Pieces of Driftwood and other meditations

By David Christmas

There are many people whom society counts as worthless, cast up like driftwood on the shores of life. This suggested the title meditation. The expression 'God's Handiwork' suggested a hobby. The paralytic man let down through the roof to be healed by Jesus may have been scared rather than hopeful. The biblical names of God all have deep meaning. This book is a collection of meditations on scripture written over a period of forty years. Some are humourous, some theological, some challenging. I trust you will find them enjoyable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Christmas
• Release date: Dec 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9780987471703

David Christmas

Born in UK 1936, Officer Royal Navy 1953 till 1967 when emigrated to New Zealand. High School teacher then church pastor. Moved Australia 1995 and retired. Human rights work in S.E.Asia. Currently running charity for Zambian orphans, visiting them most years. Married 50 years. 3 girls and 5 granddaughters.

Book preview

Pieces

Of

Driftwood

and other meditations

by David Christmas

Smashwords edition

Copyright 2012 David Christmas

All scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. It may not be sold or given away to other people. However, single meditations may be used for non-commercial purposes provided that they remain unchanged and are accredited to the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Contents

Preface

Driftwood 1

Driftwood 2

Creation

Please don't drop off to sleep, Lord

Morning

Joy

Peace

Starting with Watercolours

Light and Dark

The Tide of Change

Tide 2

Hands

Peter

Mary Magdalene

I'm Sick of the Palsy

The First Christmas

The Cross

Adam

Advocate

Almighty

Alpha and Omega

Amen

Apostle whom we Confess

Arm of the Lord

Branch

Cornerstone

Deliverer

Everlasting Father

Firstborn from the Dead

Holy One of Israel

I AM

Immanuel

Jahweh

Rising Sun

Rock

Son of Man

Ps 113:5,6

Ps 119:11

The Widow's Mite

Peter and the Haul of Fish

Abraham and Isaac

Our Father

Introductions

Follow Me

About the author

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Preface

The characters in the scriptures are not actors on a stage but real people with all the hopes and fears and doubts that we experience. Perhaps these meditations echo their thoughts.

God is revealed in his creation, not just in the stars or a butterfly's wing but also in things such as the daily tides, the peace in a chapel, the song of a bird.

This is a collection of some of my personal meditations written over forty years. Some are humourous, some are theological, some devotional. I trust they are all enjoyable and will trigger further thoughts for you.

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Driftwood

Ezk 37:3 ..Son of man, can these bones live?

Twisted, black, stark, bleached,

scattered, buried, sad, abandoned

the driftwood lies,

littering the sandy beach,

spoiling the symmetry of the dunes.

How come?

Some drifted, idle in the caressing sea,

moved by gentle currents, all unaware

till a falling tide left them stranded,

lying softly in the treacherous sunlight

which disappeared behind a cloud

and cold rain took its place.

Some came on the wings of a storm,

tossed and driven hither and thither,

swamped, spun by swirling eddies,

pounded by surf, thrown up and sucked back

till

in one final, climactic surge hurled shoreward,

they lay abandoned by the spring tide

to wait for some new storm

which will drag the broken pieces

to a new shore.

Drift wood. Broken people.

Will the pile grow higher and higher,

reaching ever to the sky?

or will, passing by,

some understanding eye

recognize the hopeless fingers clutching for the straw

and, lifting, carry to some sheltered corner

where, transformed by Christ,

its beauty may delight once more?

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Driftwood 2

Matthew