Category Archive

And as we engage in the particular lives of those around us, especially those lonely, vulnerable and in need, we are participating with Jesus in setting the table for the whole world.

I cannot give you all the answers now, can I?

Thank you for the perfection that is the universe.

Padraig O’Tuoma, a poet and theologian poses this question in of his poem “The Northern of Ireland”:

Who are we 
to be
with one
another?
and
How are we
 to be 
with one
another?

And I think this is such an important questions for communities of all kinds to ask themselves.

This is how I see the restoration of God. A quiet weaving of ordinary, mundane stories into the great tapestry of setting the world to right.

Growing up in the church, I often heard God described as being like a father. As I got older and became more involved with Christian communities who had more progressive theology, I would also sometimes hear God described as a mother or as having motherly characteristics.

The Jesus who died for our healing on a cross is not a God of easy solutions. A film won’t make the injustice that this country has shown to Aboriginal people go away. Remembering Liam and his life won’t make the pain and grief suddenly disappear. Praying won’t ensure that your life is great because God is ‘looking out for you’. However, God is there in all of it and it is beautiful.

“When I first saw people living on the rubbish dump, I wept, like really deeply wept. It was like something broke within my soul and hasn’t ever quite repaired. It was a visual representation that this is not how the world is meant to be.”

So, instead of searching too hard for the right words to try and make you think I’m very eloquent, I will just tell you what I hope for you.

“Though our gatherings might look and feel very different, the heart remains the same. I want to encourage you to hang on, even though things are different.”