Today’s short text from the very long Psalm 119 asks “How can young people keep their way pure?” Apart from my instant retort that this question also applies to old fossils like yours truly, I hesitate to pontificate from a lofty platform of age and experience when I have never had to face the kindsContinue reading “Age and purity …”
Category Archives: Personal
Fading out, Fading in
Change is in the wind. Transition is a process of letting go in order to grasp the new thing. Sometimes the process is swift and decisive, leaving us reeling and wondering where to grab on to something – anything – simply to stay oriented. Or the process can be slow, planned and deliberate. And weContinue reading “Fading out, Fading in”
Snakes alive!
Who would have thought that John 3:16, that enigmatic slogan that appears in crowd scenes at major sporting events, behind sky-writing planes and in many references to the passing of the late Billy Graham, had much to do with this week’s discussion of a snake on a stick (here and here)? The fourth gospel’s burdenContinue reading “Snakes alive!”
Whatever happened to Moses bronze serpent?
Some questions are never asked but you come across the answer anyway. Another way of putting it – “When do life-saving traditions turn sour and useless?” Now that’s more useful. To know what happened to Moses’ artefact, read 2 Kings 18:1-8. It had long outlived its purpose and become something detrimental to the life of theContinue reading “Whatever happened to Moses bronze serpent?”
Snake on a stick
When we were kids on a long road trip, we would end up complaining loudly about the time, the length of the journey, each other and life in general. The parental reaction was “If you don’t stop I’ll give you something to whinge about!” Something like this happened in the wilderness where the Israelites wanderedContinue reading “Snake on a stick”
Drought-time faith
Jeremiah 14:1-9 takes us into a real-time angst-ridden experience of drought where no relief is in sight. How do people pray in such circumstances? Lay it all out as it is – don’t hold anything back. Be impolite and complain – God is not so fragile that God cannot handle it! But Jeremiah also identifiesContinue reading “Drought-time faith”
Scandal and folly
The church is no stranger to either and often bears both at the same time. This morning the resolution of a strange and very public dispute between a local priest and his diocese is in the media. No doubt it will add fuel to the fire of the public perception that the church is aContinue reading “Scandal and folly”
When Jesus let fly …
Christian activism, maligned by many, has one prominent stand-out exemplar – the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus described in today’s text in John 2:13-22. Holding passive sit-ins at parliamentary offices seems mild compared to the passionate action of Jesus turning over moneychanger’s tables and fashioning a scourge to drive animals from the temple precincts. BothContinue reading “When Jesus let fly …”
Hope when all is hopeless
Haggai is not a well-known prophet but his words are like fresh spring water bubbling up in a parched paddock. His work is summarised well by Rev’d Peter Walker in today’s commentary on the text in With Love To The World, “he inspired Israel to recognise that a shattered people can rebuild their community.” IContinue reading “Hope when all is hopeless”
Jeremiah’s critique
The complaints in Jeremiah’s critique could well come from the press gallery in the Canberra, or Washington, or London of today. Unjust bias for the wealthy, subterfuge, graft, double-dealing – all happening amongst the ruling class of Israel in the years leading up to the first destruction of Jerusalem’s temple and forced exile of the populationContinue reading “Jeremiah’s critique”
Wondering Pilgrim 