The Afterword

Author: Peter

  • The Long Work of Peace

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    Peter
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    Peaceis not the absence of heat,but the refusal to set fire. It isthe trembling artof standing stillin the middle of serious, serious disagreementwithout reaching for the sword. I have shouted in love before—I have listened in silence and not loved at all.But peace asks more:not just to feel right,but to live rightwhen the table is…

  • About to Pass By – Mark 6:45-56

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    Peter
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    He saw them.Hours into the storm,oars digging into chaos,going nowhere.Obedient,but undone. He could have calmed it from the shore.He could have waited till morning.But he walked—across the deep,across the dark—his tired feeton top of what terrified them. And he was about to pass by them. Strange words.Why not stop?Why not speak first,shout over the wind,“I’m…

  • Before & After – Mark 4:35-5:43

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    Peter
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    Desperation,raw and unfiltered,crashes like waves against the fragile ribs of a boat.Fishermen, seasoned by salt and storm,shake in terror.A storm that silences courage,a darkness that devours hope. And yet—He sleeps.Not indifferent,but unshaken. “Don’t you care if we drown?”They cry out,as I have cried out,when the winds rise and the waters rise and I riseonly to…

  • Bearing Fruit – Mark 4:1-34

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    Peter
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    Mark 4:1-20 Original message by Andrew West, The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW The farmer is not careful with his seed.He flings it wide, casting it over stone and soil,over path and thorn and quiet earth.He does not measure the worth of the ground—he only sows, and sows, and sows. Some seed never settles, never…

  • God’s Rescue – Mark 3:7-35

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    Peter
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    They did not look at the mountains,not at the impossible ridges,not at the distance that swallowed men whole.Just one step, then another— Nando and Roberto,walking for those who could not,for those left behind in the silence of snow.# Rescue is the only questionwhen survival is a choice between two unbearable things:The slow starvation of waitingor…

  • The Scandal of Grace – Mark 2:1-3:6

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    Peter
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    News headlines flash with scandal—stories of self-serving politicians, celebrities, criminals, and shady business people,each demanding our click and our attention. Yet in a modest house in Capernaum, a different scandal unfolds.Jesus forgives sins. He welcomes those society has labelled as outcasts. Friends gather on a flat roof,lowering their paralysed friend through a broken ceiling,driven by…

  • Blessed are the Mirrors

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    Peter
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    Art holds my sadness,presses it gently into color and form,whispering—this, too, belongs. I trace the lines, carve the shape,and somewhere between the ink and the ache,God meets me. I have been searchingfor a place to set my grief down,for hands that do not rush to fixbut simply say—stay as long as you need. My mother’s…

  • Poem for a Friend

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    Peter
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    You stand in a culture that sells mirrorsand handcuffs them to worth.Scales. Dress sizes.The photo where your arms looked better—these are its gods. But you are not here to worship.You are here to rearrange the furniture. You’ve always loved the misfits.Not just the ones who bloom late,but the ones who don’t knowthey were planted at…

  • Holiness – 1 Kings 17-19

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    Peter
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    What kind of person am I becoming,as the days come and go,each one unfinished?I thought I’d be more by now—more generous, more faithful, more whole.The year begins, and I make my plans,but still, I falter. I look up to people like Elijah,bold and broken,a man who said there would be no rainand lived with the…

  • Through Seventy Years

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    Peter
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    Based on the Life Stories of Trevor & Patricia DavisWritten for their 70th Wedding Anniversary, 1 January 2025 It started with a barn dance,two strangers moving to the same rhythm.A quiet smile, a tentative question,May I walk you home?Patricia took a chance and said yes,and from that moment,two paths became one. Clarence Street saw your…

  • The Legacy of William Kneale

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    Peter
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    Based on family reflections at his funeral, 23 December 2024 Born in Bathurst,his childhood was free and untangled,filled with cricket in narrow lanewaysand radio adventures of Jason and the Argonauts.A talented batsman and tennis player,known locally for his skill,yet humble about his achievements.He chose to be a teacher—a career that spanned schools across the state,guiding…

  • Hark – Luke 2

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    Peter
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    Wake up, the angels sing—an ancient hymn unfurls,invitation stitched into every note. Come.The first cry of Christmas,frail and fierce,breaking the slumber of a weary world. What child is this,laid in a manger,when glory could dwell in temples?What holiness stoops lowto a cradle,to be clothed in the fragile fleshof the very ones who wander far? Solomon…

  • Preparing for Christmas – Luke 1:5-25, 57-80

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    Peter
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    Do you feel ready for Christmas?It sneaks up,wrapped in year-end busyness,tangled in parties and plans,always just a step ahead of my heart. But the first Christmas—were they ready?A world forgot its God,hearts veiled in distance.They needed a voice in the wilderness,someone to clear the way,turning heads and hearts,calling for repentance. Repentance—a word we hide from,a…

  • A Song of Joy – Luke 1:26-56

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    Peter
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    Does Christmas make you feel like singing?It begins with a melody, ancient and soft,the first songs rising from hearts in the Bible—a young girl’s voice, trembling but steady,a song of trust, of leaping, of joy. Mary, just a girl from Nazareth,a place small enough to be forgotten.No high standing, nothing remarkable,until heaven spoke her name.“You…

  • The Priest We Need – Exodus 39

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    Peter
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    Inside the tabernacle,a meeting place—God and humanity,a sacred tent where heaven touched earth.We marvel at the golden threads,the purple robes, the gleaming stones,but do we think of the ones who stood within,those set apart to stand before the Lord? The priest, clothed in dignity and honour,bells ringing softly,a living rhythm in a holy place.Their garments…

  • God Dwelling Among Us – Exodus 40

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    Peter
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    Some pitch tents for pleasure,others flinch at the thought.For Israel, a tent was home, canvas stretched thinagainst the desert night, where God said, Build me a tent,a holy space to live among you. Three parts to His house:Courtyard, Tent, Most Holy Place.Like fire in a chamber, light within light,close to the core, only the chosen…

  • Radiance of Presence – Exodus 33-34

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    Peter
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    There are wounds people leaveseams that split in ways we can’t stitch,hurt that hammers us hollow—a weight we shoulder alone,or so it seems, Until God whispers,“I will go with you,”and his voice presses in, soft like breath,but firm like the groundunder our feet.“If I’m not there,” we say, “we can’t move forward,can’t take another step.”…