Tag: economics

Psalms | Even the hard pathways overflow with abundance

A meditation on rivers and soil and economies of gift and abundance. (Listen here.) For the record, I preached this, said Amen, then there was a great long rumble of rolling thunder followed by beautiful, softening rain. We at MUC took this as the earth’s Amen; you can draw your own conclusions.

Back in the 1800’s, a vast swamp and river basin in Toronto were covered over. The wetlands were buried eight metres deep in dirt and gravel so that the city could expand. In the 1920’s, the river itself was re-routed into a concrete channel, so its path could be fixed and the area even more heavily industrialised. Factories poured their waste into the river; raw sewage was also directed there. The river became so polluted that it was declared dead. On several occasions, it caught on fire.

Continue reading “Psalms | Even the hard pathways overflow with abundance” →

Jeremiah | Planting with the prophet Jeremiah

In the face of climate catastrophe, seek the welfare of your place. One from the archives, dusted off and revisited in a new context. (Listen here.)

Driving to church this morning, I nearly hit a kangaroo. It was a juvenile male moving frantically through the many acres of roadworks at the freeway exit in Bulleen. I slammed on my brakes as he hopped past my bonnet, then across two more lanes of traffic and over the freeway bridge into suburbia. I had wondered about whether the following would preach here in Templestowe. But the wave of grief I felt for this young kangaroo, whose home has recently been torn up around him so we can build yet another major road which will very soon fill up with traffic, told me that the following is exactly what we need to hear.

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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” →

Malachi | Wholehearted worship, overflowing life

Who pays for a Big Build, and what does it really cost? Or, what you worship changes everything. (Listen to a very bad recording here, or watch here.)

I am delighted to be here at the invitation of your pastor. Trí tells me that you are a group of enthusiastic people who are strong in faith. He also tells me that you love to be with one another, and that you love to meet for worship and for Bible study. This is all wonderful for me to hear, because I am passionate about faith and the Bible and God’s promise of life to those who engage with it all wholeheartedly.

Continue reading “Malachi | Wholehearted worship, overflowing life” →

John | But they were doubtful

Fear is immobilising, but Jesus’ peace offers a way forward. A reflection given to the good folk at Ashburton Baptist Church on 7 April 2024. You can listen to a recording of it here.

So Donald Trump is now selling a Bible. ‘God bless the USA’ is embossed on the front cover, along with a flapping American flag. If he ever actually opened the book, he might stumble across the first letter of John, a beautifully tender letter of love. And he might find the words,  ‘Perfect love casts out all fear.’

Continue reading “John | But they were doubtful” →

Matthew | The billionaire, the stockbroker and the storyteller

Maybe God isn’t an angry absentee landlord, and maybe the wicked, lazy, worthless bloke isn’t the slave at all. A provocative retelling of the parable of the talents. (Listen.)

Who profits? Who pays? For many years, these words were daubed in bright yellow paint on a wall near my old house; I read them every time I walked past. Gradually they sunk in, until they became the fundamental questions I bring to everything. The news. A sermon. A theological position. A decision. And, of course, any reading of the Bible. Continue reading “Matthew | The billionaire, the stockbroker and the storyteller” →

Exodus | Slow reading | God’s provision, sweet as honey

Mortals ate of the bread of angels; the Name sent them food in abundance. (Psalm 78:25)

Our economy depends on the idea of scarcity. That is, baked into our system is the idea that there is not enough to go round, and this idea infects us all. Whether it’s money, housing, possessions, or security, we never seem to be content. And so as a society, as institutions, as households, even as individuals, we tend to hoard what we have and constantly scramble for more. Meanwhile, we promise ourselves that, once we have just a little more, then we will be secure. Then we will be generous. Then we will trust in God. Continue reading “Exodus | Slow reading | God’s provision, sweet as honey” →

Isaiah | The city of joy

Good health, good work, and good relationships come together to form a city of joy, and a people of delight. (Listen.)

A city of joy, its people a delight: this is what God promises through the prophet Isaiah. 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 (Isa. 65:20). And we can imagine it. There are no coal-fired power stations; no rampaging wildfires; no unprecedented floods. There are no smouldering rainforests; no record-breaking heatwaves. No children or elders are struggling for breath through air thick with particulate matter; no one is sick from herbicides or forever chemicals because these are strictly banned; nobody is collapsing from extreme heat. Continue reading “Isaiah | The city of joy” →

Luke | All the loneliness money can buy

Wealth buys us distance from other people: but it comes at a cost. (Listen.)

What can money buy? There are the obvious things, of course. The big house, the nice car, the Rolex. The overseas holiday. The designer dog. But what money really buys these days is distance from other people: large swathes of uninterrupted life. Large house blocks, where you cannot hear or see the neighbours. Private cars, for quiet, independent transport. Restaurants with plenty of space between the tables. Gated apartment buildings, entry by swipe key only. Noise-cancelling headphones, for when you can’t avoid the masses. A device per person, so every member of a household can stare into their own screen, alone. Continue reading “Luke | All the loneliness money can buy” →

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