Grief demands space

Luke 24:36
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

The disciples huddled together

Behind closed doors

Walking a day’s journey

Fishing on the lake

Or in locations not disclosed

Nursing their hurt

Burying their hope

While the whispers

And the rumours

And the women’s idle tales

gathered pace

Their grief demanded

that they pay attention

It demanded

that they sit awhile

with loss.

Before they began to piece things together.

Before words recalled began to make sense

Before hindsight began to shed light

Grief demanded its space.

And, whatever our loss

Whether we are able to make sense of it

Whether we can find purpose through it

Whatever we hope for the future

Grief demands

that we pay attention

give it some space

Even when we hear in its midst

Peace be still...

Risen today!

Luke 24:1-12

The Resurrection of Jesus

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

The altar is dressed again

Resplendent in white and gold

as the resurrection message is proclaimed

He is not here

He is risen!

God could not be confined to the tomb

God returned to a world

where the “idle tales” of women

were not believed...

God returned to a world

where the boots of oppressors

still lay on the throats of the vulnerable...

God returned to a world

where insurrectionists believed

that their way of disruption and carnage

would herald a new hope...

And, in 2000 years

what has changed?

We proclaim Christ risen

in a world where the word of women is still questioned

where dictators and the deluded hold power

where bombs, bullets and knives

are the instruments of choice

to draw attention to a cause.

And the realisation that now, more than ever,

the need to proclaim

Faith, Hope and Love

to a world in darkness

is greater than it ever was.

And so we proclaim 

He is risen!

The challenge now, as then,

is showing God present

in such a messed up world

The Prince of Peace

shouldering a cross.

The king of love

stooping to serve the broken

The Risen Lord 

carrying the world

through the darkness of death 

to a glorious new life.

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Alleluia!

In between day

John 19:40-42

They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Holy Saturday

The in between day..

When we cannot return to the way things were

Nor move forward to how they might be

But must, somehow, live in the vacuum

The vacuum of an in between day

A vacuum whose silence confronts us 

with questions of complicity and culpability

and with the realisation that even our love is not enough.

Stripped of all our resources

in which we’d normally find comfort

Laid bare

Just like the altars waiting to be dressed again

At the end of ourselves

We teeter on the brink of God

the only one who might bear us over this chasm

of the now and not yet.

And we cannot fast forward

but are forced to wait

to dwell in this in between day

as in all the in between moments 

we have experienced.

We are forced to wait

in the knowledge

that the worst has happened

and we do not know what’s next.

We are forced to wait

when even hope deserts us.

And Good Friday

cannot give way

to Easter Sunday

unless we wait

unless we dwell

in the in between day.

Silence

John 19:16-19

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

How can silence be so deafening?

The discarded wood of the cross creaks gently

as bloody rags flutter in the breeze

The hillside, heaving with humanity just a few hours ago

is now deserted, eerily quiet.

Folk have wandered home,

spectacle over,

not the high jinks anticipated

just another political crucifixion

served up as propaganda,

a warning to others who might consider

stirring up dissent.

All that hype of Messiah talk - 

just another delusional magician

who couldn't magic his way

out of execution.

The place of the skull is empty

and those who do venture out of the city

hurry past, shuddering at its eeriness,

struck by the silence that hangs

like a visible pall

over the place

where the criminals were killed.

It is a silence charged and pulsating

a silence that feels as though

it's about to burst.

All is not well.

There is something terrible in that silence

As though hell is about to burst through

and only God can prevent it.

He loved them to the end.

John 13:1-2

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 

Celebrating the Passover with friends

Taking time out in an upper room

Caring for their tired and weary bodies

with water, wine and bread.

Then, stories shared and hunger sated,

going into the garden in the cool of the night to pray.

Going into the garden 

where betrayal and arrest awaited him.

And one by one, the friends disappeared

slinking into the night

watching form a distance

feeling the hurt and betrayal

but powerless to change it.

And the Son of God

who removed his robe to serve his friends

was left exposed and abandoned

on the night before his death

as the light burned dimly

just before dawn.

Surely not I?

Matthew 26:20-22
When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

We too would have protested:

Not, I, Lord

Still protest

While we betray our Lord

at every turn.

Withholding 

bread from the hungry

love from the unloved

freedom from those imprisoned

by circumstances that we help create

Turning a blind eye 

to the plight of our neighbour

and the earth we inhabit

Distancing ourselves

from justice

when it demands too much of us.

Betrayal lurks at every turn

pervades our every day.

Yet still

Christ calls us his friends,

looks on us with love

shares a cup with us

and shows us how to love

and serve one another

as he loves

and served us.

As I have loved you...

John 13:34
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

As I have loved you...

With tenderness

With grittiness

With challenge

With encounter

With knowledge

With reality

With insight

With understanding

From the inside out

Not superficially

but getting under the skin

Piercing the tidy (or untidy) exterior

to get to the heart

That kind of love

takes work.

It invites vulnerability.

It does not happen from a distance

It does not come

from assumptions

or suppositions

but from the kind of understanding

only grasped 

when space and time

have been invested

that make encounter a reality

and love a possibility 

Love one another as I have loved you...

House of prayer

Luke 19:45-48
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there;
and he said, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer’;
but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

House of prayer

How do we enable that?

How do we obstruct?

How do we make room for the light of Christ

to infiltrate the world around?

And where do we become a hindrance

making it harder for others to see?

When do we rob others

of the opportunity to be

in the presence of the Holy One

who intercedes 

with us

and for us?

A house of prayer

where folk are spellbound

by the teaching of Christ...

A teaching that upsets

the good order that we try to instil.

A house of prayer.

For all.

Lord, may it be so.

Hosanna!

Luke 19:37-40
As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

It it is not about our voices

or our excitement

or our fickle natures

that turn from

Hosanna!

to Crucify!

It is about his willingness

to take the road anyway

wherever it led

and to keep on going

Even when 

the noise of the crowds

died away

and when

 friends abandoned him.

To keep on going

when the silence became eerie

and when the end was in sight

He kept on going.

It’s not about us.

It’s all about him.

Emptying ourselves

Philippians 2:5-8
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

How often is my humility false?

Put on for effect?

What about those times

I use the fact

that I am created in God’s image

as a defence

or as a counter to others’ disdain?

And when have I exploited 

the status God bestows on me

to justify my actions

to stand my ground

in the face of perceived injustice?

All of this might seem acceptable

might appear necessary

might even be applauded

in smashing patriarchy.

And yet

It is not the way of Christ.

Christ, who humbled himself

Who was obedient

to the point of death.

And so I must own

that there are times

I do not want

to be like Christ.

Mea culpa!

Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-22

Forgiveness

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

Jesus was a hard man.

Took no prisoners.

Called a spade a spade.

Didn't let folk waffle.

Was highly sensitive to hypocrisy

and spoke some harsh truth.

But when he spoke of forgiveness 

and then went on

to practice what he preached,

he raised the bar

way beyond what most of us 

are capable of reaching.

And it's not just about ability.

It's about the will to forgive.

Quite frankly,

I'd rather go on living with resentment

than roll over and forgive

I'd rather hold on to that edge of anger

than gather the energy

to have another go at building a bridge.

The work of forgiveness

demands too much energy.

It seems easier just to move on

and chalk it up to experience.

But Jesus was a hard man.

He didn't simply roll over.

He didn't simply smile sweetly

and allow others

to go on hurting,

to go on betraying.

He lifted forgiveness up to God

in an agonising cry:

"Father forgive"

And, if we can do no other...

If the time for building bridges is past.

If the time for enduring more hurt has expired.

We call on God to do the work that we can't.

And we move on -

singed, 

perhaps a tiny bit broken

and certainly scarred.

And we find our healing

in the love and forgiveness of God.

Fruitfulness

Genesis 17:6-7
I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Fruitfulness

What does that look like today?

Is it success?

Popularity?

Fame?

Or is it something more precarious?

tender

fragile

fledgling

fleeting

Whatever it looks like,

fruitfulness

involves covenant

commitment

obedience

and faithfulness.

In those 

is borne fruit

that lasts

from one generation

to another.

Embracing freedom

John 8:36
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

So often we yearn to be free

yet embrace the things that hold us back

We acknowledge the oppression of institutions

yet subscribe to the values that make them so

We claim to want to wrest power to use it for good

yet  reinforce a culture of power abused

It takes courage to choose the way of freedom

Courage that doesn’t foster popularity

Courage that takes us into awkward places

and difficult conversations 

No one person is responsible for our captivity

We are all complicit 

in denying ourselves

and others

the freedom promised in Christ 

But it is possible

that, with Christ,

one person can begin

the journey to being free

Free to serve

with heart, mind, and soul.

One step, taken with courage

Freedom in Christ 

Seeing beyond ourselves

Numbers 21:4-5
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”

When we can only see what is before us

Lord, lift our eyes to see beyond

When we can only see what is around us

Lord, lift our eyes to see beyond

When we can only see all that we have lost

Lord, lift our eyes to see beyond

When we can only see change and upheaval

Lord, lift our eyes to see beyond

Show us, O Lord, how far we have come

Remind us of how you have stayed with us all the way

Reassure us that still you walk beside us

Restore our faith in all the new things you reveal

and the new paths in which you lead us

And though we may not recognise

the places we now inhabit

May we trust in your goodness

which is for every generation

Lord, lift our eyes to see beyond.

Not yet time

John 8:20
He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

His hour had not yet come

But the forces were gathering

His hour had not yet come

But his fate was pretty much sealed

His hour had not yet come

But the damage had been done

His hour had not yet come

But his plain speaking

and subversive action

had riled enough of the powerful

They would not hold off much longer

before they would attempt

to extinguish

The Light of the World.

But

His hour had not yet come.

And so, for a while yet

he would continue

by his love in action

and by his

living in the margins

to noise up

those in authority

the religious zealots

and the occupying forces

until they were forced to act

aiding and betting one another

united in their desire

to snuff out

the peacemaker

who cared for the poor.

His hour had not yet come.

It’s all about her

Mary of Bethany tattoo 

John 12:3
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

It’s all about her

A woman filled with love

driven to extravagance

bursting to show

how madly, deeply

she loved.

A woman who acted on impulse,

threw caution to the wind,

risked everything

gave way beyond her means.

A woman who managed to break free

of the taboos

and cautions imposed on her

by her patriarchal culture

just for a moment

because the moment

was simply too special to miss.

And, as is often the way

as the story is told

and retold,

the focus shifts

from a daring

courageous

inspiring woman.

And the story becomes, instead,

about the men around her.

Their discomfort fills the space

instead of the fragrance 

of the perfume.

And we are diverted

to a whole other story

that’s all about the men.

Another hidden woman

in a story edited by men.

May we allow her story

to emerge from history.

Drawing a line

John 8:6
They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

I like to think of Jesus

doodling on the ground

while folk who thought they were important

awaited his pronouncement

on the fate of the woman.

caught in adultery

I like to think that Jesus

did not draw a straight line

but a squiggly circle.

A circle that made room

for more and more inclusion.

A circle that meandered

accommodating others.

A circle full of loopholes

that enabled even the most sceptical

and the least likely 

to find a way in.

And I pray that my doodling

will always be as inclusive.

I pray that, when I draw a line

I don’t discover Jesus on the other side of it.*

I pray that any pronouncement I make

will be filled with compassion

and love

and acceptance

as Jesus was 

and is.

I pray that, when the time comes

I will be engaged

in doodling with Jesus.

* Finding Jesus on the other side of any line we draw inspired by Kathryn Johnston’s preaching at NextChurch, Baltimore Feb 2018

All in the timing

John 7:25-30
Is This the Christ?
Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Even when all the signs are there

when the odds stack up

when the ducks are all in a row

God’s timing is not our timing

When we’ve worked toward a resolution

when the arc of the universe

appears to curve toward justice

when forces conspire together

God’s timing is not our timing

 When we get to the end of our tether

and know something has to give

When we find ourselves crying

“How long O Lord?”

God’s timing is not our timing

Attuning to the rhythm of God

demands that we learn

to sit with impatience

to embrace frustration

to befriend 

all that we do not yet understand

in the knowledge

that God’s timing is not our timing

yet our belovedness ensures

that God’s timing is perfect.

Standing in the breach

Psalms 106:19-23
They made a calf at Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Saviour,
who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

Who are the ones, today

Who stand in the breach?

Those who save us

from destroying ourselves

and the world around us?

Is it the eco warriors,

the pacifists,

those who give up their own comfort

to live differently

and not only imagine

but carve out a different way of living? 

And how might we

catch their vision

and be inspired

in daily life

to stand in the breach

for others.

How might we

once more

be heralds

of the glory of God?

Comfort and Compassion

Isaiah 49:13
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

When, O Lord

will your people know

your comfort and compassion?

When will there be singing?

Your suffering ones

cry to you

day and night

and still their onslaught 

is relentless.

How can we lift our eyes?

How might we make a difference?

What will it take

to change our lives enough

that the difference will show up

in the lives of those

who are oppressed

those who struggle 

under the weight

of poverty

and famine

and war.

The suffering ones- 

May our compassion 

that mirrors yours

bring comfort

and singing

Show us how, O God.

Always asking

John 5:5-6
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

Always careful to ask

Never presumptuous

Jesus does not look at the obvious signs

but looks for the hidden

Knowing that what works for one

may not be the desire of another

That skill

of giving space

in which things long hidden

can be brought into the light

That place

where healing

visible or not

has a chance 

to happen 

Finding that kernel

of hope and desire

and setting it ablaze

Such is the pastoral encounter

in the space held

by Christ

Creator, Redeemer, God

Strange but true!

Isaiah 65:17-18
The Glorious New Creation
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.

On a day when it is difficult to distinguish

between April Fools

and fake news

and real life shenanigans

When it seems the world

is going to hell in a handcart.

When real life stories

are stranger than fiction

When the plight of so many humans

is incomprehensible

and anything but civilised.

When creation itself

groans in anguish - 

We turn to the Creator

and Redeemer

of the Universe

to ask for a sign

in the words of Mother Julian

that all shall be well

and all manner of things

shall be well.

And God sends

not a cartoon character

not a Facebook meme 

but an eternal promise - 

A new heaven and a new earth

A glorious new creation.

Thanks be to God.