stretching forth his hand, he invited to man to stand and walk. And through the miracle of healing the man rose, picked up his mat and walked. Just a matter of faith - a belief in something beyond our ken? Jesus offers us forgiveness for our sins and a chance to return to the loving family of God. Can we really believe such an offer? Why, it's a greater gift than a lottery win, or health and home restored to us. Do we take a chance and put our faith in this man from Galilee, this Son of Humanity and Son of God? Our eternity depends on whether or not we choose to believe his promises.

Prayer: God of miracles, it is not enough that you have made us, but you also choose to love us unconditionally. Build up our faith so we may truly believe in your promises. Amen.

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January 30. Free To Be Myself      

Joshua 24: 15: Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Revelation 22: 17: Let all who are thirsty come, let everyone take freely the gift of the water of life.

In early 1964 Leslie Gore recorded a single that took second place in the charts - beaten only by the whirlwind thrust of the Beatles. That song "You Don't Own Me" became synonymous with the feminist movement, as it recognised the inferior place women had been allocated in society. It spoke of the freedom a woman achieved once she had broken from an oppressive relationship.

Freedom comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes. As children we all long to be freed of the restrictions imposed by school and family, yet it is those same restrictions that teach us the boundaries and limitations imposed by the wider society of our culture. In our lives we tend to carry with us such a lot of useless weight; for some it may be bitterness or recrimination that has its roots in betrayal by a friend, a family member or an organization we once embraced. Perhaps we need to be freed from the condemnation we have placed on our own shoulders for past events. On the other hand there are those who need to be freed from self-pity and discontent. Maybe we know folk who are hesitant or fearful, or those who are weighed down by acquisitiveness and self-assertiveness. There are many people around who give freely but have not yet learned the freedom to receive gifts from others.

Just about every virtue we are taught, when carried beyond normal usage into a phobia, becomes a source of fear for us. A habit of being careful with money can change into the fear of being penniless, thus causing over-concern for the future and miserliness in the present. The nurturing love with limitless hours of caring which is poured into family life can, as youngsters grow and leave home, be replaced by a paranoia that the surviving parent will be left bereft of family support in later life. So much of our energy can be spent pointlessly contemplating events that may never occur. None of us is able to see our futures as clearly as our past, yet we behave as though our greatest fears are inevitable.

Often God is blamed for the state of the world. The cries, "Doesn't God care?", or even, "Why doesn't God do something?", are framed by those who acknowledge their own inability to change things. Yet what would they have God do? When humanity was blessed and given the earth to inhabit, God provided one last gift, that of self-determination. We have been awarded the freedom to choose, to balance up the pros and cons in every situation, and to determine our options. In our choosing we will sometimes make mistakes. Experience is the firmest teacher we can have, and rarely do we make the same mistake twice. God cannot interfere in the events of humanity without withdrawing our freedom to choose.

God could have created us without the capacity to dream dreams, to set our sights on outer and inner space, or to keep asking the multitude of "whys" that have prompted discoveries in medicine, health, industry and welfare. We could have been virtual people, God's own puppets. Instead we have the freedom to laugh or cry, to joke or be sad, to care unselfishly about other or be totally self-absorbed. We are free to choose to use our talents and energy creatively or destructively. Dictators and despots will continue to rise and seize control of countries while ever those freedoms remain available to everyone. We may well choose to be free, but we are never freed of the responsibilities and effects our choices have on our own and others' lives. It is we who choose whether to listen to God's advice on both the small and the large choices in our lives. It is up to us as individuals, for no one else can make this choice for us, to decide whom we will serve, our own interest or those of the eternal God.

Prayer: God of freedom, you have given us the freedom to choose our own paths. Remind us that our decisions affect the lives of all we meet as well as our eternal future. Amen.

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January 31. Looking Over My Shoulder      

Isaiah 43:2: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. John 14: 18: I am not going to leave you alone in the world - I am coming to you.

During their flight from Sodom, Lot and his family were advised not to look back at the city, yet we hear that his wife turned, just for a brief moment to look, and was transformed into a pillar of salt. Looking back affords us nothing but a chance to review where we have been, and what happened to us in those times. Nothing we can do can change the past; no amount of regrets or recriminations will alter what is now history. The most we can do is celebrate the good times and honestly and evaluate those actions and words that we now recognise as selfish or unloving. We can look at history; we cannot re-live it.

Have you ever been alone at night, when you have needed to move in an area devoid of light? Perhaps you were bushwalking and you needed to answer nature's summons. Maybe your car had broken down on an unlit stretch of road, and you decided to set out in search of help. Perhaps you were strolling along a beach cluttered with rocks when the sun disappeared over the horizon and you discovered there was no moon to illuminate your path. Maybe you were simply at home one night and, awakened by a strange noise, found that you were alone, and there was an electrical blackout. We have been accustomed to light and to company and often, devoid of these, we become aware of a real loss. We hear tales of folk who have run out of fuel, or blown a head-gasket, in the outback, and though they have shared details of their route with others heading out in the same direction, know that they are basically alone, miles from help.

What do you do when there seems to be no help available? When an unscrupulous entrepreneur swallows up one's savings then decamps the country, where is the promise of assistance? For those who have remained as lovers in their relationships, where is help when one partners suddenly dies? A faithful dog that remains by our side, or a cat that insists on occupying our lap, may provide temporary relief, but in the longer haul, where is the comfortable friend who will stand side by side with us? In pain and in loss, when our minds are completely frozen and numb with horror and shock, how can we access help and comfort?

It seems that through the tough times, those times when we appear to be thrown totally upon our own resources, we have several choices. We can stay frozen and inactive, hoping things will correct themselves without our effort; we can brood or panic and achieve nothing at all; we can seek advice from friends as to courses of action or we can turn to God in prayer. When we are isolated or thrown on our own resources we often tend to look over our shoulders, to remember the times past when as if from nowhere God has provided a way for us. Sometimes the solution has been found in advice, physical or even financial assistance offered by friends. Other times it seemed that our circumstances changed dramatically and suddenly our problems were resolved without any more effort or worry on our part. We may even puzzle over such strange turns of events for years without understanding what happened.

Perhaps we can use our experience of such desperate situations to assist others. We certainly can't forget those times when it has been as if an angel held off all the forces that threatened to overwhelm us. Through our tears and despair, when it seemed as if there was no help or hope available, a miracle has happened. Sometimes all it needed was a change of attitude on our part to start the process. Whatever happened, only God could have made the difference.

Prayer: God of love, you handle situations that appear hopeless all the time, yet so often we forget to turn to you. Let us recall when trouble strikes how you have supported us through other dark times in our lives. And remind us to return thanks to you for your love. Amen.

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February 1. When The Music Stops      

Children often play games to the accompaniment of music. Drop the hankie, musical chairs, and pass the parcel are but three of the games in which movement and cessation of movement are governed by music. In other words, when the music stops, whatever activity has been going on must immediately cease. At that point, depending on the game being played, the one behind whose back a handkerchief has been dropped must chase the one who left it there; one person cannot find a vacant chair on which to sit, or the next piece of paper wrapping on the parcel is removed. Two of these games involves a process of elimination; in the musical chairs one person is eliminated each round, in pass the parcel one piece of paper is discarded each round until finally the contents are disclosed, and the prize is given to that person who unwrapped that final piece of paper. In older years perhaps one played spin the bottle or postman's knock, still games played in a circle, but mostly without the music, and certainly with different penalties.

Going to a concert or the theatre can be wonderful. One may choose to hear chamber music played, perhaps listen to an opera or watch a ballet, or even attend a new musical that has finally arrived in town. So for hours one is enthralled, swept away by the music, while the cares and concerns of the day have been smothered under a blanket of delight. Then finally it is over, the stage lights dim, the house lights burst into brightness, and tardily the audience rises, picks up coats and handbags and leaves this other world. When the music stops, and the musicians pack up their instruments, perhaps the dancers unlace their ballet slippers, what happens then?

Sometimes we are left with thoughts and emotions that will dominate our lives for days, other times one whistles a catchy melody under one's breath. Sometimes, deep within, such an ache arises, an ache caused by the sheer beauty of music. It is as if somehow, somewhere, the music has tapped into a memory held deeply within our subconscious, a memory that stirs us almost to tears. To find a phrase to describe this, one could stop and listen to the words of the song "The Lost Chord", in which a chord is struck accidentally on an organ, and ever after the player seeks to rediscover that same chord. Within us is a wistfulness, a desire to return to something, but we can't really recall that something.

Relationships can be filled with laughter, light, colour and the music of love. Yet we know that so often relationships flounder on uncharted rocks that took the couple by surprise. Perhaps it was financial difficulties upon which their relationship floundered. Maybe it was simply that when reality took the place of dreaming, what each saw in the other was not what they had assumed. For some it could have been that other people simply crowded out the time they should have spent together sharing intimacies designed for two alone. Illness, either physical or emotional, can cause relationships to split apart under the strain of one partner needing constant care. The music, that marked their meeting and their love, slows down and finally grinds to a halt, like a record player whose spring has run down.

Life with its energies and challenges, its high, lows and plateaux can sometimes provide the music to which we dance. Yet when the days of our youth have been exchanged for mid-life and then for retirement, how does the melody then run? Are we still dancing, though to a slower theme as we move through our days? And with our deaths, will the music we have known all our lifetime suddenly cease, and stillness take its place? Love, laughter, sharing and caring provide the magic of the music of our lives. All of these we experience in our relationship with God. For God so loved the world that music, joy, life and love were offered to each of us, all in the form of Jesus. And then, as we waltz through death's doorway, will the music cease? I believe we will find the source of the refrain that has haunted our lives.

Prayer: God of countless creations, we thank you for the music of friendship and love. Remind us as we hear each melody that the ultimate music is found in your presence. Amen.

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February 2. Fourth Sunday After Epiphany - Freedom Or Liberty.      

Deuteronomy 30: 19: I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your family may live, and that you may love the Lord your God.

"If only" is a phrase repeated a million times across our land, often when we hear or watch the news. If only there were a way to persuade the people of the world that peace is a better option than war, if only parents kept their firearms out of the reach of children. If only there were enough food, shelter and medical facilities for all the people of the world, so that we would never again witness the faces of famine on our screens. If only judgements made by our courts reflected the truth of the events that brought defendants to court, instead of having jurors swayed by a plausible argument or by the skill of an orator rather than by the actual facts. If only we had withheld words spoken in anger or when we tired or stressed. If only drivers who had consumed any amount of alcohol refused to drive, and therefore we had very few road deaths. If only sport could be played for the sheer enjoyment of the game and not be influenced by offers of bribes. If only we truly put the welfare of others first rather than mouthing platitudes while we make no effort to hearken to their needs.

From day one in the history of the human race we have enjoyed the benefits and suffered the consequences of God's special gift to humanity - free will. Of all created things and beings, we alone have the potential to choose between our actions, whether we weigh up the consequences of our decisions or not. Free will means that God does not reach from heaven and interfere in our choices. We are responsible for what we do, think and say. Listed above are but a few of the consequences of the decisions we, the people of this planet, can make. But there are many more choices we make which impact on the lives and safety of others. We can ask ourselves if we discriminate against any group or people because of their race, colour, religion, abilities or disabilities, sexuality, financial or educational status or because of their age. It's our choice whether the world continues as it is or we rewrite the scenario.

Imagine for a moment that God had not given us free will and every person dutifully and obediently loved God. If God called the shots, what room would be left for creativity? How often would we be able to run across a hill, attempting to launch a kite for the sheer enjoyment of being alive? Rather, I believe, we would all be working in the places God had assigned us, performing without complaint those tasks God has for us. The gift of freewill enables us to experiment, make mistakes, and take responsibility for our choices. However, when we make mistakes there are consequences. Too late many who took up the habit of smoking discovered that lung cancer and emphysema could be the result. Our habit of sunbathing on beaches, not protecting our heads and arms from direct sunlight has resulted in skin cancers. Ours are the choices and ours the consequences. We have used the freedom we have come to expect as part of our lives, and sometimes there have been disastrous results.

But not all the choices we make are disastrous, and not all the liberty and freedom we have been given are detrimental. Look into the eyes of lovers, whether they are newly met or have loved for half a lifetime, and see the joy these choices have provided. Walk through a park or down a suburban street and note the trees, grass and gardens, all created because of the specific choices of certain individuals. Visit a gallery or a museum and wonder at the marvels to which our talents can be directed. We enjoy liberty in our decision-making and in our daily lives. Some countries enshrine the concept of liberty for all in their constitution. God decided to let us choose whether to respond to our Creator; we are not forced or coerced by laws and penalties. For this is the test of true love, that we allow those we love the freedom to make different choices, and this is what God has done for us.

Prayer: Creator God, when we grumble and complain about the state of our nation, our roads or our world, remind us that we have the capacity and freedom to change our circumstances. Today we acknowledge you have set us free to return to you. Amen.

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February 3. Monday Morning      

Isaiah 40:3: "In the desert prepare a way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God."

Although the doors of the shopping centre open welcomingly, most stores have not yet completed the preparations needed before customers can be accommodated. Instead, there is the bustle as a myriad of workers, normally unseen, swarm through the stores.

Bakers arrive with trays of rolls and bread, donuts and cakes to supply sandwich shops and coffee lounges. Some store windows are polished with such vigour that the lights reflected from their surface are refracted as rainbows. Floors vibrate to the energy of mammoth polishing machines. Different poultry suppliers arrive - one man fills supermarket shelves with cartons of eggs while another delivers trays overflowing with freshly prepared chickens. In delicatessens trays of sliced meats are arranged with sprigs of parsley to display the diversity of smallgoods to passing customers. From within a cool room a florist wheels trolleys laden with buckets containing bunches of flowers, and unpacks them behind a façade of dried floral arrangements and beribboned bears.

A forklift moves cartons of fruit and vegetables from local growers and the wholesale markets. Everywhere the pace is picking up. Security screens are unlocked and rolled into place; display stands are moved from deep recesses within the stores to their entrances. Store owners, managers and shop assistants form a steady stream of humanity before they vanish behind store doors left open just a tantalising few inches. Butchers can be heard wielding steel against their knives to ensure precision in the cuts they offer. Money is taken from hiding places within cupboards, counted and placed in hungry jawed tills, thus providing a cash float for the day.

Music, emanating from controls located in the centre's management office, starts filling the silence, drowning out any chance for individual thoughts. Now, with but seconds left before all doors are flung open invitingly, comes the hiss of steam from espresso coffee machines and the pungent aroma of fresh coffee infiltrates from the closest coffee lounge. Then comes the clang of cups and saucers being arranged near the checkout counter. Into jewellers' display windows trays of rings and watches are carefully positioned, while strands of pearls nestling on black velvet stands, bewitchingly aloof, beckon temptingly. Mini spotlights illuminate this Aladdin's cave as diamonds and trinkets alike create bursts of brilliance.

A thousand or so measures are needed to prepare any shopping centre for a new day's trading, with the staff of each store deciding how to present their products to attract customers. Those seeking jobs painstakingly prepare résumés that will promote their experience and talents, thereby showcasing the qualities they have to offer prospective employers. When we prepare to depart on a long journey, we are intent on making certain we have done everything to expedite our departure, and ensure the wellbeing of all we leave behind. It's hard to view our lives as preparation for a limitless time spent in God's presence, and yet each of our thoughts and actions will determine the quality of our eternity. So often our lives seem governed by the need for change, from childhood to adolescence, to adulthood and then on to retirement. We forget that the habits we cultivate, the career paths we forge and the relationships we cultivate are but temporary stepping-stones on a pathway that stretches into eternity. We leave matters of faith, spiritual truths, till another more convenient time, unaware, it would seem, that we already tread a road on which death is but an opening door.

Prayer: Merciful God, how often we forget that our life's journey leads directly to you. Remind us today that while we are earthbound we should be displaying your love and peace to those who have not yet found their home in you. Amen.

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February 4. Ringing In The Changes      

"Once upon a time", the story begins, until winding its way through the twists and turns of the alleyways of the plot it arrives at the point when we hear the sound of Bow Bells. "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, turn again Whittington, three times Lord Mayor" they peal. And surely enough, before the tale is done, Dick Whittington is indeed Lord Mayor of London for the third time. Teams of bell ringers, who follow precise patterns in which the varying order of playing particular bells is followed scrupulously, ring bells such as these. A peal can be comprised of but six bells, but generally eight bells are used. Some patterns take but a few minutes to play, others can take up to two and a half hours, as bell after bell takes the lead, and other bells chime their tones in different sequences. Thus the melodies are formed by changes in sequence or order.

The singer Harry Chapman passionately wanted to make a contribution to the world that would begin a chain of change in society. Two of his mottos were, "When in doubt, do something," and "You can make a difference." Sometimes we fail to realise just what a difference we make in the lives of other people. I am reminded of the story known as the Good Samaritan in which two travellers passed by the injured man without offering assistance. We all know they could have done something, yet they chose not to. From the way this parable is told it appears that these two didn't even check to see if the injured man was alive or dead. I know that nowadays there have been many incidents in which those who have tendered assistance have later found themselves defending a claim for damages, but in Jesus' time litigation was not the pastime it has now become. So what were their problems? One, it appears, would have been declared ritually unclean and therefore ineligible to serve in the Temple had the injured man been dead. The other obviously thought that the man lying by the roadside was but a decoy, and that if he stopped, he would himself be attacked.

Actually their excuses could be tendered even today, for we do have examples of decoys lying in wait for those who would stop and render assistance. As for the priest, he typifies all those who are not prepared to get their hands dirty doing something to help others. We have seen during times of war many who simply closed their ears and eyes to genocide, such as the holocaust. In commerce it is not until businesses collapse that we are able to pinpoint those, such as regulatory bodies or even employees who didn't want to "rock the boat", who chose not to reveal irregularities. Some of the worst atrocities this world has known have been perpetrated in the name of God. Slavery was justified by the selected use of Scripture. The inquisition claimed the lives of thousands of folk, mainly women and children accused of witchcraft by those who had a grudge against them, or stood to gain from their deaths.

It was commonplace to have children work in factories or be used in mines in England until one man, Lord Shaftsbury, defied the tradition and declared this to be against the laws of decency. Conditions within workplaces have been improved whenever there have been those who have stood and said loudly that humans were being degraded in such places. Town planning authorities nowadays set aside areas of land for parks and other open spaces before new development applications are approved. Lately, one man who was driving his truck over a bridge that collapsed sued the Local Council, and won, setting a precedent that Local Governmental authorities are legally responsible for the condition of all roads, pathways and bridges under their jurisdiction. His decision to appeal for recompense for his injuries and damage to his truck will open the door for motorists whose vehicles are damaged by faulty road conditions, and pedestrians injured in falls on uneven footpaths to seek recompense. By refusing to accept advice that nothing could be done, and by actively pursing justice, this man has changed the way the public view Council responsibilities, and the way Councils must now accept the need to maintain those areas under their control and supervision.

Prayer: Just and loving God, make us aware of the ways in which our words and actions can make a difference to the lives of others. Each day make us more like Jesus. Amen.

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February 5. At Sunrise      

Isaiah 60: 1: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of God shines upon you.

Slowly the darkness changed to include shades of grey and from behind the skyline defined by the tops of rainforest trees came a glimpse of pink. The land started stretching; the vibrancy of its life reaching out from grass to trees, from rocks and streams to hills and mountains. Cattle moved restlessly waiting for the morning's routine to commence, and from within a myriad of nests came the soft chirping of birds, warily opening their eyes to discover whether day had really arrived.

Down the road sped a truck, moving purposely to collect a load for the livestock sales. As it rattled over the broken edges of the road and skirted potholes, its noise disturbed the peace of early morning. From within a large tree growing close by the roadside there was an explosion of white birds bursting forth from their night resting place. Nearby, from a place on the ground where they have been feeding, galahs rose and circled, shrieking loudly. Slowly and leisurely the sun sent beams of sunlight to dance among the sparkling leaves, still wet with the evening dews. Along the ridges lights appeared in houses as householders exchanged their beds and dreams for the realities and responsibilities of a new day.

More and more colour appeared in the sky, as the draperies of night gave way to the pink and gold of day. Above, the sky became apparent with its blue flecked with white cirrus clouds. Birds left their nests to start searching for food for their nestlings. Spiders retreating from the centre of their webs moved to obscurity at the perimeters of their webs. Cats yawned, stretched, and began grooming themselves, licking each portion of their legs with delicate pink tongues. Dogs waited for the first movement of their owners, for the dog had been given the responsibility to care for humanity. Roosters, as if caught unawares, suddenly announced that day had arrived. Young cockerels tried again and again to imitate the rooster's crowing.

Kettles were filled as hot drinks were sought with which to start the day. And then, time for breakfast. Throughout the region stoves were encouraged to produce aromas to tempt even the most disinterested palate. Spring, summer, autumn or winter, the season mattered little, as breakfasts were eaten before youngsters left on school buses and adults tackled work responsibilities. Notice the scramble to fill school satchels that marks so many mornings! Where is last night's homework, has it in fact been completed? It seems a wonder that on any morning children are able to manage the traumas that they create on their way out the door.

Across the paddocks sheep move, quietly chewing as they step single-file along one of their paths. They lift their heads and gaze for an instant at the figure calling them each by name, before they resume their walk. For them, day has finally arrived and they are now released from the night holding paddocks where they have been safe from marauding dogs. It can be disquieting to observe their simple faith, the absolute trust they have in those in charge of them. It's almost as if while the shepherd is present no harm will ever befall them.

Such simple faith can cause us to wonder about those with whom we mix, those in whom our trust is placed. People are human, and in our humanity our very frailty is exposed. We want to be faithful, to be rock solid, able to protect those we love, but in truth we so often fail. In fact the more closely we regard ourselves and those we love and trust, the more we discover weaknesses. Only God, present on earth as Jesus, has never used the excuse "I'm only human". In which of our relationships, apart from the intimacy we share with God, are we assured that love for us will never be compromised or withheld? For our wholeness we need to trust that we will always be loved. This is why our simple faith in God is never misplaced.

Prayer: God of sunrises and sunsets, bring the light and warmth of your love into our hearts today. May we learn to listen to your voice and trust you in all circumstances. Amen.

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February 6. The Wheat And The Chaff      

Matthew 13: 30: At harvest-time I shall tell the reapers, "Collect all the weeds first and tie them up in bundles ready to burn, and collect all the wheat and store it in my barn."

Seed saving has become a preoccupation with those who choose to preserve heritage seed stocks across the nations, and those who refuse space for genetically modified plants. Across the world, established seed specialists provide an awareness of the potential loss of diversity that could be incurred when commercial seed producers are granted rights to seed of specific vegetable, flower, herb and fruit varieties. So in well-aired rooms, seeds are taken from the finest plants or fruits, and carefully stored to retain viability. These include not only seed for home gardeners, but also some of the wild and earliest varieties of grain. Storage of these early strains will allow a seed bank to be maintained in the event that a natural catastrophe, be it a virus or a predator, destroys all currently grown varieties of specific grain. By maintaining early and heritage seed, we are ensuring the future for later generations and ourselves is secured.

Grain and seed must first be separated from the plant that contained them. Grain, though nowadays harvested by mechanical means, needs to be threshed so that the outer husks and straw are removed before the seed is crushed into flour. Once, before the mechanisation of agriculture in our society, this process was the work of women, who separated the grain from the chaff by beating it and then subjecting it to air currents so that the flimsier chaff was blown away. This procedure is still followed in poorer nations and by many indigenous tribes, prior to the grain being ground, by hand, into meal. Fields of sugar cane are set alight just prior to harvest so that the outer leaves of the plant, known as trash, are burned to speed the harvesting process. In sugar mills giant rollers used to extract the juice then squeeze the stalks of cane. The fibre remaining after this process is also called trash.

Everywhere we turn we discover this process of separation, when only the finest produce is kept and utilised, the balance being discarded. Essences are obtained from plants and herbs so that tinctures may be prepared, or so that science may be able to synthesize chemically the healing qualities these plants contain. Pastures are trialled, and each plot of ground is carefully monitored so that the data provided may be fed into computers and an evaluation made of which type or selection of grasses produces the best results. Varieties of fruit trees are modified so that they may be grown across differing climatic, moisture and soil conditions. From across the world plants, grasses and seeds are imported for plant breeders to select the finest for propagation.

Jesus, when asked to describe the dominion of heaven, related several parables. He used the illustrations of the sower and the seed, the farmer whose enemy planted weed seed among the wheat, and the mustard seed. There was no doubt in his mind that sooner or later each person would be held responsible for their own thoughts and actions, that God would insist on an accounting. The wheat harvested, if we may seek clarity from the previous parable, is each person who hears, understands and acts upon the message of God's love and salvation. These will be welcomed into the dominion of God, whereas those who have heard and deliberately turned away will discover they have been separated and left to their own devices.

To bring peace and love into the world Jesus plants the seeds of God's message in the hearts of all people. Some people will be receptive and nurture that seed with love. Others will want to see it grow, but find far too many distractions in this life, and so the seed will wither and die. There are those who view the seed as a threat to the enjoyment of the life they have chosen for themselves. These tear the seed from their hearts in their rejection of God's love.

Prayer: Lord of the harvest, there have been times we have planted discord rather than love, and selfishness rather than loving. Teach us how to produce the harvest you desire. Amen.

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February 7. Down Memory's Lane      

Psalm 143: 5: I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

In the old wardrobe lay a bundle of letters, undisturbed by the passing of years. The envelopes, yellowed with age, were tied securely with a faded ribbon and inscribed by a generous hand. Turning them over revealed a stamp of years gone by - a victory stamp. I trudged down memory's lane recalling the stories of the young men, the bloom of the nation's manhood, as they answered the invitation to fight for country and for peace. Trains packed with dreamers left country platforms and disgorged their contents into transport vehicles waiting to move the men to military camps.

Those were days for dreamers, a time when we believed that all it would take was a plea for justice backed up by a considerable force of men and women standing for a righteous cause to ensure peace throughout the world. Those were the days when the skies were solely occupied by the planets and other celestial bodies, and flight was but a dream, a concept of science fiction writers. Those were the days when gardens were planted with wallflowers, roses, pansies and carnations by women who asked for nothing more than to create beauty in their homes.

Gramophones were the novelty of the moment, and heavy records reproduced the voices of world famous singers. Making crystal radio sets was the pastime of most boys, and wires were strung through windows and onto tree branches. The baker and milkman were followed along the streets by their carts, pulled by horses always amenable to pats from young children. Each home was equipped with an ice-chest and the iceman called regularly, with his covered cart filled with large block of ice. On hot summer days, with his ice pick the iceman would chip off slithers of ice for the children who swarmed round him and his horse.

Those were the days when families were found each Sunday at worship services. It is remarkable how in times of war or natural disaster, long-buried and forgotten faith springs anew in the lives of most of the population. Prayers were offered for "our boys" in countries across the world, in allied and Axis countries alike. Did we ever stop and pray for the lads who were fighting against our own young men? King, Queens, Prime Ministers, Presidents, elected members of governments and dictators alike were to be found in the churches, cathedrals and abbeys of their respective nations. It was a world in which prayer was as natural and as necessary as breathing.

It was a time of miracles. Men risked their own lives to assist fallen comrades to safety. The story of Dunkirk and the persistent dense fog that shrouded seas while allied servicemen were evacuated to safety in England is well documented. The inventions of light aircraft changed the face of all future conflicts. Radar allowed tracking of targets during the hours of darkness and the uses for lasers were being explored. New medical techniques were developed to deal with horrific war injuries. Through it all, on every battlefield and in every home across the world, ordinary people spoke out their fears, dreams and hopes to God in prayer. Such is the stuff and substance of miracles, hearts that believe.

Prayer: Somewhere, God, in the passage of time, both as individuals and nations we have neglected to maintain that closeness to you. Without lives illuminated by faith such as our families once knew, there is no fabric from which miracles can be woven. We praise you for a bundle of letters, and for the memories of a time when we really believed you walked life's path with us. Thank you for touching our lives and our fingertips as you passed close by today. We ask that you take our outstretched hands for tomorrow's journeying, and guide our footsteps along your chosen path. Amen.

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February 8. A Healing Touch      

Luke 10: 33: Then a Samaritan traveller came along to the place where the man was lying, and at the sight of him he was touched with pity.

Some days when night's curtain closes the daylight from the sky it is as though the light has been switched off in our lives as well. We are just so tired. Tired physically - tired of trying to do more than seems humanly possible, tired of being polite and friendly to people who do nothing but gripe and criticise what we do, our appearance or even our family. We are tired of the humdrum of life, of the seemingly endless repetition of tasks expected of us day by day, until the list of days stretches into years and the years into a lifetime.

It's not as if we are expected to perform super-human tasks, it's the dull grinding away of our unique selves and our own private ambitions as we go through the motions each day requires, completing our tasks joylessly. There are lines of factory workers, either assembling various component parts or else sorting into various grades the objects occupying the ceaselessly moving belt. There are women in poorer countries who spend weeks picking burrs from wool before it can be spun, and those who grind corn and other grains between heavy stones so that there is flour for their bread. Even today women still tread the paths between wells and their homes carrying precious water for their households. And across the world, whether they be miners working far under the ground or farmers tilling the soil, whether they be families reduced to searching garbage heaps for food and clothing or beggars pleading for food, people are tired and dispirited. Our spirits, and sometimes our bodies, are broken.

Life seems to offer very few oases of rest and refreshment, with time enough to laugh, sing and perhaps even dance. The tiredness we experience seems to have its source far deeper than just physical exertion, it could almost be described as "soul-tiredness." Though unconsciously, we long for an elixir that will dissolve the weight we seem to be bearing, and a food which will produce energy enough for us to have much to spare at the end of each day. We may not have been waylaid and robbed, as was the traveller on the road to Jericho, but we bear the marks of spiritual and emotional bruising. We long to find someone like the Samaritan who, on seeing our plight, will be filled with pity for us.

The pity that touched the heart of the Samaritan produced an abundance of care. The wounded man was carried to an inn, his wounds treated and then bandaged. The Samaritan returned the next day with enough cash to pay for lodgings and treatment for the wounded man until he was fully recovered. Sometimes we forget that we are only willing to accept the healing and restoration Jesus offers when we are bruised and battered by life's storms. From the place of awareness of our sins Jesus takes us by the hand and introduces us to God as a friend in need of care. For the healing of our lives and souls Jesus has already paid our debt, and in the peaceful space God has appointed for us, our tiredness is replaced with deep-seated joy and a calm restfulness of our body and minds. We may be unaware of the presence of our Saviour, just as the traveller was unaware of his rescuer, but that will not affect the quality of care and nourishment our bodies and souls receive. There is one who has heard the groaning of our bodies and souls, one who loves us so much that he shares our pain and our tears. The Samaritan pitied the wounded traveller. Because of his empathy with us Jesus shares our distress.

Prayer: Divine Jesus, we often forget to seek your assistance until we have reached our wit's end. Yet we know that you share all our tiredness, all our frustration and all our pain. Today we give thanks that you have used the opportunities of our exhaustion and brokenness to restore us to God's side. Amen.

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Fifth Sunday After Epiphany - With One Broken Wing      

Psalm 55: 6: "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest"

Each winter flocks of migratory birds circle overhead as they continue their journey toward their tropical nesting grounds. Late each spring they make their return flight toward the Polar Regions. Whether it be flocks of geese in their V shaped formations, or a seemingly whirlwind scurry of swallows, the magnificence of their flight, their unerring navigation and their endurance during the dimension of such a journey brings a lump to our throats, and even the occasional tear to our eyes.

The story of one bird who determined to be different, to challenge the status quo of his flock, is the theme of Jonathon Livingstone Seagull. Here was a bird that wanted to know what would happen if any bird exceeded the "normal" speed accepted by the flock, and how it would be to soar at previously uncharted heights. The leaders of his flock resented what they saw as his defiance and eventually exiled him. Yet that was not the end of the story, for in his aloneness he practised those manoeuvres, and while he was perfecting his skills he found other young gulls also wanted to seize the freedom flight had afforded him, and so became his pupils. The story concludes as this group demonstrate their skills in front of the flock, so pushing back the barriers of possibility for their audience.

At the slightest suspicion of danger birds soar upwards, increasing the distance between themselves and what they perceive as a threat. From the land, from beaches and from trees in which they have built their nests, they lift, rise with the currents and circle overhead. In the air they also discover sources of water and of food. So whether it be for food, or in times of danger or just for the sheer wonder and exhilaration of flight, birds continue to lift from the earth and travel the highways of the air.

In a paddock, moving almost as part of a flock of sheep, walked an egret. Never did it attempt to fly and join the others as they rose like a cloud moving into the sky at the first sounds of danger. It was there every morning, and with an apparent limp, it moved to join the flock. At night it could be seen slowly limping into the shadow of trees by the dam. As it walked it dragged the pinions of one wing. Somehow, sometime, this wing had been crushed and was no longer able to assist in catching the updrafts that enabled the rest of the flock to soar. It seemed that the egret knew it no longer could be part of the flock in which it once flew, and would remain earth-bound for the balance of its life. Who knows why it chose a flock of sheep as companions. Perhaps at some stage this had been a place where it had felt safe. Certainly the sheep showed no objection to the newcomer.

Sometimes circumstances curtail our activities, our dreams and plans. Sometimes like the egret we are no longer able to soar above dangers and problems. Accidents occur and we are left handicapped by either our own physical condition or by what has happened to those we love. Relationships dissolve, families separate, restructuring causes our jobs to disappear and with this our sense of financial security. Perhaps in relocating to a new area we lose contact with friends and familiar habits, maybe we are unable to complete our studies due to family commitments. We are forced to make choices that sometimes involved compromises while we are still grieving our losses, and we know that life can never continue as it was once. Somehow the egret made the choice to live among the sheep, eating insects disturbed as the sheep moved through the grass, and finding a sheltered place to rest and in times of storms. Only God knows what choices will bring us the most satisfaction and joy in our lives, and hold us close when we too feel as if we are dragging the pinions of a damaged wing each step. Only God truly knows what it is to find perfection and joy in what at first seemed second best.

Prayer: Transforming God, you have changed our pain into contentment and our sorrow into joy. May we be aware of your presence wherever and however our journey takes us. Amen.