Tag Archives: Palestine
Sermon: No one deserves this
We are told in excruciating detail of the suffering Daughter Zion is experiencing. As Daughter Zion complains, ‘The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom’. (Lamentations 4:6) Nothing that Judah had done could justify the starvation, exile, and death her people are experiencing. Another way of saying it might be, no possible war crime can ever justify genocide. Continue reading
Sermon: Crazy brave hope
It could be argued that Australia as we know it, and our presence here today, is at least partly a result of the biblical narratives of the Exodus and the Babylonian Exile; that, like modern Israel and modern Palestine, modern Australia is a product of the Hebrew Scriptures. Continue reading
Resolution on non-violent anti-genocide action
At the eighteenth meeting of the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Rev. Alex Sangster and I presented a proposal condemning antisemitic acts in Australia, while pointing out that protesting genocide is not antisemitic and encouraging members of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania to do so. The proposal was passed without amendment. This is the text of that proposal, the rationale for it, and the words of the speech I made presenting it. Continue reading
Sermon: My great-grandfather’s “true Jewishness”
This message is clear: to be the people of God, it is not enough to worship God. To truly belong to God, the people of God must also live out their calling in justice and in caring for those most in need. Continue reading
Sermon: Give Gazans their necessary bread!
It has been hard to think about daily necessary bread this week, while seeing the images of skeletal children starving in Gaza. I will not show them to you, because they are simply too graphic for church. Charities have been warning the world of this impending human-created disaster for months; now Palestinians are dying daily of hunger. More than a thousand Palestinians have been killed trying to access the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose name is bitterly ironic. Continue reading
“First they came …” the progressive Australian version
Now, as so many times before, they are coming for Palestinians, and when we speak up, we’re told that we’re antisemites who only pretend to care about genocide because we hate Jews.
To which we say, “Huh? Have you even met us?” Continue reading
Easter Sunday: Joining Mary Magdalene in joy and sorrow
Jesus has not yet ‘destroyed every ruler and every authority and power,’ and Mary Magdalene reminds us that grief in the face of death is proper, a measure of our love for the one who has died, or even a measure of our humanity, because to mourn is to be human. Continue reading
Sermon: Until warring powers cry ‘Enough!’
Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church ‘Palm’ Sunday, 13th of April, 2025 Luke 19:28-48 Today we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem for the Passover. Like pilgrims throughout time, Jesus’ disciples rejoice as they enter the holy city, praising God for … Continue reading
Christmas Reflections: Remembering Bethlehem, Seeking Peace
… as Christians we still have a duty to speak up against war crimes, racism, and injustice, even if that means we are accused of antisemitism or of being on the side of terrorists. If we are to celebrate Christmas and sing carols with integrity then we must speak up against all violence in the Holy Land, even if our calls for peace are misinterpreted or misrepresented. Continue reading
Reflection: Genocide and the Crucified God
In Jesus we see the God who is willing to serve, to suffer and die for humanity. As we watch innocents suffer and die, as we feel helpless in the face of evil, the one thing of which we can be certain is that the God revealed in Jesus is suffering and dying with them. They are not alone. Continue reading
Rev Doc Geek 