Fr. Nicholas Whereat
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Pentecost 12 - I came to bring fire to the earth : 15 August 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
You can imagine the young man who was listening to Jesus a couple of weeks ago. Father we don’t have to build bigger barns. We should share the entire crop with our neighbours, especially that family of refugees camped down by the river. You can imagine the Father saying, who has been filling your head with such drivel?
So just looking back at the readings we have had recently in Luke’s Gospel we realize that if we were fairdinkum in following Jesus there would be some heated arguments in our families. Jesus wants us to care for people we don’t know as if they were a brother or sister. He wants us to go beyond our personal safety for total strangers. He wants us to treat our property with ridiculous generosity.
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Pentecost 10 Where is life to be found? : 01 August 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
In the 21st Century western culture we need to be on guard more than any other generation before us. The two phrases that Jesus used “Take care! Be on your guard” are present tense imperatives. We need to hear, continually be on your guard, continue to Take care.
What can we do so that our possessions don’t posses us like an evil spirit.
I will suggest three things: Give it away; Use what you have graciously; and Spend time with people who have a lot less than you. Your task at morning tea is to suggest things you do to sit lightly with your possessions. -
Pentecost 8 Listening: central to hospitality and discipleship : 20 July 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
Remember, the main contrast for us today is not Martha’s hospitality and service opposed to Mary’s discipleship. The main contrast is between people who turn their back on God as against those like Mary who are enthralled by every word.
Certainly Martha’s distraction got in the way as they will for us. We can choose to enter into silence and seek to recognize Jesus in people around us. In so doing we will be more like Mary, sitting enthralled at Jesus words. The Gospels will be like a rich banquette for us. -
Go and do likewise : 11 July 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
We all know the story of the Godd Samaritan so well. It is beautiful, simple and very powerful.
I want to suggest that there are three things for us to take home and reflect on.Firstly, If you feel like the man on the side of the road, know that God is walking over to you to bandage your wounds
Secondly, we are invited to go and do like wise, to be a neighbour. There is a lovely surprise; we will discover it is Jesus lying on the side of the road.
Thirdly, the Priests and Levites among us have just been judged and found guilty.
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Carry no purse, no bag, no sandles : 10 July 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
So we have a slave girl, Elisha’s servant and Naaman’s own servants contributing to Naaman’s healing and conversion. The powerful kings almost managed to derail the process but the servants created the opportunity for healing and grace. Some how, the empty handed, the unnamed powerless ones brought healing and grace to Naaman. Even Elisha refuses to receive the King’s ransom because he knows that it was God who healed Naaman. So in some sense even Elisha is empty handed and powerless before God.
Jesus says; take no purse, no bag and no sandals. Jesus sends them out like beggars.
I suspect that what is unsaid here is that there is no point going to another from a position of power to bring them good news. Real grace only changes lives when we come empty handed -
Easter 5 - Your Kingdom Come : 02 May 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
We already enter into the new heaven, the new earth when we say yes to Jesus. Our lives become Kingdom lives. Yes we will continue to grieve, to suffer, we will die. But we grieve not as people with out hope. The sadness and pain are real but we see beyond them.
We see the glory of God beyond this suffering. We enter into God’s glory in Jesus Christ. Our lives become resurrection lives. They are now resurrection lives. -
Growing Roots into the Soil of Grace - Lent 2 Year C : 28 February 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
Jesus neither blames the victims nor tries to explain why. Jesus merely points to us, what about you? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did If you don’t repent you will suffer the same calamity. Jesus’ words are hardly words of comfort. They don’t make you want to burst into the old Sunday School hymn, Jesus loves me this I know.
Jesus invites us into a way of life, a repentance life. There is a call to live life bearing fruit. Psalm one has the image of the righteous person being like a tree planted beside a stream. It always bears fruit in season. Repentance is as much about being rooted and grounded in God’s holiness that we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit daily. -
The Wilderness Journey - Lent 1 year C : 21 February 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
Recently I have had a couple of conversations about young people not completing apprenticeships or university degrees.
In previous generations there was much less choice, suffering, sacrifice and hard work were the paving stones of everyday life. Often your faith was honed on these stones. At our recent planning day people said one of the reasons they come to worship and continue to come is because of the people. We are blessed with many members of our Church who shine with grace and love. They have honed their spirituality on the stones of suffering, sacrifice and hard word work with the Holy Spirit’s grace bringing them through. -
Baptism into a life of joyful austerity. - Advent 3 year c : 12 January 2010 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
The repentance that John the Baptist calls us to Paul describes as the crucifixion of our sinful nature. The fruit of repentance, that is the fruit of baptism is love joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
What does it mean to live a life of repentance in the 21st century?
I suspect John would say much the same, if you have two cars sell one and sponsor three children in need. Or eat less food at Christmas and share with those who don’t have enough all year. And what about us in developed nations we might ask. What must we do? John would probably say live simply, sustainable so that the earth regenerates and others may simple live.
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The Gift - Christmas year C : 31 December 2009 : Fr. Nicholas Whereat
I have tried to convey something that at one level is simple. Jesus is the gift. In Jesus we discover the love God has for us. It is a love that includes forgiveness and life. It is life that comes with Freedom and courage. Our response to all of this is to become like Jesus, loving, forgiving with a desire for others to have life in all its fullness.
While it is simple it seems to me we need to return to this simple message each year of our life to begin to plum the depths of who Jesus is. All of these things love forgiveness etc. take on new depths. What was simple seems to become more complicated, but then we rediscover a new simplicity. Jesus is the Gift. God loves you and me.