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Worship and the walnut

Worship: that is what all today’s four readings, and my reflections, lead to. Worth – the worth of God provokes our joyful, awe-filled, self-giving, profound thanks and praise – worship! Worship of God is not about us … although true worship does transform, bestow grace, and equips the worshipper.
Because, ‘True worship disinfects our egos’. So our humble service of God in the wider community becomes the only true service.

Quelling the Lions and Demons

There’s so much more to be said about tribalism. (For Part 1, refer to previous Blog on Tribalism.) Superficially, it seems a good thing to be proud of one’s tribe, to own it as choice. But there is hidden a cancer. The pride that arises is at the expense of the mana of other tribes. The greater the pride in one’s own, the more diminished the ‘other’. Leading subconsciously and often overtly to excess. The lionising of one’s own has the (sometimes unintended) effect of demonising the Other.
Tribalism is rarely quoted as a root cause of anything, war least of all. It should be. Because a crucial part of pre-war posturing and propaganda (and, indeed, of justifying aggression or provocation) is to demonise the other guys. For they have said this, done this, they’re responsible for this … and therefore our tribe is going to … or, was justified in doing … These are the usually identified causes of conflict, but they’re consequences. Tribalism is at the root of them all.

Denying self …. and taking up ..

Jesus has been healing people, calming storms, feeding thousands of people with few provisions, and teaching them in parables. But, suddenly, he tells them the most shocking thing they have ever heard from him so far …
Peter … and the other disciples, were expecting that Jesus was the promised deliverer of God’s people from the Romans. He was to be their King and rule over them, and “everything in the garden would be rosy”. Now Jesus had shattered that dream …

Sunday’s a-Comin’

In the startling economy of God, even a dangerous desert can become holy. Even our wilderness wanderings can reveal the divine. This is not because God takes pleasure in our pain, but because we live in a chaotic, fragile and broken world that includes deserts, and because God’s way is to take the things of shadow and death, and wring from them resurrection.