Progressive, affirming, questing in Warrnambool, Victoria
Each year at Sanctuary, we renew our commitment to each other and the congregation. Those who are willing affirm a shared faith, promise to love and serve one another and the wider world, and pledge themselves to a common congregational commitment. Continue reading “Congregational Commitment 2020”
O Holy One:
You welcome the clean of hand
and pure of heart.
As I wash my hands,
wash away my guilt also.
Cleanse me of all violence, greed, envy and hate;
any tendency to manipulate;
make my heart white as snow.
For you did create us to worship you:
this we know, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen Continue reading “Prayer for Handwashing II”
I don’t know about you, but in this house we’re washing our hands like we’ve never washed them before. We lather up, sing Amazing Grace (one verse), Sizohambe Naye (both verses) or God is loving and love is giving (twice through), then rinse and dry thoroughly. It’s lovely to sing as we scrub, but given shutdown has made it impossible for us to experience many of the usual physical rituals of our faith, I wondered how we could turn handwashing into a more intentional spiritual practice. Continue reading “A prayer for handwashing”
On Sunday when I said, ‘There is space here,’ the sense of relief in the room was almost palpable. In the midst of all the Christmas chaos, it seems we need to be reminded to pause. This week, then, I’d like to introduce you to one of the simplest and yet most challenging forms of prayer: centering prayer. Continue reading “Just pause: Centering prayer”
One of the things we do at our house is say grace at dinner time. Generally, we take it in turns to pray, yet every now and then, when we are super excited about what’s on the table, we break out the ‘Superman Grace’! Continue reading “A simple prayer of radical love”
It’s easy to become complacent about both our faith and our relationships in the church. That’s why, here at Sanctuary, we renew our commitment to each other and the congregation every year. During the service, each of us is invited to join with the church. Then together, those who are willing affirm the faith in which we stand, promise to love and serve one another and the wider world, and pledge themselves to a common congregational commitment. Continue reading “Congregational Commitment 2019”
Today is Ash Wednesday, and so Lent begins for the year. I have always struggled with whether and what to give up for Lent. Any regular self-improvement kind of themes (no sugar, no booze, less screen-time) feel more like New Year’s Resolution Take 2 and don’t really seem to get to the point of preparation for Easter (for me anyway – though probably because I am yet to grasp the discipline of fasting). Continue reading “Gagging the nagging”
Sanctuary 