When, in 1741, George Frideric Handel completed writing the Hallelujah Chorus for his oratorio Messiah, he reportedly told his servant: ‘I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself [sic] seated on His throne, with His Company of Angels’. More recently, the Australian musician Nick Cave described how the … Continue reading Theology and the Arts – An Online Course
Available now at a special introductory price of 40% off. Use the code “Crisis40” at checkout through Wipf & Stock, or through customer service by phone (1-541-344-1528), or via email. Description This book explores the vital role of the imagination in today’s complex climates—cultural, environmental, political, racial, religious, spiritual, intellectual, etc. It asks: What contribution do the … Continue reading Imagination in an Age of Crisis
During the first phase of lockdown, I managed to break my arm while trying to keep socially distanced on a busy footpath. It was a clean break to my forearm, just below the elbow – no splint, no surgery, no complications. I was lucky. Earlier this year, my GP tripped on a tree root and … Continue reading Art and meaning-making during the time of COVID-19
From her garden glowing with autumn colours, a neighbour tells me news from kin who work in emergency healthcare. The triaging will be grim. Another friend who is a hospital chaplain tells me that even now families cannot gather around dying relatives in ICU. This isolation extends beyond Coronavirus patients. Enforced absence strikes deep. Removing … Continue reading Dying alone in the age of COVID-19
In the week following my mother’s funeral I wake up knowing I need to begin cooking again. For all of January my mother’s death has been my whole world. But now the gifts of home-made food have slowed. It is time to come out of the cocoon I have wound around keeping vigil and arranging … Continue reading Telling Aurelia
‘Are you alright?’ The text message comes in late at night at the very end of the decade. I don’t understand my friend’s concern until I recall telling her our campervan road trip plan. For the Christmas break, we were heading to Wangaratta, Corryong, Canberra, and back home via the coast. Now, apart from Wangaratta, … Continue reading Keeping Vigil
God of the harried, Help us in the tension of these days, for we are crushed by too many tasks, nervous of new skills and tools in the too-much of this moment. May we give heed without collapse, restore our trust in longer spans of time – beyond the urgency of now. Collect by … Continue reading Collects in a Time of Virus – V
Holy One who fears no fracture, Lend your clarity to us for we are full of fear. Already the abyss appears Cracks in the earth, shifts in the ground we took for granted, Now there is rupture We do not trust our capacity to live. That which is holy, divine, beyond us frightens and allures … Continue reading Collects in a Time of Virus – IV
God of Shadows, give shelter to hollow, shaken humans bewildered by sudden closure. Sturdy structures shattered, hopeful trade ended, meaningful work gone. In the shocking silence where nothing can be said, let birdsong be heard. Collect by Julie Perrin, published with permission. Photograph by Ian Ferguson, published with permission. ℘℘℘℘ JULIE PERRIN IS A MELBOURNE … Continue reading Collects in a Time of Virus – III
Brooding God, Who hovers over the waters, Remain with us, for we are stranded on tiny islands of fear. Draw a circle around our solitude, hold us back from bringing danger to ourselves and others. And where touch can no longer reach, let love spin light across dark waters, a thread of sweetness for small … Continue reading Collects in a Time of Virus – II
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