Reflections

Stumbling In (with apologies to Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman) The year was 1978 and Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman released a song called Stumbling In. As a healthy adolescent of 18 years old, I used to think Suzi was it and a bit and a whole lot more, particularly because my mum was not...Continue reading→

Of Treasure The film Treasure stars Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry. Based on a true story they play a father (Edek) and daughter (Ruth) going back for a trip to the Death Camp of Auschwitz. Ruth has never been but her Father Edek has childhood memories. Ruth is keen for them to go, Dad not...Continue reading→

22 September 2024 But Why??? There’s a small child (Brutus) together with his mother down aisle number 3 in the supermarket. As everyone knows aisle 3 is not the health food section. Aisle 3  is where all the good stuff is. The chips, the chocolate, the confectionery, the Mars bars and the Freddo frogs. The inevitable conversation...Continue reading→

The light of Christ and living water. Part 1 The opening of the Games held in Paris was startling. What resonated with me was the Countries of the world participating going down the Seine river. People lined along the lit sides of the river waving their flags and having a wonderful time. The fact that...Continue reading→

This week's mini reflection comes to you from a fine lay-woman Mrs. Jannie Ryan who I am trying to encourage to do a little more. It’s not about the title. The stories leading up to this morning's gospel do not paint the disciples in a very good light. In chapter 4 they ask: “Who is...Continue reading→

OK, so where would you like to start? It was a simple line that I happened to overhear. We were in the room with a coach who was speaking to one of their people on the phone. “OK, so where would you like to start?” It’s a great opening line and invites the other person...Continue reading→

Mums Move Us On. Go into any ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and the ache of a mother's love for her child is almost tangible. It wraps itself tightly around you from the moment you walk through the door. The sense of fear, desperation, hope, grief and protection never leaves you. So ferocious...Continue reading→

From the V Sign to the Clenched Fist There is a photo from the 1970s that shows two high school students sitting around doing what high school students tried to do in those days. To act cool and fail dismally in the process. If you could see the photo and use your imagination, you may...Continue reading→

Why I Do the Dishes. “And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.” In today’s gospel, Jesus addresses three different audiences: a group of Pharisees and scribes.  The crowd that is perpetually present who I have come to think of as his groupies. They don’t actually seem to say...Continue reading→

Interrupted by Love I want to tell you a true story. It did not happen in any parish I have served in but it came from such a reliable source and was told with such emotion that I know it must be true. Mr Bloggs was a widower of ‘senior age’. It happened that in...Continue reading→

God’s Wardrobe. There is a collection of Paul's letters commonly referred to as his ‘Prison Epistles’. These prison epistles are ‘Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.’ They are called the prison epistles because, in all of them, Paul mentions that he is in prison. The exact date is tricky but we think that is somewhere between...Continue reading→

The first time I did any hefty study I was at Theological College. I had never written more than 500 words before and all of sudden I was confronted with the task of writing 3000 words together with a thing called a ‘bibliography.’ I was daunted and I struggled. About 10 days out from the...Continue reading→

When I was about eight years old, my paternal grandfather teased me playfully with a question: Did Adam have a belly button? He—Val, my grandfather—was neither a philosopher nor theologian, but his question travelled with me for years. I long ago gave up the quest for the Adamic Umbilicus, but I took up the invitation to go...Continue reading→

When disaster strikes… It’s another line I shamelessly stole from a podcast I was listening to. The person who was being interviewed was a disaster planner. Ie. When a major disaster happens they are one of the people who strategically think through what needs to happen, medicine, fresh water, evacuation, the delicate task of passing...Continue reading→

11 August 1024 The bread of humanity, the stuff of God. The creators of the lectionary had me stumped this week. In the first lesson, we have the heart-wrenching story of King David learning that his son Absalom has died a grizzly death. The details are all printed in the pew sheet in graphic detail....Continue reading→

Mary Sumner “It can’t have been easy” Today I want to start with Mary Sumner's own Mum Mrs. Heywood. It is the culture and atmosphere of the home that we grow up in, that we silently absorb on a daily basis, which helps to form us as we mature. We don’t do this consciously or...Continue reading→

Battery Low” I can get around the lake about 5 mornings out of the seven. Sometimes the weather is calm, crisp and delicious. Other days it’s rough and tumble. Sometimes I get around swiftly, particularly when it's Parkrun on a Saturday morning and other times it's a plodding shuffle. One of the things that helps...Continue reading→

“To do things to the very best, you often have to do things differently” I forget where I got this intriguing little quote from. Someone wise and profound no doubt. It’s one of those one-liners that draws you in and makes you think. But the more you think about it, the more challenging it becomes....Continue reading→

‘One pizza with four different toppings.’ Dear Margarita, Thank you very much for your kind letter of July 21st. I’m sorry that you find some of the homilies rather tedious. You are quite right. Some of them are spectacular duds and it's no wonder your mind wanders to the four images carved into the pulpit...Continue reading→

The Cement Ingot of Guilt I wrote last week about making a house a home and how I had had the privilege of living in no fewer than 8 (eight) rectories. What is hidden in that swift little sentence is the process of moving. There have been no fewer than 8 moves in my life...Continue reading→