Wednesday, July 12, 2006

I'm back!

After nearly two weeks travelling around northern NSW and southern Qld (as far as Hervey bay) I am back! There will lots of photos to follow in due course, after i'v caught up with the laundry, prepared a sermon for Sunday (on the Lord's prayer, looking it from the angle of how does it answer the question "Teach us to pray") but, for now, a few random thoughts ..

Seen (in Toowoomba I think) a sign saying "Heritage funerals" From the stylised sign and old style building i gather they meant traditional style, but the name sounded awfully close to Inheritance funerals to me. Don't people think??

Late yesterday afternoon we were in a place called North Haven, an incredibly tranquil place where a river runs out to the sea. no one around but a few old fishermen. We sat on a bench in a park just across from our motel, and there, in front of us in the river, a dolphin was cavorting! (actually, I think dolphins are dancing for joy in the water!) That's the first time in my life I've ever seen a wild dolphin from the land!

Spent some travel time listening to cds of NT Wright giving talks on the significance of the resurrection. Here is a theologian who speaks my language! Essentially he is sayingthat the resurrection is not a prooftext of biblical authority, or the thing that shows the deity of Jesus (yes to these, but they are not what it was for). The resurrection is the firstfruits of the New creation which God is bringing into being, and which will come in fully when Jesus returns. most pagans believed in some sort of afterlife, the christian distinctive is to believe in the resurrection of the BODY! (something we often shy away from and over-spiritualise) Because of New Creation, what we do in this world matters -- beauty, art, poetry, social justice, right relationships, taking proper care of our world etc etc. This (from a pickle's point of view) is good, life-giving theology!

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