He is Coming!

He Is Coming

Australia is a constitutional monarchy in which the head of my country, through hereditary, is Queen Elizabeth II. Tours and visits by the regal royal family from Britain to Australia are always  occasions  of great excitement as hundreds and thousands of people wait for many hours behind strong barriers to catch a small glimpse of royalty as they gracefully pass by.   

One of my earliest childhood memories was of my fourth birthday. I remember with much fondness the blonde haired doll I received for my birthday. As I lay her down her blue eyes would close. As I picked her up, her blue eyes would open. How I cherished and loved that doll. I remember the importance I felt as I received a *grown up * bed and moved out of my large white wooden cot. I remember who I saw on my fourth birthday. I saw the Queen. She had come to tour Australia during the bicentenary celebrations of Captain Cooks discovery of the east coast of Australia in 1770.  I rode on my father’s strong shoulders amidst the crowds of people who eagerly lined the streets of Sydney to catch just a momentary glance of the beautiful Queen Elizabeth II as she passed by, waving nobly from her long black vehicle. Flags waved and throngs cheered in the excitement of the moment.

In January 1988, Australia commemorated the bicentenary of the first European settlement by the reenactment of the journey of the First Fleet of tall ships . By now I was a new young wife and my husband and I, along with two and a half million Australians, flocked to Sydney’s harbour for a day long celebration. We arrived at 7am in the morning to stake out our claim to one of the best harbour side positions. We were not disappointed as many fine ,wooden, square rigged tall ships  gracefully entered the glittering blue waters of Port Jackson and glided past our wondering eyes. The harbour was buzzing with water craft of all kinds and the skies busy with hovering helicopters and colourful blimps, all vying for the best views of the Tall ships clothed in full white sail, skimming nobly past. In the midst of it all came a smaller vessel surrounded by tight security. Standing refined and dignified at the back of the boat were Prince Charles and Princess Diana, waving charmingly at the crowds. The mass of people loudly cheered and waved back.

Last week I had the pleasure and excitement of seeing  His Royal Highness, Prince William and Duchess Catherine of Cambridge as they toured Sydney. Currently they are on a whirlwind  tour taking in many royal appointments from Sydney to Brisbane, across to Uluru and Adelaide and back to Canberra. Touring with them, though only appearing publicly occasionally,  is the bonny eight month old Prince George. With mounting anticipation we stood patiently  for hours behind metal barriers with hundreds of eager spectators at the Royal Agricultural Society’s annual show. I updated my Facebook status telling of my hope  in catching a view of the aristocratic couple. Security was tense, vehicles were present and manned with engines kept running, Well dressed police on horses and Motor bikes were vigilant. The bomb squad came working their sniffer dog systematically through the royal route. The destination for the regal couple would be the sheep pavilion where they would witness a sheep shearing demonstration and see some of Australia’s finest sheep, wool and woollen products. The media kept up an active live streaming of the event, those in the sheep pavilion were well prepared, rehearsed and ready. Finally the moment came and down the road Wills and Kate purposefully came, smiling and waving and stopping in friendly gesture from time to time to speak with the excited throng. Cheers broke out, cameras were held high and people did all they could to gain a quick glimpse of the passing Prince and Duchess. In all of it I managed to catch that one great photo and with fervour I shared it on Facebook with family and friends, updating my status to tell about the event.

We have a King of Kings and a Lord of Lords, Christ Jesus. Do I look forward with hope and joy and great anticipation in seeing Him? Am I eager about His soon return? Do I plan and prepare and long for the event? Do I share my anticipation of His soon coming with those around me? 

Rev 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh He has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”

Psalms 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Prisoner By Choice

Prisoner by Choice

We currently live in a country town with a menagerie of pets. One of our dogs is a very frisky and a very active fox terrier called Aiko. Aiko has short, wiry, white fur with a large inky, heart shaped mark on her side, that has over the years, morphed into an untidy splotch. Her black ears comically flop over her adoring, tawny face and her endearing eyes melt the hardest of hearts. Aiko has an exuberance for life and a joy that seems endless. She lives happily in our fenced back yard. She runs enthusiastically around the yard chasing any bird who would dare to land in her territory. Her bark is deep and loud leading a listener to assume that the dog in our yard is a very large and a very ferocious guard dog. Aiko takes her role of protector of the family in all seriousness and not a sound or a movement in the neighbourhood escapes her attentive ears. Aiko is courageous and daring, having once chased a would-be thief, clear through our yard in the pitch dark of night, as he hastily scrambled to climb another fence away from her snapping jaws. Yes, Aiko is brave and heroic. 

Aiko, however, has one fear. It is the fear of the unknown world outside the back yard. One very windy, spring day, strong gusts pushed against our cream coloured side gates which had not been securely fastened, rattling them back and forth with a series of clanks. Suddenly the gates burst open, much to the wondering eyes of Aiko. Aiko’s moment of opportunity had come and with the desire for adventure she sallied forth from our yard. Down our pebbled driveway she raced, out onto the tarred road she sprinted. She glanced to the left and to the right unable to decide in her moment of haste as to the best direction to dash. Suddenly, she came to her senses, and realised she was on the alone and on the outside of her back yard in a territory unfamiliar to her. Fear gripped her and in a panic Aiko tore up a neighbour’s driveway and through an open wooden gate to the very back of her yard. She bolted for cover behind a large garden shed and there she hid, shaking in fear. 

I was out at the time of Aiko’s valiant escape, but a friend who lived next door watched the entire procedure and knew Aiko had ensconced herself in another neighbour’s yard. Upon arriving home I was informed about Aiko’s flight and together my friend and I set out to locate her whereabouts. We looked all over the neighbour’s backyard, searching every corner, under bushes and shrubs and exploring high and low. All the time I was longingly calling Aiko’s name, with concern and worry growing at each unanswered cry. Finally my friend and I squeezed ourselves in behind the garden shed and there amongst the tangled growth of vines and weeds was Aiko, cowering and shaking in fear. No amount of coaxing her in tones of tenderness would make her budge. Into that twisted and interlaced undergrowth I pressed. The closer I came to Aiko the more she backed away in terror from me, her rescuer. Slowly she struggled away from me step by step through the undergrowth until she found herself squarely in the arms of my friend. In relief I raced to hug and hold my fear filled dog. In great joy I carried her home and placed her safely back in her own back yard. With tail wagging in delight, Aiko darted and raced with exhilaration around her own familiar and comforting territory once more. 

This incident was almost entirely forgotten until this week. Every time I garden in our back yard and I need to open the gates to enter our front yard I have always placed Akio  securely on her chain. However, this week I forgot. I briskly crossed the yard and abruptly flung open the gates as I strode through them. Aiko was trotting cheerfully behind me until she reached the gates. There she simply stopped. Aiko would continue no further. The fear of what was on the other side of those gates was still firmly in her mind. Aiko had become a prisoner in her own back yard, by choice.

It made me stop and wonder. Was I a prisoner too, by choice? Do I stay in my own well known territory, fearful of stepping out of my comfort zone? Is God calling me to something that is unfamiliar? Does He want me to gain new skills, grow in new areas? Do I resist God’s leading and remain a prisoner to familiarity through fear?

Josh 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deut 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.