Reflections from the belly
In the shadow of empire and its death-dealing gods, the Risen One comes quiet and unobtrusive. (Listen here.)
‘But we had hoped…’ say the disciples. The words are so deeply familiar. We had hoped that our marriage would endure. We had hoped the cancer was benign. We had it wasn’t dementia. We had hoped our daughter would live. We had hoped our son would come home. We had hoped for clarity, for success, for blessing. Oh, we had hoped.
Continue reading “Luke | But we had hoped …”
Resurrection life starts today! A little something from the archives, refreshed for a new context. (Listen here.)
If you’re a fan of Bon Iver, perhaps you know he takes his stage name from the greeting shared in the quirky tv show, Northern Exposure. Bon hiver! Good winter! In the show, a young urban Jewish doctor is sent to small town Alaska to pay off his medical tuition. There he encounters all sorts of eccentric inhabitants, including Maggie. Maggie’s a bush pilot whose boyfriends have all died in bizarre ways. Steve was hit by lightning. Harry ate tainted potato salad. Bruce had a fishing accident. Glen took a wrong turn into a missile test range. Dave froze to death on a glacier. Then Rick is killed by a falling satellite: and Maggie is somehow blamed.
Continue reading “Luke | Resurrection now!”
Military violence never ends, whereas Jesus’ way of nonretaliation leads to a true and lasting peace. (Listen here.)
To get to Armageddon, known in Hebrew as ‘Megiddo’, we drive past an airfield. Our Israeli guide tells us about the Syrian fighter pilot who defected there in 1989. He was flying a Soviet-made MIG-23. The plane provided Israel with valuable intelligence, adding to what was already one of the most sophisticated military forces on earth.
Continue reading “John | Revelation at Armageddon”
In a nation living with the legacy of a powerful church, the widow’s gift offers a way forward. (Listen here.)
Many years ago, a student Christian group I knew ran a community lunch in the borrowed hall of a local church. A few had left fundamentalist congregations, and were haunted by vivid depictions of a vengeful God, a burning hell, and a faith built on fear and control. Another had left a church whose senior pastor had unchecked power, and was on a mission to destroy.
Continue reading “Mark | The widow’s gift”
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. (Romans 12:5)
There are people who are so much a part of ourselves that it is hard to imagine ourselves without them, and it is hard even to think about them without also thinking about ourselves. On 18 October, then, I lost a part of myself, my beloved Jean.
Continue reading “Saints | My beloved Jean”
Not one stone will be left … (Matthew 24:2)
Holy God,
whose presence is known
in the structures we build
and also in their collapse:
establish in us a desire
not to contain your mystery,
but to be led beyond security
into your sacred space,
through Jesus Christ: Amen. Continue reading “Trusting in the foolishness of death, Sanctuary will close”
Jesus says, “As for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was said to you by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31-32)
The night Great-Aunty Pete died, she came to my mother in a dream and said goodbye. After Lindsay died, he appeared in my kitchen while I was cooking dinner. In life, he was intellectually and emotionally limited; when I saw him after death, he was wise and mature and laughing. It was the same old Lindsay, only transformed: and he radiated reassurance into the room. I know some of you have similar stories, where the dead have presented themselves to the living and shared love and encouragement. Continue reading “All Saints | The god of the living”
We are always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:10)
For people who have been oppressed by abusive teachings on sin, say, or judgement, or perfection, or an ever-precarious individual salvation, some biblical metaphors are more useful than others. So we here at Sanctuary spend a lot of time reflecting on the goodness of creation, signs of life in exile, and the power of exodus. We focus on gentleness and grace, freedom and forgiveness, and the love and joy of the garden city. We delight in images of Jesus the jester, playfully skewering the pomp of Rome; or Psalm lullabies; or the mysteries of resurrection life. Continue reading “Discipleship | The centrality of failure and death”
Resurrection life is all about justice and love; and it begins now. (Listen.)
Some of you might remember the quirky tv show, Northern Exposure. A young urban Jewish doctor is sent to small town Alaska to pay off his tuition debt; and there he encounters all sorts of eccentric inhabitants, including Maggie. Maggie’s a bush pilot whose boyfriends all happen to die in bizarre ways. For example, there’s Dave, who freezes to death on a glacier, then Rick, who is killed by a falling satellite. Continue reading “Luke | Seven brothers, a hapless widow, a falling satellite, and what it means to truly live”
November 1 is All Saints, a day to remember those who have died and gone before us. But before each person dies, of course, they must face the end of life. It is a common misperception that people in life’s final stages are constantly cared for by professionals. In reality, whether at home or in a facility, the vast majority of care and companionship will come from family and friends; and perhaps you yourself have been in the caring role. Continue reading “Ministry | Questions for the end of life”
Alison and the whale 