We usually  think that the only time Jesus was offered myrrh was when the magi came to visit the Christ child. The reality is that Jesus  was offered myrrh several times in his life and in his death. The other interesting discovery is the people who offered it to him. Almost always, it was the outsider, the most unlikely person.

Listen not only to the occasions when Jesus is offered myrrh but by whom.

In Mark's account of the crucifixion we read this “Then the soldier offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” So it is Roman soldier, a man of no apparent faith and an accessory to Jesus death that offers Him myrrh.

And then later on when God himself is a corpse, myrrh will be brought to the body of Lord Jesus by a secret disciple.

Here’s the story“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.”

And again, by some very different people.

They are the very courageous women who come under cover of the early morning darkness to what they think is a heavily guarded tomb. But they do not know that the guards have run away in fear before they set out. For the women it is a very gutsy little journey.  Here’s how Luke records this adventure. “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb”. These would not have been cheap myrrh and spices so there is a severe financial cost to them, as well as the uncertainty of their lives. Our brothers and sisters in the Eastern Church call them Holy Myrrh- Bearing Women – because the Gospels tell us they risked danger, untold grief and the unknown in order to take expensive spices and oils from their own stores to anoint the Saviour’s lifeless body. The Holy Myrrh-Bearers are made up of women of different ages, vocations and histories; they were disciples of Christ, and they were probably drawn by concrete encounters of Jesus while he was still alive. You don’t go to a tomb and put your life at risk for a perfect stranger.  They drew strength, healing and inspiration from Christ when he was alive and their discipleship has a quality which some called “feminine genius”.

Interesting isn’t it, that all sorts of people from all sorts of lives are unknowingly united in bringing this one gift to the Lord. For a gold star you might like to reflect on the unlikely outsider who has brought you myrrh. The person who had to tell you some sad news perhaps. Or was it the person who was with you when you found yourself receiving myrrh? Our Christian faith, what we teach, what we believe what we offer to the world, must embrace and make holy every experience and emotion of our human life. And in these knotty times perhaps this symbolic gift of myrrh speaks more clearly and resounds more loudly than ever before. We must be able to say to our community that your suffering is authentic and real. Your experience of myrrh is an important part of the whole gamut of what it is to be human. From infancy, to the cross, to the grave, Our Lord accepts his myrrh, and He accepts our myrrh life experiences as well. He opens wide his arms to embrace and sanctify our myrrh.

We learn that his suffering, his myrrh, his tears are in fact ours. He is already there with us when myrrh comes our way.It’s really easy and it is understandable to always want the glitzy gold and frankincense, but as the good book reminds us if we take joy from the hand of the Lord, must we not also take sorrow too.Heavenly Father, the Magi came on bended knee to adore your Son and offer their gifts. Implant deep within us that same sense of mystery and awe for all your generous gifts to us.

So fill our hearts with your love that we may come one day and see what they saw, the face of your beloved Son, even Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

I learnt a new phrase off the Television the other night. The phrase is ‘Cancel Culture’. Great! This is really good news. There are times in our life when we need a fresh start and to have our past cancelled. A culture of forgiveness and reconciliation. But no.. that is not what ‘Cancel culture’ is at all. In fact it is literally the opposite. This is how Wikipedia (source of all knowledge and fount of all wisdom) defines ‘Cancel Culture’.

Cancel culture (or call-out culture) is a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles online on social media, in the real world, or both. Those who are subject to this ostracism are said to be “canceled."

I find this abhorrent  and indefensible for several reasons.

• First, it does not allow a person to move on and start afresh. Everyone reading this article has made blunders and a new beginning is one of the precious necessities of living in a community where we ‘bump’ into one another.
• Secondly, we are not defined as a person by the mistakes we make. We are infinitely valuable as human beings. We are immeasurably loved by the Master. The church should be making that visible in the everyday life of the community in which she serves.
• Thirdly, it makes no account for that unseen but heroic process of learning from your mistakes. People often come out better, stronger and wiser having fallen from grace. They  learn what not do and how to avoid making the same mistake again. Such folk are the most compassionate and healing souls for others who find themselves bruised and in the dust.

The Cancel Culture is counter to the Christian Culture We must never define others and especially ourselves, by what is past.

During this advent season I’m offering a mini series entitled “Gifts for God” reflecting on the gifts the magi brought to Jesus. Gold, Frankincense and myrrh.

On the 4th Sunday of Advent, we will be pondering on the mystery of Mother Mary, not just because it is very close to Christmass, not just because the whole shebang could not have happened without her, but because she also gave a gift to God. Our Lady gave her very self. Her whole being,  Body and soul to God.

But for today, the first gift that the Magi come and give is the gift of gold. Gold symbolises that this precious bundle of humanity and divinity all wrapped in one and all wrapped up in a blanket, is nothing less than a king. But more than that he is King of all kings as Handel majestically crafted in his stunning work The Messiah. So by offering gold to Jesus  the magi might be saying something like this.“From one King to another, I recognise and honour your kingship. Further I perceive that you are a far greater king than I will ever be, even though you are so very young and have not made any policy speeches or announced any programs, or spoken a word.

You are king not just because of what you have not done, not just because of what you will do. You are THE king simply because of who you are. I place at your feet this gold as an outward gesture of my understanding that you are God. I am honoured and awed to be able to do this.” Now there are lots of really nifty things about being a king. You have hot and cold running errand people to carry out your every whim. You never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from and you get to make a lot decisions which will affect people's lives, hopefully in a very positive and life changing way. Kings also have really cool expensive stuff.

They have the best and the best that could be offered was the gift of gold.Gold is a soft metal, but it is also long lasting and expensive. The magi understood its significance and those who dabble precariously, perhaps foolishly  in the Stock Market in the 21st century also understand this. They flock to gold in perilous COVID times because they know it is a very safe commodity. Many of us know of someone or are privileged to wear a gold wedding band. It’s gold because our marriage is special and sacred and precious.At a wedding service the golden rings are given and received between husband and wife. There is a symbolism here too, just as there was with the magi and Our Lord.First, the golden wedding band is a symbol of the fidelity between the happy couple.

You know how it goes ‘forsaking all others’. So just as the husband and wife pledge themselves to each other, so too the Magi was not just saying that Jesus was any ordinary young King, but the magi was saying that “You are my king and there will be no one else as significant in my life as you. You are at the pinnacle of all my priorities, but even deeper and more mysterious than that, just as the bride and groom become one flesh and bound together in an indescribable but profound way, so too the magi as he lays is gift at the feet of the Christ child, is saying by this outward action, that you Lord Jesus and I are one. It really is what Christmass is all about; God and man becoming one flesh.Second thing about the symbolism of Gold. Gold lasts for a really long time.

The wedding ring goes round and round in an endless circle with no beginning or ending, so the vocation of the couple is that their love for each other will also go on and on. It might change, it might develop, it might mysteriously mature and evolve into something that it was not at the beginning. I would like to think that the Magi’s desire for an unending relationship with the Lord was his deepest yearning.

Finally, what pervades all of this, is a most marvellous sense of joy. The couples joy for each other. The marvellous joy for the Christ-child, the Lord’s joy for all those who make pilgrimage to Him. You don’t give gold to someone who you are hostile towards. You give gold to someone who makes you happy. Something to think about the next time you see a golden ring on someone's hand, or maybe even your own.

A little prayer for the season.

Heavenly Father, the Magi came on bended knee to adore your Son and offer their gifts.
Implant deep within us that same sense of mystery and awe for all your generous gifts to us.
So fill our hearts with your love, that we may come one day and see what they saw,
the face of your beloved son, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

I was reading something rather insightful the other day. It was about trying to adjust to the ‘new norm’ when we are not quite sure what the ‘new norm’ actually is. The new norm is rather slippery and changes even before we have begun to get our head around it. No wonder there is a sense of weariness. It's just a lot of hard work. Perceptive Tara Haelle who is a photojournalist, educator, author, and science writer penned these words.“Most of us have heard for most of our lives to expect more from ourselves in some way or another. Now we must give ourselves permission to do the opposite. We have to expect less of ourselves and we have to replenish more. We are asking ourselves ‘Where do I get my energy? What kind of down time do I need?’” Now the phrase that really smacked me across my left cheek was the bit about expecting less of ourselves. We are a driven sort of a world and we are more frantic, more competitive and more antsy than we have been for some time.What if instead of allowing our blood pressure to froth, we just poured ourselves a fragrant bubbly bath with a refreshing beverage, some chocolate and soothing music? What if that was all we expected of ourselves and that was everything on our to do list?

Wouldn’t we be more likely to treat ourselves better and each other more kindly? The Master put it this way. “Come to me all you that labour and are heaven laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

The usual path for the intrepid preacher for today is to encourage the patient listener to reach  out and care for those who are less fortunate and at this point in history there are plenty of them.

In the gospel reading these are the stranger, those in prison, the hungry and the thirsty. And the punch line for this very fine homily is when The Master points to that reality which we lose sight of so very easily.

Whatever you do for the least of these you do it for me. So the challenge is to see Our Lord in the down and out, the rough and tumble, the squashed and the bruised, the angry and the sullen, the hardened criminal in prison and the beggar on the streets. These are in fact Our Lord, thinly disguised.

The other half of this homily is a solemn warning that when we fail to care for the destitute we fail Him. Nothing more nothing less. So to neglect the less fortunate through sloth or indifference or condescending attitude is sin. It is to miss an opportunity to minister to the Masters wounds. With so many that are needy it’s a gargantuan gig.

However, Mother Theresa of Calcutta who spent a lifetime caring for the most vulnerable and neediest of the world would remind us that

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one”.

This is a really good track for the preacher to walk down and to offer to those who would listen, so I’ll save it for another day.

When you scratch the surface of this gospel reading you can’t help but see that everyone is surprised. Those who have ministered to the underlings of society have no idea that they are in for a gold star and elephant stamp.

“The righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” You see… not a clue. Fr. David at his shiny naive best.

Similarly, those who have been neglectful had no idea that they were shirking their responsibilities.

“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”

So what are we to make of this. How can we be expected to do the right thing and see with the clarity that is required of us? How can we glimpse who it is that is really before us, especially at this time  when we only see the screen or at best a mask?

Perhaps the answer is that every encounter is an opportunity to minister to the divine.

The other dimension of this, is that we have no idea of how potent or lovely someone else's ministry is. And the more hidden it seems, the more powerful and splendid is that ministry.

Scratch around a little deeper. Just as we don’t often realise our hidden sins and our missed opportunities, so too, and I actually think this is more the case, we often do not realise the good that we do. We have no idea just how powerful our ministry is and what effect we have on people. Often I think that if one person, just one soul is nudged just one millimetre closer towards heaven then it will all have been worthwhile and there is no copyright on that if you find it helpful.

Something to reflect on. Usually when we read this gospel we think of everyone else as those who need ministry. It’s everyone else that we should be reaching out to. But I put it to you friends that there is a flip side to this.

What if we had the humility and the integrity to fess up, raise our hand  and say ‘Yes please I too need pastoral care. I am hungry for nurture and companionship and someone to just to sit quietly and listen. I am thirsty for love of the gospel. I too am in-prisoned by my sins and especially the ones that I see only from time to time out the corner of my eye’.

We need ministry from others And We need HIM.

Today is the feast of Christ the King and we come to realise again, that our King, like us, is the one who is also bruised and broken, vulnerable and little, pierced and yet princely because He is lovely in his lowliness.  And here with the sacrament of the broken bread, all we can do is make a throne for him with the palm of our hand and take Him deep into ourselves. Our King really is all powerful for His vulnerability, His brokenness and most of all His love.

In praise of Sir Paul

The text for today “Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.”

A music worm is one of those tunes that you hear and just can’t quite get out of your head. We’ve all had them and will continue to do so. A good example is the tune to “Shine Jesus shine”. I had a music worm the other day and it was the Beatles song “Let it be”. It begins with some words that you would not necessarily expect from the lips of Paul Mcartney.

The song begins

“When I find myself in times of trouble mother Mary comes to me.. Speaking words of wisdom let it be”.

For me they speak quite potently in these very troublesome times. It is far too easy, perilously easy, wickedly easy, to slip quickly into the argy bargy of cases and bubbles and masks and leaders and media updates and predictions and numbers. Hindsight is a merciless mistress who can lash us and everyone else relentlessly. When we feel our angst and blood pressure rising, sin is already courting us and seducing us. Winking seductively, murmuring alluringly to us ‘Come hither, dance with me, cling to me.’

There is a very telling line in the song about the need to agree, even if, as mature grown up ladies and gentlemen we agree to disagree. The lyrics speak of broken hearted people of which there are many today and perhaps we might include ourselves in that category.

The line goes like this

“And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer let it be”.

So only when we agree, just to simply get on and care for each other the best we can and never give up, then we will discover that we are living the answer that Sir. Paul wrote about. We will learn afresh that the person in the mirror is the answer.

In these times that I am actually glad of my little music worm.

“When I find myself in times of trouble mother Mary comes to me.. Speaking words of wisdom let it be”.

If only I just stop to breathe for a little while and ask mother Mary to come to me.. always  She does. She has always been there and all I have to do is remember is that she has always been there beside me, with me, calmly inspiring me and praying for me. She gently points me again to what is important. The love of her Son. In many religious images she holds her son with one arm and the other hand points to Jesus. It it is that clear, that difficult and that easy. This is where you need to focus. This is what it is vital. Just it let it be, let it be in him.

But,… to let it be takes a conscious act of will and a persistent trying to be calm in order to make it happen. Mother Mary is the powerful, yet gentle advocate who knew just about every travesty and consequence of the human sin even to the foot of the cross. Yet she stood there and just let it be.

Like Paul Mcartney Mother Mary says to me “There will be an answer… let it be.”

Don’t cling to the junk and sin. Focus rather on what God wants for you on this day, at this moment and what he wants perhaps more than ever I suspect in this grumpy old time, is for us to just let it be.

The chorus of the song is still niggling away in my ears as I type. Let it be.. let it be.

Like the Archangel Gabrielle coming to Mary, the real answer finds us. It's not just our endeavour, not just our efforts, not  just our solution and most certainly not our initiative. It is always Him. God comes to us first. It is His effort, His solution, His endeavour, …His love.

At first I was a little annoyed when this music worm found its way into my head. Now I am not so annoyed. It will be a good mantra for me if I just have the presence and peace of mind to listen and respond accordingly.

Perhaps I should give the last word to Paul Mcartney today.

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be

For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be

A bit of background might help us understand this parable.

The marriage custom in Jesus day was as follows: The Groom would prepare a place for his bride. It might be his own house or a place at his father’s house. Then he would go to the father in law's place to get her. There might be a small party at her house, so there was a small delay. Then the Bride and Groom would return to the groom's father’s house for the marriage feast or banquet (which usually lasted for seven days). They had great parties in those days.

The ten young ladies would be somewhere along the route between the bride’s house and the groom’s house. They would wait for the bride and groom to return and they would hope to join the procession and enter with them into the party.

Now on first reading of our parable it appears as though the 5 wise bridesmaids are being rather selfish. I mean how hard can it be to share a little oil? It seems a little harsh to send the others off to the BP service station at midnight to go and see if he’s still open to get a little oil.

So what are we to make of their stingy ways?

My best guess is this.

That what Matthew is really saying is that you can’t borrow another person's relationship with God. Everyone has to work at it and work it out for themselves. We have to cultivate my own spirituality. Nobody can do it for you.  Someone can’t believe for you.

Which leads us down the path to some other thoughts. When confronted by the stranger, the person we don’t like or the person who is sparkling, we might think we know how much or how little oil they have. We might think that we know exactly where they are up to with their relationship with God, but the reality is that we have no idea what quality oil, how much they have and where they got it from. No idea at all. Some get their oil from the inspiration of others. Some get their oil from a crushing experience. Some would say that it has just always been there. Our job is not to speculate about everyone else’s oil, our job is to make sure that we have plenty in our own lamp and that our wicks are always trimmed and ready to go., that you are shining ever more brightly. I am the light of the world. You are the light of the world. We are the light of the world.

A few other things about this parable. There’s a lot of waiting… just hanging around.. and that is so true for us. The computer tells me that there are at least 129 references to the word ‘wait’ in the bible; so if we find ourselves getting a little tetchy, a little impatient, then this is nothing new.

Do not despair In the middle of the night, even in the deepest darkness, a cry of joy will wake us. The night cannot last forever; the Bridegroom will return. Do not put your lamps away in a closet but have them on hand and lit, even if the world says that it’s foolish and pointless

So in this parable the night becomes frustrating: things don’t happen as the bridal party had hoped. God doesn’t work according to our schedule and the Bridegroom does not arrive when we want him to, in the way that we want Him to. He comes at his own time, his own schedule, his own itinerary, in his own way.

Now according to the parable, everyone falls asleep: both the wise virgins and the foolish ones. It is as if to say that falling asleep is inevitable, a fact of life. It is not avoiding sleep that differentiates the wise from the foolish. The problem of the foolish virgins is not sleepiness, but something more fundamental. They never took care of the lamp that they were given and there is a not so subtle hint in there about taking care of ourselves. Clergy are just as good as anyone else, in fact we are sometimes better than most, at not taking care of ourselves. You can’t shine brightly if your oil/resources/energy is all used up.

Finally, the parable centres on different symbols: the lamp and the oil. They are common symbols throughout the Bible. The lamp reminds us of Jesus’ invitation to be the light of the world,

Remember this bit

Jesus said “I am the light of the world.” Now what would happen if we claimed that saying for ourselves? What if we could look in the mirror and say with joy.

“I am the light of the world?” Claim that truth for yourself brothers and sisters. Against the dark backdrop of these times please, please know, that you are shining ever more brightly. I am the light of the world. You are the light of the world. We are the light of the world.