Lessons from leaves

 

Remember November

The leaves are still changing

Still letting go

And the ground is carpeted

with a riotous palette of colour

The leaves that contribute

to the colourful canopy above

cast no blame or shame

on those that have fallen

And the leaves that litter walkways

and swirl across paths

congregating in corners

do not look back

or regret their letting go.

Their work continues

in nourishing seeds that lie hidden

in ground that slumbers

Their work continues

in bringing joy to toddlers 

who delight in the crunchiness

they create underfoot

Their work continues

in the vast store of sustenance

that the squirrels heap up

to see them through the winter.

And we are invited to inhabit

awe and wonder

in this tangible evidence

of the rhythm of creation

in which all matter

and everything counts

and nothing is wasted

And we could do worse

than embody

the practices of the earth

as she shows us

carefully and colourfully

with extravagance and exuberance

how to embrace life

in every season.

(Liz Crumlish November 2022)

Angels and dragons

 

Revelation 12:7-9; 13-17

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The Dragon Fights Again on Earth

So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.

It does not surprise 

me that the dragon, when thwarted, 

goes after a woman and her children

Nor is it surprising 

that the woman garners her resources

to fight off the evil

that threatens all that she loves

Call it mystical

Call it magical

Still it is a story as old as time

and as fresh as the new day

that women become collateral

and that they are often underestimated

for their strength and resourcefulness

for their powers of subversion 

in the face of evil

Fierce women are born out of adversity

Fierce and fabulous for Jesus

Fair warning

 

Matthew 10:16

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

You did not lure us in Jesus

with eloquent words

and empty promises

You warned us

Time and again - This won’t be easy

You told us how many times - and more

that we’d need to dredge the depths of forgiveness

for ourselves and others

You called us

To be wise as serpents

and gentle as doves

That wisdom has been hard won

For so often it is interpreted as submission

As turning the other cheek

and giving our fleece as well as our hoodie

There comes a time

when wisdom involves

calling a spade a shovel

and saying Enough. No more.

And that gentle as doves?

Means being gentle with ourselves

when the cost of resistance grinds us down yet again

as we speak truth to power

refusing to have our hurt explained away

and our resilience questioned

Or our narrative dismissed as idle tales

Wisdom and gentleness do go together

Just not always as imagined.

Fresh wounds

 

Luke 23:34

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

Lord, if only we didn’t know what we are doing today.

Acting out of ignorance would be bad enough…

But acting in full knowledge of the grace we withhold 

and the hurt we inflict

is surely unforgivable

You who invited all

welcomed all

embraced all

You who shared bread and wine

with one who would betray you

with one who would deny you

with folk who simply “didn’t get you”

Sharing with all

Withholding from none

Offering your body

your blood

your all

Who are we to make distinction?

On days like this

Do your feet hurt

and your palms throb

and does the wound in your side

make itself known in protest

that your suffering was in vain.

Just like those today

who have borne the wounds

of their fight for inclusion

whose scars are ripped open

time and again 

as we find more ways to wound

For still we haven’t grasped

that love is love is love

And that all means all.

Still we imagine that we are in control

of a love and grace beyond our understanding

and of a sacrament offered freely to all

Father forgive.

Both/And: Martha and Mary

  

From the book: Stories of the Well: Recovering Her Story (Liz Crumlish 2022)

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Which is the better part?

For years interpretation has sought 

to divide Martha and Mary

determining that only one of them

can be commended by our Lord

that only one way

is important in the kingdom.

Yet truth be told

we know all too well

that we need those who welcome others

doing all the things necessary

to provide hospitality

as well as those 

who will take time to listen,

affording intimacy.

And in both women

we see the norms of the day

confounded yet again

turned on their head

by women refusing to conform.

Martha, welcoming Jesus boldly

as a head of a household might.

And Mary, sitting at the Rabbi’s feet

as a disciple might.

Both, in their own way contributing 

to the table fellowship they shared.

And, we can imagine Jesus

taking the fruits of Martha’s labour:

bread still warm from the oven

its aroma filling the room

and sweet, heady wine,

kept for just such an occasion

and, wrapped in the adoring gaze of Mary,

transforming those gifts

in the knowledge

that the portent of death

was not missed in this home

For here were two women

who simply got it

and, together, made room for the One

in whom everything made sense

Two women who demonstrated that love

does not consist in either/or

but in both/and.

Martha and Mary

who recognised

that the kingdom was near.

(Liz Crumlish 2022)

Non-binary God

Before the world began

God enjoyed the chaos

And in the midst of that chaos 

God played around 

with light and dark

and earth and water

and sky and moon and stars

Loving the world into being

Breathing life into creatures

Bringing all together in a wonderful cacophony

of light and sound and music and silence

God moved through this spectrum

blending palettes, creating harmony

in an amazing spectrum

that reflects God’s very being

And still God

creator, redeemer and sustainer

smudges out the lines we draw

queers our binaries

breathes new life in the spirit

and invites us

to be Co-creators

in the glorious technicolour

that is the foundation of the earth

breathed into life by God 

who is light and life and love.

A Trinity defying definition

celebrating difference

realised in love.

(Liz Crumlish Trinity Sunday 2022)

Rainbow Spirit

 John 16:4

But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

Jesus’ discourse - 

Feels a bit like he was cramming it all in

Making sure the unsaid is said

Filling in the blanks

Future-proofing the message

Last minute nerves?

Good try, Jesus, good try.

So much of faith has to be lived, not imagined.

How often do some things

only make sense in retrospect?

In the midst of the turmoil the spirit provokes

it’s hard to find the centre,

the still point of perspective

So, rather than resist

and risk losing out on the experience,

how about we surrender caution,

go along for the ride,

experience the turbulence

and trust the buoyancy of the Spirit

to bear us up and keep us afloat?

When our feet touch the ground

there will be plenty of time for sense-making

and space to reflect on the learning 

perhaps even time for navel gazing

about the meaning of faith.

In the meantime…

Let’s surrender

to the unpredictable Spirit of God

who blows where she will

conjuring up all kinds of happenings

that don’t exist even in our dreams

or wildest imaginings

And lose ourselves in the swirling rainbow hues

that emerge in the midst of the rain

Sometimes only a fleeting glimpse-

that signals God at work

in the life of the world today.