We're all going on a Summer Holiday

The tent has been tried out in the back yard - hole patched, poles repaired, pegs straightened. And then everything packed back down again before the grass was suffocated. The supplies are being assembled. The itinerary is planned and the camp sites (and weekend motel) booked. I'll be away from the blogosphere for a couple of weeks enjoying family and exploring more of this great country. And knitting a 12-ply jersey (jumper/sweater) for family member who heads to Oklahoma on a Rotary student exchange in exactly one month!!! Mother panics at the thought of how close it is :-) And rejoices at the anticipation of great times between now and then. I'll be back after New Year.

Christmas Jam

Just saw this great contribution from Brian McLaren that reminds me that Christmas is just the start of an amazing life

Counting down

Songbird is up early (or late - I'm not sure) and posted a Friday Five on a Christmas theme. Very simple. After a day spent writing and posting cards to family and family friends I feel ready for this one. Songbird writes:

It's true.

There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.

1. Write prayer-for-others and prepare reflective powerpoint for Sunday morning worship
2. Complete the final drafts of Year 1 and Year 2 tutor handbooks for 2009
3. Read The Christmas Mystery (an annual tradition)
4. Send working-away-from-home-all-summer family member a special package
5. Check the tent, cook the chicken, prepare the picnic and anticipate the holiday
   

Christmas Meme

From Ruth - who got it from Jan and decided to play.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Definitely paper
2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. So I can put it up for All Saints and keep it 'til Epiphany (or even 'til Candlemas as I did this year)
3. When do you put up the tree?
Oh I already answered that. I aim for All Saints. But this year it was well into December.
4. When do you take the tree down?
12th night - and if not then it stays up until Candlemas in February.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes, great winter treat.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
One year our Aunt made bride outfits for our dolls. All different. They were so gorgeous.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Well - I try not to buy (Advent Conspiracy fits well with my philosophy) but I do seem to have difficulty 'getting it right' for my immediate family
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Above notwithstanding, I don't mind buying for the family member who is always appreciative of an annual undie restock.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Several. This one set up at home, and holy family at work on my bookshelf. Plus smaller ones about the place.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Bit of both but I do prefer the tactile involvement of writing in 'real' cards.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
With a birthday just a few days later, I always felt short changed when well meaning rellies said "we got you a bigger Christmas present that will be for your birthday as well"
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Joyeux Noel, Santa Clause, I haven;t seen The Nativity yet.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
No special time
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Almond biscuits. With lemon or ginger.
16. Lights on the tree?
None this year, They died last year and I haven't replaced them.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
One???? Five CDs on the player are my faves - Blind Boys of Alabama; Jamoa Jam (I'm dreaming of an Island Christmas); Old Fashioned Christmas (from a bargain bin - has some wonderful really old stuff I'd never heard of); Carol our Christmas; Joy to the World - Scottish Festival Singers.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
A mix. We have almost always been too far from family to even attempt to visit. Last year we were at home and all the children returned to us. This year we are driving on the first 'leg' of our summer camping trip around the NSW south coast.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
No
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Angel
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning?
After church on Christmas Day
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Needless spending
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Our tree declares I am an angel girl, and I also have boxes of bells (ring out good news) birds, stars, balls (to represent the world/globe) etc etc. I also love using indigenous flora of this country e.g. the Advent wreath on our table.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Picnic at the beach with chicken, salad, christmas cake and cherries (or any stone fruit really) a bottle of lemon lime and bitters and other tasty treats
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Justice and Joy
26. What do you like most about Christmas?
Anticipation of Advent, joy of Christmas, wonder of Epiphany. And wearing my Christmas earings.

If you want to play, leave a comment here. It will be fun to read other answers.

A good life

Meme found at Black Pete's and fun to try. I still have quite a few to do!

99 Meme - 111 Meme

Nicked from Marja-Leena

The rules are simple: bold the things you've done. Explanations are optional. Fun is guaranteed.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (depends what you mean by ill though)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (too expensive - did manage the water taxi)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (for a day)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout/Guide Cookies/Biscuits
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (there's always a reason - someone sent them!)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a cheque
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (very small)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (as in managed the publication process)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

With all respect, to balance the American references, Pete offered the following addenda, to modify the meme:

100. Climbed a Toltec pyramid in Mexico
101. Attended a church service in Cuba
102.Visited the Nagasaki Peace Park
103.Lived in the vicinity of some of the oldest landscape on the planet (depends definition of vicinity - but some of South Australia is very very old - and a long way from Sydney I concede)
104.Visited 3 historical sites in my own country: Waitangi and Parihaka in NZ, Darwin in Australia)
105. Been within 100 metres of an active volcano

With equal respect, to balance the euro-american references, and to add to the fun, I offer the following addenda:
106. Baked a pavlova
107. Seen Uluru in person.
108. Seen the Lady Knox geyser erupt in person
109. Swum in Waikeremoana
110. Not taken a sick day when you were ill
111. Walked across the harbour bridge (Auckland or Sydney)

Mitre 10 - Sandpit

Prompted by Ruth's water heater story (it's well worth reading) I post the genetic basis for DIY. You need need to understand the New Zealand-Australian rivalry is deeply entrenched!

Eye Spy

Sophia posted the Friday Five: Windows of the Soul over at RevGalBlogPals this week, and as I believe it is still Friday in several places I'm in for a play!

Inspired by her husband's Lasik surgery yesterday, Sophia asks us to say a little prayer for his safe recovery and share our thoughts on eyes and vision.

1. What color are your beautiful eyes? Did you inherit them from or pass them on to anyone in your family?
I was always so proud to have brown eyes like my Dad. Technically more on the hazel side. I've passed them on.

2. What color eyes would you choose if you could change them?
No desire for change.

3. Do you wear glasses or contacts? What kind? Like 'em or hate 'em?
As a 'woman of a certain age' I need my reading glasses. I love them. Diamantes on the side!

4. Ever had, or contemplated, laser surgery? Happy with the results?
No

5. Do you like to look people in the eye, or are you more eye-shy?
More eye shy.

Bonus question: Share a poem, song, or prayer that relates to eyes and seeing.
I'm in love with a green-eyed man (his eyes are the most gorgeous I've ever seen) of Irish ancestry so those smiling Irish eyes are the ones humming in my brain. Thanks Sophia for the angel song and the bright gay Saturday I'm dancing into. Happy weekend!

Illumination

Christine, at Abbey of the Arts, has issued invitations toPoetry Party #28! Posted on Monday, she notes that December 8th is both the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Christian Tradition and the Enlightenment of the Buddha in Buddhist Tradition. The Immaculate Conception honors the conception of Mary without sin, illuminating her purity and grace from the moment she was conceived in her own mother’s womb in preparation for her to give birth to God. In Orthodox tradition, Mary is know as Theotokos, which means God-bearer. December 8th also marks the observance of the Buddha achieving enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The word enlightenment is derived from the idea of becoming filled with light, light symbolizing clarity and wisdom.

The invitation is to write a poem in honor of the call to illumination. To become illuminated means that one carries a light within rather than seeking it from another source. Just like Mary and Buddha, we each carry the spark of the divine flame. The mystics have told us this for centuries.

Christine also posted the photograph below as a focus for creativity. In the growing darkness of these days, might you discover your own brilliance and the brilliant beauty of the world? The image below was taken at the retreat center (on the Hood Canal) one evening when the world was luminous.

light
shines
in dark places
Justice
Healing
Joy
overcome
war
greed
self-interest

in me
in every place

please put away the snuffer and nurture the flame
NOW

Advent longings

A wonderfilled seasonal Friday Five from Sally this week:

"Imagine a complex, multi-cultural society that annually holds an elaborate winter festival, one that lasts not simply a few days, but several weeks. This great festival celebrates the birth of the Lord and Saviour of the world, the prince of peace, a man who is divine. People mark the festival with great abundance- feasting, drinking and gift giving....." (Richard Horsley- The Liberation of Christmas)

The passage goes on, recounting the decorations that are hung, and the songs and dances that accompany the festival, how the economy booms and philanthropic acts abound....

But this is not Christmas- this is a Roman festival in celebration of the Emperor....This is the world that Jesus was born into! The world where the early Christians would ask "Who is your Saviour the Emperor or Christ?"

And yet our shops and stores and often our lives are caught up in a world that looks very much like the one of ancient Rome, where we worship at the shrine of consumerism....

Advent on the other hand calls us into the darkness, a time of quiet preparation, a time of waiting, and re-discovering the wonder of the knowledge that God is with us. Advent's call is to simplicity and not abundance, a time when we wait for glorious light of God to come again...

Christ is with us at this time of advent, in the darkness, and Christ is coming with his light- not the light of the shopping centre, but the light of love and truth and beauty.

What do you long for this advent? What are your hopes and dreams for the future? What is your prayer today?

In the vein of simplicity I ask you to list five advent longings....

In this time of waiting
for the coming of the Saviour
For what do I long?

• For a world where justice and peace are rampant
• For every child to be born in a context of love and concern
• For meaningful connections with family and friends across seas and continents
• To be in touch with nature; to feel the sand between my toes and the wind on my face
• To eat well and share abundantly; and know this experience is universal
  

The Award

Ruth at Visions and Revisions surprised me with a Superior Scribbler Award recently. Thank you so much! And now I have the pleasure of passing it on to five deserving bloggers.

The difficulty of this task is made only a little easier by seeing that some authors of my regular reads have already received The Award. But there is still a certain randomness to choosing just five of so many people I enjoy visiting.

The rules of the award, set by the scribbler are listed below:

• Each superior scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to five most-deserving Bloggy friends
• Each superior scribbler must link to the author and the name of the blog from whom she received The Award
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post which explains The Award
• Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr Linky List. That way we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honour!
• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog

And my nominees are:

Sally at Eternal Echoes, who introduced me to the world of blogging and who scribbles superior sermons and stories and poetry that engage and inspire
Whitney, who has crossed the Atlantic and scribbles superior glimpses of grace that resonate all the way to the Antipodes
Sophia at Sophia's Call, who scribbles words of wisdom that reflect growing in faith and understanding
Joan Elizabeth, a superior photographer and scribbler, whose Blue Mountains Journal never ceases to delight and who experiences the same seasons that I do
Singing Owl, a wise and wonderful woman who in the Owl's Song scribbles challenges to preconceptions and remains true to herself

Prayer for Advent

Wondrous Creator

You break forth

In the midst of darkness

Your light shines

Without regard for boundaries

Of space and time

Light of the world

In a world

of fractured relationships

You were born as one of us

Challenging global powers

That compete for our allegiance

Spirit of light and truth

You illumine our lives

You illumine our world

Showing clearly

What is and what can be

We come to you in wonder and in praise

We seek your light

that we may turn from

attitudes and actions that destroy

We seek your wisdom

that we may rightly discern

and live for justice and in love

We seek your life-giving breath

that we may truly live

Amen

These are the words we can trust:

When a person recognises that the most important truth is that there is one and only one God, and that human purpose is to love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself

Jesus says to that person, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’

Spread the Word

World Aids Day. A quick post to remind us that menopausal women are one of the groups most at risk of HIV AIDS, especially in developed nations. Especially women of our generation who followed a traditional pattern of marrying first heterosexual partner and remaining monogamous. Until death or divorce leads to singleness, without experience or knowledge to negotiate safe sex in any new relationship. Of course many women equate condoms with pregnancy prevention, which seems irrelevant after 'the change of life' (as my mother used to refer to menopause). And the sort of middle-aged men that middleaged heterosexual women might choose to date are not necessarily ones they would have qualms about unprotected sex with. It's over seven years now since the article about Jane Fowler was written, but it is the most eloquent and relevant piece that I could find. I am surprised at medical students who assume that people aged over 50 years don't engage in risky behaviour. And surprised that Viagra doesn't come with safe sex warnings. As Monica Rodriguez is quoted in the article, "This isn't a population that grew up talking about sex or condoms or HIV/AIDS. But we can't let our discomfort around issues of sexuality get in the way of conversations about safe sex."

Advent 1

Advent 1 powerpoint
Originally uploaded by Will Humes

Fifth Sunday. Means I am liturgist for the evening worship. And skipping the morning to prepare (the joys of the laity who have a certain discretion about attendance :-) Looking around I found on Textweek a link to this wonderful powerpoint slide by Will Humes. This man is a gem and has a lot of resources for busy pastors (and lay people although we don't get a mention in the header) I made a compilation of Advent readings and images for Friday night that I can reuse. Blessings friends as we together prepare and wait ...

Mix and stir

Songbird posted this week's Friday Five over at RevGalBlogPals. She writes:
In a minor domestic crisis, my food processor, or more precisely the part you use for almost everything for which I use a food processor, picked the eve of the festive season of the year to give up the ghost. A crack in the lid expanded such that a batch of squash soup had to be liberated via that column shaped thing that sticks up on top.

Can you tell this is not my area of strength?

Next week, I'm hosting Thanksgiving. I need your help. Please answer the following kitchen-related questions:

1) Do you have a food processor? Can you recommend it? Which is to say, do you actually use it? Just a few weeks ago I picked up a second-hand very inexpensive Moulinex at the market. My Bamix is wonderful but unfortunately all the little bits got thrown out by visitors (who probably thought they were off cans or something.

2) And if so, do you use the fancy things on it? (Mine came with a mini-blender (used a lot and long ago broken) and these scary disks you used to julienne things (used once).)
Basically I use it for soup and some baking. I have never used most of the parts. The lemon squeezer thing looks good for lemonade though - which I must start making as the weather warms up.

3) Do you use a standing mixer? Or one of the hand-held varieties?
Neither. I mix by hand (or food processor for carrot cakes etc)

(And isn't that color delightfully retro?) I love it!

4) How about a blender? Do you have one? Use it much?
My children wish I did. But no. I have an old 'shaker' that my Mum used to make milkshakes (large metal tumbler thing with a lid that fits on - then hold in your hand and shake madly) I figure it is exercise!

5) Finally, what old-fashioned, non-electric kitchen tool do you enjoy using the most?
The spurtle. Mine are made by my Dad and the flat (not round) kind. Kind of like this

Bonus: Is there a kitchen appliance or utensil you ONLY use at Thanksgiving or some other holiday? If so, what is it?
No.

Invitation to open space

Next Friday 28th November we will be holding our second Open House (I blogged too late at night last time and got the name wrong). Most of the people who see this will be too far away to come physically. But you can be in the virtual vicinity if you email me a picture or a favourite Advent scripture or short quotation (see under contact in full profile). I'm compiling the PowerPoint show for the evening. And will be delighted to receive contributions.

Advent Conspiracy

Remembrance

Remembrance Friday Five from Sophia. I thought I was too tired to play but seeing this topic I was instantly engaged and energised.

1. Did your church have any special celebrations for All Saints/All Soul's Day?
No - UCA is not exactly liturgical, at least in our part of Australia. I did attend a 'Blessing of the Hands' mass for our students on All Souls' Day. Homily was about purgatory.

2. How about Veterans' Day?
Definitely NOT in church. We have clear views about separation of church and State and even flags seem to be not allowed. Again though a yes for work - I used McCrae's poem In Flanders' Field as a reflection in our curriculum meeting. And I have worn a poppy all week.

3. Did you and your family have a holiday for Veterans' Day/Remembrance Day? If so, how did you take advantage of the break?
Not a public holiday here. I actually like making the 2 minutes silence in the midst of a 'normal' routine.

4. Is there a veteran in your life, living or dead, whose dedication you remember and celebrate? Or perhaps a loved one presently serving in the armed forces?
My nephew is currently serving in Afghanistan, my uncle served in World War II in Scotland. I recently blogged about my great-uncle who was killed at Gallipoli (serving with the Scots forces). I also have great respect for those who chose the hard path of conscientious objection and who bore the ridicule of their peers and the harsh punishment of their nations.
5. Do you have any personal rituals which help you remember and connect with loved ones who have passed on?
Memory isn't exactly a ritual but I do hold memories and family history very close to my heart. As the next generation of our family begins my sisters and I are more conscious of passing this knowledge on to our children and their grandchildren. Our family is good at attending funerals, which is a very direct way that younger generations learn about their forebears and meet members of their wider family and clan networks.

Inscribed

Christine at Abbey of the Arts has issued an invitation to the 27th Poetry Party. She chooses a photograph and invites us to respond with words. This week the photograph was taken on Innishmore, an Aran Island that touched my heart in 2005. I love the image!

This week's party was inspired by Christine's book-signing and the sense of connection between reader and author, and by the words of scripture that came to her:

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by everyone (2 Corinthians 3:2).

As she reflected later on the ways in which the sacred is inscribed onto her heart, and her work is to share those words as well as possible. Words like Love. Silence. Justice. Contemplation. Beauty. Words made substantive, enfleshed.

What are the words inscribed on your heart?

(the image was taken in the summer of 2007 on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands in Ireland)

Chiseled

continually

Inscribed

indelibly

in my heart

Love is

Love is

Love is

11th hour 11th day 11th month

I bought a poppy at the railway station this morning and have been wearing it all day.

When I wrote about my uncle Thomas recently I certainly felt in one of those 'thin places' but I hadn't made the intellectual connection that it was so close to Armistice/Remembrance Day.

This year of course marks 90 years since the end of World War One. Sadly not the war to end all wars. But maybe the first time that armed conflict involved so many nations. And taught such hard lessons especially for the colonial nations. And changed forever the lives of generations.

I was 'on' for reflection at our curriculum meeting this morning. So chose Flanders' Field. With the modifications suggested by the narrative of those who saw the original pencilled by John McCrae.

I hadn't realised that this oft-repeated verse was written by a physician. John McCrae was Professor of Medicine at McGill University. Served in the Boer War as a gunner, and in WWI as a medic. More about him and the writing of the verse here.

In Flanders’ Fields

In Flanders’ Fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders’ Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies blow
In Flanders’ Fields.

Tomorrow at the eleventh hour I hope I remember to take time to pause and observe silence. Taking up the torch for me means working for peace and seeking justice. The Ottawa Charter sets out clearly the prerequisites for health - peace is the first fundamental condition.

As I think of our students, whose hands were so recently blessed by the Cardinal, I wonder where their careers will take them. What their eyes will see and their hands write. What healing they may bring. What will move their hearts. What torch they will carry and what faith they will keep.

Comic Comments

One of the early birds responding to Presbyterian Gal's great Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals this week.

(comic from Google Images)

After an exhausting election here in the states it's time for some spirit lifting! Join me with a nice cup of tea or coffee or cocoa and let's sit back and read the Funny Papers!

1. What was your favorite comic strip as a child?
When we went to town I would buy a magazine (from the UK I think) called 'June and Schoolfriend' Bizarre I know - but the comic strip I remember was about Billy Bunter - a rather rotund young man who has all sorts of adventures despite being bullied and teased.

2. Which comic strip today most consistently tickles your funny bone?
Leunig. I just love him! In the past year I have been blessed to be able to attend TWO live performances at the Opera House.

3. Which Peanuts character is closest to being you?
Lucy

4. Some say that comic strips have replaced philosophy as a paying job, so to speak. Does this ring true with you?
No not really. Although I'm not sure that philosophy was ever a paying job I don;t think comic strips have replaced a perspective that is so often lacking in our communities. Leunig can be very philosophical at times though.

5. What do you think the appeal is for the really long running comic strips like Blondie, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace as some examples?

Intergenerational familiarity, clever scriptwriting, human habituality

Bonus question: Which discontinued comic strip would you like to see back in print?
Footrot Flats

Coming Out

I'm doing it. At last. Coming out from behind the pseudonym to use my name in this new world of the blogosphere. Some fellow bloggers may have noticed that I've been using name not alias in comments for a while. Inspired by Sally. Ruth, Whitney, Andy and others I figure it's not too scary to be myself. So goodbye EmJayDee. Mavis is here.

Weeks End

Friday Five with 5 quick hit questions... and a bonus posted by Will Smama this week:

1) Your work day is done and the brain is fried, what do you do?
Grab a Red Earth beer from the fridge and sit outside under the Camphor Laurel enjoying it. Then off to the gym for a bit of cycling and weights. Home/shower/into Peter Alexander jamies and read til bedtime.

2) Your work week is done and the brain is fried (for some Friday, others Sunday afternoon), what do you do?
Well tonight I attended the first Open Space at our church. Couple of pews turned around to face each other over a coffee table covered with contemplative writing. Table and seat in the foyer with opportunity to journal or to write a greeting card to someone. Lesson from the techy guys on how to dim the lights. Plenty of candles. Quiet (recorded) music and DVD of nature scenes playing on loop. Tea light candles to light and watch. A blessed hour with no words, women and men together yet each in silence. Minimal set up and pack down. Welcome space.

3) Like most of us, I often keep myself busy even while programs are on the tv. I stop to watch The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday nights. Do you have 'stop everything' tv programming or books or events or projects that are totally 'for you' moments?
TV is one of our shared family times. When I got home tonight, for example, watched end of 'Sweet Home Alabama' with daughter. 'Me' time is when I am driving alone. Can listen to ABC National radio or CD of my choice. IPod while walking is another way to stop and detach from 'troubles and needless anxieties'

4) When was the last time you laughed, really laughed? What was so funny?
I fell about laughing when I realised just what I had said one recent Saturday afternoon. "I'd rather spend time with you than do the vacuuming" So does that mean that I love his company just a little more than one of my most disliked chores? It wasn't meant to come out like that. I won't be allowed to forget it.

5) What is a fairly common item that some people are willing to go cheap on, but you are not.
Soap. I love handcrafted oil based soaps. Buy one or two every time I go to a market. (Modified overnight to add pyjamas and wine)

Bonus: It's become trite but is also true that we often benefit the most when we give. Go ahead, toot your own horn. When was the last time you gave until it felt good?
It felt like a lot of giving last Sunday leading all three worship services - I was exhausted at the end of the day but it felt good. The good feeling continues! Tonight one of the youth group said she had got the DVD of the sermon and was going to watch it with her boyfriend over the weekend (just in case you wondered what young people do with their time these days). And the 8 am people were just so thrilled that I chose four hymns (the Minister usually has only 3). It seemed like all the preparation was worthwhile.

In honour of Uncle Tom

Another wonderful poetry invitation from Christine at Abbey of the Arts who posted this picture, taken during a trip to trace maternal ancestors. to inspire us to celebrate our ancestors, either as a group, or dedicated to a particular person (human or animal in nature).

The photograph is from Christine's invitation,

My great-uncle Thomas remained in Inverness when his parents and 12 siblings emigrated to New Zealand. Within a few years he was killed at Gallipoli. My grandparents named their first son after him, and that little one died in infancy. On a visit to Inverness I was stopped in my tracks and strangely moved when I saw his name on a wall plaque commemorating the men of Inverness, so many of them young men, who died in the first world war. I don't have a photograph.

I never met you
and I was moved to tears
when I saw your name

Lal remembered
her older brother always
and we heard stories

Thomas Gillanders
You were loved
You are remembered
You have family throughout this world
Rest in Peace

Intelligent hearts: Hearty intelligence

Post-delivery version of a sermon for Reformation Sunday (apologies for the formatting which is a blogger gremlin that I can't seem to fix)

Let us pray: Living word, as we listen and learn together we pray that new light and truth will indeed break forth among us and set us free. Amen.

Last weekend we visited the excellent exhibition at the Penrith Regional Gallery in Emu Plains. Just across the Nepean river. The photographs by Greg Semu were of family groups. Pasifika families, Samoan families now living in Australia. One family required three portraits to capture their full extent and dimensions. When we think of the Reformation or the Reformed Tradition it is in some ways like thinking of a branch of a family.

And there will be some reference today to some of our tipuna, our forebears, our ancestors in this tradition (accompanied by ppt slide of Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther et al).

The Reformation is usually dated to 31 October 1517 when Martin Luther, a priest, allegedly nailed his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. It now seems more likely that he in fact mailed the theses to his bishops on this day, as a basis for discussion about his concern for the way the church was extorting money and purporting to provide indulgences rather than proclaiming the word of God.

Other women and men joined this movement in the 16^th century and continue to the present day to bring intellect and passion to their experience of faith in Jesus Christ. Idelette de Bure, who appeared on Belgian stamps much more recently, was married to the French theologian John Calvin, again in the 16^th century. Charlotte von Kirschbaum was the faithful assistant to Karl Barth, living with his family, and contributed greatly to the 13 volumes of Church Dogmatics that are credited only to him. He acknowledges her very significant contribution in the preface, and publicly acknowledged that he could never have completed his work without his wife Nelly and his assistant 'Lollo'.

And like any family, this reformed tradition has some particular values. The majesty and sovereignty of God, the importance of the scriptures, and the love of God are three that we will focus on today.

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” The book of Leviticus, or holiness code, contains many instructions for living. It is a record of the way the people of Israel understood what it meant to live a holy life.

The emphasis on God as wholly other, as totally different from humankind, is a key reformed value. Martin Luther objected to indulgences because they represented a claim that people could ‘buy God off’. We cannot presume or buy God’s favour. We cannot enlist God to our cause. We are “utterly dependent on an encounter with the divine for any understanding of ultimate reality. Barth saw the task of the church as that of proclaiming the "good word" of God and as serving as the "place of encounter" between God and mankind.”

Yet this wholly other God chooses to be revealed to us. Today we are gathered around the table and the font. The sacraments that are celebrated in this place are outward signs of inward grace. Baptism, as we celebrated last week, demonstrates powerfully that God first loved us. Many years ago now, friends of ours were mulling over whether or not their three-year-old daughter had the understanding to participate in communion. So they asked her. Her response was immediate “When I eat the bread God’s love goes right inside me.” Our forebear Calvin talked of the ‘real presence of Christ’ that we experience in the sacrament. Not necessarily some changing of the bread itself, or the juice. But in being set aside for a “sacred use and purpose” they do indeed become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ who said,“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”. That truth is contained in the Hebrew scriptures and the stories and letters of the early Christian church that make up our Bible. The Uniting Church in Australia says that the Church has received these books “as unique prophetic and apostolic testimony, in which it hears the Word of God and by which its faith and obedience are nourished and regulated... The Word of God on whom salvation depends is to be heard and known from Scripture appropriated in the worshiping and witnessing life of the Church.” (Basis of Union Article 5).

Jesus also said “… if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Our understanding of the word of God comes not only from text, but from the presence of Christ, the living word, among us. In Christ Jesus the word of God “became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth”. The reformed understanding is the word of God is the living Lord Jesus Christ, who sets us free.

The disciples were not slaves, and could not understand why Jesus said they would be free. We are not slaves, here in West Epping. We are free citizens, many of us property holders or in paid employment. The freedom that we have in Christ involves us as a community engaging with God’s mission. We are free from the forces that seek to control us, and free to live as citizens of the kingdom of God. Citizens of that kingdom are counter-cultural. Lent Event is an example. Many of you I know were busy packing materials last weekend. And Lent Event is about resisting the powers of consumerism and consumption, entering into partnership with churches beyond Australia, and together contributing to a world where justice and equity are evident.

There is a story about the theologian Karl Barth, author of 13 volumes of Church Dogmatics and often regarded as one of the best theologians of the past century. He was visiting the United States for a series of lectures. “At one of these, after a very impressive lecture, a student asked a typically American question. He said, ‘Dr. Barth, what is the greatest thought that has ever passed through your mind?’ The aging professor paused for a long time as he obviously thought about his answer. Then he said with great simplicity:‘Jesus loves me! This I know. For the Bible tells me so’ ” (Foundations of the Christian Faith, (Downers Grove/London, 1986), 331).

Conviction about the mercy and justice of God also characterise our reformers. Their powerful intellects and passion for holy living can sometimes obscure our view of their humanity and experience of love. Calvin was once described as a brain without a personality. Yet these were women and men who integrated heart and intellect. Their experience of God’s love enabled joy through what Calvin called ‘troubles’ and helped them to put aside anxieties and needless worry. Troubles for Calvin were real life events, like the deaths of his three children, his only children, in infancy, and the death of his wife Idelette which affected him greatly. In a letter to a friend he said “Mine is no common grief. I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life.”(Bouwsma p.23). Their lives were not easy. Think for a moment of Katharina von Bora. She was placed in a convent at the age of three, when her mother died, and her father did not want to financially support a female child. She became a nun at the age of sixteen, with a personal faith but also note that there were very few options for a woman of her time, in her circumstances. Somehow the writings of that early reformation movement made their way into the convent. She was influenced so much by what she read that she left the convent with a group of nuns, and eventually married Martin Luther. He was 42 and she was 26. I wonder what it would have been like, with no real memory of family life yourself, to learn to love and to raise a family. To see two of your daughters die, and then your husband. Interestingly for a congregation with a strong Methodist teetotal background, this amazingly resourceful woman bought a farm and ran a brewery, raised three sons and her surviving daughter. Managed a household despite a husband who would generously and arguably carelessly give things away. Following Martin’s death, she experienced a financial crash and injuries in a carriage accident from which she never recovered. It is alleged that her last words referred to her commitment to the Christ who loved her "I will stick to Christ as a burr on a top coat." (a burr is one of those very sticky little plant seeds that get on your socks when you are out bushwalking)

This sense of and knowledge of God’s love is inextricably linked with the majesty and ‘wholly-other-ness’ of God. Recognition of our inadequacy is a necessary prerequisite to recognising that we are loved. Barth may have responded to the American student with great simplicity – but that simplicity was born of deep experience. He once said:

In the life of every man there are shadows, deep shadows, which will not go away, so as to keep us where we are, as those who are beloved of God and can keep on loving and praising him.

The Message translation of the Leviticus passage makes it clear that holy living is not a matter of spiritual thoughts and feelings alone. It is a matter of action. Let us listen again:

Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.

Don't pervert justice. Don't show favouritism to either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of what is right.

God’s justice, the justice system in which we are called to live, goes far beyond our human justice systems. It is about addressing the fundamental requirements of well-being, of full life, of salvation. The historic signing of a peace treaty in the highlands of Papua New Guinea this year. The release of Pastor Berlin Guerrero from a Philippines prison. Clean drinking water in Milne Bay. Respectful care of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. These are signs of God’s mercy and justice in our world.

So in summary – some of the values that we inherit from the reformed tradition relate to who God is, the importance of the word of God, and God’s actions of mercy and justice in our world.

Our response: to live in that love and to stand against all that threatens that love. To know love and to know joy. The love and joy that come from knowing the grace of God, the truth of God’s word, and the life of God’s spirit.

---

A Mighty Stronghold Is Our God - Pipe Organ

Thanks Martin for a succinct summary of reformed theology - in the language of your time but still so relevant to ours

Lollo - towards reformation II

And what of you Lollo?
Charlotte von Kirschbaum

Theologian, quick-minded, hungry for truth
You gave yourself to this great enterprise
At the expense of your reputation

You know today some writers consider you were exploited
Used and abused by a man you looked up to and admired

Was that the way it was?
Or are you more abused by those who know no more than their limited imagination can conceive
Who cannot believe that a secretary can be a fellow theologian

The whisperers and critics
So keen to bring down a mind that threatened
That they would use you, his lifelong assistant
As a weapon

I like to think you'd like this quote - by a male theology graduate in that country of the USA where you visited with Karl so long ago

Let’s keep in mind that Nelly visited Charlotte on a very regular basis after Karl died... puts one in mind of a continuing and grand friendship. …. Adultery does not come to mind except by those who might be given to such things themselves.

Yours was a grand commitment
To ideals and knowledge and philosophy
Forsaking the frivolities that attract so readily
Living an unconventional lifestyle
Becoming part of a household
yet without a family of your own

To love and not to count the cost
To understand and to argue cogently
To have good times together

A life well-lived
A life lived well
Thanks for showing us how

Location Location Location

Friday Five from Singing Owl who says:

My daughter, her husband, and their toddler, Trinity Ann, are moving from Minneapolis, Minnesota to our place. It's a long story, but the short version is that they will be loading a Ryder truck on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon we will unload it into a storage unit in our town. They will move themselves, their two cats and their BIG dog into our place. Yes, there will be issues, but this Friday Five isn't really about that. (Prayers for jobs for them and patience for all of us are most welcome, however.) This post is about locations. My husband has lived at 64 addresses in his life so far (16 with me) and he suggested the topic since we have moving trucks on our minds.

Therefore, tell us about the five favorite places you have lived in your lifetime. What did you like? What kind of place was it? Anything special happen there?

If you have lived in less than five places, you can tell us a about fantasy location.
I'm up to 16 dwelling places as well. Each has memories and a special place in my heart. So the selection is somewhat random but here goes.

1. Te Pahu. This was my first home. I left before I turned four so I don't really remember much about it. My parents were farmers and there are heaps of pictures showing that I spent time out with Dad in teh paddocks and Mum in the garden. I do remember having a babysitter one afternoon. We were out in the garden and she accidentally cut a worm in half. I got very upset and angry with her for harming one of God's creatures. And she patiently explained to me that the worm would be able to grow a new tail and live happily in the soil. It worked as a calming technique.

2. Dunedin. University city. It's hard to believe I moved so far from home at the same age as my youngest now. Lived in a hostel for a year, then boarding with a woman from the church I attended, then flatting with four other 'girls'. Lots happened there. Good and bad. Growing up!
3. My first home purchase. In a provincial city. I've had a mortgage of one kind or another ever since. I just loved this little Hardyplank house. Decorated in pink and blue. With a garden full of indigenous trees and exotic flowers. Scene of many a pot luck tea with the 'sisterhood' and of a surprise party for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. And I was completely smitten by a lovely guest who mowed my lawns. I've lived with him ever since as well.
no pic sorry - it was before the digital age :-)

4. Wanganui. Manse. Scene of 'courtship' and the first home we shared in our marriage. Bushwalks and drives up the River Road. The place where our children were born and brought home. A city of big-hearted and generous people. I was delighted when a work commitment took me back to speak on children's rights many years later. Those people are worth knowing.

5. Sydney. I started with the first and will end with the most recent. This involved an international move. We brought our cat! The climate is generally very pleasant. We're back in a church house with the frustration of maintenance by committee. But they also paid for the landscaping which has provided an amazing back yard retreat. Last year was one of the most challenging I have had. Now settling into new workplace and routine it is beginning to feel like home.