The last one! (151 of 150)

The Countdown: 0 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 13: 22-30
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem.

Back in chapter 9.51 ‘he set his face to go to Jerusalem’ and he doesn’t waver as he travels through village after village. There is a resoluteness about Jesus. He is determined. He sees what is necessary, he sees the destination and he is not distracted from it. He is ‘More than a Wanderer’ to use the title of a modern spiritual classic by James Fenhagen. He is on a journey which has a destination – the cross.

‘Many will try to enter and will not be able,’ Jesus says and he refers to the narrow door. What follows, though, seems to be more about time than space. People will find themselves outside the shut door because they didn’t enter while there was still time. In many of his encounters Jesus pressed his hearers to understand that the kingdom was at hand, the time was now, decision could not be delayed. In his own day with all the talk of revolution to overthrow the Roman occupiers, Jesus saw a different way, a way of peace, of turning the other cheek and going the extra mile. Time was short for people to decide to choose his way or meet their end at the point of a Roman sword or under falling masonry as Rome tore down their temple and buildings.

The completion of St John’s Cathedral reflects this kind of resoluteness and determination. And the building stands as a profound pointer to Jesus’ way.

In our personal lives, how focused, resolute, determined are we about Jesus’ way?

How clear are we about the consequences in our day of failing to choose?

Today’s author
Phillip Aspinall

• What you do for a living: Archbishop of Brisbane and Primate of Australia
• Parish / Suburb: St Augustine’s Hamilton
• What makes you interesting? I can prove 2 equals 1 and Pythagoras’ Theorem.
• Favourite TV show? Thank God you’re here.
• Least favourite chore around the house? Cleaning the bathroom
• What’s your hobby? Playing golf
• Why are you Anglican/Christian? By birth, choice and conviction

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2009
In this year…

• The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane and the state of Queensland celebrate their 150th years
• CDA Today, an innovative and highly entertaining (!) blog begins on May 31st
• The Anglican Schools Talents quest, organised by Jonathan Kemp and Paul Bland mobilises students all over the diocese and raises a significant amount
• The completed sections of St Johns Cathedral are consecrated
• The questions is…what will our Diocese do next?

A smile a day…
A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace. Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass on the mechanic’s lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside.

The grass eventually became overgrown.

One day the mechanic was working on a car in the backyard and dropped his
wrench, losing it in the tall grass. He couldn’t find it for the life of him, so he decided to call it a day.

That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in the backyard.

The next morning the mechanic went outside and saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight. Realizing what had happened he looked toward the heavens and proclaimed, “A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me!”

150 of 150     (But one more to go tomorrow!)

The Countdown: 1 day until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 13.18–21
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
I watched a TV program recently called ‘Soldiers for Peace’.

It was the inspiring story of men and women in different continents, who had turned their backs on hate, violence and war and become peace-makers.  In Kaduna, Nigeria, a Christian priest and a Muslim Iman, who once hated each other because of what the other side had done to their loved ones, are now friends and travel Nigeria together highlighting the passages of peace in their respective sacred writings.  A meeting had given them the chance to talk and to better understand – and forgive – each other and ‘the other side’.

Or the teacher who had begun a school for both Jewish and Arab children together, bringing hope that both peoples in Palestine-Israel can live together in peace.  Or the four former soldiers in Columbia, who now play guitars made of guns, and sing and dance about the benefits of peace, and the perils of gun-toting drug wars.  Or the young mother in Kenya, who began a soccer competition to stop the young tribal men joining armed resistance and terrorist movements.  Through soccer games they are learning how to negotiate differences of opinion without resort to violence.

Or the Australian Gill Hicks, who lost both her legs in the London Underground bombing in 2005.  She emerged not with anger but with a conviction that she had to do something with her life that promoted peace and reconciliation. She now runs a not-for-profit organisation, ‘M.A.D. for Peace’. M.A.D (or Making a Difference) spreads the word that conflict can be avoided through the actions of individuals at a community level, working in a positive way to promote peace.

When Jesus speaks of the kingdom being like yeast in dough or small seeds which grow to substantial shrubs, I think of these kinds of stories: the small, dynamic actions of men and women which have grown to give love and goodness substantially larger footholds to work from in the world.

Our own small seeds of goodness – the kind word, the helping hand, the listening ear – may not seem much or grow into such large ‘trees’ as those above, but who knows?  The yeast in the dough is hidden.

Whatever the outcome of our own good actions, all good deeds count to help grow the kingdom of peace and justice, service and love.

Today’s author
Jonathan Holland

• What you do for a living:  Assistant  Bishop
• Parish / Suburb:      Nundah
• What are you reading at the moment?    The short stories of Flannery O’Connor
• What’s your hobby?    Woodworking
• The Anglican Church is..like the tv show ‘My Family’: slightly dysfunctional, but held together by lots of love.
• Crunchy or smooth?    Yes, please – a bit of both
• Christians should be more concerned about…  justice

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2008
In this year…

• On February 13, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issues a formal apology to the Aboriginal people of Australia
• Bill Gates resigns from Microsoft to focus on his charity work
• Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States
• On December 31st, one leap second is added to the end of the year
• After 128 years, the final edition of The Bulletin is published.
• Pope Benedict XVI arrives for his first papal visit to Australia, ahead of World Youth Day 2008.

A smile a day…
Seven-year old George came out with a loud, shrill whistle during the minister’s prayer one Sunday.

After church, his mother scolded him and asked, “Son, whatever made you do such a thing?”

“I asked God to teach me to whistle, and he did just then,” answered the boy.

149 of 150

The Countdown: 2 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 13.10–17
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
There seems to be a parallel between the healing of the stooped woman in this passage, and the healing of the man with dropsy (Luke 14.1-6): both occur on the Sabbath, both involve a controversy with a religious leader, both report a pronouncement as well as a healing in both cases Jesus invites his opponents  to reason from what they would do for an ox to what they should do for a fellow human being, and in both cases the healing led to freedom and release from physical ailments which would no doubt have affected their social status and interaction as well.

Throughout his ministry Jesus was proclaiming ‘release for the captives’ and actually releasing people from much that led to captivity, and the scene with the stooped woman is an example of that.

The leader of the synagogue seemed to value the upholding of the Sabbath law above the freedom and well being of the woman. The reaction of the crowd shows a different view – they were rejoicing at all the wonderful things Jesus was doing. The synagogue leader seemed ready to excuse himself from responsibility to help the woman because of a religious reason but he is not alone in this. Excusing ourselves from helping those who are ‘held captive’ is a fairly common thing.

Perhaps following Jesus involves being prepared to confront the excuses with the kind of love for people that Jesus showed.

Today’s author
Geoff Smith

• What you do for a living: Bishop
• Where?   The Southern Region
• Before I die I want to… travel a lot more.
• I can cook… a great stir fry
• I’m thankful for God’s great love and amazing mercy
• I keep fit by… going to the gym
• The Anglican Church is… full of potential and an exciting place to be at the moment.

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2007
In this year…

• Work begins on the planning of celebrations for the 150th year of Brisbane diocese
• Apple Computer unveils the iPhone
• Boeing launches it’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Organisers of the Big Day Out in Sydney plead with event-goers not to bring Australian flags with them, fearing outbreaks of racial violence. The plea is ignored, and the day passes without incident.
• Anna Bligh is sworn in as Queensland’s first female premier.
• In The Ashes Cricket series, Australia achieves a 5-0 “whitewash” of every Test for the first time in 86 years.

A smile a day…
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead.

She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then she asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?”

A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence. “I think I’d throw up.”

148 of 150

The Countdown: 3 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Mark 10:46-52
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
Today we have Jesus, his disciples, a large crown and Bartimaeus (a blind beggar) gathered in Jericho.

On learning that Jesus was there, Bartimaeus began to shout for Jesus to help him. The reaction of the disciples and crowd is interesting. Obviously they considered him to be a nuisance…and told him so! “Be quiet”. In other words stop making a pest  of yourself. But the more they demanded silence, the more noise he made.

Inside Bartimaeus was a deep seated belief that Jesus was the one who could make him see again. His persistent noisy shouting gained a response from Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?”
“I want to see again” came the reply.

It was his trust and faith in Jesus that compelled him to make the request.
And Jesus  responds to the display of  trust by saying, “Go; your faith has made you well.” His physical sight was restored and he followed Jesus.
My grandmother would often say when some mystery was explained to her, ‘“I see,’ said the blind man who couldn’t see at all!”

Blindness need not only be physical. Not being able to see obvious truths  can be a “blindness” also. Each one of us could well ask Jesus to help us to see more clearly, and in fresh and exciting ways, the very truth of his daily presence with us. This “sight” (the revelation of God) can come in many way: through people, literature, music, art, nature, acts of kindness, generosity…..the list goes on. And when this we receive this sight  we find the only course of action is to “follow him on the way”. As for Bartimaeus so to for us our “sight” can be restored.

Can you think of times when you have been able to say, “Now I see!” and from that “seeing” experienced a new relationship with God?

Today’s author
Robert Nolan

• What you do for a living:   Assistant Bishop
• Parish / Suburb:    Western Region
• One thing I still can’t do is…       Sing
• Favourite choice for dinner?   Thai
• What do I find dull?    Doing my tax return
• What sport do you like watching?     Most sport
• I got a scar once by…      Dancing

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2006
In this year…

• Stardust space mission returns dust from a comet to earth
• Apple’s iTunes store sells it’s 1 billionth song
• On August 24, Pluto is demoted to a ‘dwarf planet’
• Google buys YouTube.com for $1.6 billion
• Microsoft releases the Xbox 360 games console in Australia.
• Steve Irwin dies in a marine accident off Queensland’s coast.

A smile a day…

Preacher: “Do you want to go to Heaven?”

Man: “No, Sir.”

Preacher: “Of course, you want to go to Heaven when you die.”

Man: “Oh sure, when I die. I thought you were organising a group to go today.”

147 of 150

The Countdown: 4 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 13.1-9
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
‘My Karma ran over your Dogma’ says one bumper sticker.

The intent is to suggest that Karma is a good thing. And I guess if life is going well the idea is attractive. Karma suggests that we get out of life what we put in, and that whatever happens to us is a reward for effort.

The problem with this idea is that if life goes pear-shaped we can come to believe that we deserve the ill treatment or the illness. It is this soul-destroying approach to interpreting life which Jesus confronts today. Jesus reminds us that stuff happens. And that much of the stuff that happens to us is the product of coincidence or of decisions others have made. Those who are hit by a drunken driver are not somehow guiltier of a life-failure than those of us who have not been in an accident. And those who find themselves in abusive relationships are not responsible for the abuse they encounter.

Jesus seeks to break the connection between the way life turns out and the ideas of reward and punishment. In other words bad things do happen to good people, and calculating and cruel people do often-times prosper.

Today’s author
Peter Catt

• What you do for a living: Dean of St John’s Cathedral
• Parish / Suburb: Brisbane
• First childhood memory? Throwing up on my way to hospital when I was 18 months old
• Before I die I want to… Walk the road to St Iago De Compostela
• I can cook… Lime Tart
• I’m thankful for… those who love me
• I keep fit by… swimming
• The Anglican Church is.. as complex as the gift of living

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2005
In this year…

• Archbishop Aspinall appointed primate
• The Huygens probe lands on Saturn’s moon Titan
• Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, becomes the 265th pope
• Star Trek: Enterprise broadcasts its final show in the U.S.
• National Sorry Day (26 May) renamed National Day of Healing
• Graham Kennedy dies at age 71.

A smile a day…
A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore, where a seagull lay dead in the sand. “Daddy, what happened to him?” the son asked.

“He died and went to Heaven,” the dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said, “Did God throw him back down?”

146 of 150

The Countdown: 5 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 12.54-end
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
I found today’s passages unusual and a little difficult for a lay person such as me, but it seems to be about the people’s ability to know what is going on in their normal physical world and society but an inability (perhaps unwilling?) to know how to interpret what Jesus was saying about what God wants.  And entwined with this is the idea of settling issues before they are judged.

The passage is a little like the lessons we all heard this last Sunday, with John and James wanting pride of place in the new kingdom with Jesus but misunderstanding what God’s emphasis is.  It is about service, not position, and leadership that involves deep service akin to being a slave, rather than privilege and honour.

Perhaps understanding today’s passage can be summed up in the first part of the Lord’s Prayer – where we pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will be done on earth, which involves forgiveness and service.

I have just finished reading Tom Wright’s book “Surprised by Hope” which I enjoyed greatly.  He is the Bishop of Durham.   He argues that Christian hope is about God’s renewal of all things and filling the cosmos with his love, grace, power and glory.   He says “as we think through the hope that is ours in the gospel we work towards Gods kingdom on earth, recognise the renewal of creation as both the goal of all things in Christ and the achievement that has been accomplished in the resurrection, and then we go to the work of justice, beauty, evangelism, and the renewal of our world.”  He then extends the challenge by adding “all this means of course that the people who work at this mission of the Church in the wider world must be living, modelling, and experiencing the same thing in their own lives”

The emphasis on showing God’s love by service, here and now, and focusing on social justice, meshes well with the Church’s work in Community Services. Bishop Wright’s interpretation of how to interpret Jesus’ message about the present time or God’s Kingdom is inspiring.

Today’s author
Don Luke

• Do:         Executive Director  Community Services Commission (Spiritus)
• Suburb     St Lucia  – I attend Indooroopilly Uniting Church though
• TV I like?            Impressed with “The Wire”  a very confronting series from the US
• I knew I was a Christian… in my mid teens
• I got a scar once by… top-edging a hook shot into my ear
• I worry about…     too much
• The Anglican Church is… rich and wonderfully diverse and I am both very thankful for the opportunity for work within the Church and just so impressed that loving service and social justice are key spiritual ministries of the Church

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2004
In this year…

• At the 76th Academy Awards Oscar Ceremony, Billy Crystal hosts, Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King sweeps all eleven nominations, including Best Picture
• Adam Elliot’s short animated film Harvie Krumpet wins the 2003 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.
• After popularizing the PC in the ’80s, IBM sells its PC business to a Chinese company
• Qantas launches its discount domestic airline, Jetstar.
• The first Ghan passenger train across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin sets off on its three-day journey.
• Australian Jennifer Hawkins wins the Miss Universe contest, held in Quito, Ecuador.

A smile a day…
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

145 of 150

The Countdown: 6 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 12.49-53
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
For current Yr 12’s, a handful of days is all that remains between them and freedom, them and schoolies, them and the real world. As students start to prepare for university, TAFE, trade apprenticeships, GAP years, or jobs, close knit social groups formed at school are going to be split. As I start preparing for the numerous farewells that will be made, I can’t stop thinking how hard separation is.

However, as a follower of Christ, I shouldn’t be surprised. Today’s message reveals that Christ intended us, as Christians, to be split from families and friends, because we believe in something more powerful, yet more loving than we could ever imagine.

Jesus loved us so much he died on the cross and took our sins down into the depths of hell, so that we may be made one with God. His saving acts require a commitment from us to love and obey him.  What is your response to his amazing grace?

By accepting his love and grace, we are swimming against the tide and may cause ourselves to be outcasts, all because we believe in something great. I am always made aware at school of this because I am consistently argued down by debaters and others which can be very spiritually draining. However I remind myself of Christ’s promise in Matthew 28:20 “And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.

Jesus’ forecast of separation is not something to be feared. When I read this scripture for the first time, I was scared by the prospects Jesus had given. However I have come to know that he has mentioned the ideas of division and strife because he wants us to be living with him, not living with the sin of the world.

Today’s author
Michael Richards

• What you do for a living: Student about to Finish Grade 12 and a youth leader at Church
• Parish / Suburb: Parish: St Mark Anglican Church The Gap
• At what age did you know you were a Christian? Grade 4 on a youth Camp
• Favourite holiday spot? Perisher Blue (The Snow) – not that I go there much
• One thing I still can’t do is tackle my youth leader “Beanie”!
• Favourite Shakespeare line or play? Was the hope drunk? Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? (Macbeth)

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2003
In this year…

• Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in the Anglican church.
• United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said there is no evidence that Iraq has any weapons of mass destruction
• China sends Yang Liwei into orbit, the third country to have successfully sent a person into space
• The Brisbane Lions (20.14.134) defeat the Collingwood Magpies (12.12.84) to win the 107th VFL/AFL premiership.
• In the Rugby World Cup final held at Telstra Stadium in Sydney, England defeats Australia 20-17 after a last-minute field goal from Jonny Wilkinson in extra time.

A smile a day…
A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out to the back verandah and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “Mama, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark.” The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark,” she explained. “Jesus is out there. He’ll look after you and protect you.”

The little boy looked at his mother and asked, “Are you sure he’s out there?”

“Yes, I’m sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him,” she said.

The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called “Jesus? If you’re out there, would you please hand me the broom?

144 of 150

The Countdown: 7 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration (only one week to go!)

Today’s lectionary
Luke 12.39-48
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
After my childhood adventures at Sunday School, I had learned enough to know that Christianity was not for me.

When my mother gave me the choice of attending church or not, I chose not.  I had however soaked up enough to know this:  God forgave you your sins and would do so even at the last second.

My 13 year old self devised a plan.

When I neared death, say, in a plunging lift with cable snapped, at the last possible second I would ask for my sins to be forgiven and whoosh, everything would be fine.  I’d be on a one way trip to heaven.  Implicit in my plan was the idea that I could fool God.  Explicit is the idea that I was, in fact, the fool.

Maybe my foolishness was a brand also shopped for by some of the disciples.  It seems the Jesus of this text was greatly annoyed by them, if you look at the imagery attributed to him of cutting people to pieces and dealing out beatings.

Was he tired of followers who loved the idea that God cared even for them but were reluctant to attempt to be better people because of it?

Certainly a message about the return of the Master could have been confusing to the disciples.  To us with the benefit of hindsight and a published Gospel narrative the meaning might seem clear but to a bunch of people who had Jesus there amongst them?  Surely he wasn’t going anywhere!?

Lord, help me to live like you might be checking up on my progress at any moment.  By the same token, enable me the grace to do so out of love and not because I feel threatened!

Today’s author
Jonathan Sargeant
My last fill-in stint!

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2002

In this year…

• Phillip John Aspinall Archbishop of Brisbane
• In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush likens Iraq, Iran and North Korea to an ‘axis of evil’
• Kath & Kim premieres on the ABC and is a surprise hit.
• Steven Bradbury wins Australia’s first Winter Olympic Games gold medal in the 1.000m men’s short track speed skating.
• The Brisbane Lions (10.15.75) defeat the Collingwood Magpies (9.12.66) to win the 106th VFL/AFL premiership.

A smile a day…
An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again. The boy asked his father, “What is this, Father?” The father responded, “Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t know what it is.”

While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed an old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of lights w/numbers above the walls light up. They continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened up again and a beautiful 24 year old woman stepped out.

The father said to his son, “Go get your Mother.”

143 of 150

The Countdown: 8 days until the Cathedral Completions Consecration

Today’s lectionary
Luke 12.35-38
click to see online version

Reflecting on the Gospel
In this passage, Jesus tells that his second coming is going to be without warning, so if we want to be ready, we have to be ready all the time.

This passage makes me remember all those sermons which challenged me to let Jesus have every part of my life. In Luke’s gospel Jesus calls us to give our whole lives to him in complete trust and obedience. If we do let Jesus have every part of our lives, then we will be ready, no matter what the hour of His coming.

Putting myself in the place of the servant in this passage, I wonder, if, while waiting for the master to return from the wedding banquet, I would busy myself with something I was quite sure was the master’s work, and when the doorbell rang, I would sing out, ‘Be there in a minute, I’ve just got to finish something.’

Jesus wants all of me, all of the time. He is pretty demanding, but then He is also the master who has His servants recline at the table and serves them (v 37). A master who serves is a master worth giving our complete trust and obedience to.

Do you, like me, find it hard to give every part of your life to Jesus?

Today’s author

Stephen Yelland

• What you do for a living: GP
• Parish / Suburb: The Gap
• I’m thankful for…my parents, especially now that I’m a father.
• I keep fit by .. running.
• The Anglican Church is..a broad place.
• Christians should be more concerned about…loving each other.
• Least favourite chore around the house? Putting leftovers in containers to go into the fridge.
• Describe your parish in three words…On Waterworks Rd.

Counting down the years (1859-2009)
2001
In this year…

• Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes first vehicle to land on an asteroid (433 Eros)
• Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist by paying $20 million to fly on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.
• Wimbledon Men’s Finals, Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter
• Former Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Peter Hollingworth is sworn in as Governor-General of Australia.
• The Australian version of Big Brother premieres on Network Ten.

A smile a day…

A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE:
“Doctor, I have an ear ache.”
2000 BC – “Here, eat this root.”
1000 BC – “That root is heathen, say this prayer.”
1850 AD – “That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.”
1940 AD – “That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.”
1985 AD – “That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.”
2000 AD – “That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!”