Imagine being freed of all spatial and temporal limitation! The high fence surrounding our time frame of an allotted threescore and ten (or thereabout) is torn down. Star Trek type transportation effortlessly disassembles and reunites our cells so that, at a word, we can be present to any place in the universe. We are perenniallyContinue reading “On the sixth day of Christmas – cosmic outlook!”
Category Archives: Spirituality
On the fourth day of Christmas… an orientation to praise and thanksgiving.
When visiting one of the rural districts surrounding Zvishavane in the south of Zimbabwe 3 months ago, we were struck by the resilience of those who lived on the parched plots with little easy access to water, healthcare and education for their children. We were exploring a program run by the Zimbabwe churches with whom weContinue reading “On the fourth day of Christmas… an orientation to praise and thanksgiving.”
On the third day of Christmas….clothes!
No, not those bargains from the Boxing Day sales. The prophet rhapsodies over gifts of garments representing security, belonging, freedom and hope for the realisation of a vision where all is right with the world. To wear this apparel is to celebrate, as if at a wedding. Something new is beginning and we dress accordingly.Continue reading “On the third day of Christmas….clothes!”
On the second day of Christmas…Nunc Dimittis
These words of completion spontaneously uttered by old Simeon and reinforced by even older Anna, when they encountered the infant Jesus during the customary Jewish purification rites, have given us the gift of the Nunc Dimittis. Here is one rendition of it:
Advent Voices – Christmas Eve
Festivity and celebration occur for very good reasons. In our pampered state, it marks a break in routine, a legitimate season to hang loose and indulge the hedonistic sides of our nature. In our reflective state, we realise that a momentous event in the history of our world caused a seismic shift in our perceptionContinue reading “Advent Voices – Christmas Eve”
Advent Voices: Titus tantalises
Two days before Christmas, a minor voice from the New Testament speaks out. Squeezed obscurely between Timothy and Philemon, not large players themselves, Titus has a voice worth listening to: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation [health, integrity, wholeness] to all… Two days out from Christmas, Titus reminds us that, ultimately, a giftContinue reading “Advent Voices: Titus tantalises”
Advent Voices: Expectant prophet
Incarnation looms near. An expectant mother is amongst others as they make their way along the crowded track to their ancestral town, by order of the census officials. The words of an old oracle from an expectant prophet ring in her ears as the throng plods its weary way. Expectant mother; expectant prophet – theirContinue reading “Advent Voices: Expectant prophet”
Fourth Sunday in Advent – Love
And so the set of four Advent candles have been lit. Candles of anticipation – hope, peace, joy and, finally, love. The Australian community has been galvanised in the aftermath of three unspeakable acts of violence – the Martin Place siege, the Peshawar school massacre, and a family tragedy in Cairns. Amidst crowd reactions ofContinue reading “Fourth Sunday in Advent – Love”
Advent Voices: Ancient voices
The persistent call to rest on ancient promises mingles with the clamour of contemporary conversations. We have Ethan the Ezrahite, an Advent voice from the reign of Solomon to thank for Psalm 89
Advent Voices: a candle in the dark
Advent draws expectant attention to an arrival of one divinely anointed to fix the mess we’re in. It’s a season that both highlights the chaos of a violent world and the pregnant promise of its resolution. Advent’s themes are in tension – no more so this week than when the siege in Sydney and the horrendousContinue reading “Advent Voices: a candle in the dark”
Wondering Pilgrim 