And this is what made Jesus so angry. How had they gotten the message so wrong? How had they twisted the good news of renewal that God had always been pushing – how had they turned that into this petty rule following. Where was the love? Of course people should be healed on the sabbath. Showing compassion is the most holy thing you can do.

Forgiveness is a painful, ugly process of humility, of reclaiming our God-given dignity, and of entering into a forgiving flow whereby we can return love for hate, forgiveness for hurt, acquittal for accusation. And in doing so we set ourselves free. Free from being stuck back there at the place of the wound. Free from holding on to the grudge or the debt or the anger or the loss. Free to step into a future where God can continue to walk with you and show you over and over, that you are loved.

If we believe in the reconciliation of ALL things, we’ve got to participate in the reconciliation and renewal of the SMALL things. Choosing to demonstrate love in each possible moment.

Jesus offers us, over and over, the chance to join with him in renewal. And I suppose that’s what gives me hope.

Sam – 16th August Meeting Jesus in desperate times… “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

I want to tell you of the dramatic transformation Jesus has made in my life. A change not for me to be personally blessed and renewed, or so that I can have an enjoyable life. Not for the sake of gaining a happy clappy church-going life, not so I can be the best prayer, best bible reader or best theological student, but so that my life can be a reflection of Jesus. A life marked by radical generosity, authentic community, deep spirituality and selfless servanthood. And as I tell you part of my own journey, I want you to reflect on your own.

Religious spaces can sometimes be places where people come in need and are given a burden of shame, where all Jesus did was invite people to a table where shame is taken away.

It felt more like an explosion of my inner world and everything I once knew, but this was in fact the beginning of another awakening. As I started to look closer into the Biblical story I began to see that it is not a story of destination and absolutes, but a story of journey. A slow reveal. A story not of escapism, but one of embrace. The Jesus of the scripture was not one of sin avoidance, someone who stays in the safe, clean space of heaven, but someone who hangs out with sinners at their dirty houses and provides the grog at weddings.