“Rest: Come Close To God.”

Dear People of Faith,

I write this as I prepare for Clergy Conference at the Diocesan Trinity Center and Camp. If I were to identify a theme it would be: “Rest: Come Close To God.” It is something that God commanded us in the verse, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) or Jesus invited us to do from Matthew’s Gospel “Come to me all that are weary and burdened and I will give your rest.” (11:28)

Rest is something that I struggle with. I imagine that I am not alone. With rest, comes peace. Enjoy these poems!

Resting in the Light

by David Mudford (2025)

blessings and burdens

heavy both are;

not easy but sacred

beauty and scar.

flowers and ashes

refining the sky;

growing the real depth

not just getting by.

raindrops and sunshine

seasons of change;

flourishing landscapes

not something strange.

shadows and shading

both needing light;

resting in Jesus

gaining true sight.

Peace

by Sara Teasdale (2003)

Peace flows into me

As the tide to the pool by the shore;

It is mine forevermore,

It ebbs not back like the sea.

I am the pool of blue

That worships the vivid sky;

My hopes were heaven-high,

They are all fulfilled in you.

I am the pool of gold

When sunset burns and dies--

You are my deepening skies,

Give me your stars to hold.

Come Down Easy

by Steven Charleston (2026)

Come down easy, dear soul,

Come down easy into the rest you need.

Here is the place prepared for you,

A quiet spot in the midst of the swirl of life

A still pool, where you can be undisturbed and at peace.

Let your worries drift away like autumn smoke.

The world will wait for you,

But for now it is on the far side of the hill.

Your only task is to be healed of impatient time,

Unburdened by demanding thought,

Free of the daily dance of any expectation.

This is the timeless place

The healing place for which you have longed.

Come down easy and stay as long as you like.

Blessings,

Rev. Anne.