Saints | NAIDOC Week | William Cooper

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2023 is ‘For our Elders’ so it’s a good time to introduce you to a very significant Aboriginal Christian Elder, William Cooper.

On December 6, 1938, the Consul General to the Third Reich, Dr Drechsler, received a deputation. A dozen men and women had marched from Footscray to Collins Street to object to “the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi Government of Germany and asking that this persecution be brought to an end.” Continue reading “Saints | NAIDOC Week | William Cooper” →

Genesis | Alt*red state: A text of terror brings good news

The usual interpretation of the binding of Isaac is that God may require us to sacrifice everything, even, if asked, our own children: but a contextual awareness changes everything. (Listen.)

All around the world today, people will be listening to the story of Abraham and Isaac. And the preachers will preach and the teachers will teach that Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son is a model of faith; and so we, too, must be called to sacrifice everything for Jesus’ sake—even, if necessary, our own children. Continue reading “Genesis | Alt*red state: A text of terror brings good news” →

Canticle of Daniel | Slow reading | Bless the Lord, ice and cold

Bless the Lord, ice and cold … (Canticle of Daniel)

We’ve just marked the winter solstice and, rather fittingly, we’ve had heavy rain, pounding hail, and a bitterly cold wind which cuts to the bone; and also rumours of koontapool (southern right whales) returning to the bay. So this week, you are invited to dwell in a song of praise which calls on rain, wind, frost, cold and even whales to bless the Lord. Continue reading “Canticle of Daniel | Slow reading | Bless the Lord, ice and cold” →

Corinthians | A question of balance

It is a question of fair balance between your present abundance and their need … (2 Corinthians 8:14)

Lately, I have been thinking about balance. Balance between haves and have-nots. Balance of power. Balancing act. Work-life balance. I’m not sure that balance is always achievable, but as we wonder how or even whether Sanctuary will continue, I become more and more convinced of the importance of striving for balance. Continue reading “Corinthians | A question of balance” →

Genesis | Abram: Our ancestor-colonizer

The story of Abram points to a more just settlement, paving the way to Voice and Treaty. (Listen.)

Leave your country, your kin, and your ancestral home, you poverty-stricken Cornishfolk, for a land which I will show you. It’s the colony of South Australia, Burra to be precise; and it needs people like you to chop down trees and lay out farms and work the mines and subdue the earth. Continue reading “Genesis | Abram: Our ancestor-colonizer” →

Reconciliation Week | Before reconciliation

If you enter your place of worship then remember that your brother or sister has something against you, abandon your offering and go, be reconciled to your brother or sister. Make things right. Then and only then, come back and offer your gift to God. (Matthew 5:23-24)

I was absolutely sickened by the brutal, arrogant and downright ugly carving of a Jesus-branded message into an Indigenous sacred site on Mount Beerwah last week. (If you missed it, someone used a power tool to gouge “JESUS SAVES JUST ASK HIM” in letters up to an inch deep across the rockface.) Continue reading “Reconciliation Week | Before reconciliation” →

Acts | And they were all together in one place

We here at Sanctuary used to gather regularly in one place. So what happened? And what comes next? (Listen.)

Today is Pentecost, and so I’d love to talk about the intoxication of the spirit, or how her life-giving breath is poured into the world, giving inspiration, imagery and language to share good news with wildly diverse people. Or I’d love to talk about the theatre of flames, how people’s heads and hearts were set on fire, and how this led them to extend themselves for the sake and love of others. Or I could mention that Pentecost is a Jewish first fruits festival, celebrating the gift of the law, the making of a nation, and the harvest to come, and how the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost led to the formation of the church and a new harvest. But I am brought to a standstill by the words, ‘And they were all together in one place.’ Continue reading “Acts | And they were all together in one place” →

IDAHOBIT | “Please state your convictions regarding homosexuals in the church”

As an ordained minister, I get asked funny questions on forms sometimes. This is one of them, and this is my response.

Homosexuals in the church? A wonderful idea! There should be many more, and there could be if we showed even the basic respect of getting our nomenclature right. I don’t know anybody who calls themselves homosexual. It’s largely considered an offensive term, only used by people outside the community. The people in our congregation call themselves ‘gay’, ‘queer’, ‘bi’, ‘trans’, ‘non-binary’ or ‘allies’; as a group, they are members of the LGBTIQA+ community (and Sanctuary). Continue reading “IDAHOBIT | “Please state your convictions regarding homosexuals in the church”” →

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