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”
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. (Psalm 84:3)
Reading this, I might feel guilty that I am engaging a builder to birdproof the roof and remove the dozen or so pigeons pooping through the ceiling roses at Sanctuary. I might feel I am cruelly removing the sparrow from her home and the swallow from her nest, heartless woman that I am. I might feel, too, that I am unduly silencing the background effects to our gathering prayer, “For your love warm and brooding …” [coo coo]. Continue reading “Psalms | Even the sparrow | Pet blessing”
It was a subdued bunch on Sunday. Some of us are mourning the sudden death of a loved one; some of us are worried about the serious illness of a young one; some of us are struggling with other hard troubles and griefs. And so we wrestled with questions of suffering and God’s freedom to stay silent. Continue reading “Psalms | Slow reading | At dawn I plead”
As we reel at the horror of yet another school shooting, and the obscenity of self-described Christians insisting on the right to carry semi-automatic weapons, it is clear that the sacrifice of children to idols is not a quaint Biblical problem. Instead, it’s a contemporary outrage which causes intense grief to God. But how do we speak, and thus think, of this God? Continue reading “Psalms | Womb of life, our Sovereign”
The Psalmist sings, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17:8)
The image of God as a spirit bird enfolding me in her wings is what has come to me over the previous two years as I battled an energy crisis with hypothyroidism. I came to know “the voice of the Lord is over the waters” (Psalm 28:3) like the spirit bird hovering over the waters and over all the chaos in our world. Then this knowing became even closer to me. Continue reading “11 | the spirit bird #Lent2022”
As the year draws to a close, many of us are engaging in the great December tradition of running harder than ever. Work is crazy-busy, and our calendars are filled with end-of-year deadlines, functions and events – so much so that some of us have already said we won’t be at church until February. As one person said a few years ago, “I barely have time to breathe in Advent, let alone reflect.” Continue reading “Psalms | God gives sleep to the beloved”
Today we marked an early All Saints/All Souls, giving thanks for those who have gone before us, sharing stories about them, and naming some losses almost too painful to bear – including miscarried and stillborn children.
Loving God, we bring to you those
truly unacclaimed by earthly powers,
yet whose lives have indeed hallowed ours:
those who died in the womb;
those who died during birth. Continue reading “A prayer for miscarried and stillborn children”
In response to human suffering, God offers presence and a broader perspective. (Listen.)
God, why was Elephant killed? What about J and K and all our other friends this year? Why is there a plague galloping across the earth, and so many people suffering or dead? How long must we live in fear? When can we see friends and family again? We’re good people, Lord, faithful and committed and true. We try to live ethically; we pray: why is this all happening? Continue reading “Job | Responsibility, awe and wonder”
On Tuesday evening, some of us gathered for a time of guided prayer and silent listening to what God might be saying to us about climate. We are deeply concerned; yet we do not want to run around frantically doing a hundred futile things, nor do we want to be so overwhelmed that we bury our heads in the sand and do nothing. There many things which are good to do, but we must discern what is good for us to do: and we can only discern that when we are grounded in prayer. Therefore, we prayed, and between now and our next meeting on 5th October, we ask you to continue to pray daily, laying before God the issue of climate and asking God to reveal what God would have us do. Continue reading “Listening for God in creation”
Sanctuary 