St Peters RC Church Hamilton

The November river may well make you shiver,

In its steely grey to silver.

But aside from the colder colour,

What can you see and discover?

What adds to the picture?

An overhanging tree of gold,

With lesser leaves than of old,

But the richer colour is offset by the silver.

Swans and seagulls swimming leisurely,

Make me think of the glory of liberty,

No timetables to meet, demands to satisfy,

Simply the outside world to glide serenely through.

Further upstream, boats are anchored.

Oh how lovely it would be, could be,

To take a river ride, slowly

Enjoying, looking at the autumn scenery.

No care there for me to share.

No ripple of worry, I am not in a hurry.

I look at the recently stripped branches,

As if there to bare their soul to anybody.

It makes me think of time of prayer,

While I dare to open out widely

My whole soul, rather give my thanks to

So much which is worldly and unwarranted.

Fortunately I can hurry to my burden Bearer.

The Lord Jesus offers to carry the heavy load.

This is joy untold when I mould my thoughts honestly,

Saying ‘Sorry’ for mistakes and failings,

Then unencumbered, my faith moves forwards,

My spirit helping and supporting my soul.

The whole venture, a walk by the river,

Turns into an adventure of discovery.

The Lord God as a Trinity, is so kindly.

He does not like anguish, so does not punish.

The Lord Jesus took my array of failings

Upon Himself mercifully to unload me.

I feel considerably lighter and brighter.

Suddenly the river does shimmer in silver.

No longer grey, nor foreboding, the water shines sublimely.

It flows calmly, reminding me

Of how I let my anxiety go to my Maker.

He knows me better than I know myself.

The wealth of His love is inestimable,

But readily identifiable through the release of peace.

The river flows gradually from the high hills,

Down through meadowland to reach its destiny.

This is what faith does for me.

Faith takes me on a long journey.

Admittedly this is not always easy,

But soul searching highlights flaws of character,

And discrepancies between how I should be,

Living always to bring glory to God,

Compared with the reality of misshapen identity,

When the love of God cannot be seen in me.

But according to the blessing of Christianity,

I know I have a Brother who is my Saviour,

The Divine Healer dealing with my iniquity.

Then I make better progress encouraged by a new start.

I continue on the journey set at liberty.

God’s mercy is entirely kindly, not frequently,

But in the everyday of life’s strife.

So like the silver river moving forwards

Without a backward glance caused by worry,

I move onwards very happily.

The river is brightly shining this November day

Because as I pray, life will carry for anybody

An entirely different, fuller, richer perspective.

Reminding me to try to live reflectively.

I ponder the wonder of nature, its seasonal timely glory,

And almost immediately I start to think

Of the wide picture painted by the Creator.

All of us placed in a specific time and environment,

To find enjoyment in the beauty immediately around us.

The silver river will still cause me to shiver,

But now I may consider this to be, hopefully

The excitement of anticipation.

Where is the Lord God in all loving mercy

Taking me, why and what for?

I am sure there is much, much more to discover.

I think I had better continue to keep walking,

Talking in the silence of my mind and heart,

Wanting to impart my thanks to our Father.

I would rather discover His presence with me, prayerfully

Than dwell on any gloom, doom or anxiety.

God is good and I should rejoice

Yes, this is the choice I will now make,

And give voice to my appreciation.

It is holy love’s dedication which is true animation.

Praise be, praise be, praise be.

I praise the Lord, and the Trinity, for all the glory,

I now see and enjoy so readily.

Lord, You offer us so many aspects of life to rejoice in month by month, day by day. Thank You so much for the generosity of Your love. This means a great deal indeed to us and our enjoyment of life. Amen.