Zechariah’s son certainly made up for his father’s speechlessness before John’s birth! John’s call is to repentance – an intentional reorientation of heart, soul, mind and action. Zechariah’s silence had been the stillness before the storm that sweeps clean. Such was John’s magnetic appeal that crowds went out into the wilderness to hear him. HisContinue reading “Advent Voices – John the Baptizer”
Author Archives: wonderingpilgrim
Advent Voices – Mute Zechariah
Can the voiceless speak? Zechariah was struck mute when he questioned the veracity of an acutely personal Advent vision while he was performing his set priestly duties in the temple. Luke 1:5-17. (Never say serving on a church roster is boring and humdrum!) Apparently so. We read on and find that when he emerged from theContinue reading “Advent Voices – Mute Zechariah”
Advent Voices – Isaiah 40
Lament – things are pretty crook around here. Wait – help is coming!
Advent Voices – Elijah the Tishbite
‘Tis the season of obscure voices from long ago that speak into our contemporary scene – voices that call us to wake up and pay attention! The Hebrew reading set for today is 2 Kings 1:2-18 – a confronting tale of a prophet, Elijah, who exacts some considerable collateral damage in awakening a king. The haplessContinue reading “Advent Voices – Elijah the Tishbite”
An Apocalyptic Advent to You and Yours
Originally posted on Living the Questions:
“Apocalyptic Awakening” By Bruce Sanguin (from If Darwin Prayed) O Holy One, we are a sleepy lot, slow to stir to the calling of the cosmos, deaf to the cries of the Earth and the forgotten ones, human and other-than-human. We distract ourselves with trivialities that have become idols;…
40 years ago today…
… I knelt on a Melbourne platform and was ordained a minister of Churches of Christ in Australia. Today is an occasion of reflection of what it has all meant. Historically my tradition has had an ambiguous stance towards the matter of “setting apart” or ordaining clergy. After all, are not all ordained and set asideContinue reading “40 years ago today…”
Melons, chickens & goats
Thinking today of a young lady I met in the back blocks of Zimbabwe. She’s 17 years old, orphaned and living with her grandmother. Her industry is inspiring – she grows melons and tends her flock of six goats (started with one). The two chickens given her two years ago have grown to a flockContinue reading “Melons, chickens & goats”
Wilderness Community Garden
Whilst bashing about the parched back-blocks of rural Zimbabwe, we came across a large fenced off area above a slow flowing river – the district community garden supplementing hamlets and farmsteads for many kilometers around. Known locally as a “garden of Eden,” the plots of a variety of vegetables, including spinach and kale, were surprisinglyContinue reading “Wilderness Community Garden”
Going to Church in Zimbabwe
We got to do it five days in a row – each service lasting around three hours and part of our mutual exchange as we encouraged and taught amongst the very hospitable people. We were never bored – Shona worship is exciting and exhilarating. Here, in Muuyu, the musical Mr Bunda motivates the congregation. WhoContinue reading “Going to Church in Zimbabwe”
Drinking from a fire hydrant…
… that’s how someone described a first time encounter with Africa. I recall my first day in Bulawayo standing on the pavement outside a courier’s office where my colleagues were spending considerable time. They were hopefully negotiating the reduction of storage fees for a box of solar lights that had been mailed over to assist studentsContinue reading “Drinking from a fire hydrant…”
