Faith and Politics

Matthew 26:14-15

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver.

At this midpoint of Holy Week

we return, for a moment

to recall the Hosannas,

the waving of Palms 

and the joy-filled hopes

with which the week began

And we might ponder:

Are we still ready to champion 

the donkey-riding king

to hold our nerve, to watch what unfolds

even amidst the forces of darkness?

Or have we already moved on

to call for his arrest and torture?

Are we already siding with another mob

who are baying for blood - 

indeed perhaps even the same mob

whose instincts have grown ugly 

as we work out the safest strategy for our own survival?

As politics keeps step with unravelling faith

are we prepared to listen to the evidence,

to hold back our judgment

Will we allow compassion and curiosity

to prevent us from reaching easy conclusions

that condemn and crucify

The spotlight is on us as much as him.

How will we be revealed?

Liz Crumlish 2023

The journey back

As the sun rose on the day

that the ferry would carry us homeward

we gathered up the treasures

of time spent in community

with those who simply “get it”

packing them carefully away

to be unwrapped at our leisure

in those moments given to ponder.

Perhaps in this week that we call holy

we will take time to contemplate

gifts of laughter and tears

and graces of wisdom and insight.

And as we follow

and lead others

to the foot of the cross

and beyond

to Resurrection

may we be reminded yet again

of all that draws us

to a life of love and service

and with renewed purpose

may our steps be joyful

and our words be hopeful

as we proclaim the mystery of faith

Christ has died

Christ is risen

Christ will come again.

Liz Crumlish Iona 2023

Invitation to dance

 John 6:66-69

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

When we are discouraged

Ground down

Finding it harder and harder to dredge up hope

in a system that seems determined to stifle

What brings us back

to our sense of vocation?

What enables us, even as we bind up our wounds

and pray through our disappointment that feels so familiar

to hear the voice of God

calling us by name

reaching through the hurt and frustration

to whisper anew

You are my beloved

Follow me

Those words penetrate

the core of our being

and drag us back 

to what we know

and to the One who knows us

And we are gradually restored to the rhythm

of the God who invites us to dance

Written in the dust

 For Ash Wednesday

We gather up the crosses from last year’s palms

and set them alight to create ash

so that we may remember

that we are dust and to dust we shall return

While in the rubble of communities destroyed by earthquake

no reminder is needed of the fragility of life

We mix the ashes with oil

and wear them on our foreheads

to symbolise our need to repent

While those who live in the grime

of war ravaged cities

wear their weariness

and their courage

in their determination to survive another day

Will our rituals go beyond ancient symbol

and connect us with the dust of the earth

that cries out for justice

and compassion

dust that spells out faith

in the goodness of creation

dust that holds out hope

that justice shall prevail

dust shot through with love

for the healing of the world

Liz Crumlish 2023

On St Brigid’s Day

 

A prayer on St Brigid’s Day

As I dipped my hand 

in the well of eternal youth

that it is said was blessed by St Brigid

and splashed the cooling water on my face

my prayer was not for youthfulness

but for wisdom

for peace

and for laughter

For the spirit of Brigid

and her divine feminine energy

That same Brigid

who turned water into beer

who prayed for an end to suffering 

Who cared for children

who welcomed women

I pray for her humour that disarmed

so much of the patriarchy around her

I pray for some of her indefatigable spirit

that brings newness every day

and is filled with compassion

and tenderness 

for all of creation

And, this I know - there is always room for more beer

Audaciously beloved!

 Matthew 3:16-17

And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Spirit always shows up

And her presence 

is as disruptive today

as it was 

when Jesus was baptised by John

Baptised in the face of oppression and despair

Baptised in the grimness of life

For Baptism always proclaims the love 

and the mystery of God

and the presence of the unquenchable Spirit

Whenever baptism is offered:

At the beginning of life

as a symbol 

of hope and promise,

As a rite of passage

building on family tradition,

As a response to faith

that has grown slowly and surely,

At the hesitant request of  a beautiful 93 year old saint

embarrassed  to admit

that she had never been baptised,

Or with parents 

anxious about their newborn’s hold on life,

Whether sprinkled,

Dunked

Immersed

or with the gentlest whisper 

of a touch

Always, always, always.

the Holy Spirit

makes herself known

as angels gather

to sing a Gloria

declaring the audacity and wonder of God

who calls us

Beloved 

Reading the signs

 

Matthew 2:1-2

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

The Magi persisted

in following their star

fulfilling their hopes

and dreams and calling.

Yet, even at journey’s end,

they remained alert to the wisdom 

that they should go home by another way.

For discernment is a process

of sifting and weighing

of staying in touch with the signs all around

of listening deeply to the still small voice

that risks being drowned out 

by the clamour of power or desire

and of being prepared to change direction

Therein lies Epiphany -

The awakening and the arrival

and the alacrity to respond with humility

when everything changes.

(Liz Crumlish Epiphany 2023)