Minister in Placement at Northern Illawarra Uniting Church, just north of Wollongong. I am married to Robin, a teacher who comes from California, USA. I spent most of my working life in the US, helping to start a church in Oakland, California, focused on racial reconciliation. I love living near Wollongong, close to family – swimming, kayaking, and camping up and down the coast.
Jesus gave a prayer to his Disciples – the “Our Father…”.
Prayer comes alive when we experience a deep sense of our own need, and a deep sense of God’s unconditional love.
That is the ‘greenhouse of grace’ in which the plant of prayer grows.
Prayer is a living, breathing conversation, God is right there and waiting.
Martha was so busy with the preparations of the meal for hosting Jesus, it was a huge chore for her.
While Mary was completely oblivious and just concentrated on what Jesus had to say.
Sometimes work just becomes a habit for us…even though we think we are showing Jesus’s Love.
The church is not about just work! It is about discerning the Love of God, to hear it and share it.
We would all like to be the Good Samaritan in this story.
But to be honest we sometimes are more like the priest, or Levite and even the bandits.
Maybe we are even the man lying in the ditch, beaten and bruised and calling out for help.
Jesus – the God of love, draws near and binds the wounds in humility and gives hope.
The message of the kingdom comes like Julia Roberts in”Notting Hill”.
No power, no glory, no arm-twisting. Just a simple offer of love and a humble request.
A humble God, standing in front of us, offering love.
From a world point of view this is where Jesus peaks! In a good movie, this is where the hero reaches out with compassion, turns to his friends for help, and then full of confidence – bingo, the action happens and everybody is satisfied!
However, Jesus is not the ‘big show person’ of a movie, but the servant with a humble heart, the only hope for this world.
This is the Majesty of the “Good News” – Jesus is the real deal King.
Middle aged David decides to settle down and builds a great palace for himself – thinks he should build a great place for God to live in too.
The Lord speaks through Nathan to David, to tell him that he is quite happy slumming it in a tent!
God stays with people who have not found a place to settle. God in a tent, actually wants the best for us!
David’s great, great grandson came, Jesus, and “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” – the promise of God for every season of our lives.
These days we never know when or where we are being watched. Invisible cameras are appearing everywhere and some one is at the other end checking on us!
There is another invisible eye that watches over us because we have been chosen from the foundation of time.
For those who know His goodness, this invisible eye can be a source of Joy, Blessing and Encouragement.
The men of the Synagogue could not believe that a Carpenter (Jesus), could be trusted as being a man of God, full of love and grace.
When control that manages the details of our life is relinquished and we start to trust in God, then real soul experiences will happen as God has our best interests at heart. Exercise patience and pay attention to life around you and wait to be surprised by God.
