The things that make for peace

The triumphal entry aka Palm Sunday. Disciples praise his deeds of power and sing of peace; but Jesus? Well, Jesus weeps. 

Read here or listen here.

Knowing Christ

The perfume Mary pours out on Jesus wafts sweetly through the centuries, anointing people and communities so that the ever-present poor are fed ... Read here or listen here.

But he was still hungry ...

"On the fifth day, the Second One was given schools of mullet to swim through the bay, and long dark kooyang to leap up the falls. Flocks of corellas caroused through the sky and yellow tailed black cockatoos called out. Spotted pardalotes filled the karrang, and cormorants perched, airing their wings. The waters and skies were filled with life: but he was still hungry ..." A mashed up re-telling of a few old stories. Told tonight on Peek Wurrung country, Eastern Maar nation

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Christ, our mother hen

To a world torn apart by violence, Jesus offers himself as a ... mother hen?! 

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If you are God's child ...

*If.* It’s a very small word with a very big weight, and I hear it all the time. If only I prayed hard enough … If I were a good enough Christian … If I read my Bible more … If I just tried harder … If I really trusted God … How many times have I heard some iteration of this, sometimes from the people I listen to, sometimes within my own head?

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Enemy-love, community, and the healing of the world

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also … Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” These words of Jesus are all very well if you are a six-foot male and built like a truck, or a burly fisherman, perhaps, with eleven brothers behind you. But too often these words are spoken to victims of violence in ways which cause terrible harm.

Read here or listen here.

Luke | The level playing field

“Blessed are you who are on JobSeeker or NDIS: for yours is the culture of God.” What?! As anyone who’s on one of these schemes knows, this means being constantly humiliated. It means being treated with suspicion and turning up to pointless interviews and jumping through arbitrary hoops and filing endless paperwork—and periodically having your benefits cut anyway. How could this be God’s culture? How could this be blessed? 

Read here or listen here.