Enews September 2024

Greetings dear fellow companions on the way,

Well, the spring/autumn equinox is past and the days are lengthening or shortening depending where in God’s good world we are. How did we get to this time of year so quickly?

I pray that this letter finds you deeply aware of the presence of the divine in your life and that you sense yourself to be deep in the heart of God even as many of us watch with fear and anger the state of our world and grieve for the hurt and harm experienced by so many people and so much of creation. May our Easter belief in hope over fear, love over hate, and life even in the presence of death continue to give us courage and faith.

In my own life I am just emerging from a slow time of winter, surgery and recovery. Nothing sinister or life threatening (Australian skin cancers needing removal and grafts) but immobilising. This has given me time, while reclining in my rocker, to listen to podcasts and read articles on Substack beyond my usual diet of Biblical commentary and theology. Also to appreciate the rough and ready but tender-hearted care of my husband (he is a country outdoors man after all?!). Five weeks after surgery and my return to driving he has gone camping with an old school friend and I have come up to the city to be with family and friends for a few days which has been a joy. This has included time with my three-year-old granddaughter as we anticipate the arrival of her baby brother or sister! Please feel free to share in some of the everyday aspects of my life @companyontheway on Instagram.

Unfortunately, the trip to the city caught me technologically off guard and hence this week’s glitch with the blog. If you have not found the link on Facebook or by search please follow the link here.

This week's Blog

Soon it will be time to refresh the Advent course. I will send another Enews when it is up for you to consider. This will happen in October.

In my own life of prayer, I have changed my mantra or special word in silent prayer to “Return” which has the effect of not only returning me to focusing on my own breath when distracted, returning my attention to the embrace of the divine, but somehow reminding me that our true place of belonging is before and beyond the busyness and disturbance of the many important and not so important matters that pull us this way and that. Certainly, this time in human history and planetary change calls us to be deeply in love with Creator and all of God’s creation which asks of us great compassion, faithfulness and courage. May we find that we are companioned in this by our loving Lord who showed us how to live with compassion and courage and may we be companions to one another.

Every blessing,

Reverend Sue