Here, we have everything. The healed and the witnesses. The doubters and the worriers. Tradition and threat, Sabbath rest and holy healing. Identity and history. All our worries, our concerns and pragmatisms trying to make sense of wonder and grace, all our fear. And at the centre, Jesus as the light of the world.
There is a vigorous rhythm in this story, too. A daring back-and-forth, part-dancing, part-debate as the woman questions Jesus, getting to the heart of the question that separates them as Samaritans and Jews.
Nicodemus is not used to standing in a place where reason fails. But this is a place where we all must stand at some point in our lives. In joy or in sorrow. In pain or abandon or grief or loneliness or moments of calling and clarity. Moments when we are blinded, unsure if we are standing in the darkness or in the light.
These are lines from Berry’s Sabbath 1999 poems, but let them ring in Lent this year. Again we resume the long lesson of small things. The simple lesson that takes us years of circling to finally work into the fabric of our hearts. Maybe it takes all the years. Maybe that’s the point.
Our biggest pie fan (and one of our oldest friends) was visiting this weekend, so I had a second go at the passion fruit tart […]
Plum has just started on solid foods which makes this week’s lectionary reading from Corinthians resound with me. And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak […]
Plum and I went to London last week. Just the two of us. We went midweek and without agenda – just a little get-away to […]
Blessed are the broken. That’s the beatitudes in a nutshell but, of course, none of the blessings stop there. Blessed are the broken because things […]
First, I should say that when I asked the kids if I could write about this, there was a long pause. I thought it best […]
There are two bits that jump out of this week’s lectionary passage in the Gospel and both are connected to the naming of names. Maybe […]
I bought a sharp pencil yesterday to celebrate the New Year. And also because I’ve also just started a new job. That’s a little mad, […]
Today is the last day of the school holidays and, as such, not a great day for writing around here. But tomorrow there will be […]
This was to have been about Monday morning and madeleines. I was going to write about a quiet morning of baking with the kids. Time […]
On Thursday morning, Plum and I went to church together for the school assembly. Twice a year, the students from the local primary school come […]
Last week, Plum and I went to a drop-in playgroup hosted by a local church. I’m one of the regulars there – for the past […]
I remember sitting on Chapel Rock at Gracefield one morning, trying to find the peace to start the day well and just feeling hungry. I […]
I fell into a trap last week. “Really? Already?” Advent is around the corner? That’s what everyone says, isn’t it? That we can’t quite believe that […]
In Advent’s waiting days, the lectionary is full of the prophets and their strong callings to justice and peace. In their words, we hear God’s ancient promises of life and love, and we sit in solidarity with those who long. Because we, too, are longing for the light. This small book of prayers offers a balance between longing and celebration.