Firstly, my apologies for the recent lack of posts - a family bereavement has taken me out of circulation for a while.

Next, let's get down to business!
Tonight I attended a Bible Study about Psalms. It was a fascinating evening, and one of the highlights was to read a paraphrase of Psalm 23 written by David Kossoff. I'm sure I would be breaching some copyright if I were to add the whole psalm here. So here is a taster - the first few verses... followed by the last. Enjoy it!

The Old Twenty-Third
by David Kossoff

Lord, you are my shepherd,
And I'm very pleased, for I'm a bit of a sheep.
You taught me how to stop rushing about,
How to lie down and doze in a green field.
To stand by still water, by a calm lake.
And it's so restful. I'm grateful.
I think you show me the right paths, your ways.
I ought to use them more, in your name.
Otherwise it's sort of wasting your time.

...

Your goodness and mercy will follow me.
&nbsp &nbsp Every day of my life. I'm sure of it.
And on the last day, when I go from my house,
&nbsp &nbsp I'll go to yours. And live there. For ever.

From Psalm 23 An Anthology by KH Strange & RGE Sandbach: The Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh.

One of the phrases that David Kossoff repeated throughout the psalm was 'I'm grateful.'

And are we? Grateful?

When was the last time you counted your blessings? From simply being alive, to having possessions - such as the computer or phone on which you are reading this! It's very easy to get hung up on the things we don't have, the talents that we would have liked to possess, the attention that seems to have passed us by.

But, if you are reading this, you are very blessed. For a start, you can read. Or you have someone to read to you.

It is an excellent exercise to lie in bed at night and think of five blessings that have been yours during the last day. Try it tonight!


I have written before about Psalm 23 - you can read it here.

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Here is a lovely old Celtic blessing which I found on this site. It is both very simple and very profound.

I think the first line is particularly deep - there is something of God in all things calm and serene. We can reach out and 'touch' that calm when we come across it - and we can reach and touch God in the peace and quietness of silence.

If you are one of those people who are frightened or wary of silence, take this simple prayer with you into just five minutes of silence. Read it silently and dwell on the part that speaks to you most. And I pray that you will be enfolded in the presence of God and the serenity of God's spirit.

Old Irish Blessing

You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark
You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.

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The Celts started as a Central European Iron Age people, moving outwards to cover most of Europe, including the British Isles, by the third century BC. They were pushed westward by other cultures, particularly the Romans, and today Celtic culture is only found in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany.

Christianity was known to have come to the Celtic people by the second century AD and grew as an important form of Christianity in the British Isles till the sixth century - particularly after the Romans withdrew from Britain around 400 AD. Although it was never a unified body in the way the Roman church had become on continental Europe, it had a distinctive style - focussing on grace, creation and mysticism.

In 597 AD Augustine led a Roman mission to Britain. The Roman form of Christianity was by this time much more hierarchical, male and uniform with a strong form of governance. There were various disagreements between the Celtic and Roman 'camps' until the Synod of Whitby in 664 when Roman Christianity won the day over a number of issues - in particular the calculation of the date of Easter. After this time Celtic Christianity began to slowly wane in the British Isles and the Roman practices came much more to the fore, with Benedictine monasteries gradually replacing the older Celtic communities.

In the following centuries, the Celtic Christians became more localised and restricted. They were further pushed aside at the time of the Reformation, when suspicions were raised about past pagan influences on the Celtic forms of worship.

However, in the twentieth century interest was again sparked and new research into Celtic forms of spirituality began to grow. Some of what is now publicised as 'Celtic' is rather romanticised, but a new understanding has grown of the richness and vitality of Celtic spirituality and the legacy that it can pass on to us.

Well, enough of history! Here is a lovely blessing with a Celtic flavour from the Iona Community:

May the blessing of light be on you,
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart
till it glows like a great fire
and strangers may warm themselves
as well as friends.

And may the light
shine from your eyes,
like a candle set in the window of a home,
bidding the wanderer to come in
out of the storm.

From 'An Iona Prayer Book' by Peter Millar

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