The Mountain (lyrics) sung to Aberystwyth by Joseph Parry or Hollingside by John Bacchus Dykes (tunes for Jesus, lover of my soul) Transfiguration; Matthew 17: 1-9 Climb this mountain path with me, lest I slip or lose my way. Show me vistas we can see when we’ve scaled the heights and pray. As I watch,Continue reading “The Mountain (lyrics)”
Category Archives: epiphany
Passive Resistance
Passive Resistance Epiphany 7; Matthew 5:38-48 On mount or plain he teaches wisdom’s word: “When someone strikes you, turn the other cheek!” So counter-cultural, it seems absurd: how can he dare to claim: “Blessed are the meek?” You can’t defend your land if hands are slack. The law says: “Tooth for tooth and eye forContinue reading “Passive Resistance”
Salt of the Earth, Light of the World
Salt of the earth, light of the world Epiphany 5; Matthew 5:13-20 If we, like salt, bring savour, and conserve the earth, can we retain that quality? Will words that sparkle on the tongue preserve creation’s rights, and battle entropy? If we are light that’s set upon a hill, can we remain connected to aContinue reading “Salt of the Earth, Light of the World”
Blessed are Those, but What about Me?
Blessed are those, but what about me? Epiphany 4; Matthew 5:1-12 Ah! the Beatitudes! Why do I read them with unease? Do I flinch from the suffering, dare not claim the virtues? Can I see them as be-attitudes, sometimes experienced, often not, seldom attained by will and effort, their blessings paradoxical? Consider my poverty ofContinue reading “Blessed are Those, but What about Me?”
The Question of Call
The Question of Call Epiphany 3; Matthew 4:12-25 This inner urge, this outer nudge called “call” is hard to quantify or demonstrate, and having once said “yes”, that’s far from all. At times I do resist or remonstrate, pressed out and cut like pasta on a board, or wound around with tangled skeins of threadContinue reading “The Question of Call”
What Are You Looking For?
What are you looking for? Epiphany 2; John 1:29-42 When Jesus saw me following, he said, “What are you looking for?” I walked on slowly, pondering, and tried to reach for meaning’s core. “You are a chord to which I sing, a resonance most rich and true. You give imagination wing, show colours fresh withContinue reading “What Are You Looking For?”
Jesus’ Baptism
Jesus’ Baptism The Baptism of our Lord; Matthew 3:13-17 Just as he chose the waters of the womb, immersed himself in fragile life on earth, was formed in Mary’s body, cramped for room, then cried for air in dark and cold of birth, so now he answers to the Baptist’s call: the Jordan does notContinue reading “Jesus’ Baptism”
Song for Epiphany
Song for Epiphany Matthew 2:1-12 (written to fit the Irish traditional tune Columcille, as arranged by John Bell, Iona Community, for his song No wind at the window, Together in Song 287) What star can I follow to kneel in that place? How far will I journey? What doubts dare erase? And if I canContinue reading “Song for Epiphany”
The Churches of St. Moses, St. Elijah and St. Jesus on the Mountain
The Churches of St. Moses, St. Elijah and St. Jesus on the Mountain Last Sunday after Epiphany – Transfiguration; Luke 9:28-43 It is upon the mountaintop that light transfigures features that we thought we knew, and we are dazzled seeing what’s beyond as past and future balance on that peak, and in that moment GodContinue reading “The Churches of St. Moses, St. Elijah and St. Jesus on the Mountain”
Loving my Enemy
Loving my Enemy Epiphany 7; Luke 6:27-38 To call that man my enemy would seem too strong a claim, yet still I feel unloving, remembering his name. A bully in the workplace the three of us agreed. It’s fifteen years behind me, and still I am not freed. One dived into a bottle, one leftContinue reading “Loving my Enemy”
Barb, poet priest 