Colourful Dreamer

  Gate Pa – Pentecost 9 2013 Readings: Hebrew Scripture:       Amos 8:1-12    Psalm:                          Psalm 52 Epistle:                         Col 1:15-29      Gospel:                        Luke 10:38-42                                     What I want to say: explore this story as being about how offer hospitality in house church (only kind of church) – who carried the brunt of that. can’t be read i...

Today I had a meeting about ministry in Rest Homes. I missed a lot of it because when I put the thing in my outlook I clicked the wrong time. How annoying!! One of the things that still surprises me is my growing respect for this ministry. Once a month I take a service at a Psychogeriatric and Dementia Hospital. When I first came here this was one the things I enjoyed the least. I saw the importance of it but did not enjoy it. I dreaded the day each month I was due up there. I felt really uncomfortable taking the service. I just did not enjoy being there. A couple of months ago I was greatly surprised to find I now look forward to going. I am really not sure what changed for me. But I find ti a profound privilege to lead a service and to offer communion to some of the residents, to family members who are with them and to staff members as well. It is a privilege to offer words of hope, and pray God's blessing on all who live, visit and work there. God does work in mysterious ways.

This is my last Sunday before I  go on Sabbatical  to fulfil my obligations as Minister Provincial of the Third Order, Society of Saint Francis, Province of the Pacific. On Monday I leave for the Solomon Islands to visit Franciscan Tertiaries, (which make up half the professed in this Province), talk to bishops about the life of the Order, and chair various meetings. On August 8 th I travel to Australia to spend a week on retreat with the Franciscan Brothers at Stroud. On August 17 th I travel to Capetown to attend the Provincial Ministers’ meeting, with some sightseeing at the end. My first day back is Sunday September 8 th . So there will be no sermon notes or themes for the week until Setpember 15th. I will I hope put up some posts about life on the road.

A couple of weeks ago we had our Regional Conference. A big part of the day was spent discussing how to be missional. In the group I was part of we talked a lot about “building the Kingdom of God”. We all agreed that being missional was about building the kingdom or rule of God. But there was a huge difference of opinion around what exactly is the kingdom.  For some the kingdom equals the church, and building the kingdom means getting people to come to and to be part of church. This is not the understanding of the kingdom we read about in today’s readings. In Amos we hear the reluctant prophet denounce his society for the priority of those with wealth to attain more wealth at the experience of everyone else, and as a result its unjust treatment of the poor. In a week where welfare reforms are being instituted to save money with seeming little thought to the cost to the children of those involved, I wonder what Amos would say to us? The kingdom of God for Amos is when the poor ...

Gate Pa – Pentecost 7 2013 Readings: Hebrew Scripture:          2 Kings 5:1-14               Psalm:                                   Psalm 30 Epistle:                 Gal 6:7-16                    Gospel:                                Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 What I want to say: explore what the gospel says about our money What I want to happen: people to hold lightly to money and gr...