Musings

I've often read that Ohrid is the 'pearl' of the Balkans and this is certainly a fitting description of this ancient town from before the time of Philip II of Macedon.  Lake Ohrid is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes with its shoreline shared by Macedonia and Albania. Yesterday was a treat in the beauty and peace of these surroundings. The following are a few pictures I took, mostly on the theme of colour.   This balcony made me smile.  Church of St Sofia dating from as early at the 9th/10th century. A riotous flower. I'll never understand people who think their Creator wants uniformity, black dress and sombre faces. Look at that flower! I wanted to stay here forever. The peace of this situation is amazing, just at the front of St. John's Caneo. A real haven. And the colour disappears.

Today, I grabbed my camera, hopped on the 9am bus by the skin of my teeth and landed in Ohrid. I rarely exhibit such spontaneity, but I am so glad that the mental coin I flipped was heads up, otherwise I would never have taken the above picture. When it comes to photography, I just click the world the way I see it.  I have no idea about technique and all the other elements involved and there are probably many technical faults in this picture, but yet I feel drawn to it in a special way.  The couple are oblivious to the fact that they are creating the romance of the moment being captured as they lean forward in the ray of golden light to attract the approaching swan.  Another second or two and the picture would have been entirely different. Perhaps this is what fascinates me about photography.  If these moments are not captured, they will be lost forever.  

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the LORD . Psalm 116:17 As I read this verse this morning, I asked myself, ‘what exactly is the sacrifice of thanksgiving?’ Why is it called a 'sacrifice'? Sometimes when we really want to understand the meaning of a word, it is useful to look at the etymology. ‘Sacrifice’ comes from the Latin sacer (sacred, holy) and facio (do, make). The word seems to have taken on the meaning in English of costing something and while that is true, perhaps the original meaning has more significance in terms of presenting an offering to God. Our sacrifice of thanksgiving is to be holy, sacred, from a pure heart.  Old Testament sacrifices were offered with fire. Perhaps I can extend the imagery to the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who makes our sacrifices holy. The rest of Psalm 116 gives expression to the reason for this sacrifice of thanksgiving. The Psalmist recalls   answered praye r (v 1