Holy Struggle and Grace
Posted by InMused in All, Bible, God, Spirituality on March 1st, 2009
Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:12-15) gives Mark’s most concise account of Jesus’ struggle in the wilderness where he is driven into the desert by the same Spirit that hovered over him like a dove only a few verses earlier.
He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (Mark 1:13)
I believe that we can read this as a metaphor for our continual struggle with sin and repentance. A life in God is to be constantly driven into the wilderness of life by the Spirit of God to wrestle with the compartments of our life that are not orientated towards God. They are the gut feelings, the niggles, the feelings of guilt that we get when we make a choice or carry out an action that is not in congruency with the Gospel. Jesus could have turned back to normality and civilisation, but he chose to wrestle with the wild animals of life and be tested by the adversary. However he chose the path of Holy Struggle. We too can choose to ignore the drive of the Holy Spirit to struggle and to turn around (repent), or we can choose to follow Christ into the wilderness as well.
Here lies the wonder of the journey into Holy Struggle: the provision of Grace. Jesus was tended to by angels, just as Elijah was in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:5-8), a provision the gave Elijah the strength to carry out his journey through the wilderness to God on the mount. The same provision is made to Jesus in the wilderness as he struggles with his adversary. The same provision is made to us! God will pour his grace into our lives if we are willing to enter the wilderness and struggle with those things that are not consistent with the Kingdom of God. He gives us the strength, the courage and the moral fortitude to do what is right, rather than what is easy. This, I believe, is the wonder of the wilderness.
The Lord be with you.
Fairtrade Clergy Shirt
Posted by InMused in All, Fairtrade, God, Social Justice on February 27th, 2009
Not me...but the shirt looks good.
Time to talk shop. I hate poly-cotton shirts (I feel like I am wearing a garbage bag), and finding 100% cotton clergy shirts is almost impossible, and usually expensive.
Finally, someone has started to make 100% cotton clergy shirts under fairtrade principles which make them even better, and an Australian distributor is selling men’s and women’s shirts at reasonable price.
The manufacturer, a father and son company in the UK set up to produce these shirts, ploughs a high proportion of their profits into developing countries. In particular, they support the the Home of Hope Orphanage in Malawi. According to the Australian distributor, the sale of shirts through their website also help contribute to social justice programs coordinated by Australian churches.
I have brought 3 shirts in the past few weeks and cut and quality is way better than the only other 100% cotton shirt that I have found. Awesome job guys. Well worth supporting.
About me
Posted by InMused in All, Other Rablings on February 27th, 2009
I am a deacon in the Anglican Church living in a small rural town in Western Victoria, Australia, that has pretty harsh environment, I am here with my family where I minister to a community spread over a 90km radius. I have a passion for God, his creation and living lightly in it. I believe that each is an extension of the other.
We try to live as lightly as possible by buying as much produce as we can from local produces from farm gates or local community groups. We have found that it is possible to find an incredible array of foods grown within a 100km radius of our house. It supports the local economy, encourages the local producers and reduces our global footprint. Wherever possible, we ask questions about the products we buy and consume; making choices that are consistent with our faith in God and a life lead in continuity with the Gospel.
Food is just an example. We have to consider all that we do and consume in God’s creation, for there is no real separation between us, creation and God. This blog explores that ideal. We are human. We fall short…often. Yet we strive to be ever present to our God in ALL that we do because our faith compels us to.
Keep Us Linked to the Source
Posted by InMused in All, Food, Sustainable living on February 27th, 2009
I was listening to a Rob Bell podcast the other day. He was describing a new way of praying the line “give us today our daily bread” from the Lord’s Prayer. We in the Western World really have no concept of not having food available. It is a superfluous line for most. Bell suggests that we need to pray the notion “keep us in touch with the source of our food”. I could not agree more.
We have forgotten how to ask questions about our food. Where does it come from? How was it grown? Let alone: do I know the producer? The majority of us are complicitly blasé about the source of our food, a state of being created by marketing and food corporations who are focused on profit and not on the well being of the world.
There is something soulful about eating food produced by your own hands or by someone you know. It keeps us in touch with the source, the soil, creation and God. Can there be nothing better?
Sweet Zing - Maple and Mustard Salad Dressing
I shared this one with my local chef and was an instant winner. Use pure maple syrup. Not synthetic maple “floured syrup. Organic cider vinegar and almond oil should be easy to find.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp almond oil
- 2 tbsp quality whole seed mustard
- sea salt and pepper to taste.
Wisk all the ingrediants together. Season and adjust to taste. It should be sweet and zingy at the same time. Pour over your favourite leafy salad. Also good with salmon.
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