‘May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.’
This simple verse, which comes from the Northumbrian Community Morning Prayer, was the blessing I chose at the end-of-year church services for two of our Benefice schools last week.
My mind went back to the childhood thrill of breaking up for the long summer holidays. Mum and I would pack our bags, leave the London smog and noise, and take the train down to our small caravan on the Purbeck Coast in Dorset for the WHOLE of the school holidays! My memories are of space, clean air and freedom to roam…. Long Summer days and space to wander and to wonder. So often it seems we rush through life without pausing to drink in the everyday beauty around us. The beauty which betrays the fingerprint of a generous Creator who wants us to enjoy colour and variety, to feel the wind through our hair and the sun on our backs (and sometimes the soft refreshing rain!)
This Summer I challenged the children with the
ABC of a good Summer holiday….
Have an ………………. Adventure
Look at something... Beautiful
Do something …….... Creative
Paint a picture, take a photo, write a poem, make a model. The bible tells us we are made in the image of God the Creator…. Human beings are CREATIVE – music, art, cookery, architecture, drama, engineering… the list goes on. It starts when we pause and take time to LOOK closely at the wonders God wants to show us in the world around us… instead of passing them by…
“Earth's crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with God,
but only he who sees takes off his shoes.
The rest sit around and pluck blackberries.”
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Have a WONDER-full holiday and CREATE something…. Perhaps you might even show me… or send me a photo? (beckyrichards@hotmail.co.uk) And may God bring you home rejoicing, once again into our doors!
Rev. Becky Richards, 22/7/24
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