Four calling birds Down UnderWould be kookaburras, and no wonder! Announcers sublime, they herald the time When Good News burst abroad like thunder. (c) Dennis Ryle December 2024 And here’s how they used to announce the Movietone newshttps://teara.govt.nz/files/high_source/26150-pc-h.mp4Traditionally the calling birds stand for the four gospels (“good news”).
Author Archives: wonderingpilgrim
‘Twas the Third Day of Christmas
Three French Hens have such obvious symbolism in the Western Christian tradition. I found it challenging to come up with a fresh approach for writing about them. I unashamedly asked AI to come to the party and lend some inspiration. It gave me a picture and a story, evidently concocted from a variety of sourcesContinue reading “‘Twas the Third Day of Christmas”
‘Twas the Second Day of Christmas
Two turtle doves keep partridge company!What on earth can they mean?So docile and peaceful ‘Gainst Boxing Day sales’ frantic scene! Christmas reflections continueSome teach Old and New Testament in disguise‘Twould seem Law and GraceFind balance in a manger’s surprise. (c) Dennis Ryle, December 2024
‘Twas the First Day of Christmas
Partridge, pear tree, and Christ candleHint that Christmas has not ended, but come.For retail the season has passed;For the cosmos, the feast’s just begun. Far from a Bethlehem mangerWhere cloaked figures pay their respect,In hearts given to pause and attentionThe Christ is reborn among those who reflect. We sing of twelve days for such pondering,TheContinue reading “‘Twas the First Day of Christmas”
Advent Love
Primal love ignited the cosmosAnd it could not be containedElusive in its fecundityFar beyond all that can be sustained. Yet once upon our timelineA young girl burst into songful mirthPrimal love found concentrationand became a human birth. (c) Dennis Ryle December 2024
Advent Joy
Who dares speak of joyIn this world so full of woe?When downcast eyes and heavy heartsQuestion why it is so. Why spell out this defiant wordIn the face of life so dreary?Don’t you see the tear-stained faceand the shoulders stooped so weary? The prophet calls for peace and faith,The apostle for robust trust,The baptiser laysContinue reading “Advent Joy”
Advent Peace
While thirteen-year-olds riot on Rottnestand Middle East regimes fallAssassins smile and CEOs hide awayProphets amplify their call. Prepare the way! Get ready!Straighten things up and clear the road!If it’s peace you want, then roll up your sleevesAnd do the work, share the load. For peace within requires an altered mindAnd a disposition to forgivenessPeace withoutContinue reading “Advent Peace”
Law of Hope vs the Law of the Jungle
Political fortunes shift and swayAbroad and at home we dodge their sprayExcept that’s impossible, for come what mayThey affect how we live from day to day. Something anew has risen its headA phrase of combat that fills one with dreadFresh from a lexicon of conflict abroadFamiliar, however, for we’ve wielded its sword. Lawfare – theContinue reading “Law of Hope vs the Law of the Jungle”
50 years ago tonight …
Fifty years ago, tonight, I knelt alongside my colleagues as elders of the Federal Conference of Churches of Christ in Australia stepped forward. They laid hands upon us, ordaining us as ministers. This sacred moment marked the climax of four years of rigorous study, formation, and discernment within our live-in community. I honed my skillsContinue reading “50 years ago tonight …”
The Middle of Decade Eight
James Baillie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Waking up to the day that marks the middle of my seventies, the muse beckons me to a brief thematic review of each decade – its wound and its gift. So here goes! Decade one sees a fawn emergeTimidly testing boundaries Seeking safe borders Decade two summons brittleContinue reading “The Middle of Decade Eight”
Wondering Pilgrim 