Do not hold on

John 20:16-17

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

It’s the most natural thing in the world

to want to hold on...

To hold on 

to whatever is in front of us

because who knows

what the future will bring

To hold on

to what we know

because we fear the unknown

To hold on

to what feels good

and to what brings challenge

because alternatives 

cause us to be anxious.

Jesus’ encounter with Mary

reminds us

that only by letting go

will we experience

whatever God offers next.

Only by letting go

will we be enabled

to follow

where Christ has gone

and experience

a new way of being

that comes from letting go.
God, enable me
to be present in every moment
To take my cues from you
To discern what is mine to do
and to let go of those things
that do not further your kingdom
And, in the releasing
or relinquishing
may I know 
growth not loss
peace and not yearning
and the sheer joy of knowing
that I continue to do your will
becoming exactly 
who you created me to be
For that is enough
I am enough

Passing through...

Luke 19:1-7
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”

Passing through...

Jesus made a difference 

Passing through...

Jesus stopped

long enough to change a life

Passing through...

Jesus looked up

saw Zacchaeus

Engaged him

Broke bread with him

Showed him his place

in the kingdom of God

Passing through...

Jesus upset others

Challenging their sense of entitlement

Thwarting their notion of justice

Upending their picture of decency

Passing through...

Jesus brought into focus

the marginalised

the overlooked

the rejected

Passing through...

Jesus uncovered the hidden

Called forth truth

Pronounced forgiveness

Proclaimed salvation

Brought reconciliation

Restored community

All while passing through...

Thanks be to God

Freedom and light

2 Corinthians 4:5-8
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

Sitting quietly listening

to the sound of the surf

crashing against the rocks beneath

Watching the pelicans

skim the waves

lifting their wings

just at the moment 

the surf breaks

gliding upwards

safe and free

Marvelling at the vastness

of the ocean

and the predictability

of the incoming tide

Wondering about the Creator

who, in the midst of such majesty 

makes room for us 

lavishing on us

such love and attention

bestowing gifts 

of freedom

and care

supporting 

guiding

drawing us back

to that place

where we are held

between safety and risk

trusted

supported

freed 

and 

loved

to be

the light of God

Shaking things up

Luke 12:49-51
Jesus the Cause of Division
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

Lord, when we are conflict averse

Shake us up

When we want to please everyone

Drag us off the fence

When we choose harmony over truth

Disturb our conscience

until we can do no other

but blurt out

however ineptly

what is on our minds

and in our hearts

all that won’t be silenced

any longer

And then...

Then, O Lord

when the touch paper is lit

may we stay close to the fire

Close enough to see

what emerges

from the ashes

And in that emergence

may we be reborn

as our horizon expands

to embrace the new

in the knowledge

of your constant refining 

and renewing

your perpetual inclusion

the transformation

that cannot be manipulated 

or engineered

through subtle niceties

but only through the fire

of your reforming Spirit

And, in every iteration

may we respond

with joy and wonder 

to the life you reveal

forged in the bravery

of open hearts

and minds

and arms stretched out 

in embrace 

for all you have created

in your divine economy

of grace.

Reflecting forgiveness

Looking ahead to Sunday’s gospel.

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Lord, remind me

that following you

is not a competitive sport

My sin is not diminished 

because I deem another’s sin as greater

My perceived righteousness 

does not lessen 

my need of your grace.
Once again
You queer our binary world
pitching up with grace 

In the prayer of confession

and in your words of absolution 

may I experience your grace 

as powerfully

and as vitally

as in the gift of the Eucharist.

Let the experience of your forgiveness

change the way I encounter others

softening those hard edges

that make me quick to judge 

smoothing out the abrasions

that foster harshness

May the knowledge of your infinite, healing love

encourage me to risk being hurt

again and again

as I live into
that part of you that dwells in me
and connects with your image in others.
May humility consist in recognising
the sheer wonder of  your creation 
shining through us
bringing glory to you
And may we live into 
and live out of 
the  forgiveness we receive
from you.

Using my words

Psalms 139:13-15 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

There comes a time

when we must reclaim our words

A time

when we must stop allowing others

to define what we mean

when we speak

and who we are

in anything other than

the beautiful

Creator God language

of the divine image

visible in all of God’s creation

A time

when our words

(like the queen in Alice in Wonderland)

mean whatever we say they mean.

So today, I’m reclaiming disciple

a word, not just for the theologically conservative 

but a way of living

into which Jesus calls all:

Male, female, cis, trans, gay, lesbian, straight, curious

to name but a few!

I am a disciple 

And, while I’m at it - 

I’m reclaiming power

a word feared and resisted by many

particularly sisters...

When not abused or corrupted

Power is a force for good,

a thing of beauty.

I have power

And, on a roll,

I’m reclaiming vagina

No longer will I define myself

(as some others define me)

as not having a penis
and therefore disqualified
from certain roles

but as a woman

who has a vagina

I have a vagina

And, right there, is a creation of God

Fearfully and wonderfully made:

A woman called to be a disciple, 

A woman, with a vagina, 

called to use her power

as a gift from God

a force for good

for all of creation 

And, in reclaiming these words

I recognise

the privilege that is mine

and pledge

to also stand up and fight

for all whose words

are lost

or diminished

or redefined

by others.

Until they too

are heard when they say

Body and soul, I am marvellously made!

God - the tenacious woman

Looking ahead to Sunday’s gospel:

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

That lesser know spiritual gift:

Tenacity

Harnessed by God as a widow

who knows her rights

Who knows that the arc of justice

is stacked in her favour

that, as a widow,

her rights are protected

in an ethical culture

Tenacity

harnessed to challenge 

ethics ignored

and rights denied.

Tenacity

A spiritual gift 

required today

for all who long to see

justice done

and God’s way upheld

Tenacious God

may we never let up

until your way prevails

in the prayer 

and action

in the tenacity

of your people.