Holy Gossip

Is all gossip bad? Or could there be a gift in gossip? Read here, or listen here.

A response to James 3:1-12 given to Sanctuary, 16 September 2018 (BP19)

Church without Boundaries

Churches and religious organisations regularly exclude people from full participation, but following Jesus means demolishing all boundaries and seeking Christ beyond the walls of the church. Read here, or listen here.

A message for a congregation preparing to commit to the next twelve months, drawing from Mark 7:24-30. Sanctuary, 9 September 2018 (Year B Proper 18, BP18).

You Are Not Defiled

In tonight’s reading, religious leaders criticise Jesus’ disciples for failing to wash their hands in the correct ritual way before they eat. Jesus pushes back, hard, and goes on to say that we are not defiled by what we eat and drink. Instead, it’s the things we say and do which can defile us. But what if his disciples were criticised, not for failing to keep kosher, but for failing to maintain "Biblical family values"? For a region hard-hit by clergy abuse, here's a new take on a old story ... Listen here, or read here.

A reflection on Mark 7:1-8, 14-23 given to Sanctuary on 2 September 2018 (BP17; Year B Proper 17) © Alison Sampson, 2018. Image shows Emmaus (2000) by Emmanuel Garibay, found here.

Senator Anning vs Christo-Cannibalism, and the New Community of Love

For many years, our family shared Christmas lunch with friends and strangers. We’d put the word out, and eat with whoever wanted. One year, it was huge. Friends, and friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends, all turned up at our door. Some of them I knew and loved; others, I hadn’t met before. But gradually I came to realise: almost everyone there was gay. And almost everyone came from a religious family, which had rejected them because of their sexuality ...

Read here, or listen here.

A reflection on John 6:51-58, given to Sanctuary on 19 August 2018 (BP15; Year B Proper 15) © Alison Sampson, 2018.

One Body, One Spirit, One Church Review

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written to a church two thousand years and 14,000 kilometres away; and yet, it speaks loud and clear to us gathered here today. This Saturday 11 August, we will hold our annual review. And it will be a heap of fun. The review questions have been woven into party games, and so most of it should feel like play. But behind the play is serious intent, and it is that serious intent which I will focus on now ... Read here, or listen here.

Healed to Serve

The disciples have returned from preaching and healing around the villages. In the face of people’s need, they have barely had time to eat, so Jesus invites them to come away to a deserted place and rest awhile. Yet the crowd guesses where they’re going, and meets them there. When Jesus sees the mob, his guts wrench with compassion, and he begins to teach and heal once again …

Read tonight's reflection here.

News flash! King David: An undercover exposé

Tonight, a very playful script re-telling 2 Samuel 6:1-22 here.

We followed it with a more formal reflection, here.