Progressive, affirming, questing in Warrnambool, Victoria
Well, Sanctuary has now met for the last time and, in the words of an old prayer, what has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done: let it be. I am in the process of closing things down, and this will be the final post. We’ll finish off with Psalm 136, Sanctuary-style, developed from your responses to a prayerful exercise (here). Continue reading “Our final post: Psalm 136, Sanctuary-style”
God’s steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1b)
When a church closes, there is much to grieve yet also much to celebrate. It is usual for some of this to be done in a formal way at the final service, through two or three people chosen to tell that community’s story. Typically, they would be minister and deacons, but of course this preferences a particular type of person and power. However, I think it would be more appropriate to make space for many different voices. Continue reading “Psalms | Writing a psalm of thanksgiving”
Go, work in the vineyard! (Matthew 21:28)
On Sunday I spoke about being filled with Christ and giving our lives away (here). As invariably happens when I speak of self-giving love and service, the immediate response was hedging, qualifications and pushback. Continue reading “Matthew | First thoughts, second thoughts, and action”
Love is not a warm smooshy feeling, but a decision, an action, and an orientation. (Listen.)
Perhaps you’ve seen About a Boy, which is really about two boys, or maybe more. One is twelve-year-old Marcus, growing up in precarious circumstances. The other is the beautifully named Will Freeman. Will is a man-child whose wealth has insulated him from other people, and from life itself. Yet through one of his most selfish decisions, he’s thrown into the path of young Marcus; and Marcus begins to make demands on him. Continue reading “Matthew | The demands of love”
On Sunday we reflected on joy in the depths of anguish. Some powerful stories emerged in the post-sermon conversation; we are sharing three of them again here. A big thank you to those who told their stories, both on Sunday and here now (you know who you are). May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust. (Romans 15:13)
Like a great pressure
In the third year of my illness, I was confined to bed except, somehow, I managed with pride to crawl to the toilet. On a good day I could let the tv wash over me, though I couldn’t muster the energy to follow the plot. On bad days, I lay in a darkened room with the curtains drawn, unable to cope with light. Continue reading “Like pressure, like concrete, like fire: Three glimpses”
Because I have googled.
Because it is simply recognition,
and an advisory body on Indigenous issues.
Nothing sinister, no veto powers.
It’s legislatively arranged, thus democratic.
Adaptive. Evolving. Pragmatic. Continue reading “yes I said yes I will Yes.”
What causes suffering when we do not forgive? (Listen.)
Let me start by admitting that, on first reading, tonight’s texts terrify me. From the Hebrew Bible we heard that the Lord threw the Egyptian army into panic. They decided to flee, but before they could get away, the Lord ordered Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea so that the waters would return; and then ‘the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh … not one of them remained’ and the Israelites saw the dead wash up on the shore (Ex. 14:26-30). Continue reading “Matthew, Exodus | Seventy-seven leads to hell or heaven”
If another member of the faith community sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. (Matthew 18:15)
On Sunday I spoke about how much I hate conflict. It was a tremendous relief to hear that I’m not alone. And while it’s all very well for Jesus to tell us to point out faults, the question we’re left with is … how? That is, how do we approach someone without damaging relationship further? Continue reading “Matthew | Go and point out the fault. But how?”
Turning towards one another inevitably leads to conflict, and that means work. (Listen.)
When I was in my mid-twenties, I returned to the church. It wasn’t exactly a return to paradise. Instead, I found myself in conflict after conflict after conflict. I’d use the wrong word and someone would give me the silent treatment. I’d be unable to stand up to someone else, and feel trampled and angry. I’d bear the brunt of a third person’s rage, or be enraged myself at their all-too-obvious hypocrisy or rejection of gospel living. Quite frankly, there were times when I hated them all. And I hated them because I had absolutely no tools to deal with minor hurts or aggressions or conflicts. Continue reading “Matthew | The rigours and joys of love”
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed … it is the smallest of seeds but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree … (Matthew 13:31)
JOHN writes: But what was Jesus referring to? As with all botanical references in the Bible, identifying particular plants can be problematical. The plant descriptions at the time did not use the classifications we use today and their descriptions were nowhere near as precise as ours. Thus there is always an element of conjecture involved in plant identification. Continue reading “Parables | The kingdom of heaven is like bioluminescence”
Sanctuary 