Australians are anxious about the rising cost of living. Many are not only anxious but genuinely struggling to meet their financial commitments. The Reserve bank has sought to encourage anxious Australians with talk of buffers that will help us weather this storm. Household savings are one of those buffers. A lot of Australians have been putting money away, in savings or in additional mortgage payments. And there is no doubt that those who have done that will have a greater chance of holding onto their assets as interest rates rise. I am not an economist by any means, but while I feel uncomfortable focussing on wealthy Australians with large buffers, rather than the many Australians who are one pay packet away from eviction, I can see the sense in people putting money away as a buffer if they possibly can. That’s what makes us feel uncomfortable with this parable.
Are you old enough to remember that Colgate ad? (If not, I'm sure you are capable of looking it up!) As you can see, I couldn't find a good picture of the chalk, but capillary action in flowers is prettier anyway. If ink gets into chalk, and coloured dye gets into flowers, what might praying the Lord's Prayer every day do to our brains?
Are you a Mary or a Martha? No, don't tell me! We should stop asking that question and all just get on with following Mary's example by "sitting at the feet of Jesus" - that is, by being his disciples.
What do you do when you see someone in need? Almost certainly you A. Help them if you can. B. Feel frustrated if you can't help them. C. Feel guilty if you don't help them. That is the power this story has had on our world
Rev Pam Hynd's sermon for Pentecost 3
There are all sorts of storms: Lightning-and-thunder-and-pelting-rain storms Devastating-waves-and-menacing-wind storms Flooding, invasive, water-getting-in-everywhere storms. Outrage-erupting-on-the-streets political storms Battle-for-dominance-and-autonomy-and-land-and-loyalty war storms I-am-right-and-you-are-wrong relationship storms Terrifying, violent, tormenting inner mental storms All sorts of storms In Luke 8 Jesus calm a lake storm on his way to meet someone struggling to survive at the intersection of just about every storm that life can throw at a person.
Before the creation of the world there was love. Before the first human smile there was laughter. Before there was air there was artistry. Before there was light there was delight. And according to Proverbs 8 all that love and laughter and artistry and delight danced our universe into being and revelled at the birth of humanity.
Against the human tendency toward conformity, uniformity, homogeneity, God sends the Holy Spirit to bring difference, diversity and creativity! Come Holy Spirit!
So, Jesus disappears into the sky and the disciples return to the city rejoicing. Why? What's so good about Jesus being gone? Today we celebrate Ascension, just a few days late.
"On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:2) Don't we desperately long for that day! Now more than ever. But this is not just meant to be a lovely future to look forward to. This is what the church is meant to be right now - what the true church IS right now - hidden behind the selfishness and greed and worship of power that we find in all church institutions. As we follow Paul and Lydia's example in Acts 16 we move towards that vision by understanding that: 1. The church is built when God and people work together. 2. The Church is built when we respond to the people and circumstances in front of us, rather than holding on to our prejudices and expectations. 3. The church is built when our words and actions are congruent with our faith. 4. The church is built when followers of Jesus support each other even when it is costly.