St Peters RC Church Hamilton

Twilight, soft evening light, on a summer’s night,

Evening calm holds such charm.

A time of quiet, the day nearly over.

Time to relax not hurry, less worry.

Busy, busy, busy was the day

Hardly any time to stop and pray.

But come evening, especially in summer,

The twilight deepening of an August evening

To sit outside remains inviting.

You can be thinking over the day, reflecting,

Inspecting what went right or wrong,

Questioning to whom did the day belong?

In hushed cadence the birds now sing

A soothing song of day dying down.

Candles lit create a welcoming,

Transforming the surroundings by shadowy presence.

A balmy evening to be enjoying,

Colours dimming, whilst spotlights are ever enhancing

Areas where uplighting is atmospheric.

Background music may be softly playing,

Whilst garden greenery casts pools of light,

A-shimmering and shining as if silently dancing.

Does not this peaceful evening atmosphere

Intimate the Lord God is near?

But then again, this is always so,

If only we would quieten down and go slow,

Especially if the Lord God we would know.

It is with every good reason He asks us

To stop and be still, for as to know,

Know how to share thoughts, time spent in prayer,

Moments where God’s peace does release,

Setting us free from daily strains and stress,

Busy, busy, busy piling up worry.

Go outside into an August garden of evening, feel at ease,

Talk with your Father however you please.

You will not be stuck for subject matter

If you decide upon less chatter.

Stop, be still, look around, take your fill,

The softly lit garden offers a particular thrill.

Moments of calm, leisurely tranquillity,

Plenty of charm to boost prayers’ ability.

What a delightful way to end the day,

Time in the twilight, to stop and pray.

And if lingering long, lost in thought,

The marvel of the moon may later be caught.

This magnificent orb of borrowed light

Releasing once more the glory of night.

A restful time before the repose,

A God gifted evening as heaven knows,

Time to unwind, feeling comfortably happy,

Just like a small child on his or her father’s knee.

Yes, what an appropriate analogy,

For that is exactly what the Lord God wishes us to see.

The God of the universe, Lord of all creation, will

Remain as our all loving, kindly Father in spite of His majesty,

Holding out His arms for our security.

Can there be a better way to end the day?

Not at all, no, for to pray is to put a lock on today,

All within held safely secure, whilst marvellously

Holding the key to tomorrow, more opportunity to be happy.

My Lord, my God to Your presence let us cling,

For in My prayer I will also joyfully sing.

I will sing Lord, because You make me happy! Thank You for evening, a less hurried time. May this leisure offer an invitation to pray and thereby draw closer to You. Not only is it right so to do, this must be the best

preparation for the day which lies ahead. “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake my glory!...I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples...”(Psalm 57 v 7, 8, 9) For “Christ in us in the hope of glory” (based on Colossians 1 v 27) today and forever. Amen.