James 5:16

The broken bread is served with broken hands,
The wine of silence spilled upon the ground,
So that the cup of sorrow might be shared,
And a new mercy, new beginning found.

Not by the protocols of social use --
Swept out, discard the last of the old leaven.
Malice and wickedness can taste so sweet
But we must fast to eat the Bread of Heaven.

Should one be hungry while another’s full?
Called to eat at one table, we must share
Both from our need and plenty. Tears our drink
Until divisions cease and He is there.

Sin, both our shelter and our solitude,
We will renounce, though eye and hand be shed,
Servants of one another, choosing love,
With trembling hands we’ll serve the broken bread.

Injustice?

Sometimes life seems impossible and "unfair" precisely because we are trying to solve our lives and our pain in our own strength, instead of learning to trust in desolation:

I broke my feet on strange hard paths
By spears of loneliness pierced through
Tormented by my empty hands
Mocked by the wind in all I do.
And all the while, and all the while
You hold, who did not have to seek!
I break my strength against the rocks;
He carries you, the small and weak.

I stormed the rearing citadel
Of fierce desire which challenged me
And it repulsed me by its walls;
Impregnable adamancy!
And all the while, and all the while,
You ran upon the shining shore
Your toes caressed by the soft waves
Of all that truth which hurt me sore.

I wept the long embittered night
Of frustrate rage, and knew no peace;
Commanded heaven to come down
And bring my agony release.
And all the while, and all the while
You laid your cheek upon His breast
Drank in the love that held you fast
And found in Him your perfect rest

Birthday meme

Ok, it's more than 2 months since my birthday, but I thought this looked like fun. The idea is you type your birthday (sans year) into Google and find at least 3 significant events, two births and one death that took place on that day.

Here's what I found for October 28:

events
* 312 The Battle of Milvian bridge where Constantine defeated Maxentius and became sole Roman emperor (and didn't that have some significant consequences for church history)
* 1636 The foundation of Harvard university
* 1958 Angelo Roncalli became Pope john XXIII, someone who affected more than just the Catholic church

births:
* 1903 Evelyn waugh, author of such books as Brideshead Revisited
* 1955 Bill Gates, making him exactly one year younger than me ...

death:
* Billy Hughes famous Australian prime minister

It is also St Simon and St Jude's day

Fireworks and Parousia

Last night (NYE) we were invited by one of my husband's colleagues to see the fireworks from their harbourside apartment (everyone knows that Sydney has the world's best fireworks!) It's the first time we've ever gone in to see them "live" (normally we just watch them on tv)and it was a great experience (though being part of nearly a million people trying to get home afterwards reminded me why we don't normally do this!) When you're there in person it's a total experience, the starbursts seem to come across the sky directly towards you, you're waiting in the dark not knowing which direction the next light is going to come from, and sometimes it's all so bright it's like the night has been turned to day.

And, strange creature that I am, in the middle of all this beauty, it occurred to me that this is a faint analogy of what the second coming will be like. Of course, in some ways it will be very unlike, the return of Jesus will be no "flash in the pan". But I remember, when I did Greek in college, being told that the word parousia, commonly translated as coming, actually means presence or appearing. Suddenly He will be there, where a moment before we did not see Him. he will break into this creation like the light breaks into the darkness (and remember, the darkness has not overcome it!)he will not come gradually like a train travelling from a distance, he will be there, and every eye will behold Him. It will be the moment of irreversible judgement, as He shows everyone and everything up for what they truly are, it will also, for those who have learned to worship Him, be a moment of absolute beauty, for all our longings will be met in Him and made manifest before us. I won't labour the points of comparison, I just want to give thanks for the comfort we have that one day, in His perfect time, all wrongs shall be made right, we will walk in his total forgiveness without any backward glances, and all incompleteness shall be completed by His grace.

Worship in church

Let us kneel in adoration,
While the scandal of Your love
Takes this pitiful oblation
For what heaven is made of.

While the crowds of angels gather
Round the altars of the heart,
Make Your people to be willing
And Your very self impart.

Though the praises that we bring you
Are so small and frail and weak,
Still the world’s foundations tremble
For it is Your name we speak.

can a pickle be a sports car?

h2>I'm a Mazda Miata!

You like to soak up the sun, but your tastes are down to earth. Everyone thinks you're cute. Life is a winding road, and you like to take the curves in stride. Let other people compete in the rat race - you're just here to enjoy the ride.