Tag: abundance

Exodus | Slow reading | God’s provision, sweet as honey

Mortals ate of the bread of angels; the Name sent them food in abundance. (Psalm 78:25)

Our economy depends on the idea of scarcity. That is, baked into our system is the idea that there is not enough to go round, and this idea infects us all. Whether it’s money, housing, possessions, or security, we never seem to be content. And so as a society, as institutions, as households, even as individuals, we tend to hoard what we have and constantly scramble for more. Meanwhile, we promise ourselves that, once we have just a little more, then we will be secure. Then we will be generous. Then we will trust in God. Continue reading “Exodus | Slow reading | God’s provision, sweet as honey” →

Luke | All the loneliness money can buy

Wealth buys us distance from other people: but it comes at a cost. (Listen.)

What can money buy? There are the obvious things, of course. The big house, the nice car, the Rolex. The overseas holiday. The designer dog. But what money really buys these days is distance from other people: large swathes of uninterrupted life. Large house blocks, where you cannot hear or see the neighbours. Private cars, for quiet, independent transport. Restaurants with plenty of space between the tables. Gated apartment buildings, entry by swipe key only. Noise-cancelling headphones, for when you can’t avoid the masses. A device per person, so every member of a household can stare into their own screen, alone. Continue reading “Luke | All the loneliness money can buy” →

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Zucchini galore!

Alison is on leave until Monday 2 May. In the meantime, here’s a note from Yvonne’s garden. She wrote it after sending in the umpteenth box of zucchini, tomatoes and rainbow chard to Sanctuary for distribution from the bottom of the stairs. Yvonne writes:

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

This summer, I’ve not been able to keep up with the production level. I’ve learned that one punnet of tomato seedlings plus one punnet of zucchini seedlings plus one packet of rainbow chard seeds (from the packet we were given at a Sanctuary service) equals … an overabundance of produce! Continue reading “Zucchini galore!” →

John | Five loaves, two fishes and a pocketful of prayers make a church

God provides abundance where people see scarcity, delights in gathering people to feed them, and comes up with endlessly surprising ways to do so—even during lockdown. (Listen.)

Here we are in lockdown again, and life is feeling small. We don’t see enough people; we don’t share enough meals; we don’t get enough exercise; the walls are beginning to close in. Even when lockdown eases, we know from previous experience that it will take time and energy to reengage with the world. We’ll have new restrictions to navigate and new fears to manage. And after all these months of infrequent socialising, some of us will decide that it’s all too hard; we’ll choose to stay home. Continue reading “John | Five loaves, two fishes and a pocketful of prayers make a church” →

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John | Unless a seed falls: A guided meditation

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” A guided meditation. (Listen.)

To make the most of this, set aside a little time, and allow plenty of time between the questions. When you are ready, relax your body; uncross your legs; uncomplicate your heart. Ask God to help you surrender to whatever it is that God wants to do in you or say to you today. Breathe slowly and deeply in, then out: remembering the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Breath, which moves between us now. Now imagine: You are holding a seed. Look at it carefully. What colour is it? What shape? Is it large or small, rough or smooth? In your mind’s eye, turn it around.

Continue reading “John | Unless a seed falls: A guided meditation” →

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Luke | Our lives, broken and shared

The Risen Christ is recognised when he takes bread, gives thanks, and shares it; just as when we take our own lives, give thanks, and feed others. (Listen.)

They recognise him when he takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it away. He has always done this. When he was born, he was laid in a feeding trough. When he grew up, he catalysed picnics and ate at sinners’ tables and barbecued fish on the beach for his friends. He took bread and wine and made them special: and those who ate with him knew an abundance and a welcome they had never known before. Continue reading “Luke | Our lives, broken and shared” →

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#22: Seek first God’s kingdom: #40ways40days

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear … For it is the peoples of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.’ (Luke 12:22, 30-31)

I chose this passage because it speaks so much to the bundle of fears, hopes and desires we each grapple with, and need to come back to time and time again. This passage has been a game changer for Greg and I, and I am both grateful for it and struggle with it at various points in my life. Just before this passage there are contrasting stories. First, of a man who kept building bigger and bigger barns for himself, and who was ever more focused on securing his own wealth at the expense of and in the absence of others, which is contrasted with a story of the birds of the field who are provided for by God. Continue reading “#22: Seek first God’s kingdom: #40ways40days” →

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#21: Guard against greed: #40ways40days

Jesus said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ (Luke 12:15)

A few years ago, I encountered the Marie Kondo method of tidying up. You take every single item that you have in your house, and you hold it closely, and you ask yourself, ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it doesn’t, you thank it for its service, and you get rid of it. The problem is that almost every item does spark joy: it triggers a memory, or it reminds me of someone I love. Continue reading “#21: Guard against greed: #40ways40days” →

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Isaiah | Satisfying the hunger within

Listen here.

What are you hungry for? What are you craving? Food? Friendship? The dulling of the pain? An end to loneliness? The lighting up of the darkness? The warm embrace of love? To be hungry is to be human. To feed ourselves is to be human. And we live in a ravenous age. We are all barraged daily with advertising for things which promise to sate our hunger, to quench our thirst, to satisfy our desires, to heal the pain, to end the craving, to fill the emptiness within. Continue reading “Isaiah | Satisfying the hunger within” →

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