Towards the light

 John 1:6-9

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Knowing who we are 

And who we are not

makes a difference.

Sharing our story in the light of Christ

Bearing witness

to all that we can see

of the light of God 

in our world

in our communities

in our lives

And holding in wonder

all the light we cannot see

We are called to be witnesses

and forerunners

who point to the one

whose light still shines in the darkness

the light whose reach is farther than we can imagine

the light that cannot be extinguished

Knowing who we are

Knowing who we are not

Knowing the light that came into the world

and continues to suffuse the world with love.

(Liz Crumlish)

Midwives or Parmedics?

 

Revelation 3:1-2

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.

Is our task today

about birthing something new?

Is it about plunging into the squelchy mess

to ease the passage of a whole new being?

Or is our task more about resuscitation 

It, too, requires that we delve into the abyss

to coddle back to life what is in danger of expiration.

To be sure - both ask of us:

that we don’t avoid the blood and the gore 

that we use all the gifts and skills we have

that we believe in transformation

that we seek consolation when our best efforts fail

as, sometimes, they surely will

that we will know when enough is enough 

that we won’t play the hero

and be respectful of the other’s wishes

that we will be diligent in discernment

Midwife or paramedic?

To which do you feel more called today?

(Liz Crumlish)

No place for a baby

 Matthew 23:27-28

Matthew 23: 27-28

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

It is so easy to cover up the evil

to hide away the wickedness 

We focus on one story fleetingly before moving on to the next

News becomes old so quickly

and the shock of terror and violence settles

and becomes a grief that we are impotent to assuage

Conflict in the land that we call holy draws our attention

from all the other places reduced to rubble

and we are urged to take sides 

and condemn wars that have been years in the making.

Meanwhile refugees search for shelter, for clean water, for food,

for a way out 

This Advent, we long, not for a baby

but for the Prince of Peace to be born

As we watch and we wait, may we begin to see

how we might make room in our lives

to welcome all those who flee 

and how to make peace in our communities

and throughout the world 

Practising what we preach today and every day.

(Liz Crumlish)

Not in my name

 

Matthew 23:23-24

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

Neglecting weighty matters of the law

Like seeing the divine image in every human

In those who take great risks in small boats

In those who give up everything

to find a better life for their family

In those fleeing war and violence

Or discrimination 

because of their gender or sexuality or religion

And, on reaching these shores,

being herded like cattle

and housed in unsuitable accommodation

or threatened with relocation to regimes

with scant regard for human rights

Blind guides and hypocrites

who claim to act in our name

How are we to stand with the marginalised

and the oppressed

And stand against the forces of darkness 

as witnesses to the light

Perpetrators of justice, mercy and faith

Finding a way to share the good news

that in the depths of darkness still

God is born.

(Liz Crumlish)

Sustaining love

 Revelation 2:2-4

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

First love

Idealistic

Naive

Stimulating

Delightful

Memorable

Blind

There’s nothing quite like it

To last, it must change

Grow

Develop

Mature

That takes work

Investment

Nurture

Relentless Care

Radical belief

(Liz Crumlish)

Practising love

 

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

It often seems easier to love what we don’t know

than to love what we know

To love our neighbour and to love God

can be abstract endeavours 

that we manage with a modicum of success

-or so we imagine.

Loving ourselves?

That calls into play a whole other set of skills

-skills that may have atrophied from lack of use

Skills that are honed and developed from seeds deep within

muscle memory waiting to be revived.

Rekindling love for self takes practice 

and disciplined effort for some

Effort that shows up - in how we love God

and in how we are enabled to see in every neighbour

the image of God.

Love God, love your neighbour, love yourself.

(Liz Crumlish)

Lift up your eyes

 Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

The Alpha and the Omega

The beginning and the end 

So hard to dwell on

when we’re trying to contend with the middle

and what it takes to flourish now

The unchangeables and non- negotiables 

are easy to lose sight of in the midst of simply living

With exhortations all around to be in the moment

the meta narrative becomes obscured, greyed-out

by the tasks of carpe diem 

Yet the Alpha and the Omega continues to weave colours and patterns 

into the monotones of our existence

enticing us to see in full technicolour 

the unfolding beauty and mystery of life in and beyond our everyday.

(Liz Crumlish)