Reflections

“People of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo da Vinci 1452. This explains a lot about why Leonardo is still being talked about, why we still look up to him and why exhibitions and his drawings can be admired and gawped at. The...Continue reading→

Of first-world responsibilities. In another place, I made the point that we have first-world luxuries like peace, the internet and motor vehicles. It has occurred to me since that we also have first-world responsibilities. There is a responsibility to ourselves. We have this amazing thing called a body which needs feeding, cleansing and exercising. Like...Continue reading→

The story of the burning coal. The first reading today is an absolute corker and as always there are at least two ways of looking at it. First, there is the literal sense of the passage—what the words mean in their original, historical context—Isaiah’s encounter with the Living God. The second way is to look...Continue reading→

“Numbers are people” A reflection inspired by Nicole Van Berkel - a family friend of Hannah McGuire. I have known for some time now that on average, one woman dies every four days at the hands of another. I don’t have strong numeracy skills but that means 7 this month and thus a humiliating 84...Continue reading→

May 19th Pentecost 2024. Guard the Holy fire. There is something mysterious, alluring and powerful about fire. There is something quite charming about staring into some flames in an open fireplace, but in rural Australia, we also understand how fickle and brutal fire can be. We are somehow both attracted to and in fear of...Continue reading→

Praise to the God who disturbs us. May 12th 2024. Today I want to try to unpack the story of the election of Matthias in the second reading. Here’s what we know. Peter stands up in front of about a hundred and twenty folk and gives a little speech. He lets them know that there...Continue reading→

“Fix your course to a star and you can navigate through any storm” Leonardo da Vinci 1452. Jeanine and I were privileged to attend the LUME in Melbourne where there was an immersive experience featuring the works and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. Not only did he paint, he also invented and thought deeply about...Continue reading→

May 5th … You did not  choose me… but… One of the many security tests Jeanine and I encountered on our trip to the States was that we had our fingerprints taken, both going in and leaving the country. We were tired, jet-lagged, bemused and fraught by it all, but we were not going to argue...Continue reading→

What / Who am I doing this for? We gathered at Melville Oval Hamilton. It was a drizzly, chilly morning and there were hundreds with me. There is a single light on the statue and far too many crosses on the lawn. It was cold, bleak and depressing. I had left the comfort of a...Continue reading→

Wicked Little Letters I went to see this film the other day. I should probably start with the health warning that some of the letters were technicolour in their content. That’s the next level above colourful. The film starred some well-known folk like Olivia Colman, Edith Swan, Jessie Buckley and Rose Gooding. The film was...Continue reading→

From Bishop Mark Burton. Of Tupperware and Tin. John Donne wanted to die with his boots on. No quiet exit, slipping away in bed while asleep. Ideally, he wrote, in a letter to a friend, ‘it hath been my desire) that I might die in the pulpit.’ And preferably, mid-sermon, to fall headlong into the congregation. He...Continue reading→

Dear Cleo, This letter comes to you in two parts. There is the grown-up bit at the start for old people and then there is the nice bit which is a story especially for you. Let’s get the old people bit over with first. You came into this world with much anticipation and joy. You...Continue reading→

I’m writing this on Good Friday There is a YouTube series called ‘Letters Live’. In this series, Benedict Cumberbatch reads one of Alexei Navalny’s final letters dated 17th of January 2024. Alexei died in what might be called ‘puzzling circumstances’ and that is me pouring a fair amount of chocolate sauce on it. His opposition...Continue reading→

Thankyou to all who helped

3 cheers for our Doctors. Each year I go and see a gentleman who I refer to as my ‘Big Doctor’. We have known each other for decades and we do the whole shooting match. Blood, diet, state of mind, anything and everything. All the numbers and counts are ticked off. He has seen me...Continue reading→

Easter 3 14/4/24 ‘How do you like your fish?’ On our menu today you can have battered and deep-fried; roast or baked; pan-fried; poached.  Or, how about broiled? In the Gospel the disciples gave Jesus a piece of ‘broiled’ fish to eat so that Jesus could prove to them that he was ‘real’ and not a ghost;...Continue reading→

To paths not taken… It was a quick line on TV. The high-level police having solved a particularly heinous case are reflecting over some tumblers of beverage, One of them turns wistfully to his colleague and asks. ‘So George… if you hadn’t been a detective what would you have been?’ George replies “I come from...Continue reading→

Easter 2. John 20.19-31 Conquering with brokenness. What is it about hands? They crop up quite a bit in the good book. Pilate washes his hands before sending Jesus on his way to death. Jesus places his hands on little children and the sick. The laying on of hands confers the Holy Spirit and authority...Continue reading→

Dancing in the Shadows Whilst leading the parish worship is a rich and delicious joy, when I’m on holiday I relish the chance just to slip quietly into the back pew and let the liturgy wash over me. I adopt a number of postures depending on how I am feeling. There have been times when...Continue reading→

Easter Easter Decisions The first known meeting of the Risen Lord is in very understated circumstances. It’s a gloomy, early morning, still dark and there is one person (only one) that the Risen Lord wants to be with. The risen Lord makes a conscious, maybe even premeditated choice to be with the weeping Mary Magdalene....Continue reading→