Reflections

The folk who choose our readings Sunday do not choose them by random. There is a goodly amount of thought that goes into this process. When you look closely you can often spot the theme. For example today it is all about God revealing himself and we also discover that there is work to be...Continue reading→

Of bubbles and bombs. In the Botanical Gardens of Adelaide, we chanced upon some white chairs neatly arranged and a table set just to one side. This was obviously the setting for a wedding. It was a quieter area, out of the way a bit. Around the corner, there was a large marquee with people...Continue reading→

Of Two Masterchefs And so they came to our place. Two Masterchefs who unobtrusively simply worked gently together in our kitchen to prepare a different sort of meal for us. The plotting of this meal had begun long before with the purchase of exotic ingredients. Then there was much chopping and dicing and preparation. The...Continue reading→

Pentecost - The God of the Surprise. We worship a God who surprises us. Who, when we reflect as always surprised us and continues to do so. In the second reading from Acts the Holy Spirit comes like a wind and a flame and the disciples' lives are transformed. You would be surprised at their...Continue reading→

Of Gossip and Eavesdropping 21/5 As a child, I have a very vivid memory of toddling down the hallway to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. My parents were in the lounge room and they didn’t hear me but I could hear them talking. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to...Continue reading→

It all happens at the kitchen sink. One of the most significant places in the whole home is the kitchen sink. There, with hot water and detergent, several vital things are happening simultaneously First, the dishes are washed. You can’t just let them pile up and fester into gunky science experiments. There’s a whole O.H.&...Continue reading→

Of a long-distance relationship. Most of us are living in some kind of long-distance relationship. All our friends and family don’t just happen to live conveniently down the road in our community. Today's gospel has to do with living in a sort of long-distance relationship. In order to put the reading into a helpful contextI...Continue reading→

My questions of Anzac Day So we gathered around the cenotaph against a spectacular backdrop of golden and russet autumn leaves and to the murmuring hum of the local community. The wreaths were laid, the last post rang out and prayers were offered. In an unexpected and humbling gesture, I was asked if I would...Continue reading→

Three cheers for our rubbish bin people. Thursday is bin day. The truck(s) arrive very early in the morning so the bins have to go out before bedtime on Wednesday. It’s a cathartic feeling to hear the truck rumble and know that all my rubbish is being taken away never to be seen again. It...Continue reading→

The tale of three men. A Reflection for the Coronation of King Charles The first two men are in today's gospel. They are Pilate and Jesus. One a ruler and the other a slave One a master and the other a  servant One a king and the other a subject But which is which? Who is...Continue reading→

Question: Who are you? …. Answer: You are living stones and you are priests. In today's second lesson, Peter is encouraging the early Christians in their spiritual life. He does this by telling them to get rid of the not-so-nice stuff and then empowers them by telling them who they truly are. First, let’s do...Continue reading→

Tread gently It was one of those things that I had the privilege to relearn. Someone far more adroit and perceptive than I pointed out that in the gospel stories we are only ever just given a quick snapshot of a person's life. We are not told what happens before or after the encounter with...Continue reading→

A Curse or a Blessing? In the Outlander series, Claire Randall is a time traveller. She is able to go back to the battle of Culloden to find her true love Jamie Fraser but also their nemesis Jack Randall. She is of course accused of being a witch and because Jack is such a nasty,...Continue reading→

The gift of Emmaus a reflection for Easter 3 Today’s gospel is about seeing God as he truly is. It is what we all long for – “To see God as he is”. Here on this earth we never reach full maturity, but we can certainly give it a 'good innings!' The story of the...Continue reading→

It’s only a flesh wound… or is it? I want to begin with a phenomenon that I have noticed with some hospital patients. Occasionally they will show you their scars and they are quite persistent and passionate about it. I suspect they want to do so for two reasons. First, to prove unequivocally to the...Continue reading→

The three essentials for Life. So they came, and even before they arrived at their first destination they were bug-eyed from a long flight that had been thwarted twice by foul weather. Frazzled nerves and fear of the future coursed through their souls. And when all proof of the next leg of their journey had...Continue reading→

Nothing is ever really lost One of the things that continue to dazzle and enthral me is the interconnectivity of life. I went and knocked on a door recently (nothing new there) only to discover that folk behind this door were present at a wedding I had conducted a long time ago. More than a...Continue reading→

9th of April Question 1. Woman, why are you weeping? Both the angels and Jesus ask this of Mary Magdalene, but we are not privy to the way it was spoken. The way this question was put to Mary makes all the difference to our understanding. For example, was it spoken quickly and harshly? Woman! Why are...Continue reading→

Of cranes and apples I was plucking apples this morning. Years ago someone had the thoughtfulness to plant some apple trees on our nature strip and every year I go and reap the fruit of their ingenuity and foresight. I’m not sure exactly when the trees were planted but they are fully grown now so...Continue reading→

He carried the sins of the world. He carried every wrong decision I have ever made. He carried those moments of wilful wrong-doing, where I have stared down the right path, seen what it would cost me, and chosen the easy road instead. Why, I even stood in the street as he walked by, carrying...Continue reading→