I’ve recently started a short course on the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is interesting because it is about training our minds to be alert to what is present and real.
There is a story that comes from India that speaks about how easy it is to trap a monkey. All that is needed is to put a banana inside a coconut with a hole big enough for the monkey to put its hand in. The monkey reaches inside the coconut for the banana, but cannot pull the banana out once it has grabbed it. Most monkeys, it seems, are so reluctant to let go of the banana that they are captured instead.
The human mind is like this, despite all of our intelligence. We try to hold onto things that are pleasant, and deny things that are not so agreeable. What mindfulness teaches is to be present to all things – good, bad and things in between. Our increased awareness of what is real means that we are more capable of enjoying the moments that are truly pleasant, and more able to cope with things that are difficult.
For the latest happenings from the Balkara Parish and the St. David’s Oakleigh congregation, check out our online copy of the July newsletter.
Parish News – September 2008Â (pdf 252kB)
Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness: “Is seven times enough?”
Jesus responds in a startling manner, suggesting that we are called to never reach the end of our compassion and mercy towards others. We reflect on the forgiveness we receive from God, and how that changes our own lives.
Sermon September 14th, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
Moses finds himself living in exile ‘beyond the wilderness’ because he took God’s justice into his own hands and killed an Egyptian guard.
From moments of being flawed and exiled, God calls ordinary human beings back to life in line with God’s purposes.
Sermon August 31st, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
God take our tears …. USE THEM TO WATER SOMETHING NEW.
The gospel story of the Canaanite woman pleading with Jesus that her daughter be free from torment is particularly troubling for those who desire healing and yet do not get the healing we desire. Is God not listening? Is our faith too small? Is God doing something else that we do not expect?
These are not academic questions for people who grieve. This week has been a difficult week for my family, so they are my questions as well.
Sermon 17th August, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
These words from Jesus come in the form of an archetypal story full of fearful elements – storm, dark, night, raging sea, depths, distance from shore, and even ghosts.
The ghost that appears is actually the comforter. Jesus message to the disciples is, “take heart, it is I, do not be afraid”. We reflect on where God is present amongst the storms and how God may be found.
Sermon 10th August 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
Adriana Aranha speaks of simple and yet astounding ways to address poverty and hunger in an urban setting in Brazil and concludes that ending hunger is easy. As we reflect on the story of Jesus feeding a large crowd, where his disciples can only see scarcity, we are challenged to think how we might be more like Jesus and allow the abundance of God to guide us.
Sermon 3rd August, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
The kingdom of heaven is like …
Weeds, poisonous yeast, rotten fish? Jesus throws up some provocative images to get us to think about the kingdom of heaven, who is included and why.
Sermon 27th July, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
Jacob discovers the blessings of God when he least deserves it. Not only that, Jacob is running away from his past and meets God in an obscure and desolate place.
We reflect on where God is found and how that changes our lives.
Sermon 20th July, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
From Matthew’s gospel we hear the parable of the Sower, where seed is scattered with reckless abandon onto places that seem wasteful. This sign of God’s abundance is added to when Jesus speaks of the harvest from fertile soil – it is much more than farmers could ever hope for in reality.
Is this a sign of how much God loves us? Is it a story with a simple moral – that we ought to listen?
Sermon – 13th July 2008 – Matthew 13Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga