Jesus said, ‘So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.’ (Luke 14:33)

Trying to be a disciple of Jesus in a developed country in the 21st century means that this passage is very challenging. There are some who are able to live this command to its fullest – but they are exceptional. There are a couple of points relevant for us, especially during Lent.

There is the way that possessions can have us, holding us back from being all that we can be and affecting our relationships. There is also the way that our consumption of resources affects others by depriving them of their due, along with the impact of that resource use on God’s creation (and thus eventually back on us). Part of the genius of Christianity is that we are saved in and by community. During Lent we do well to each examine our possessions to ensure that they are the best for me…and we.

Have a great week!

Patrick

‘Praised be’

Sang our spiritual guide

Directing our gaze

Towards the incandescent echoes

Of infinite Love

All around us

Every day.

Wonders and delights

Such as

The verdant glow of trees

The flower’s delicate aroma

Another spectacular sunrise

Or sunset

The windswept breakers roll in to the beach

A baby’s infectious giggle

Family, friends, work colleagues

With which we have been gifted

All guiding us

Towards the source of all good.

In our headlong rush

Through our days

We can be blind to these joys.

Rather let us embrace

The ‘wow’ of the child

Which is why we need to be childlike

To enter and embrace God’s reign

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16)

For Elizabeth…and all of us

Mothers

Link to our past

Give birth to us

And our future

Share their wisdom

And those of their line

As well as precious memories.

All the gestures

All the sayings

All the laughter

All the love

Made manifest

In countless ways

Acxross the years.

‘Thank you’

Hardly seems enough

But it’s a good start

Along with accepting the baton

To create nurturing, inclusive communities

In our turn

This passage from Iasaih says it all…

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator^* shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. (Isaiah 58: 6-9)

Repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15)

Staring at a stand of eucalypts

Rustling leaves in the trees

Other leaves float down

Sporadically

And kind of magically

Sometimes in flurries.

An echidna ambles by.

I feel a pull of energy

From my physical centre

Drawing me in

To be one

Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them. (Ps 111:2)

To be able to say and assent to the first phrase of this passage requires faith. What follows is appreciation and gratitude for those around me and all created things, including myself. This is the beginning of sanity and wisdom. The second phrase implies that we should be students of nature, of others and ourselves. Thus we should deeply appreciate and savour the gifts of nature, as well as exhibiting understanding and compassion towards others and ourselves.

Time and focus are required for each of us to be grateful and appreciate everything around us. We can speak and model behaviour for the young people in our care that demonstrates that we focus on what matters – rather than constant distraction. When we take time to focus on what matters we will know ourselves better and be better placed to exhibit understanding and compassion to others…and ourselves.

Have a great week!

Patrick

Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he kept trying to see Jesus. (Luke 9:9)

One of the themes of Luke’s gospel is about the overturning of power. Herod killed John since people were paying him too much attention. Then along comes Jesus who is attracting even more people. The reader is prompted to ask: who is really in control? Luke’s answer: God. Maybe Herod couldn’t see Jesus because he was more focussed on power than faith.

In our lives and those of the young people in our care, we can ‘try to see Jesus’ – thinking this is another thing we can control. When we let go of power and control and live our lives with an open-handed faith, we will see Jesus every day – and realise that it is only our perception that has shifted

Have a great week!

Patrick

Dormant

For so long

Tended with love

If not always

With knowledge

Eagerly expected

As the signs increased

And grew more hopeful.

It’s only a flower

Yet it’s a symbol

Of connection

With my past;

Also of persistence;

But most powerfully

It is a symbol

Of God’s grace

Of the delicate beauty

All around us

So long as

We have the eyes

To see