Figures dancing
free
yet unified
in this ordinary
and radiant moment
filled with the grace
of love and community.
This serves as springboard
for an opportunity
to be grateful
for the gift of ourselves
our relationships
and be present
to the love
which is God
building, healing,
making whole and holy.
I am entranced
In a hotel
My needs cared for
Safe
Cosy
While I watch in horror
And disbelief
As my beloved country
Burns.
Inchoate
Words less substantial
Than the ash left
By bushfires that burn
Hotter than 1000 degrees.
Nero and his minions
Utter platitudes
Instead of leading
With the heart and soul
This moment so desperately calls for
To console the thousands
Whose lives have been pulled asunder
‘Crisis is the coin of opportunity’
Opportunity for whom?
For what?
Please God NOT more of the same
How can our faith speak warmly human words to the pain of those mourning the loss of loved ones? I have been wrestling with this as our tenets of faith have seemed distant from the painful reality I have witnessed. We believe that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that love never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8). For all their truth and power, these words still turn to ash when faced with the loss of a loved one.
It is said that ‘love is blind’. Yet maybe the pain of loss also temporarily clouds the ongoing nature of the love that was shared in life: the special moments, celebrations, travel, shared laughter and pain. Maybe the best thing one can do is to be present to the pain of others, to the absence they feel. No words, however well-intentioned, assuages such a shipwreck loss. Nor should they. In their time, memories of shared love may open eyes to glimpse the truth – by sharing life and love with their departed loved one, together they were one with God and that never ends, not even in death.
‘I can’t wait for Christmas’
No matter what we do with our days, having a break at year’s end is eagerly anticipated. For some this is highlighted by the various rituals associated with Christmas. This time with family can be seen as a salve – or is it the retail therapy? It can feel like ‘the world’ has so much negativity – political posturing on a local, state, national and international level with little concern for the future. Where is the hope? Can Christmas fix all that?
Simply, no. But it can remind us about what truly matters – self-sacrificing love. When such love is present, God is with us. As much as love is not the focus, we still have a ways to go. But we’ve been given the directions to guide us towards true happiness and wholeness. As much as individuals can live a life of self-sacrificing love, it takes a community to sustain such living. I pray that you may be as lucky as I am to live in a community where such love is incarnated. We must be content with catching and savouring glimpses of love’s salvation in this life.
Wishing you peace and all good at Christmas and throughout 2020.
Waiting for my train
a young Muslim woman
walks past, book in hand.
I look again
and note that it is the Qu’ran
and we smile at each other.
Such a simple interaction
yet I am deeply
struck
at the connection of faith
that I receive the gift of tears
to signal
the profound truth at work.
God is one
and wants us
to be one
together.
There’s a particular hue
of gold
to sunshine
in the warmer months.
A crispness in the morning
that freshens and enlivens,
the blue of the sky,
the wisp of the clouds
that weave together
into a symphony of promise
Loving God,
It is easy when all is going well.
Grant us the patience and strength and grace to do the right when it is hard; when the only solace we receive is knowing that we have lived our faith.
We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen
Was it the rainbow
Standing up straight?
Was it the golden wash
Of sunshine?
Was it the misty sheen
Of the rain
Against the backdrop of buildings?
Most likely the whole tableau
Brought a smile to my face
And soul.
Another precious moment,
Then, gone.
Ephemeral.
Our days
Are filled with such moments
So long as we’re paying attention
livedgospel 