Tag Archives: discipleship

(A conversion) not (of St Paul)

No lightning bolt nor sudden fall but the gentle tap-tap of mercy raining like hoofbeats like heartbeats over the umbrella of consciousness – Who are you? You sang, my pied piper;I was powerlessnot to follow; you led my soul astray, … Continue reading

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Fishing

After John was arrested, they returned to Galilee and to their nets. They must have lost track of Jesus when he went into the wilderness alone after his baptism, during those long days of fasting and temptation. And here he is, back as if from the dead, and once again, they follow him. Continue reading

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What’s in a name?

By what name does God know you? By what name, into what name does God call you? What does that tell you about the path of your discipleship, about the ways in which you are called to live into the Gospel of Christ? Continue reading

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A red, white, and blue sermon

Might we be just a little afraid of what might happen if we allow ourselves truly to be changed, converted, transformed by the grace of our Saviour, Jesus Christ? Are we just a little concerned about going against the flow of popular culture, painting with a different brush, suggesting that mercy is greater than might and love more lasting than power; that even the great and the wise need repentance? Are we afraid to trade in our red, and blue, and whiteness for something in a soft velour? Continue reading

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The table

Ironically, while we are deciding where to seat him, Jesus is busy setting the table himself. And his invitation is clear:
Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.
Come to me, you who are thirsty, and I will give you living water to drink.
Come, eat of the bread of life, and I will raise you up. Continue reading

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An ordination sermon: submittere

It is in the most intractable problems of the world and its children that we find ourselves unable to proclaim our own greatness, nor believe in our own glory. It is here, at the end of hope, that we find ourselves gathered once more with Jesus at the table, with the people whom he most loves, the ones who are broken like bread, scattered like crumbs, poured out like spilt wine. Continue reading

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Sharkbait

If we give up on Nineveh, we run the risk that instead of becoming fishers of men, we become like Jonah, in need of a fishing vessel to rescue us from the deep water we get ourselves into when we turn our backs on the grace and mercy that God has for all that God has made. Continue reading

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Nazareth, Norway, Nathaneal

“What do you know of me?” Nathaneal demanded.
“I know enough,” answered Jesus.
“Oh, Christ,” Nathaneal swore.
“You have no idea,” replied the Christ. Continue reading

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Year C Proper 18: One lousy sales pitch

The other day, during a screening of the final movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy – the one where all of the final battles happen and the last-ditch attempts to overcome evil in the face of incredible odds … Continue reading

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Tomorrow’s gospel

“No one starts a war, Jesus says, without first calculating the chances of winning. Otherwise, they may get drawn into open-ended, unending conflict, with no clear way out, sending life chasing after death as though they hate the lives of … Continue reading

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