Tag: community

Isaiah | A vision for the City of Manningham

Isaiah’s vision of the city of joy, shared at the induction of Rev Con Apokis. (Listen here.)

A city of joy, its people a delight: this is what God promises through the prophet Isaiah. It sounds wonderful! So, what are the elements of this joyful city? First, says Isaiah, health and wellbeing. No child will die young; no senior die prematurely (Isaiah 65:20). And we can imagine it. In this city, the air is clean, and the soil and waters, too. There are no coal-fired power stations; no rampaging wildfires; no unprecedented floods. No children or elders are struggling for breath through air yellow with smog; no one is sick from forever chemicals because these are forever banned; no one is collapsing from extreme heat.

Continue reading “Isaiah | A vision for the City of Manningham” →

1 Kings | Elijah in the age of kings

In a world of authoritarian leaders, Elijah’s story should give us backbone and courage. (Listen here.)

What a story! Old Elijah heads up a mountain and encounters God in silence. Those of us who hang around churches have probably heard it before, and we’ve probably also heard that it’s an invitation to personal prayer. Get away from it all, get quiet time alone, and listen for God’s voice in the stillness. And on a good day, if you’re blessed, you’ll have a spiritual experience.

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John | Like a wedding

In Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs, at a long table littered with empty wine bottles and glasses just waiting to be filled, we contemplated the wedding at Cana. It was a conversation-style service, but for those who couldn’t be there, here’s a brief reflection.

Jesus is at a wedding, the wine runs out, he turns water into wine, blah blah blah. The story and its interpretation are so familiar that it can be tempting to tune out.

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Matthew | This Epiphany, let us be wise

A reflection for Epiphany, or the visit of the wise.

Like many who grew up in the church, I learned to be wary of different knowledges. We never read our horoscopes, for they were considered to be devilish astrology. We avoided some Asian restaurants, because their shrines of incense and oranges looked like sacrifices to idols. We didn’t learn Indigenous stories, because we suspected they might open us up to demonic forces. We knew that the people of God have an abhorrence for pagans, idols and foreign gods: and we were faithful. And yet every year we set up our nativity scene with wise men from the East. Continue reading “Matthew | This Epiphany, let us be wise” →

Luke | Heaven’s bread

A Christmas encouragement for the Flemington Ark People’s Pantry and any food share project!

Sometimes, heaven’s banquet is set out on wonky old trestle tables. And always, the food is a gift. You know how it goes. There’s the collection of food which would otherwise go into landfill: for nothing is wasted in God’s economy. There’s the sorting, the setting out, the packing, the delivery. There’s the volunteers hungry for food, for work, for meaning, for a people and a place to belong to. And there’s the blessed reality that, through waste redemption and food sharing, all these people are fed. Continue reading “Luke | Heaven’s bread” →

Corinthians | Without friction, no fragrance

Some people want church to be a super-comfortable shelter from the world: but without friction, no fragrance! Listen here.

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed on a Christian radio program. When the host asked me about my childhood, I said that it had been church all the way, for which I was (now) incredibly grateful. The host told me he had also grown up in the church and said it was a great blessing ‘having a sheltered upbringing and a peaceful home life and all that sort of thing …’

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Matthew | Authority in the church

In communities of faith, integrity, service and love are the hallmarks of legitimate authority. (Listen.)

‘The greatest among you will be your servant,’ says Jesus. He’s just identified the greatest commandments, that is, to love God and neighbour. Now, he’s identifying the greatest person: and it’s the one who loves. That is, they set aside their own interests, roll up their sleeves, and serve. Continue reading “Matthew | Authority in the church” →

Matthew | The demands of love

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” →

Church | Church, aka the gathering

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Say the word church to many people and you’ll evoke cavernous spaces, pews, even steeples. I grew up in the church, and it’s true: I remember the buildings. But they did not call me into faith. Instead, it was the people, the songs, the prayers, the stories, the meals, the love, the shared commitment to those beyond the group, and Christ working through all of these, which gradually beckoned me into the Jesus-centred life. Continue reading “Church | Church, aka the gathering” →

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