Thirteenth Day of Christmas

“Earth is crammed with heaven, and every bush is aflame with the glory of God. But only those who see take of their shoes; the rest just pick the berries.” Elizabeth Browning

“Earth is crammed with heaven, and every bush is aflame with the glory of God. But only those who see take of their shoes; the rest just pick the berries.” Elizabeth Browning

Thirteenth day of Christmas! Is there such a thing? There is a parody verse that is sometimes added to the well known 12 days song. The beloved is so overwhelmed by the noisy, messy menagerie of gifts that she wants to return them!
There is a little known “13th day” observation that observes the day following January 5th marked by the Visit of the Magi, as the opening of the magnificent and powerful season of Epiphany (glorious manifestation). It’s as if the Magi, having departed, have left an afterglow from recognising and witnessing the revelation of the divine in the infant Christ. The 13th day prompts us to acknowledge that the depth of meaning in the Christmas season is meant to carry over and permeate every molecule of our being.

Ev’ry bush aflame
Ev’ry molecule dances
All creation sings!

Take off your shoes and sit yourself down – and let the Teacher wash your feet!

If wishes were fishes…

If wishes were fishes that swam in the sea
Where on earth would we be? …

Damian Murphy

“What is something you wish you knew how to do?” – Bloganuary Writing Prompt

One day, my eight year old self wished he knew how to fish! Not perturbed that fishing was a skill anywhere near his family’s list of desired recreations, he raided the kitchen knick-knack drawer, found some string and a safety pin., and hopped on the train for the short journey to the Grange jetty on Adelaide’s St Vincent’s Gulf.

Masterfully, he fashioned a hook from the safety pin, tied it to the string and dangled his line off the jetty. There he sat among the seasoned anglers – for three hours. The bait-less hook attracted not one bite. He was not going to go home empty handed however. With no money to use the standard trick of purchasing a catch from the ever-present fishmonger, young Wondering Pilgrim selected a discarded fish carcass from the wooden boardwalk. Slipping it onto the safety pin, he proudly bore it home on the train, displaying it to maximum, advantage amongst his fellow bemused travelling companions. It barely made it past the kitchen door than Mum grabbed it and, holding her nose, chucked the disgusting rancid carcass in the bin.

But he had done it! He could now proudly declare that he had caught a fish!

Ever since, if there was not something I knew how to accomplish, I set about finding out how until I could – fixing taps, unclogging drains, maintaining computers, attending to mysterious car innards, unravelling complex red tape issues – all became doable, more lately with the inestimable aid of YouTube “how to” videos.

Is a wish a fish?
Or a prompt to stretch our will?
Action discloses.

If necessity is the mother of invention, desire chimes in too

Twelfth Day of Christmas

Photo by alexandre saraiva carniato on Pexels.com

Twelve drummers drumming refers to the twelve dot points of the Apostle’s Creed which, in Roman Catholic tradition runs “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”

My own tradition, though Christian, distinguishes itself as non-creedal, that is, while affirming the historic witness of the great creeds, it does not require them as tests of fellowship.

Twelfth day of Christmas
What do I say I believe?
Christ love deeply known.

Drummed in with heart-beat rhythm is lasting trust in the eternal Christ.

Toyin’ with my mind

#Bloganuary today prompts us to write about a favourite childhood toy. I went out to the garage and pulled down the box that stores the remnants of my old Hornby O gauge train set. I think I was about 6 or 7 when it appeared under the Christmas Tree. I had hours of fun laying out the track in various configurations on the bedroom floor, using cushions and empty boxes as hills and tunnels. It started my love affair with trains, and here I am, six decades later still waiting for the space, time and $$$ to build a decent layout! One of those things I’ll get to when proper retirement starts, I suppose. In the meantime, one shelf in my office is dedicated to keeping my appetite whetted.

Toyin’ with my mind
A track looking for somewhere
Locos ready to chuff

A model railway fuses carpentry, mechanics, art and spirit!

‘leventh of Christmas

I have been chided simultaneously both for being overly strict to form and too free and easy. This means I’ve got it about right. Even so, squeezing “Eleventh day of Christmas into a 5 syllable haiku opening has me bracing myself! I am told the pipers piping are the eleven faithful apostles (after Judas has excused himself)

‘leventh of Christmas
Do ye ken the piper’s cry?
Turn ’round with new heart!

Bagpipes skirling, kilts a-whirling, over the hill they come – let’s follow!

#Bloganuary No.3

diagram as seen at https://david-culture.medium.com/oh-it-you-are-entering-the-comfort-zone-83c854435474

Write about the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone

Sometimes it seems as if I am perpetually out of my comfort zone. The paradox is that I have spent a life time – seven decades! – learning to live within a state of what some call “existential dissonance.”
It may sound grim, but I am thankful for it.

I can embrace risk, but not recklessly.
I can welcome other points of view, advancing learning and avoiding dogmatism.
When I relax, mostly by meditating, I don’t have to feel I’ve earned it – I am returning to my authentic core.

Authenticity keeps me anchored while weighing up the swirling chaos of my thoughts and the demands of others. When I was a fledgling church minister, a mentor shouted at me, “Claim your authority!” I’ve come to know that authority and authenticity are inextricably linked.
It’s been a life commandment to which I often return.

Social justice advocacy, refugee ministry, mental health support, community building and a nurturing, teaching role in day to day pastoral oversight of small suburban congregations have offered plenty of scope. Retirement has been no different, for which I am relieved.

I don’t think I’d survive too long in a comfort zone!


#Bloganuary No. 2

What’s a road trip you’d like to take?

They ask me this and I scratch my head,
I’ve done a few, and of more I’ve read,
What can eclipse the roads I’ve traveled
And the stories and thoughts that they in turn unravelled.

Our very own Nullarbor had its Kombi run
Roos, wombats and camels in the burning sun
Hitchhikers share the driving load
A thousand kilometers straight of unbending road.

The road from Amman to Petra ran past
The Wadi Musa where Moses’ water flowed fast
And what could beat the old Al Khazneh treasury
Immortalized by Indiana of current screen memory.

By Al_Khazneh_Petra.jpg: Graham Racher from London, UKderivative work: MrPanyGoff – Al_Khazneh_Petra.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14686572

The Grand Ol ‘Opry House in Tennessee
Launched our troupe north through green Kentucky
Fields of Ohio, Virginia thunder
Our church history alive, and we’re from Down Under.

Bulawayo to the bush winds a long dusty track
We travel to schools and communities out back
We listen to stories and talk about hope
Sink bores for water; with these we’ll all cope.

Maharashtra in India runs east to west
The road is quite crowded, we all do our best
From Mumbai to Yavatmal is quite a long haul
But the people we meet make it all a big ball!

So “What’s a road trip you’d like to take?”
One of these again – for old time’s sake!

Ninth Day of Christmas

The Good Book tells us “… the [nine] fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5), and the song gives us nine ladies dancing.

Ninth Day of Christmas
Pirouetting, whirling dance
Spirit rejoices.

In the soft tones of nativity, Spirit nurtures maturity.

Bloganuary Challenge

Throughout January, my blog host, WordPress, poses a daily question in its Bloganuary challenge

It kicks off with “What advice would you give your teenage self?”

Let me respond by trying something new – a biolet (poetic device that follows ABabBA – any meter)

Acknowledge your fear
Let go of your timidity
Within you is the courage of a lion
Unleash it and the whole world will invite you in
Let go of your timidity
Acknowledge your fear

Gweru, Zimbabwe, 2014