Words of Light and Hope from Tony Hawes

Words of Light and Hope from Tony Hawes.

 

In quietness and trust shall be your strength.

Isaiah 30.15.

 

Let us take into the silence the glow of autumn days,

let them become the spark that burns within

each one of us. Let that spark grow into a flame of

love. Let that blazing love fill us with awareness,

kindness and understanding.

Eternal flame, may your radiant glow remain with

us as the days grow shorter.

 

Like the autumn leaves we are invited to let go,

to resist the desire to cling and hang on to our

securities. Listen to autumn’s invitation to slow

down, to walk among dying leaves, and let them

speak to us of the call to continue our inner

transformation. May we be open to the teachings

of autumn, to surrender and rest in God.

 

As the year makes its mad dash towards the festive

season let us savour the October mists, the watery

sunshine, the glinting frosts and the long shadows

of shortening days. Let us enter the stillness and

silent mystery of God’s gift of maturity with

patience, resting and trusting as God invites us to

become our true selves.

 

As autumn turns to winter we can sense a change

in the coolness of the breeze. This time of transition

belongs to more than just the earth. Inside of us

there are also quiet changes sending us their signals

to let go.

 

Frost shakes the warmth out of autumn weather

and shapes itself into the first lines of winter.

We see the signs of future cold and emptiness,

knowing full well that our hearts are not immune

to this seasonal direction.

 

We are autumn people. We are always called to be

in the process of growing and changing.

May our minds and hearts be open to this inner

season which is part of us.

May we trust you, Autumn God, who calls us to

grow. May we find hope as we enter willingly

into the dying that is needed for our transformation.

The Julian Meetings & Joyce Rupp.