Greetings …

It’s footy final weekend … and whether you are an AFL or NRL supporter the season will finish this weekend with the Grand Final winners revealed.  We all like it when our team wins and all the talk, celebrations and pageantry are focused on this outcome.  Yes, one team will always win, but this means that the other team loses.

Society often seems to focus on the winners … we celebrate those who achieve the ultimate and are less concerned with those who don’t.  Whether we laud elite sporting stars, musicians, politicians, scientists or influencers, most of these individuals are only at the top of their game for a season.

No matter who we are or what we seek to achieve, none of us can remain at the top of the heap for ever.  It’s a good reminder then, that we are always seen as God’s beloved.  Being a winner is not about holding a cup aloft, but more about how we inhabit grace, generosity and justice in our daily life… and when we do that we hold a far greater treasure.  Maybe this morning prayer might help remind us …

          God of the Living Light,
          God of the day’s birth
          Out of the hill of sleep I rise refreshed.
          I kindle my soul from the fires of your hearth,
             warmth of welcome,
             warmth of work,
             warmth of nurture,
             be upon my lips, my hands, my being
             from dawn’s chill light
             ‘til swift twilight,

          Amen.

May the warmth of the Spirit inhabit our lives and flow through our living.

Blessings – Heather (she/her).