Not the Fruit I expected

Thank God not all weeks are like this one.  Monday I had my final exam at Laidlaw College after 4 years of study.  Wednesday should have been the 5^th birthday of our second child Jodi that we lost in miscarriage.  The dream of a second child ended on Anzac weekend and our due date was the 11/11/04; interestingly Armistice Day.  This year Beky became aware of her lost sibling and so the 5^th birthday was especially hard.  Beky would have loved to be taking her little Jodi to school and expressed her thoughts so well:

Today Jodi you would have gone to school with your big sister Beky. If you were scared or nervous you would have someone to comfort you, me Beky. We miss you. Give great Nana a hug on your way to school.

As part of processing our grief Steve and I planted a plum tree in our backyard and this year it’s laden with fruit – just not the fruit I was expecting.   I expected to be excited at the end of preschool years and to be fearful at passing my second precious child over to school teachers for the next season of learning.  I expected tears but not ones that Beky and I would share so deeply. 

Instead I have been preschooler free for three years and I have another piece of paper saying I can survive academic life.  I was so very privileged to be given a scholarship in 2005 for a years worth of study at Laidlaw College; and they let me drag it out for 4 years.  I have learnt so much and grown heaps, turned many faith corners and have interesting, exciting and scary options ahead.  I am deeply grateful. 

So my new beginning this week is not what I had planned but God is amongst it.  I would still have rather been sorting out disputes over who got to sit in the front seat of the car after school but this season of preschool/tertiary is over.  I am glad I have Steve and Beky to walk with me into the next seasons.  We will always long for Jodi to be walking this way too.  We lit a candle here.

Emmaus Communion

I am leading communion tomorrow and thought I'd put my notes up here too ... They are the same as the ones I am leaving in our foyer where some of our congregation dwell 

Communion in the Foyer??

These are my notes for communion today – feel free to join in

Ritual of communion remembers the last supper – Jesus tells us to gather together and eat together and remember him

The next eating together story in gospel of Luke is after the journey on the road to Emmaus

A couple of disciples walk down hearted away from Jerusalem and don’t recognise Jesus until he joins them for a meal at the end of the journey and breaks bread with them

Luke 28- 32

By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, ²⁹ but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. ³⁰ As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

³² They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scripture

Where is God at work around us that we haven’t notice yet?

Slide one:

Image The Moorish Kitchen Maid

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez

Spanish painter 1600s portraits

(hat tip Steve Taylor the out of Bounds church)

Left hand corner is Jesus eating with two disciples at Emmaus

Focus is Maid in foreground

Going about her work but attracted to community around Jesus

Listening, drawn in

She is on the margins due to her status as a maid and her gender

She is not invited to the meal but she is interested

In my imagination Jesus would be aware of her interest and I wonder …

Would he invite her to join them? Would she feel comfortable in the context?

Would he take his plate and offer to eat with her in the kitchen? Would he be helping her with the dishes after the meal and seeking community with her too?

I wonder how Jesus would move in this scene

Slide two Response:

What does this mean for us?

Are you at the table with Jesus?

Are you at a table with other disciples / followers of Jesus?

If not then that might be your response today – to join Jesus and to join us

If you are comfortable with that you are warmly invited to join us at the table today

You are also invited to talk and prayer with us about coming to this place of closeness to Jesus. Prayer team is available following service

If you have sat at the table with Jesus and his followers is there others who are on the margins but within your reach?

What would your response today?

May be

· Can’t see anyone else and just need to sit some more

· Can’t see anyone else but could ask God to show you someone

· Maybe you have noticed someone – in your life that you could come along side

· Maybe that person you have been along side is ready for an invitation to join the community of disciples

Coming to the table today – its set like a kiwi meal

There are tortillas because they are my family’s favourite meal

There is sparkling grapejuice because that is my family’s celebration drink

Around the church there are yellow post it notes and pens for you to symbolize your response with

Maybe

· Your initials and leave it on the table

· Someone’s initals that you want to bring before God

· A prayer for God to open your eyes

· A reminder to go in your diary or on your calendar

Free to use the post it notes as you wish

You are invited to join us at this table today

Prayer :

Bless these symbols of your body and blood to us and through us

Help us to be in community with you and each other

Help us beware of those who are drawn to you but on the margins of our community

Thank you for your example Jesus

Amen

Derek Lind “What we know”

Rite of passage

Beky finally won the nagging battle to get her ears pierced yesterday. We had a deal about proper tooth brushing and she has had shiny teeth for the last couple of weeks.

My little girl is growing up too fast for me. Now she has beautiful earring to go with her beautiful face. She has often told us how many other kids have earrings already and especially liked to point out that our Sri Lankan friends baby has hers done. Yet in our culture it's a more grown up girl thing. Much younger than it was for me.

I had tears first as I knew it was another sign of her moving to independence. She was so brave and even though she had witnessed a younger friend have hers done she didn't expect it to hurt. She's not a tough kid usually but was so strong until we started to leave the shop and it hit her and she cried for a good 15 mins. I even had to go back to the chemist and get her some panadol.

Growing up is painful for us all

Inheriting my mothers service

I was excited to borrow lots of books for my next essay from a real Christchurch treasure ( an Asian theological library) When I showed Beky one title "inheriting our mothers gardens" she asked me to explain "inheriting" and then ...said she'd want my computer and ipod not my garden!!!! I don't think these ones will be much use by then ...

then I thought maybe it has something to do with the fact I am more connected to my technology than my garden!!

So my book would be called "Inheriting my mothers service" as I come from a long line of women and men who serve.

Beky's would be "inheriting my mother's technology"

Steve's reaction - no-one makes a profit from academic books - Anyone have some evidence to help me answer that one?? The fact I might not write with the aim of making a profit won't work at this point ...

I've had nothing to say

Its been over a year since I blogged
Facebook has taken over because it seems quicker I think

Mainly though I've had nothing to say -

Now I have lots to say but do I have time to say it here??

I watched the movie Romero today (1970s in El Salvador) as an example of liberation theology. I cried lots - one of the young women martyed called the archbishop the "people's voice". What a Privilege

Praying I will use my voice and talents wisely

Before you hit send

If making a comment on a website your husband administers think carefully. This comment emailed to info at the canscoot site didn't go to Steve but another guy in the club.

Hey do the women in the club like to be called ladies or women?? Or girls even – guys and ladies doesn’t match. Gentlemen and ladies, men and women, guys and guys/girls
Love your chick
Jo

Not sure if I will be endearing myself to the women in the club after all

Boyfriend

There is a little boy in Beky's class called Jacob and they call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. She announced the other day that he wanted to take her to Burger King on a date. I asked her how he was going to pay for it and she confidently replied that he had $8 from the tooth fairy. We got a mental picture of a little boy pulling out all his teeth ...

Then I said no she had to wait till he could afford the Crown Plaza - then Dad put his foot down saying "no way there are rooms there"

It would be cute if it wasn't so scary