from the Manse, February 24th

Dear Friends,

I waited at the lights. I knew the sequence but I tapped the steering wheel just to hurry things along. Ruth was waiting for me. A Pedestrian walked in front of me. Others waited to go the other way. My phone rang. I could see it wasn’t the call I had been waiting for. I pondered the situation. She said it would take a few days. It was now over a week. Should I wait or should I call? The light sequence changed, only one more to wait for.

My thoughts drifted to Ruth’s daughter. Any day, any moment now her child will be born. We are all waiting. Mum who is tired and uncomfortable, us because we are excited, all waiting for nature to take its course. And I’m waiting to see if it is a boy. There will be a few waiting to tell me “I told you so!” if it is a girl. Back at the lights I saw the amber turn to red and counted to five … last sequence and its my turn!

Waiting! We do it all the time for every thing. In the Christian calendar this is the first week of Lent. Waiting for Easter eggs and hot cross buns? Seriously, lent is really about reflecting on how we are, who we are, what we need, what we don’t, all while we wait for the end of the sequence. We can hurry things along by tapping our fingers or take the time to reflect. Honk! Honk! What was I waiting for? It’s green!

Grace and peace

Rod

From the Manse, February 17

Dear Friends,

I knew who he was, we had a mutual friend. He didn’t know who I was. He was very big. Six foot plus. Huge muscled neck, shoulders, biceps, chest, narrow waist and tree trunk legs. His hair was cropped and he was neatly dressed. His face gave little away and he wasn’t looking for or needing any attention, nor was he menacing. He was just there, quiet, arms folded, waiting for something or someone. When I spoke to him he gave very little in terms of emotion or conversation. He had no idea who I was.

We later met again. This time our mutual friend was present. After introductions, the transformation was incredible. The warmth, trust and gentleness that came from this “man mountain” was a delight and a relief. The earlier guardedness was explained and we were able to meet beyond bodies, roles and labels.

In the Christian calendar this week Mark’s Gospel describes the Transfiguration. On a mountain the disciples have a dream like experience, where Jesus appears in dazzling white. There are clouds and voices and symbolic figures present. It concludes with “Jesus the man” standing with them. The glory on the mountain was really a man on the ground. What do you see when you stand alongside others?

Grace and peace

Rod

Weekly letter from Rod

Dear Friends,

It's hard not to feel the enormity of the tragic bush fire situation. While circumstance and life has kept me from the details, the glimpses and the conversations I've had reveal the shock that pervades. There is a mood of disbelief, vulnerability, andhelplessness all around and the fragility of our existence is evident. While support and willingness to contribute pours in from all sectors of our community and is the primary focus, when things settle down there will be a huge scar on the landscape of our land and our souls.

Life seems to go on. Fire, floods, earthquakes, other natural occurrences along with sickness and physical conditions are present realities. Then there are the ones we have created by tampering with our personal and communal environments, like cancers, drug abuse, physical violence, war, and city smog through to global warming. What is natural and what is human induced? What is our responsibility and what is God's?

In the gospel this week Jesus makes a leper clean and sends him toshow himself to the Priest. Instead he proclaims the story to the whole community. This pushes Jesus away from openly being in the town to remaining on the edge in the country. The one who can heal the sick, command the wind and the waters to "Be still", is vulnerable and endangered by human whim and will. How do we get the two to work together? Co-dependency or Co-creation?

Grace and peace

Rod

Rod's Induction

In the midst of a week of scorching temperatures we were very fortunate to have a cooler morning for Rod's Induction. Lots of visitors from the Urban Mission Network and Pilgrim Uniting contributed to making the time feel like a special event.

Rod spoke beautifully - about humitiation and holy insecurity. You can read what he said by clicking to read the comment at the bottom of this post.

Rev Beth Seaman, representing the Presbytery of SA, led the proceedings

all of the ecofaith members had some part in the ceremony

We also signed the Memorandum of Understanding we have with pilgrim to be 'sister' faith communities.

then the kids played and the adults enjoyed conversation and refreshments