Messengers and the Message
Dear Friends,
Before the birth of the Savior some important messengers were sent to bring the message of comfort and joy. First an angel came to Zacharias with the message that his wife Elisabeth would bear a son that would bring them joy and gladness. The angel told of the message that this child would bring to people, to help them get ready for the Messiah. Soon a messenger was sent by God to bring this good news to Mary who was the cousin of Elizabeth. When Mary was told the news that Elisabeth was having a baby she gained confidence and met the challenge and the blessing that the messenger had brought to her with confidence. The women soared with joy when they shared the news with each other. I can see that they were not only cousins, but very good friends too. Good friends rejoice with one another and share sorrows with one another.
It was quite a different scene when Mary and Joseph were alone in the stable when Jesus was born. A messenger from Heaven came to announce the news to the shepherds nearby and when the message was delivered the sky filled with angels blessing God and giving Him the glory. The shepherds hurried to see the sight that the angel had described and found things just as they had been told. What a joy filled, glorious visit that must have been. Mary and Joseph must have been so thankful that God was meeting every need, sending the messengers to proclaim the news of the Messiah even now at His birth and bringing friends to share the new birth with them.
Mary and Joseph were confident that He would provide their needs, and as we walk each day with Him our needs will be met. When we face something that could bring fear, God will provide all that we need.
Luke 2:13-14
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Garden Promises
Dear Friends,
As soon as the winter rains start falling on the dry, rocky hills of Samaria tiny pink flowers spring up in random places giving a precious beauty to a land that has endured a hot, dry summer. They are like little promises of more rain to come that will fill the rivers and creeks with gushing torrents pouring down the hills.
Hope for the rain is not just wishful thinking, but it's having a trust in our Mighty God for what He has promised to provide.
Right now my garden is covered with a damp blanket of leaves, and the flowers are bent with the heavy weight. The burden laden stems break and lay on the ground as if mourning the loss of the beauty of summer. The shepherd hooks are leaning over and the wind chimes seem to have a sorrowful sound as the cold wind brings a song that is more like a clanging in the brown bent garden.
When I look at my past garden pictures I am promised hope that this season won't last. The memories of the past years when blooms came back after a long, cold winter are like hopeful gifts. The basket of seeds that I gathered in the fall are full of promises of a brilliant color filled summer. A small piece of yard becomes a
pretty cottage garden filled with color and texture after it has spent the winter under the cover of brown. A pile of fabric scraps can be made into a beautiful crazy quilt, with random shaped pieces of fabric that are various colors and textures put together with unique detailing done in handwork. We are promised that beauty will come from ashes, that we will be given oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. The wind chimes will sing a new song and we will have joy everlasting.
In Isaiah 61:3 we read these promises, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."
In Luke 4:18 Jesus spoke these promises, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Buds, Blooms and His Breath
Dear Friends,
One of the most mysterious things in nature is the wind, the way it moves unseen from the hidden place of its origin. The hand of God paints movement in the atmosphere covering the earth. Sometimes humans create images of wind by using a cloud with puffed out cheeks blowing a burst of wind from a round mouth, or as a swirl of colorful autumn leaves or a moving cloud of dust or sparkling snow.
Life was blown into humanity by the Spirit of God. Unseen movement like the breath of God created the heartbeat that made earth come alive with creatures great and small.
I recently came across a quote from a book called, "Fruit-Gathering" by Tagore. I think it is beautiful and wanted to share it here. It speaks of God's powerful, but gentle breath creating beauty.
"He who can open the bud
does so simply.
He gives it a glance, and
the life-sap stirs through it veins.
At his breath the flower
spreads its wings and flutters in
the wind.
Colours flush out like
heart-longings, the perfume
betrays a sweet secret.
He who can open the bud
does it so simply."
His creation and the beauty of it are reasons to be aware of Him, to praise and worship the One whose breath gives life.
Roots of a Tree
Dear Friends,
The garden space around our house is pretty small, especially the narrow side yard isn't big enough for a second tree. Several years ago in the fall of the year I noticed a very small, baby oak tree growing close to the fence and close to the maple tree. It was only about a foot tall, but it had several beautiful, glossy leaves that were bigger than my hand. They were sparkling with the morning dew in the bright morning sunlight. A squirrel must have dropped an acorn snack and it had taken root next to the fence. I thought that the pretty, little tree needed a better location so I got the spade from the garden shed and started to dig up the tiny tree. I was surprised at the depth of the roots. I couldn't dig it up and didn't want to damage it or kill it attempting to move it, so I filled the hole back up and put the spade away. Today, it's a little taller than the fence and seems to be determined to stay there, so there it stays, the strong little oak tree.
I heard someone say that when a grape vine is planted in stony ground the roots are forced to work harder, and grow deeper so that then the fruit is sweeter and the plant is stronger. It's not surprising that some of the best wine in the world comes from the rocky hills of Samaria in Israel.
My thoughts today are about how God created plants with roots and the job of the roots is to find nourishment for the plant. He compares us to plants in His Word and wants us to learn from His creation.
Ephesians 3:17
"Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong."
Colossians 2:7
"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
I am thankful for the beautiful ways God teaches us His desires for us, how much He loves us, that even in the roots buried under the ground He put lessons for us. It is so special, the simplicity of the roots of a tree and the truth of thankfulness.
Manna In A Desert
Dear Friends,
A cactus plant grows in Israel and in other desert areas that is called Sabra. It's prickly but has beautiful orange or yellow flowers bursting from the tops of the leaves and sweet fruits grow after the flowers bloom. In Morocco they have used this plant for centuries to make a gorgeous, shiny silk fabric that is made into scarves.
The fruit and fabric that comes from this plant can symbolize God's provision during a wilderness season of life. God provided a way of protection for the Israelites during the night that all the firstborn of the Egyptians perished. He was with them when they came to the Red Sea and allowed them to pass through on dry ground and then the Sea closed on the Egyptians providing safety for His people. They saw mighty works with their own eyes. They ate the honey flavored manna when they were hungry and got water from a rock when they were thirsty.
During wilderness times the thorns and rocky terrain can keep us from seeing the flowers and the fruit. Even in a desert testing time God has provision.
Hebrews 3:14
"For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ."
2Corinthians 9:8
"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."
Many times I need reminders of the faithfulness of God, gentle words to bring me back to trust and gratitude. Reading or listening to encouraging testimonies of how God was near to someone during a trial can help us gain new strength to endure and triumph in the desert.
Psalm 100:4
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name."
I'm thankful for the prickly Sabra plant and the lessons we can learn from God's beautiful creation.
Becoming
Dear Friends,
Since I started writing this blog a few people have asked me why I call it "Linen and Silk" so I thought I would write my thoughts about that to you in this letter. It's about "Becoming." Becoming who I am in God, His design.
I heard a Bible teaching about linen fabric and it captured my attention and held my interest and since I enjoy flower gardens and the beauty that butterflies bring to the garden, I made linen my fabric choice and decided on silk as the perfect fabric to go with it, both in what I wear and for the things I sew.
I have had an interest in sewing and needlework since I was very small, cutting scraps of fabric and making simple clothes for my doll. It somehow seemed the perfect choice for me.
I thought of how a caterpillar makes a cocoon and transforms into a butterfly and I made a picture out of Linen and Silk fabrics that included a butterfly from a paisley embroidery design on linen. That was the start of "Linen and Silk".
A cocoon is made of silk fibers that are taken and through a tedious process are made into thread that is woven into the fabric that we call silk. Silk fabric comes in several different forms from coarse, rough, unprocessed fabric that is covered with lots of little imperfections called "slubs," to the high gloss, shimmery silk that most people think of when they hear the word "silk." Lots of different textures of silk are in between the two extremes.
Linen is made from the flax plant fibers and also goes through a complex process to make it into thread and is woven into the fabric. Linen also comes in a wide range of textures from thick, heavy and imperfect, covered with the little knots or slubs as they are also called in linen, to a very highly processed, smooth, sheer fabric.
Both linen and silk are mentioned in Ezekiel, Proverbs and Revelation.
I was praying and wanted God to do a work in my life. I was at a point where I cried out to Him to show me the imperfections that He desired to touch and He showed me and continues to show me slubs that need to be remade. He is a master craftsman, a weaver of great skill and I am thankful for His skillful, compassionate hands. My prayer continues to be, "Take me, remake me, use me for Your glory."
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."
The Beauty Of God
Dear Friends,
I had to decide on a picture for this blog post. How can a picture adequately express the beauty of God? It really can't come close. I considered a picture of the empty tomb, which I really believe is one of the greatest ways that Jesus shined His beauty! But when I read Luke 24:49, the last words of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, I knew it had to be this picture of the rainbow over Jerusalem. A beautiful picture of the promise of the Father!
One of my favorite worship songs is "A Resting Place". It expresses a great longing for and the finding of rest and dependence on God alone. Finding this place is what He desires for us. Psalm 27:4 speaks of beholding the beauty of The Lord and seeking Him. He created the earth and all that we see and experience with our senses.
Throughout each year as the seasons change we can find a resting place in Him. From the brilliant, cloudless days of summer, to the freezing, gray months of winter He can be found. Psalm 27:4 "The one thing I ask of the Lord--the thing I seek the most- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the
Lord's perfections and meditating in His Temple." Every creature will one day give blessing and honor and glory and power to Him who sits on the throne. The One on the throne is described as glorious, brilliant as gemstones with a glow like an emerald rainbow circling the throne(Rev. 5:13).
The storms of this material world with the dark clouds and flashes of brilliant lightning and rolling, crashing thunder are demonstrations of God's majesty. The storms hold the message that can bring us back to delight in Him.
Revelation 4:11 is a sort of praise song expressing the worthiness of God and the pleasures He receives from His creation. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are created. He desires that our pleasures be in Him."
Every day, in every season, in good times and in trials the rainbow of His promises is there.
