1. Until I am seen, I do not exist! Peter Senge and his colleagues in their book, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organisation, write that the common greeting for “hello” used by tribes in northern Natal in South Africa is the expression: Sawu bona, “I see you”. If […]
Do you know where you are going?Contemplative Spirituality, combining spiritual maturity and cultural consciousnessBy Joan Chittister (Adapted version) Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, seeks to revitalise faith as spiritual maturity that grows in cultural consciousness, by connecting with people in their experiences; that is inspired by holiness which then seeks to share that energy by […]
IntroductionImprisoned in Herod’s fortress John the Baptist now faces his own wilderness. Last week we read that this wild prophet supported people in their wilderness, providing water of renewal. Clear-sighted and confident, John had then announced God’s entering the world. Now, in prison, some time later, having heard of “the deeds of the Christ”, John […]
Christmas is the time to spread the message of love, harmony and peace. Of course, it is a time we are showered with gifts and wishes, but in the midst of all commercialism, we should not forget the spirit of Christmas. The real spirit of Christmas is God’s love to all humanity, as He himself […]
“Elizabeth and Mary, women and mothers bringing their creativity to the movement for change.” Rev Dr William Loader (Uniting Church New Testament Scholar) This divine-human story celebrates women and mothers bringing their creativity to the movement for change. There is no marginalising of women’s stories here, although this is the exception rather than the rule […]
Luke 23:33-43Christ and the power of shared human existence: kindness, love and justice Rev Dr William Loader(Uniting Church New Testament Scholar) A different kind of king! The passage bristles with irony… Had he not said that the great among you shall as the one who serves? Had he not called into question the dominant models […]
“Prediction of the Temple’s destruction, future suffering, and how to live during suffering”. By Rev Dr William Loader Our passage begins with that prediction of destruction. The temple renowned in the ancient world for its beauty (Mark had emphasised the size of the stones) will be destroyed [which it was later, in 70ACE]. … For […]
Our gathering as congregations of Christians is largely about memory. We remember stories of peoples and cultures ancient and distant. We listen to their stories in which we hear wisdom and the voice of God coming through history, story and memory. They are ancestors in this spiritual journey, part of the movement that embraces God’s […]
The story this week (Luke 19:1-10) is about Zacchaeus, a tax collector. This meant that he collaborated with the enemy, the Romans, and collected the high taxes for them. To these taxes he added something more on top for himself – he ripped off his own people. Zacchaeus was despised, hated, rejected, excluded and ostracised. […]
The parable of the pharisee and the tax collector in this week’s gospel bears out the common theme with the previous week’s gospel, the parable of the unjust judge. The common thread is the theme of vindication, justification, exoneration. Last week, the widow’s just cause was vindicated; the widow represents those who were suffering oppression. […]