‘The Most High, the Most Low’
HOMILY: Is revelation always ironic, always subversive? Our theme for today is certainly both ironic and subversive.
‘Hope and new life’
HOMILY: In today’s reading, which recounts Jesus’ final public act before his farewell speech to the disciples and subsequent passion, a poor widow gives “her whole livelihood” (literally, her “life”).
‘Your faith has healed you’
HOMILY: The key theme in today’s lectionary readings is that of passage or transformation. Passage from a place – variously described – of ignorance, fear or blindness to a place of repentance, trust and the enlightened following of Christ.
‘Feast Day of St Lydia’
HOMILY: Today our readings mark a celebration of the life, faith and legacy of St Lydia. Although there is only minimal reference to her in the bible, seven verses in Acts all up, she is a woman who has inspired a tradition connected to her open-hearted, responsive, courageous and generous faith, who crosses cultural boundaries and forges new relationships.
October – roses, vegetables, wildflowers
GARDEN TIPS: October. What to plant at this time of year.
‘Let go the rope, pick up the thread’
HOMILY: William Blake’s etching of Job, his wife and his friends (1825) tells the story. Job seeks a God of goodness/justice. His friends try to help but can’t help blaming Job, the victim. Their theologies are rigid, their images of God fixed in place.
‘Rest for your souls’
HOMILY: After a vision at the ruined San Damiano Church, Francis began physically repairing the building, interpreting God’s command to “rebuild my Church” literally at first, before realising it also referred to spiritual renewal.
Where in this story do you rest (what appeals to you most)? How might it offer you deep or soulful rest?
‘Jesus the Fire of God’
HOMILY: As we wind our way toward the conclusion of this Season of Creation next Sunday, with its celebration of Saints Clare and Francis of Assisi, the resources provided by the Uniting Church and, indeed, the global church, go missing in action. There are no specific liturgical resources provided for today, and no suggestions for a theme. That being so, I’ve decided to lead you on a pathway that begins and ends with fire.
‘Look to the mountains, listen and remember’
HOMILY: I look to the mountains, the psalmist sings … and as a Korean it is the mountains, those beautiful bosoms of my country that greet me and embrace me when I return home. Korea is full of bumps and hills and mountains.
‘On drawing and being drawn’
HOMILY: In January I had the opportunity to visit lutruwita/Tasmania (Launceston and Hobart) for the first time. Highlights included walking and drawing in the Tamar Valley, at Cataract Gorge where stone boulders are considered ancient sentinels, and at kunanyi/Mount Wellington, a dolerite mountain type rising more than 1200 metres above sea level.
