Posts by Jeanette Acland
Prayer of Anguish and Lament – Christina Rowntree
Holy One, The devastation in Mariupol appals us We are mute with rage. silence – Our tears fall, we lament an atrocity beyond comprehension. We join our sisters, young mothers, and small children, in their anguish. Slowly words form to express our anger. silence – red rose petals are strewn on table A…
Read MoreLuke 5:1-15 and a theology of abundance 6 February 22 Jan Garood
By Jan Garood My first reaction to exploring the Luke story is a discomfort about: “I will make you fishers of men/people.” For generations, the church has interpreted this story as a call to evangelism; to “fish for people” has fed missions that disrespected and destroyed indigenous cultures. The mindset seemed to be that…
Read MoreA celebration of peace and today we also think about World Soil Day – Jan Garood
Peace for the Earth My reflection has three sections, which I hope come together in the end. I will tell you when I’m changing topic, to avoid confusion: War and peace, Some thoughts about soil and A word about John the Baptist. The messianic writings of Baruch around 200 BCE and Isaiah around 740 BCE…
Read MoreThe View Through Many Lenses – Ann Drummond
July 25, 2021. Reflection John 6:1-21 Given the age group of this community there would be few among us who have not heard many sermons/reflections or bible study discussions on this passage but as the line in an old hymn says “God has yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s word” 1 May…
Read MoreNAIDOC Week Reflection 11.7.21 – Steve Martin
Introduction Today marks the end of NAIDOC Week 2021. NAIDOC’s history started in the 1920s as a boycott of Australia day in protest against the status and treatment of indigenous Australians, leading in 1938 to a Day of Mourning, a protest day held annually until 1955 on the Sunday before Australia Day, when it was…
Read MoreGod is too big to lose anyone – Kathy Hore
It happened on a Sunday morning in my home church, Manor Baptist, in San Antonio, Texas in the mid-eighties. Our minister’s final message before departing for a new pulpit was devoted to sharing truths he believed but had never spoken about for fear of offending. One of his truths wiped away the memory of all…
Read MoreMid-winter: dormancy, depth and darkness and the Parable of the Mustard Seed by Jan Garood
The changing seasons remind us that we are a part, not the central part, just one part of the organic whole, inter-dependent web of life on earth. We were created from the same stuff as the earth, the trees the rivers and oceans. And like the natural world our bodies and minds experience the changing…
Read MoreTrinity Sunday Reflection by Ann Drummond
“In Dickenson’s time and place the Trinity was a hot topic that engendered much debate. Is Divinity triune or one? The Unitarian church was born of that debate after all. She alters the patriarchal debate around the Trinity with all-new—and far more ancient—imagery. In a sort of aikido move, she sidesteps the theological niceties entirely…
Read MoreA Glimpse into Centering Prayer with Sophia’s Spring 24 March 2021
Some of our friends couldn’t come tonight due to a funeral, so I’m sharing three elements which are different each week: a “teaching moment” based on the writings of Thomas Keating or Joan Chittister; a prayer of approach , which is a few verses from the Psalms translated by Nan Merrill; and a version of…
Read MoreSaving Paradise: Reimagining Lent and Easter- Ann Drummond
Sophia’s Spring – Reflection: Reimagining Lent and Easter. Ann Drummond I love tradition, whether it is following traditions created in my lifetime with family and/or friends or whether it is ancient traditions centuries or millennium old there is something deeply satisfying and enriching about continuing traditions that link the past and the present of our…
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