Tag: Joyce Smith

Wait for the Lord

5 years ago today, my dear friend Joyce Smith died suddenly and we have missed her ever since. So today I am posting one of her delightful contributions to this blog. The photos were all her own and this was centred on a Kingfisher and on her patience in waiting to see it. The final comment is about the joy and gladness of God given to all who seek Him, as Joyce certainly did.

My friend Joyce Smith has sent me this lovely tweet in 2021.

“This little kingfisher posed for about 15 minutes at Fisher’s Green. We might have been looking for the elusive bittern, but the kingfisher certainly made the trip worthwhile!”

We live in an ‘instant’ society where we want immediate action, results or answers. This is true in Christian terms too. Many prayers are filled with demands or browbeating of God. But in our relationship with God there is a need for us to be patient. Had Joyce failed to be patient she might have missed the Kingfisher. The ‘elusive bittern’ is a joy to come on another day. The Kingfisher kindly offered an alternative view. It must have sensed a bit of disappointment because it stayed still, posing for about 15 minutes. Long enough to enjoy its colourful presence. Long enough to remind us that sometimes it is the things least expected which bring us joy and enlightenment.

The Psalmist tells us to be still and wait patiently for God to drop by.

There is a Taizé song, Wait for the Lord, sung often in Advent, but appropriate to think about at any time when we long for God or for a sign of his presence.

The Taizé song tells us that God’s day is always near. His presence is close to us but we must prepare our hearts to receive him and clear away all the things that might get in the way and stop us meeting Him. His ‘Glory’ is rightly portrayed often as an amazing display of God’s holiness which is a shewing of God’s presence. It’s posh name is from the Greek, Theophany. An obvious example is the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Holy Mountain. A spectacular event but personally it is when we see God not with our eyes but in our hearts where God reveals himself in a special way. It may be an awesome thing but it is a source of rejoicing because, as the Taizé song and Joyce’s kingfisher tells us, those who seek and wait for God will be rewarded with joy and gladness.

Wait for the Lord, his day is near
Wait for the Lord, be strong take heart
Prepare the way for the Lord
Make a straight path for Him
The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed
All the Earth will see the Lord
Rejoice in the Lord always

[Joyce Smith & Mr G]

Lord, you search me and you know me

Photo and setting of Psalm 139 by Joyce Smith.

In memory of Joyce

4 years ago this week I and many others mourned the sudden death of the Revd Joyce Smith.
She was a humble and amazing priest who loved to serve people in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. She is still much missed.
She was especially at home with the living and wonderful creatures of nature. She travelled far and wide, camera in hand and her photos and reflections became a lovely feature of this blog.
In gratitude for her care of all creatures great and small (even humans like me!)  I am going to post a selection of her offerings.

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Another Psalm reflection from my friend Joyce Smith, verses from Psalm 139. This is often called The Hound of Heaven and is about the way God calls us into relationship with Him. A relationship which so often he initiates and which is His delight and desire. It was a significant Psalm on my Christian journey and has remained very special to me.
It is less about trying to escape from God and much more about how His love for us will stop at nothing to hold us close to Him. Even we ourselves can’t ultimately get in the way – which I think is a comfort and a joy.

[Mr G. 25th May 2026]

Care for Creation

“Lord God, We ask you to open our eyes to recognize you, learning from the mystery of your closeness to all creation, that the world is infinitely more than a problem to solve. It is a mystery to be contemplated with gratitude and hope. Help us to discover your presence in all creation, so that in fully recognizing it, we may feel and know ourselves to be responsible for this common home where you invite us to care for, respect, and protect life in all its forms and possibilities.
Praise be to you, Lord!
amen” 
[Pope Leo XIV]

A prayer for our earth by Pope Francis

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

Amen

Provider of sanctuary

My friend Joyce.

The photograph with text, above, was one of a regular series of photographs and thoughts which Joyce Smith sent to me most weeks. The photographs were her own and she also made the choice of text.
I published many of them either on this Blog or in postings to a group of friends. I looked forward to receiving each week’s offering which began at the time of Covid and the hardship it brought to our lives. The ‘tweets’ continued until her death, two years ago at the end of May.
Her life was one of dedication both to God and to people. Her ministry was widespread and for many, she was both an inspiration and, when in need of care and friendship, she was a comfort. I know many of her friends still miss her, as do I.

Each of us needs a place of ‘sanctuary’, a when things get hard and often, that ‘sanctuary’ comes from others whose hearts God has touched with love and compassion. People who can be channels of God’s grace to others. Our bolt-hole.
For me, Joyce was such a person. We worked together in ministry but most of all we shared friendship. She was a very wise person and, of course, I miss her. She knew how to care and hold and make a space for us to rest in.

At this time of her second anniversary of her entry into heaven, at the end of May, I looked  through her photographs, mostly of birds and nature and, quite often puffins! A lot of her time off was spent in Northumberland where, around the Farne Island she found joy among the puffins.

As, I looked at her tweets I thought of the timeless quality of them, so from time to time, they will reappear on this blog.

Mr G.