Fearing and glowing is what Transfiguration Sunday is about
At the transfgiuration of Jesus, God said “Listen to Him.”
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Gratitude is the memory of the heart – Part 1
Yes, gratefulness is what I am feeling, as I write, as I treasure those memories of past and present. My heart was strangely warmed when I listened to how John Cheah patiently taught his little ones (his write-up here) how to pray “our Father” to our Father. Angels must have pricked their ears at the …
Why do the wicked prosper? Is Psalm 37 daft?
Why do the wicked prosper? The lectionary readings for tomorrow (Sunday 20 February, Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany) are Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 42-50 and Luke 6:27-38. They give us a hint as to the answer. The Genesis passage is about Joseph in Egypt, revealing himself to his brothers who had …
Parenting Perspectives 3: Prayer
When I was a child, I was taught to pray individually. Usually followed a short format, but generally free flow within the sections: ACTS. Acknowledge – the greatness of GodConfess – my sinsThanksgiving – for all i haveSupplication – ask for stuff 🙂 In my 20s, upon joining the Lutheran Church, I started praying in …
Go stand in the People’s Gate
God ordered Jeremiah to go stand in The People’s Gate. We are told this in Jeremiah 17 in verse 19, just beyond 17:5-10, the Lectionary Reading for Sunday. The Reading applies the image of trees to us, as individuals. The Psalms portion says people who obey God’s ethical demands are like a flourishing tree (Psalm …
From shy phone hack to better balance
There’s a game I play with my toddler; it’s called ‘shy phone’. It started when she wanted to look at the thing that I constantly held, to see what it was that so absorbed mummy. Like anyone caught in flagrante, I shoved my phone behind me. “Mummy, why you hide your phone?” “Oh, mummy’s not …
10 things about Isaiah’s call vision
Isaiah’s call vision is in the Old Testament readings for tomorrow, Isaiah chapter 6. The English Standard Version supplies the heading “Isaiah’s vision of the Lord” for verses 1-7 and “Isaiah’s commission from the Lord” for verses 8-13. What do these verses teach us about God, the Bible and ourselves? One, the angels in Isaiah’s …
Remember Who You Are
If I were to name my favourite Disney classic movie, it would probably be one of the most difficult questions that I have to answer. But “The Lion King” was the one that was constantly on replay, simply because I saw a part of myself in Simba. When Simba was banished by his treacherous uncle, …
Sermons and trembling go together
When I say sermons and trembling go together, I speak both as a giver and as a hearer of sermons. When I read verses such as “The words of Jeremiah … to whom the word of the Lord came …” (Jeremiah 1:1), I tremble. I remember how Quakers got their name: ““Quaker” emerged as a …
Living in community and playing a role
We want to run to the altarand catch the fireto stand in the gapbetween the living and the deadGive us a heart of compassionFor a world without visionWe will make a differenceBringing hope to our land My eleven year old self desperately sang those words at youth camp. I would later know the drill. Just …