Sunday, June 14, 2009

Some "original" one-liners

As a kid (I was not born at the age I presently am), I started the practice of making “one-liners.” Problem was back then they weren’t written or generally received as insightful and wise … in fact often my quick mouth/mind got me in trouble. Still does; even though it got me ‘caned’ a couple of times in high school days, I remain a faithful follower of the “Qoheleth tradition”.

So, here are a few “outputs” from my ruminations over the last twelve months . . . 
  • "Does life get out of you what it puts into you?" - JCD
  • “A master plan for life … envisage your future, make decisions and plans – then, just keep getting out of bed. - JCD
  • “Getting older means you are alive … dead people don’t age well” - JCD
  • “God and us have at least one thing in common … we can choose to forgive the sins of others” - JCD
  • “God is for us – We did not recruit Him … He called us, delivers us, and He works for our good. He really is for us, even though at times it sure doesn’t feel like it!” - JCD
  • “Life is an it, you are an is … remember that is’es outlive it’s”. - JCD
  • “Our best response to the Divine gift of life on this earth is to love it, live it, and not loathe it before we leave it”. – JCD
  • “Remember nothing’s impossible ... and not every ‘far-out-thing’ needs to be dismissed as improbable!!” - JCD
  • “When we respond to revelation through human conscience we appropriate grace”. - JCD

Friday, June 12, 2009

Pentecost 2009


This year’s Easter celebrations are now fifty days into the “rear-vision mirror”. Like life, the year drives on. Christian faith and its community, the church, celebrates journey and expects its future from the perspective of “historical present”. The God of the past, and Lord of the future, lives in its present. As the last book of the Bible opens, Jesus self-introduces as he that is, was and is to come – Lord God Almighty (sorry Bruce).

The church’s “historical present perspective”, began with the coming of the Spirit at the Feast of Pentecost; this weekends’ celebration.

Jesus had called women and men around him during the period of his historic ministry. He told, taught, and through himself showed his Father to them. Through his presence with them, Father God was among them. Those first-followers lived, learnt, cared, acted and made a difference in the lives of others because of the presence of Jesus the God-Man’s being there as centre and circumference of their pilgrim community. But wait ... there’s more. The third person of the Divine trinity was personally and powerfully present in the life of the God-Man, the Spirit himself was with them. Life and faith were exhilarating. Then Easter came, with Jesus’ arrest, trail, death and resurrection – had their pilgrim community come to an end? No just a rather abrupt transition.

This radical shift of the community’s divinely centred pilgrimage is continuity through the coming of the Spirit, now not just with them – also, in them. Saint Luke describes how Jesus prepared his followers’ understanding for transition.

Then Jesus said to them, "Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled." He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. Saying to them, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high – the Spirit himself will be in you."

I can hear a question in the listeners, “so Jesus, when can all this happen?”

This weekend ... it’s Pentecost!

Christian Churches in my geographical community (yours' too) celebrate journey and expect the future from the perspective of “historical present”. The God of the past, and Lord of the future, lives in our present. The coming Spirit has not only come ... He still comes!