Were you here last week, either online or in person? The threshold for our reflection today, the springboard from which we might make a journey together, is Philo’s arresting declaration last week from the pulpit: “I deny the resurrection.” By quoting that sentence separated out from the entirety of her thinking, I am doing Philo’s … Continued
Resurrection is a central tenant of the Christian faith and Easter is the primary celebration of resurrection. What does resurrection mean? There are about as many different explanations of Christ’s resurrection as there are Christians. For a whole lot of Christians, “believing in the resurrection” means believing in the actual physical resuscitation of Jesus’ body. … Continued
Ken Wilber, in his foreword to the book ‘Putting on the Mind of Christ’ by Jim Marion, explains that the Christian path of consciousness development has only recently been clear to see. To quote 1 Corinthians 13:11-12: “When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we left … Continued
How do you feel when you read or listen to the news these days? There are so many problems in the world: climate change and environmental destruction, children starving while warlords battle, people making long, dangerous migrations to escape persecution or simply to find a basic quality of life. Thousands killed, buildings and infrastructure turned … Continued
It’s Transfiguration Sunday. A mythical incident in the life of Jesus called the ‘Transfiguration’. Jesus and some of his friends climb to the top of a mountain. They enjoy the magnificent views; they breathe deeply the fresh air; they are engulfed by a cloud. They allow the experience to recharge their flagging spirits and re-sensitise … Continued
Jesus’ comments about blessings and woes are sometimes interpreted as a forecast of what is to come. The poor shall be rewarded, the hungry will be filled, those who weep will laugh. Being hated scorned, insulted, and spurned won’t be so bad because this will gain you a great reward. But woe to those who … Continued
How many of you, like me immigrated to NZ? So, let me take this opportunity to congratulate each and every member of this beloved community on this day, as I deliver the good news that we have won the lottery! We have the great pleasure of living in NZ. Ranked as one of the safest … Continued
I just love a good story and the more outrageous the better. This gospel was the last of the four gospels to be written and it nearly didn’t make it into the biblical cannon because the religious powers cited all sorts of problems with this particular portrait of Jesus. Not the least of which are … Continued
We are in the in-between time. Christmas is past, and the New Year has not yet dawned. Many of us are still eating leftovers. There’s still much travelling, as families gather, or say their farewells. It’s a strange time. For me, it feels that last Sunday was several years ago. The build up to Christmas … Continued
Today is the last week we will hear a gospel story from the storyteller we call Mark. After that we enter a new Church year and a new season – Advent. As we near the end of the Church Year, our lectionary turns to texts about the end of the world, or the endtimes. I … Continued
There is a common theme in today’s bible readings. Although the writings are separated by at least 600 years, both are stories about the treatment of widows in Israelite communities. This is a common theme in the Hebrew Testament: the book of Exodus contains a strong injunction about the care of widows, orphans and immigrants: … Continued
Home is the place where we are first loved, although sadly for some people this is not the case. Home is the place where I received love and learnt how to love. When asked by a religious authority which was the most important commandment, Jesus replies: ‘…you shall love the Lord your God with all … Continued
What do you first think of when I say the word, “nature”? As in, “the natural world”. Is there a special place where you feel close to nature? The natural world has the capacity to comfort us; its beauty can be breathtaking! Nature can appear with a majesty which inspires awe, but it is supremely … Continued
My reflection today has developed from the lectionary reading of Luke 24:36-48 and several books I have been reading recently. “The Meaning of Jesus” is a kind of dialogue between the conservative theologian NT Wright and the progressive theologian Marcus Borg. “The Trouble with Resurrection” is an account of how followers of Jesus shifted their … Continued
This morning, I will be leading you on a slithery path. At the end of my reflection you may be confused, have doubts, be disturbed, try to make sense of it all, have nightmares and have a hate/love relationship with snakes. I don’t just dislike snakes, I hate snakes. Snakes terrify me. Maybe it is … Continued
I like Mark’s gospel. There’s no mucking about in Mark. He gets straight to the point in the very first verse of his book: ‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’. And that’s it. There are no mangers, shepherds and heavenly choirs, no wise men bringing gifts! For Mark … Continued
On holiness. What is holiness? It seems like a relatively important quality to understand for anyone aligned with a religion, particularly an Ambrahamic one, but like many important concepts it is challenging to define. One of the key things about the concept of holiness in religious and sociological history is that it sets some things … Continued
Our children’s book today by Philip Bunting asked, “who am I”? Of course, being a children’s book, it has a rather simplistic answer. Life is more complex. We are not our skin colour; but the prejudice we experience because of our skin colour may contribute to who we are. We are not our gender or … Continued
35 Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake. It’s Advent Sunday – the first … Continued
1st TESTAMENT READING: Joshua 24: 1-3a, 14-25 (NIV) PSALM OF THE DAY: Psalms 78:1-7 (NIV) REFLECTION PART ONE What do these first testament perspectives teach us about some of the things the people of God have put their hope in? I think they show that there’s hope to be had based on knowing a … Continued