“Come in, O come! The door stands open now;
I knew thy voice; Lord Jesus, it was thou.
The sun has set long since; the storms begin:
‘Tis time for thee, my saviour; O come in!”

(Leslie D. Weatherhead, “A Private House of Prayer”)

Blessings for this working week. Fr C.

Hi all from Bethlehem

A quick post to say that I’m having an amazing trip and that I have decided that I want to bring you all back here with me next time!

I’ve been overwhelmed at times at the difference from Australia culturally, particularly in Amman, Jordan and in the West Bank.

My very brief time in Jerusalem yesterday felt very different from what I expected: not as other worldly as I thought it might feel.

Bethlehem is beautiful and the people wonderful.

Checkpoints, particularly the one I went through yesterday outside Ramallah, are a weird feeling: I felt like a sheep being led to the slaughter through bars of iron and narrow walkways. I have already witnessed the terrible treatment of those not considered the in-crowd.

Must run, blessings and prayers

Fr C

At services last night and this morning I informed the parishioners of Morningside that I had written to the Archbishop of Brisbane’s Commissary, the Right Reverend Geoff Smith, to inform him of my resignation as Priest in Charge, Parish of Morningside.

Allow me to share an excerpt of my resignation letter with you:

“One’s first pastoral charge as parish priest is always challenging, memorable and rewarding, therefore I thank you for your support… and for the opportunity to serve the people of God [at Morningside].

I continue to hold a deep sense of call as a priest, and assure you of my continuing commitment to ordained ministry in the Church of God. May your prayers be joined to mine as I pray for wisdom in seeking God’s vision for my future.

With my prayers for the Parish of Morningside, and for the Diocese of Brisbane, as together you continue discerning God’s will and purpose…

My last Sunday in the parish will be 24 August, 2014″

With thanks for your support and prayers

What better place to return to my blog than an airport on a lazy, school holiday afternoon.

As kids sip from water bottles and teenagers narrowly avoid others with iPhones, cafe workers sit quietly on a break and cleaners change bin liners from a seemingly endless supply of bins, I sit, and watch, and wait.

Mine is a different trip, and I wonder how many people in the airport at this moment would be flying to the same sort of place.

Many would be flying to escape, this is for sure, and many, if I mentioned my trip, would say the same of me.

However my silent retreat at the Jambaroo Abbey, south west of Wooloongong, is no escape. I am running forwards, running to my God.

As I run to retreat, I’m also reminded of God’s indwelling which makes all around me possible, but also distracts me from all that is possible in my own spiritual journey.

It’s a running into silence that I am drawn to.

Before any retreat, emotions are mixed. Running to your Creator is at once liberating and joyful, but also slightly terrifying. To be found and refound by God is challenging. To be known so intimately, so lovingly, is, of itself, strange, complex, unreal.

So I sit, surrounded by this world a little longer, surrounded by countless phone calls and trashy magazines. I await a time when my own self will be more fully swept up in a life far greater than what I can possibly ask for or
imagine.

It’s amazing how the little things can be lost.

I had the most beautiful letter arrive today from a family friend. He responded to a simple gesture of me sending him some correspondence. I had thought nothing of this except to keep him informed of how things were going.

Rather than a “nothing” this turned into a “something” as he relayed to me his kind words about me in his beautiful penmanship: about my ministry life and his own place in the world as an aging gentleman.

How I almost lost this simple little kindness this afternoon when a busy day and wet weather got the better of me. “When do I need to leave?”, “what is the go with this traffic?”

These and another hundred distractions await us every day, waiting to take us away from the little moments, the sacred moments when the Light shines, and the Love overwhelms us.

It’s amazing when the little things are found (and held on to!)

On taking home communion to a parishioner today, and mentioning my planned pilgrimage to Jerusalem, an interesting thing happened.

After been told to wait a moment, the lady went to a cabinet to find something. Asked to hold out my hand, I was presented with a small stone.  “Turn it over she said”. There on the small, smooth stone the word ‘Galilee’ crudely written in pen.

Suddenly moved, I felt tears well up as I felt immediately connected to that ancient place.  Past and present seemed to meet and there seemed to be purpose behind all things.

This small, and in worldly terms, insignificant stone from Galilee, revealing the ancient faith to me: assuring me that I was in the right place and the right time, assuring me that God was present, calling me to discover for myself the ancient and living stones of Palestine and Israel.

https://chrisgolding.wordpress.com/jerusalem-2014/itinerary/

After a 13 year wait, I may now have the chance to fulfill a call to make my pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel, to visit Jerusalem, to Walk the Way of the Cross, and to learn from the living stones, the people of Palestine and Israel, what it means to pray for peace in the land.

However, I need your help to make it possible!

Please head to my new page and learn more:

https://chrisgolding.wordpress.com/jerusalem-2014/

Blessings

Chris G, Morningside, October 2013

Some clippers, a razor and my head – sponsor me today!  Go to:  http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/chrisgolding 

Dear friends

It is now official – I have accepted an invitation to become Priest-In-Charge of the Parish of Morningside (Brisbane).

My last Sunday in the Young District Anglican Ministry will be 18 November 2012.

Commissioning in the Church of the Ascension, Morningside the evening of Wednesday, 28 November. More details to follow.

May God grant me grace, that I may be a loving and wise shepherd. Please also remember Julia and Phoebe and continue to pray for our little boy who is due on Monday, 29 October (only a fortnight away!)

Blessings

Chris