Our Year of Luke is winding down, and I’m more in love with Luke than ever. Maybe it’s because Luke’s account is written for people like us: educated, professional, cosmopolitan, the sort of people who buy coffees out and who can confidently navigate a big city. The joy of Luke – and there’s a LOT of joy – is found when we allow God to confound our expectations and turn the world on its head. Hospitality is a big deal, and Luke teaches that we experience God’s hospitality when we welcome the stranger. Guests become hosts, outsiders know grace, the poor are blessed, and resurrection life can be experienced in this life now. Continue reading “Luke | Proclamation, parties and praise!”
Overweight, overwrought, and overwhelmed by stuff
Last year, I wrote about bi-cultural Christmas: that idea that there are two Christmas cultures. The first, seen all around us already, is a cultural event; the second is Christian, and happens only after the waiting time of Advent. Many Christian commentators suggest that, if we are not to be joyless Scrooges, we need to find ways to participate in both. But I struggle with this. Continue reading “Overweight, overwrought, and overwhelmed by stuff”
Church | A place at the table
A few weeks ago, I attended the Equal Voices Conference in Melbourne. It was an opportunity for LGBTIQA+ people and their allies from all over Australia and New Zealand to gather, hear stories and learn from each other about the particular challenges LGBTIQA+ Christians face.The stories were myriad, but what came through loud and clear were themes of suffering, pain and rejection. Continue reading “Church | A place at the table”
2 Samuel | Nothing to be embarrassed about
Tonight we reflect on a story from the second scroll of Samuel, when King David dances ecstatically in the street in a holy apron. He is heading up a procession of priests and soldiers and musicians, bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city. It’s like Mardi Gras; but when his wife sees him, she is filled with scorn … Continue reading “2 Samuel | Nothing to be embarrassed about”