Hearing the Lord’s Prayer anew.

Formal recitation of the Lord’s Prayer is under scrutiny as its place is considered in parliaments of this land. Secularists would abandon it, traditionalists want to retain it, and some of us think the boat is being missed altogether – for to really pray the prayer as Jesus intended would be too explosive for governments to entertain or contain.

This morning’s lectionary had us considering it again. To avoid over-familiarised conditioning, we considered a translation from Aramaic, the familiar language of Jesus.

We noted the intimate invitation to familial relationship with the Divine, creating a human-Divine unity of being out of which the action of God’s reign flowed, expressing itself in forgiveness and just action.

Consider this translation into English from Aramaic (one of several provided by http://www.thenazareneway.com/lords_prayer.htm )

The Prayer To Our Father
(in the original Aramaic)

Abwûn
“Oh Thou, from whom the breath of life comes,

d’bwaschmâja
who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.

Nethkâdasch schmach
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.

Têtê malkuthach.
Your Heavenly Domain approaches.

Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d’bwaschmâja af b’arha.
Let Your will come true – in the universe (all that vibrates)
just as on earth (that is material and dense).

Hawvlân lachma d’sûnkanân jaomâna.
Give us wisdom (understanding, assistance) for our daily need,

Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna
daf chnân schwoken l’chaijabên.
detach the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma)
like we let go the guilt of others.

Wela tachlân l’nesjuna
Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations),

ela patzân min bischa.
but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.

Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l’ahlâm almîn.
From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act,
the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.

Amên.
Sealed in trust, faith and truth.
(I confirm with my entire being)

The freshness of these words were at first somewhat dis-orienting to some of this morning’s worshippers, but I guarantee that the next time we come across the formal use of this prayer, we will hear the whisper of the radical transformation of self and universe that is at its centre.




Plinky.com wants to know about my favorite summer memory

On this freezing Perth day when the temperature plunged below zero? Trips across the Nullarbor in my old Kombi van in searing heat seem rather inviting right now. That was in my pre–responsible days – collecting hitchhikers, driving non-stop with the windows down just to create the illusion of moving air.

Edinburgh 2010 comes to Perth


Great celebration of Edinburgh 2010 in Perth today. 100 years ago missionary organisations came together in Scotland in the recognition that Christian mission could only advance with a united front. The modern ecumenical movement was born. We celebrated at St Peter’s & Emmaus (a combined Uniting Church/Anglican parish) with the help of choirs from local Indonesian and Korean congregations, a reading from Matthew 28 in Aramaic (courtesy of the Syrian Orthodox Church) and a challenging message from the Anglican Dean of Perth, the Very Rev’d John Shepherd.

Model railways are cool again? (via sabrage)

This is what would happen if I let my head go!

Model railways are cool again? Seriously cool. I want to rampage through its streets. My dad built model railways – after he and mum spent thousands extending our house so we could have a rec room, he took over the table tennis table in it and built a model New Zealand bush mining town with people tending to tiny little cabbages in their teeny gardens. I think that was his plan all along. … Read More

via sabrage

Churches combine for Pentecost Eucharist


A quick sneak pic of part of the Pentecost crowd at our combined Wembley Downs churches Eucharist comes out all blurred and wrong, but strangely evocative of the great occasion where the Holy Spirit descended upon the crowd in Jerusalem forever altering perspectives and shifting paradigms of people everywhere in perception of the Creator’s interaction with us. The Anglican, Uniting Church and Churches of Christ congregations habitually come together on the day of Pentecost for this celebration. Today, the Revd Tara Curlewis, visiting Perth in her capacity as General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, preached the Pentecost message.

What do I think of this…?

Doubting Thomas strikes again and I am caught on the horns of a dilemma.

As an Easter person, I would dearly love to hear political leaders who also claim to be Easter people spell out the rationale of their party policies and how they line up as practical expressions of the reign of YHWH in a such an eclectic society as ours. I am particularly wary of the way the church can find itself sullied by being chained to party political agendas of both the left and the right. While it is commendable that Christians, more than ever, are exercising a right and a will to be engaged with politics, it is a matter of great concern to me that many do so in a way that is unreflective and unquestioning of the the manipulative strategies of the political machine.

Be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves” Jesus advises us.

It’s best that we lay aside the anachronistic “Christendom” model that many of us erroneously operate under. For all the foundational influence of Christendom, we are not a Christian nation but a secular one. This realisation can free followers of the way of Jesus enormously. Change in society runs deeper through transformation than legislation. We often make the mistake that legislation will lead to the changes in society that we seek. History reveals that legislation serves best when it responds to the transformation of the collective heart. The abolition of slavery as an economic necessity is the oft quoted example.

The church became politically powerful under Constantine, giving rise to the legislative might of Christendom. Many say that this was the beginning of the Church losing its soul. It became fat and lazy, losing the impetus and passion of the frontier movement of God’s realm. Political expediency rather that the “way of light” became the polar star. Those who continued to speak truth into this state of affairs were the social commentators of the time – prophets and contemplatives, men and women who immersed themselves in the silence of the desert in order to discern and hear what the eternal Word was for their contemporary time.

So, I guess I’ll register to hear what the leaders of our two main political parties have to say to us. Both are practicing Christians who have enormous expectations laid upon them by those of Christian faith, other faiths and no faith at all. The practical outcomes of their personal visions often appear to be at enormous variance  with these expectancies. For this reason alone, Christians ought to seek understanding in order to “pray for those who rule over us” more intelligently.

But this isn’t the only thing. Many are the avenues for engagement with the political process. To the degree of our passion, clarity of vision to what and who we are summoned to be, our talents and abilities, societal transformation is within each person’s grasp.

Facing the Future in Zimbabwe

Antony Dandato with Denis Ladbrook & Ken Patterson

The hope for Zimbabwe lies in its future leadership, well-educated and founded on the trust that is realised in the gift of the gospel of Christ. So claims Antony Dandato, representing the  Fellowship of Christian Unions in Zimbabwe (FOCUS) speaking at the Church of Christ Wembley Downs during an extended visit to Perth. The goal of FOCUS is to unite and equip tertiary students from a variety of campuses and Christian traditions for leadership in their various fields  in the hope that Zimbabwe social and economic life has seen its worst days and is ready for fresh beginnings. From the sound basis of values and consideration for others based on the good news of Christ, Antony believes that Zimbabwe and many other African nations can build a solid future.

Antony fielded a Q & A session with the congregation, highlighting the value of longterm leadership preparation as the most effective strategy for rebuilding his country.  The congregation would also know through previous visitors from Zimbabwe and the church’s support of the Khayelihle Children’s Village that this view is widely shared amongst Zimbabwe Christian leaders.

Antony is keen to share news of  how Christian students on university campuses in his country can combine their efforts in contributing to Zimbabwe’s future.

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli joins the current spate of post-apocalyptic films, perhaps riding high on the uncertainty of the times. Is the strong violence gratuitous or meant to give expression to the ultimate manifestation of dog-eat-dog society? Are the motives behind hunger for possession of the sacred book aimed at self-aggrandisement or service  of others? These questions and other metaphors that arise in the telling of the story seem to be suitable for contemporary times, not just an imagined future. Make allowances for Hollywood sentiments and characterisations and you may find yourself thinking about the film longer than an hour after leaving the cinema.

Congealed Life?

Is your money “congealed life?”
Would you describe your job as “hanging around burning bushes all day?”
Are you a “guard dog” or a “bird dog?”

So many arresting thoughts in one short email courtesy of the daily log  by William P Young, author of “The Shack”

Subscribe to it at Windrumors | The Official Site of Wm. Paul Young, Author of “The Shack”