Sunday Reflections
Epiphany 2
Isaiah 62.1-5; Ps 36.5-10; 1 Corinthians 12.1-11; John 2.1-11
“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of Service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” ( 1 Cor 12.4-7)
We live in a world of valuations and comparison. Sure the “position in class” may not be on our children’s report cards anymore, but mentally we still compare ourselves to others all the time. Society values some skills more than others; we pay actors, sports players and company executives’ extreme amounts of money, but farmers scrape by. And even when we look within ourselves, we tend to devalue, or take excess pride in the things we can do depending on how valuable we think our skills are. But we Christians are called to a better way.
St Francis told his community to treat the menial utensils of the kitchen with the same reverence as the items in the sanctuary - Because both are used in the service of God. All of the gifts, abilities, labour and service that you have, are given, inspired and nurtured by God, and all can be an act of love and worship. What is needed is a change of attitude and awareness.
God is not calling us to compete, but to love - to contribute to the common good. And within ourselves, one skill is not more important than another; all of our skills, and floundering, make us who we are! One experience is not more valuable than another; our life experiences, how we learn from them, grow through them, and are scared by them, make us who we are. And in all we do, God is present, calling, guiding, and loving us. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you do what you do in love aware of God’s presence? How much do you compare yourself to others? How well do you accept all the hidden aspects of yourself?
Epiphany
Isaiah 60.1-6; Ps 72.1-7, 10-14; Eph3.1-12; Mt 2.1-12
“See, darkness covers the earth and a thick darkness is over the people, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60.2
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Jewish people and their land were under the rule of the Romans. They were in darkness. God came through Jesus, and His glory was revealed over, and in, Jesus. So there is a prophetic revelation and historic understanding to this verse. But as you mull over this verse, what is stirring in your heart?
Is there darkness in our land and in our people? Is there darkness in you; in past or present areas of your life? Does your faith ever feel dry, barren or dark? Darkness comes each evening, just as winter comes each year. There will be dark times in our lives, seasons of sorrow, times or morning, times of quiet, lulls, ebbs, and restful nights. But God is still present. Psalms 72.5 tells us that “(God) will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.” Darkness is not devoid of God; darkness makes the light of God easier to see.
“The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Often we don’t see or feel the Lord with us, or think that His glory appears to anyone else through us. When the sun is up the glow of a torch is not obvious. When the lights are on, the illumined path of God is harder to see. Sometimes it is not darkness that keeps us from finding God, but light. In the light there are so many other things to distract us.
The wise men followed a star, and listened to a dream. Our western culture laughs at this idea; we don’t look for signs or take note of our dreams. But signs and dreams are tools God uses to speak to, and from, our souls. Perhaps it is time we aloud God to rise in our spiritual darkness so we too can heed his wisdom.
The baptism of our Lord
Isaiah 43. 1-7; Ps 29; Acts 8.14-23; Luke 3. 15 – 22
Psalm 29 reminds us that God is mighty and powerful, that it is God who controls; the waters, the thunder, and the seas. God is Powerful and majestic. God can break the cedars, cause earthquakes, and direct lightning, wind, tournedos, cyclones and floods. In Isaiah 43.1-7 we are reminded that it is God who made us, who loves us, who redeems us and saves us.
All around us we have the first witness of God’s greatness – creation. In the baptism of Jesus we can see Jesus, immersed in water, totally embraced by nature, one with that which gives life, and then rising up out of it, part of it, going forth as a witness of God’s glory with all of Creation.
Humans forget that we, along with all of creation, are made to give glory to God. When Peter and John prayed for the new believers and laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 3.15-17) What a great party trick!!! Oh to have that ability! How much does it cost? Just think how popular and powerful one would be! But Peter saw through the ego of Simon, and said “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.”
How often do we think we can buy, earn or beg the gifts of God? Humans rob, exploit, and privatise nature without any gratitude, care of the earth, or praise to God. Humans think they are above nature; that it is free to be mined, that there is no consequence to our greed. We behave as if we are gods, and give the Lord little acknowledgement. We need to “repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord” so that we are not “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8.22&23) We still need our loving saviour and redeemer - to save us from ourselves!
The Naming of Jesus
Numbers 6.22-27; Ps 8; Galatians 4.4-7; Lk 2.15-21
The Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.” (Num 6.22-23)
Within the Anglican Church there is a tradition that only the priests have the right to officially bless. I question this because it limits how much God’s goodness is released upon the world, and our own spiritual growth.
Blessing is more than wishing someone well. Blessing is a way of paying attention to life and to God, of seeing and being grateful, of bring the presence of God within you to all that you do and all that you meet. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in you connecting with the presence of God all around you. Blessing is a way of seeking, seeing and bringing holiness into the world. Why should we limit this kindness to just a few with manmade rules?! We are each part of God’s royal priesthood. (1 Pet2.9) So surely we should all practice blessing.
What shall we bless? Bless the earth, the birds, the animals the trees and rivers. Bless you children, family, friends and acquaintances. Bless and keep on blessing. When we bless, we begin to see with a new awareness of God’s presence. We notice more of the glory of God and the wonders that surround us. We learn to look with God. We also begin to see the pain and brokenness of others and the earth. Blessing makes us agents with God, to bring joy, peace, wisdom and love everywhere we go. So please break free from the shackles of tradition and practice blessing. And even when you become proficient at it, practice it more and more. The world needs you to. God wants you to.
Deep peace of the running waves to you; Deep peace of the flowing air to you; Deep peace of the quiet earth to you; Deep peace of the shining stars to you; Deep peace of the Son of peace to you. (Traditional Irish Blessing)
Isaiah 62.1-5; Ps 36.5-10; 1 Corinthians 12.1-11; John 2.1-11
“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of Service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” ( 1 Cor 12.4-7)
We live in a world of valuations and comparison. Sure the “position in class” may not be on our children’s report cards anymore, but mentally we still compare ourselves to others all the time. Society values some skills more than others; we pay actors, sports players and company executives’ extreme amounts of money, but farmers scrape by. And even when we look within ourselves, we tend to devalue, or take excess pride in the things we can do depending on how valuable we think our skills are. But we Christians are called to a better way.
St Francis told his community to treat the menial utensils of the kitchen with the same reverence as the items in the sanctuary - Because both are used in the service of God. All of the gifts, abilities, labour and service that you have, are given, inspired and nurtured by God, and all can be an act of love and worship. What is needed is a change of attitude and awareness.
God is not calling us to compete, but to love - to contribute to the common good. And within ourselves, one skill is not more important than another; all of our skills, and floundering, make us who we are! One experience is not more valuable than another; our life experiences, how we learn from them, grow through them, and are scared by them, make us who we are. And in all we do, God is present, calling, guiding, and loving us. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you do what you do in love aware of God’s presence? How much do you compare yourself to others? How well do you accept all the hidden aspects of yourself?
Epiphany
Isaiah 60.1-6; Ps 72.1-7, 10-14; Eph3.1-12; Mt 2.1-12
“See, darkness covers the earth and a thick darkness is over the people, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60.2
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Jewish people and their land were under the rule of the Romans. They were in darkness. God came through Jesus, and His glory was revealed over, and in, Jesus. So there is a prophetic revelation and historic understanding to this verse. But as you mull over this verse, what is stirring in your heart?
Is there darkness in our land and in our people? Is there darkness in you; in past or present areas of your life? Does your faith ever feel dry, barren or dark? Darkness comes each evening, just as winter comes each year. There will be dark times in our lives, seasons of sorrow, times or morning, times of quiet, lulls, ebbs, and restful nights. But God is still present. Psalms 72.5 tells us that “(God) will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.” Darkness is not devoid of God; darkness makes the light of God easier to see.
“The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Often we don’t see or feel the Lord with us, or think that His glory appears to anyone else through us. When the sun is up the glow of a torch is not obvious. When the lights are on, the illumined path of God is harder to see. Sometimes it is not darkness that keeps us from finding God, but light. In the light there are so many other things to distract us.
The wise men followed a star, and listened to a dream. Our western culture laughs at this idea; we don’t look for signs or take note of our dreams. But signs and dreams are tools God uses to speak to, and from, our souls. Perhaps it is time we aloud God to rise in our spiritual darkness so we too can heed his wisdom.
The baptism of our Lord
Isaiah 43. 1-7; Ps 29; Acts 8.14-23; Luke 3. 15 – 22
Psalm 29 reminds us that God is mighty and powerful, that it is God who controls; the waters, the thunder, and the seas. God is Powerful and majestic. God can break the cedars, cause earthquakes, and direct lightning, wind, tournedos, cyclones and floods. In Isaiah 43.1-7 we are reminded that it is God who made us, who loves us, who redeems us and saves us.
All around us we have the first witness of God’s greatness – creation. In the baptism of Jesus we can see Jesus, immersed in water, totally embraced by nature, one with that which gives life, and then rising up out of it, part of it, going forth as a witness of God’s glory with all of Creation.
Humans forget that we, along with all of creation, are made to give glory to God. When Peter and John prayed for the new believers and laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 3.15-17) What a great party trick!!! Oh to have that ability! How much does it cost? Just think how popular and powerful one would be! But Peter saw through the ego of Simon, and said “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.”
How often do we think we can buy, earn or beg the gifts of God? Humans rob, exploit, and privatise nature without any gratitude, care of the earth, or praise to God. Humans think they are above nature; that it is free to be mined, that there is no consequence to our greed. We behave as if we are gods, and give the Lord little acknowledgement. We need to “repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord” so that we are not “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8.22&23) We still need our loving saviour and redeemer - to save us from ourselves!
The Naming of Jesus
Numbers 6.22-27; Ps 8; Galatians 4.4-7; Lk 2.15-21
The Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.” (Num 6.22-23)
Within the Anglican Church there is a tradition that only the priests have the right to officially bless. I question this because it limits how much God’s goodness is released upon the world, and our own spiritual growth.
Blessing is more than wishing someone well. Blessing is a way of paying attention to life and to God, of seeing and being grateful, of bring the presence of God within you to all that you do and all that you meet. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in you connecting with the presence of God all around you. Blessing is a way of seeking, seeing and bringing holiness into the world. Why should we limit this kindness to just a few with manmade rules?! We are each part of God’s royal priesthood. (1 Pet2.9) So surely we should all practice blessing.
What shall we bless? Bless the earth, the birds, the animals the trees and rivers. Bless you children, family, friends and acquaintances. Bless and keep on blessing. When we bless, we begin to see with a new awareness of God’s presence. We notice more of the glory of God and the wonders that surround us. We learn to look with God. We also begin to see the pain and brokenness of others and the earth. Blessing makes us agents with God, to bring joy, peace, wisdom and love everywhere we go. So please break free from the shackles of tradition and practice blessing. And even when you become proficient at it, practice it more and more. The world needs you to. God wants you to.
Deep peace of the running waves to you; Deep peace of the flowing air to you; Deep peace of the quiet earth to you; Deep peace of the shining stars to you; Deep peace of the Son of peace to you. (Traditional Irish Blessing)