“The Grateful One” (Luke 17:11-19) Out past the scrub where the mulga grows,And the cockatoos wheel in flight,Ten blokes camped by the river bend,Kept clear of towns by law and fright.Their skin was rough, their spirits worn,Marked by a curse they couldn’t shake,But word came down from a drover’s mouth:“There’s a healer near the Break.”Continue reading “The Ten Outcasts – some Bush Poetry”
Tag Archives: Jesus
Table Manners
One of the things that amazed Jenny and I when we were living in Canberra was the attention paid to status. Many of the people we served worked for the government. One’s status was reflected by the designation and level within the department one served, and the suburb you were expected to live in commensurateContinue reading “Table Manners”
The AFL’s Moral Quandary
I am often struck by how often the lectionary speaks into current events. This week Luke 13 gives a slant to the AFL (Australian Football League) Snoop Dogg Dilemma. In Luke 13:10–17, Jesus heals a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years. He does this on the Sabbath, provoking outrage from the synagogueContinue reading “The AFL’s Moral Quandary”
Gardeners in the Dark
The folk gathering for worship this morning were surprised when the power went out. They were left without lyrics and music or a public address system. Further, the church kitchen was out of order for the much anticipated post service pot luck. Our experienced worship leader (96 years young) handled the situation with ease. SheContinue reading “Gardeners in the Dark”
Thoughts and Prayers – do they work?
Luke 11:1-13 As I read through Luke’s gospel, I try to see in myself how one thought leads to another. I don’t know that this was Luke’s process, for he begins his work by stating his intention to set out an orderly account “of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as theyContinue reading “Thoughts and Prayers – do they work?”
Chaos & Grieving
In these days of chaos, I am traveling with the daily meditations of Matthew Fox and Richard Rohr. They give me occasion to reorient my questing heart to respond rather than react to each day’s rapidly unfolding events. Today Fox draws our attention to the rising awareness and questioning about the antichrist. In simple terms,Continue reading “Chaos & Grieving”
Two Journeys, One Destination
Many Christians worldwide are now preparing to observe the Season of Lent, beginning next week with Ash Wednesday and culminating in Holy Week, the days marking the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem and the events concluding with the triduum, that is Good Friday to Easter Sunday, the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus as Christ.Continue reading “Two Journeys, One Destination”
Einstein, Elijah, Moses and Jesus
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Dr Martin Luther King I was intrigued to hear this favourite quote linked, in a recent conversation, with Einstein’s theory of relativity and its application to satellite navigation that depends on differences in relative space and time calculations for accuracy. As IContinue reading “Einstein, Elijah, Moses and Jesus”
Continuously on the Path of Conversion.
Goodness! Yesterday’s piece seems stuffy with wordiness! It comes with trying to express the inexpressible. Let me translate. We followers of Jesus often fall into the trap of treating him as a remote figure who lived long ago and we have to reach over a huge 2000 year gap to access him. We often talkContinue reading “Continuously on the Path of Conversion.”
Less (maybe!) stirry… more powerful!
Time to pen some more thoughts following my previous rant here, now some months ago. Current conversations are around less controversial matters, but somewhat related in a base-line sense. How to reconcile what we can know of the historic Jesus through a self-imposed limited reading of the four Gospels with the phenomenon of the CosmicContinue reading “Less (maybe!) stirry… more powerful!”
Wondering Pilgrim 