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.

Rekindling

2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline 

Rekindling gifts
buried by put downs
or smothered by condescension
Reclaiming power
diminished by fear
and by the tiredness
of the ever pressing need
to be seen.
Cowardice is the easier option
Undemanding
Compliant
Submissive
Yet, God of love
and power
and self discipline 
you call us
to the way of courage
and compassion
A way that demands
that we move out of the shadows
escaping the confines
in which others might prefer we stay
You call us to embrace the spark
to fan into flame
to unleash
all that you made us to be 
Created in your divine image
with the breath of your Spirit
coursing through our marrow
Your summons 
is a call to witness 
to the power of one
whom death could not defeat
whose light
and love
will not be diminished 
You compel us to re-imagine
your creative spirit
at work in us
and in the world
You enable us to be
Co-creators with you
May the fire of your Spirit flow through 
all that you task us to do this day 
rekindling your gifts in us
for the good of all creation.

Too deep for words

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

Fears, hopes, dreams

All jumbled up

in a tangled mess

I want to separate

and compartmentalise

make things neat

and presentable

instead of the bourach it is

I want to focus

on one thing at a time

and then move onto the next

But you, God

know me better than I know myself

You keep me grounded

reliant on your transformative love

You counter my

“I’ve got this”

with your “Really?”

You make me laugh out loud

at the absurdity

And, when I catch myself,

you remind me gently 

that your love

is unconditional.

And, on those days

when I don’t even know how to pray

Your Spirit intercedes

with sighs too deep for words

And that is enough

More than enough

Communion on the beach

Luke 5:15-16
But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.

The beach after dark

may be even more wondrous

than in daylight

The roar of the breakers

speaks of power

The noise of the shingle

being dragged by the tide

speaks of tenacity

The smell of salt and seaweed

speaks of healing freshness

And the flash of lighthouses

along the coast

speaks of safety and home

And I like to think of you, O Christ

inhaling the scents

and savouring the sounds of the beach

as you sought to escape and recharge
Just as I know you
walking with me
in the dark
dodging the incoming tide
stepping over jellyfish
slipping on patches of seaweed
breathing in
the energy of love and healing
found in communion
with the divine
Creator
Redeemer
Sustainer
God.

Signs of the kingdom

A reflection on time spent with colleagues, sharing, resourcing and equipping one another, holding out hope for renewal as we respond to the invitation to be involved in the mission of God.

Luke 17:20-21
The Coming of the Kingdom
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

We gathered around a table

and told our stories

of change and challenge

of blessing and breakthrough

we shared our hopes and dreams

and our hurts and disappointments

We gave thanks for companions on the road

and mourned those who had dropped out along the way

And as we dredged below the surface

and reached depths that we seldom visit

we offered our brokenness

with trepidation

fearing how it would be received

But what we encountered

was support

and what we discovered 

was community

Community forged around

one who was broken for us

one who poured himself out for us

We experienced 

the kingdom among us

celebrated in fresh bread

and good wine

Communion

that will nurture and sustain

as we go back

to all the places we’re called to serve

taking our brokenness

and the possibility of redemption
Our brokenness held

in the brokenness of the One

who holds and shares

and assures us

that the kingdom is here.

You anoint my head with oil

Reflecting on another part of Ps 23 from Dallas Willard’s paraphrase - You anoint my head with oil is paraphrased as:

You give me hot showers

and warm fluffy towels

joyful experiences

and deep relationships

to make me feel clean, special and powerful

Your anointing, O Lord
does not compare 
with that time we knelt at the altar
and had oil dabbed on our foreheads
Or even the time
when we passed around the nard
carefully rubbing it
on one another’s palm
Your anointing
is full on
extravagant
luxurious 
It takes us to a depth
almost unimaginable
A soul connection
that transcends boundaries
in which there is no holding back
 - but quite simply 
unmitigated love
Our Spirit leaps within us
in response
Knowing ourselves
held in your esteem
how can we ever play small
or eschew our power
or turn away
from the joy
and the depth
that you freely give?
May we be open to receiving
the more that you give
when you anoint our head with oil.