Reflections from the belly
We all know that Jesus says, ‘Love your neighbour.’ Perhaps you’re less aware that he is quoting a much-maligned book of the Bible. Leviticus sets out how to live as God’s distinctively holy people. As such, it touches on every area of life: worship, food, sex, agriculture, economics, and much more.
Continue reading “Leviticus | Slow reading | Love your neighbour”
Forgiveness as a way of life. (Listen here.)
A couple of weeks ago, Dolly Parton died; the world is in mourning. One little story helps illustrate why. Her singing career kicked off in 1967, when she was invited onto The Porter Wagoner Show. Back then, Porter was the star and Dolly was the sidekick, and when Dolly sang solos she was booed. So Porter asked her to sing duets with him, instead, because people wouldn’t boo while he (the star) was singing. As they sang together, Dolly gained in confidence and stage presence and began writing songs. Gradually, she became the star.
Continue reading “Matthew | Saint Dolly & the art of forgiveness”
It seems that doubt is part and parcel with faith, and this should be deeply encouraging. (Listen here.)
It might shock you to hear this, but there are days when I find it hard to identify as Christian. There are days when I struggle to hold onto faith. And there are days when I wonder what on earth I am doing with my life, preaching these few and futile words. For I scroll through my newfeed and see nothing but chaos and a world going up in flames.
Continue reading “Matthew | The life of faith & doubt”
Death is all around, so let’s put some language around it. A brief homily given at a recent funeral, for one who suffered too long and died too young.
Interesting fact: the Jesus stuff, what we call the gospel, isn’t highfalutin’ literature. Instead, it’s working class language. Like life, it’s rough, it’s raw, and it’s real. But translations tend to tidy things up. Take the word ‘splanchna.’
Continue reading “Funeral | You’ve got to go through it”
Want to encounter Jesus? Just look around! I’ve had three funerals and two services in ten days, so this is something from the archives, lightly tweaked. (Listen here.)
There he was, living and walking and eating among us. There he was, hanging on a cross. And there he was, among us once again and explaining the scriptures and breaking bread. And then he simply … disappeared.
Continue reading “Acts | Just look around!”
A promise to all who have been judged and found wanting. (Listen here.)
Last week I caught up with a friend who told me a sad story. She’d been cleaning up her mother’s place when she found some old letters her mother had written. I would like to tell you how much her mother had praised her in these letters, but I can’t. Instead, the letters were venomous. ‘My daughter is so difficult. She’s so brittle, so defensive, so selfish. She’s hard as nails, she won’t let me in. I can’t understand why I had to have a daughter like that.’ On and on it went, with not a thought as to what might create such a daughter.
Continue reading “John | Her mother’s voice”
Can a nation be holy? Or is Peter pointing to a different reality? (Listen here.)
‘You are a chosen race,’ writes Peter, ‘a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.’ ‘Ura!’ shouts Vlad as he orders yet another series of bombings and sends yet another bunch of Russian boys to their deaths in his drive to extend the Holy Russian Empire. ‘Yes!’ screams the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda as it abducts yet more children to be soldiers and sex slaves, victims of a horrific campaign to establish a Christian nation governed by the Ten Commandments. ‘Yessiree!’ crows Pete as he wages an illegal and despicable war against Iran in the name of the God of the Crusades.
Continue reading “1,2 Peter | A holy nation?”
The hallmarks of the voice which is good. (Listen here.)
Many years ago, my husband and I stayed at a little bed and breakfast on the shores of Lake Te Anau. As we chatted with the other guests over breakfast, we quickly realised they were all sheep farmers. The couple from New South Wales ran 20,000 sheep, and checked on their flocks by helicopter. The couple from New Zealand ran 2,000 sheep, and ran among their flocks in an old ute. The couple from the UK raised just 20 sheep of a rare and precious breed. Each day, they fed and combed each sheep by hand, and yes, they knew every sheep by name and their sheep knew their voice.
Continue reading “John | Knowing his voice”
In a world and media landscape which threatens to overwhelm, Isaiah offers a way of hope. (Listen here.)
‘Why have we fasted and you haven’t seen?’ the people ask God. ‘Why have we humbled ourselves and you haven’t paid attention?’ We’ve given up coffee, chocolate, alcohol and even social media: so why aren’t you answering our prayer?!
Continue reading “Isaiah | To be like Birrarung or, To serve & thrive”
Scene: The minister sits in the wooden throne behind the pulpit, gazing fixedly at her phone, while the congregation waits anxiously for her to begin the sermon … One from the archives. (Listen here.)
Whoops, sorry, is it me? I was just praying with an app. It’s awesome, it helps me be more spiritual. And it’s been recommending other apps: there are so many! There are apps for prayer and meditation. There are apps for reading the Bible in a year, and for memorising scripture, and for reading a single passage very slowly. There are apps to log my spiritual habits; apps with the Ignatian examen; apps with daily liturgies from monasteries; apps to frame silence.
Continue reading “Christmas | Filling earth with the culture of heaven”
