Tag: joy

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.

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Luke | Resurrection now!

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.

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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.

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Luke | Get your sh*t together!

In the face of oppression, Jesus tightens our focus and grounds us. (Listen here.)

Did you hear about Pilate, how he had some Galilean pilgrims murdered along with their sacrifices? Their blood – I can barely say it – their blood was mingled with the blood of their animals on the temple floor. It’s so awful, I can’t really find words. And yet, let’s be honest, are any of us really surprised?

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Like fire

It was like fire. The hospital had called and told us to get over there quick. My mother had had a relapse, and there was nothing to be done. She wouldn’t last the day. When we got there, we were put into a small ugly room with scuffed grey lino and buzzing fluoros. There wasn’t enough room for a chair each, so we stood around awkwardly or sat on the floor. An oxygen mask hissed and various monitors beeped, and Mum was distressingly awake and gasping for breath. Continue reading “Like fire” →

Philippians | In the depths of anguish, joy

Happiness is fleeting and contextual. But even in the depths of anguish, we can know joy. (Listen.)

‘It might seem crazy what I’m ‘bout to say …’: but sometimes when the sun is shining and the birds are singing and the house is cleanish and the garden’s flourishing and everyone’s cheerful and I have a bit of money in my pocket, I dance around the kitchen to Pharrell Williams’s smash hit, Happy. Continue reading “Philippians | In the depths of anguish, joy” →

Luke | Promises, paradise, and the vastness of love

Jesus rescues and redeems all people, and draws them into the presence of love. (Listen.)

Last week, the Baptist Union of NSW/ACT voted to effectively disaffiliate LGBTIQA+ affirming churches and disaccredit such pastors. It will also disaffiliate churches and disaccredit pastors who are committed to traditional Baptist values of freedom of conscience and congregational governance, and who on these grounds refuse to affirm a statement of marriage as the basis for affiliation. Continue reading “Luke | Promises, paradise, and the vastness of love” →

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” →

Pentecost | Filled with new wine

Are we open to the intoxicating power of the Holy Spirit, or are we dispiritingly sober? (Listen.)

One of my happy places is Little Creatures brewery in Geelong – or any big barnlike place which serves hot chips, a decent pint, and a place to hang out with family and friends. I also love being around a dinner table with simple food and backyard flowers, hosting people in the process of getting to know each other. I love chatting in a coffee shop, latte in hand and the hiss of an espresso machine in the background. I love sitting at my desk having Zoom drinks with friends; I love making coffees at Anglicare and swapping tall stories with clients and volunteers; I love lazing around the garden with a glass of wine or mineral water, and a cheese board, and guests. Basically, it doesn’t take much to make me happy: good food, good drink, and good conversation.

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