Philippians 3.4-16 & Matthew 5.1-10 – 14 November 2021Neil Millar ‘In the beginning you weep, then subsequently you learn to wait’ (25). These are the words of Belden Lane, referring to his experience of different phases or stages or movements of growth in the spiritual life, which is our focus in these final weeks of … [Read more…]
Psalm 38 & Luke 18.9-14 – 7 November 2021Neil Millar ‘In the beginning you weep’. It doesn’t sound a very promising start but this is what our tradition teaches when it comes to progress in the spiritual life. In the first canto of Dante’s epic 14th century poem Divine Comedy the pilgrim finds himself lost … [Read more…]
Mark 12.28-34 – 31 October 2021© Sarah Bachelard We’re coming to the pointy end of Mark’s gospel. In last week’s reading, Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho on the final leg of their journey to Jerusalem. They encountered blind Bartimaeus begging by the side of the road and, Jesus having restored his sight, were … [Read more…]
Mark 10.46-52 – 24 October 2021Neil Millar Ever since I first heard this story it’s been a favourite for me. Even though this is all we hear of him, I particularly warm to Bartimaeus as a character – his pluck and resilience, his daring ‘give it a go’ approach to life. In fact, judging by … [Read more…]
Philipians 2.1-11 October 17 2021Sue Hanna The poet TS Eliot wrote “Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of self.” Last week we explored the noxious thought of vainglory, which is the close relative of the final noxious thought, Pride! to the extent … [Read more…]
Luke 18.9-14 10 October 2021Sue Hanna This week we are going to look at the noxious thought of vainglory. To do so, I thought I’d venture into the thought world of Evagrius himself, to take a behind the scenes look at how and why he formed these thoughts. One feature of Evagrius’s writings is he … [Read more…]
Three pigs (Psalm 104)Neil Millar – 3 October 2021 I’m going to do something different this morning and order my reflection around three poems. Three poems about pigs. Why poetry? American poet Denise Levertov has said that, ‘Insofar as poetry has a social function, it is to awaken sleepers by means other than shock’. Good … [Read more…]
Leviticus 25.23-24; Romans 8.18-25; John 10.11-18John Williams – 26 September 2021 Cry of earth Cry of the poor In May five years ago Pope Francis published his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. The document was significant because of its urgency, the power of its argument and its insistence that the threat of climate change was a … [Read more…]
19 September – Ann Munro To appreciate its true significance we must consider the time and the environment in which our little stone church was created. The Limestone Plains and Ginninderra district were first sighted by Europeans in October 1820 when Charles Throsby entered the north corner of the area from Lake George in search … [Read more…]
A piece of work (Psalm 8) – 12 SeptemberNeil Millar What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. … [Read more…]