By Jennie Gordon
St. Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark

breathless body bound
tomb sealed with stone
doors locked in fear
yet, you are here

persistent peddler of peace
intruder into gathered grief
rupturing the possible
with promise
blood and water birthing
breathing
new creation
from the dust of disbelief

coaxing our questions
enticing eager infant hands
to touch the wounds
until with wobbling faith
we stand
and learn to say, acclaim, proclaim
your encompassing, indwelling name

and know
you will not leave us
as you bless us
as you send us
as we stumbling go

By Jennie Gordon
St. Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark

while it was still dark
she came, they came
they entered,
saw only the wrappings
and went home
she stayed, wept, entered,
met holy presence
in the absence
and heard her name
that only his breath
could frame
then she went
and told them
‘I have seen the Lord’
while it is still dark
we come
because we have no light of our own
but
do we leave
with only wrappings
for our journey
or do we stay, weep, seek,
discern the whisper of our name
and see the one
for whom we come
then go
and tell the others
while it is still dark

By Jennie Gordon
St. Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark

it is finished
because
death does that
draws a line
interrupts the conversation
conversation sponsored by
book-ended breathing
in for nascent cry
out for when you die
and all the ins and outs
of life
are mocking rehearsals
of the first and final one
and yet they hold
candles to darkness
hope to despair
pain, prophesy and passion
within and without words
sweet, sacramental,
borrowed breath
and we who are captured,
caught between
in
and
out
wonder how
the eternal living word
could ever possibly say
it is finished
because it was
but it wasn’t
and never is

By Adrian Pyle
Director of Mission Participation Resource Unit
Uniting Church in Australia
Vic / Tas Synod

Recently I was involved in a conversation about a website universal resource locator (URL) with the word “god” in it. The discussion was about the convention in URLs to avoid capital letters. It was argued by some present that a reference to god as a Christian notion must be capitalised. But like all words, the use of the word “god” by Christian community is just that community’s attempt to represent an entity that it perceives. So under what circumstances should “god” be capitalised? (more…)

By Jennie Gordon
St. Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark

arrival
at his departure destination
humble
he rides
monarch of the margins
victor for the vanquished
Jerusalem
here I am
as cloaks cascade
and branches baste
earth’s bare crust
the city shakes
and even heaven trembles,
quakes
and here begins
the ending of the story
when shouts of ‘save us’
abdicate
to cries of ‘save yourself’
as thorns adorn the crown
not gilded glory
how blessed
is
the one who comes

By Julie Perrin
Centre for Theology and Ministry

A week or so ago in The Age there was an article by Ann Powers from The Los Angles Times about the national pastime of celebrity watching. In “Hollywood Babylon” she says there is a cycle of transgression and forgiveness. Powers’ reflections point up the usual process where “celebrity crisis is a trick mirror that distracts from what’s broken in our own lives.” She concludes her story with the reminder that crises are experienced quietly everywhere, in ordinary daily lives. I was reminded of Auden’s poem, Musee des Beaux Arts, “About suffering they were never wrong/The Old Masters: how well they understood/Its human position; how it takes place/While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along”. (more…)

By Caro Field
Candidate for Ministry at Centre for Theology and Ministry

Larry Norman, considered by many to be the father of Christian rock, died on the 24th February, 2008, aged 60.

Ever since I read of Larry’s death about a fortnight ago, there has been something about the news that has niggled at me; I just can’t get it out of my mind, his songs keep going through my head, and I don’t know why.

(more…)