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Anglican Parish of Hamilton, 22 Gray Street, Hamilton (2026)

05/10/2026

With apologies to Lady Whistledown
Dearest Gentle Reader,
Cana is abuzz with gossip after the wedding of Lady Susannah Nelson to Lord Daniel Hivite.
Lady Susannah wore a captivating wedding dress which turned heads and brought a mischievous grin to the face of her soon to be husband.
It is rumoured that an entourage of latecomers to the reception saved the family from a grave social embarrassment for it is said that the w**e for the guests had run out. This most appalling embarrassment was over come by the fervent but discreet interjection of Lady Mary and the obedience of her son.
Further, we were intrigued to hear whispers that her son ordered the washing up water to be enhanced by some of Lord Hivite’s show w**e. One can only gasp at the impropriety of such an action, to say little of what the Hivite family must have thought.
If that were not disgraceful enough, several of the guests were seen galavanting across the dance floor in a suggestive manner that was most unbecoming of such a society event.
As more of this fine quality w**e was consumed by the guests, it would have no doubt added to the gaiety which was said to continue into the small wee hours. There, new relationships were formed and blossomed. On the dance floor Lady Ruth seemed to attract the attention of Lord Boaz the handsome, who was caught casting more than one flirtatious glance in her direction. I for one however, applaud the prankster Son and his mother for their initiative and hope to find out exactly who they are and how they managed to access the family w**e cellar.
Cana awaits with bated breath for the next chapter into what this little crowd of ragamuffins might do and how society might, or might not, embrace them. Until then, stay humble, stay safe, stay curious and above all stay tuned.

04/10/2026

Today's little reflection came to me from the internet thingy they have nowadays.Two churches in an unnamed town got to arguing. And it was a very public argument, played out on the large signs in front of their buildings— The kind of sign with movable letters that can be arranged to spell out a sermon title or a thought for the week.
Maybe the Feast of St. Francis was coming up. Maybe it was their way of promoting the annual Blessing of Animals. I don’t know. But right there, plain as day, on the large sign in front of the Holy Rollers it said:
All dogs go to heaven
Well, before you knew it, the Callithumpian Church used its sign to reply:
Read the Bible. Only humans go to heaven
And . . . they were off and arguing. Next, the Holy Rollers Church’s sign said:
God loves all creation, Dogs included
The Calathumpians, having none of it, replied:
DOGS DON’T HAVE SOULS. THIS IS NOT OPEN FOR DEBATE
Well, maybe the Holy Rollers were just having a good time at the Calathumpians ’ expense. The next week their sign said:
Callithumpian DOGS GO TO HEAVEN. Holy Roller DOGS CAN TALK TO THEIR PASTOR
But the Calathumpians were not amused. Their next sign read: CONVERTING TO the Holy Roller Faith DOES NOT MAGICALLY GRANT YOUR DOG A SOUL
At which point the Holy Roller Church sign advertised:
FREE DOG SOULS WITH CONVERSION
Well, this of course gave the Calathumpians fits. The next week, their sign all but huffed:
DOGS ARE ANIMALS. THERE AREN’T ANY ROCKS IN HEAVEN EITHER
And that, apparently, is when the Holy Rollers and the Calathumpians stopped talking to each other.�Now I don’t know where in the Bible these (probably fictional) Holy Rollers thought it says that only humans go to heaven. And it is true, the Bible doesn’t say much about dogs – or about any animal going to heaven. In fact, scripture doesn’t say anything at all! But, the Bible does say a lot about love. And so, given what we know about the unconditional love our animal companions freely offer to us, then perhaps the Bible does talk about dogs a lot more than we realise.
Remember the bit where it says God created the “waters teeming with living creatures, and birds to fly across the vault of the sky”. Creation stories are full of creatures: cattle and creeping things, every living creature that moves or flies or swims God created them. And, Scriptures tell us; God saw that they were good, and blessed them.
Scriptures also give us some sense of where these creatures fit into God’s scheme of things and therefore calls us to be good stewards of it all. God makes the covenant with Noah and his family saying, “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.” (Genesis 9:9-10)
All too often, however, we fail to see the divine in other creatures and living things. Living our specialised, sophisticated, materialistic, technological and hyper-functional lives, we forget that our lives are made richer by the creatures that surround us.
Who can spot the tiny hummingbird flitting around the garden and not wonder about the miracle of flight? Who can see a flock of geese tearing a v across the pale winter sky and not feel a shiver of alone-ness? Indeed, our very survival is dependent on the lowly and ordinary creatures beneath our feet.
A study concluded that in dry climates, ants and termites increased wheat crop yields by a whopping 36 percent.�Ants have also been essential to production of coffee and chocolate. Okay, so we certainly don’t need coffee or chocolate to survive, but there are people who believe they do…�Dogs never lie about love. They are the model of pure joy, pure disappointment and pure devotion. Who do we rely upon to lead our blind, herd out flocks and guard our house?
We often laugh at the exuberant greeting our dogs give us after a brief absence. We tend to explain it by assuming a kind of dumbness on the part of our pet: The dog thought I was gone forever. Dogs, we say, have no sense of time. Yet a lover is entranced to see the beloved again after even a brief absence–and dogs are all about love. And who, other than God, loves us unconditionally?
So let us open our hearts to all God’s creatures, that we might all be more faithful to our real work, that of loving God and letting God love us.
Let me close with a thought-provoking reflection from a vet’s office:
If you can start your day without caffeine,�If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,�If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,�If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,�If you can overlook it when people take things out on you�If you can face the world without lies and deceit,�If you can eat the same food, day-after-day, and be grateful for it,�If you can do ALL these things, then, you are probably the FAMILY DOG.

01/10/2026

On Sunday 11th of October, ALL creatures great and small are welcome to our annual blessing of the pets service at 10:30am.
We look forward to welcoming you and your special creature(s).

27/09/2026

What’s a Deanery Day?
A deanery day is a day for clerics to get together to consume food and quaff refreshing beverages. In the course of their conversation, they discover again that they are all flawed, all have their failures and all do have some wins. We brag about our faithful folk who tirelessly support us even when we let them down. Those who inspire us with their remarkable courage and who enthral us with their sparkling sense of humour.
In the bubbling cauldron of conversation, an unseen but pertinent process is happening where our miserable failures are transformed into points of hilarity. Almost, but not quite, a competition as to who can muck up in the most comical and spectacular fashion.
We also learn about each other, we learn about ordained life and we learn that if young, bright so and so, with all the wit, holiness and charm of the archangel Gabrielle can make a few blunders, then perhaps there is hope for this little mite after all.
So you see how ‘Deanery Days’ are actually vital to the well being and spiritual refreshment of your priest / minister/ pastor / religious guru. We come away inspired, happier, enriched and humbled. The bonds between us are strengthened and the glow on our cheeks has more to do with the bonhomie we have enjoyed, rather than the red cordial we may have consumed.
So when your clergy aren’t necessarily right there at the end of the phone and answer at the first ring, it may be that they are doing something very important, like going to a ‘Deanery Day’. They are most likely raving about how wonderful you are to their fellow collar wearing colleagues. They are probably getting to know others and themselves just a little better. Another toast to Deanery Day’s

27/09/2026

4/10/26
Hear the word of the Lord

The Master was a skilful story teller. It was his main method of teaching and we still use his stories today.
In the gospel set down for this weekend He tells a real rip snorter and it finds its mark, in part, because the setting is very familiar to his listeners who are the religious leaders of the day. The setting is a vineyard and vineyards crop up on more than one occasion which makes me think that he must have been familiar with at least one w**ery or maybe he just got chatting to the folk who were running the wedding reception at Cana.
The audience he is addressing is the local clergy, parish wardens, maybe even the parish nominators and the board of electors.
In today’s parable the owner puts a hec of a lot of work into establishing a really good vineyard.
He puts a wall around it, digs a w**epress in it and builds a watchtower. But his choice of tenants is not as fastidious. They turn out to be a great disappointment to him and that is me politely understating it.
When the owner of the vineyard sends some folk and asks for the fruit, the tenants seize his servants, beat one, kill another, and stone a third.
Ever patient and persistent to reap what is rightfully his, the owner sends more people and this next lot of debt collectors are treated in the same way and also meet a grizzly end.
Finally the owner sends his son and instead of showing respect and honour they see this from a different perspective altogether. This is their big chance to make a takeover big for this prize winning w**ery.
Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they take the son and throw him out of the vineyard and kill him too.
Their sense of entitlement and propriety is as gob smacking as it is ludicrous.
The local clergy, parish wardens, the parish nominators and the board of electors are listening intently to this enthralling little story. So far, so good.. But then the master does something … um… master-full
He turns, looks them in the eye and in a firm and dulcet non threatening way asks them a question.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
And that is when the fuse finally meets the powder and the things explode.
For our little cluster of Holy ones realise who the parable is really about. This story is all about and is for …them.
A few things to ruminate on.
The master knows exactly what is going to happen to Him. He makes it very clear that he will die at their hands and this is one of the things that stirs me and makes me uncomfortable every Lent. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem he knows that each step takes him closer to place of his own crucifixion.
The religious leaders of the day know this too. They can see that the little, loving, truth telling man in front of them is to prepared to embrace his death at their own hands. All the cards are all clearly face up and on the table here.
It’s almost as if Our Lord is saying…Come on folks… We all know what’s really going on here. We all know what you are going to do. We all know that you will bruise me and crush me.
We all know that I lay down my life of my own free will and I will allow you to do this because I love you; because of this I will be and I am, the cornerstone. The foundation of love that is unshakable, the gates of the underworld of sin and hate and fear and greed will be vanquished. The empire of retribution and greed turned to rubble and out of the dust, love will rise triumphant.’
There is good news here for us today. The fruit and the triumph and glory are not ours to keep to ourselves but have always belonged to the owner. It should be enough for us to simply turn up to the vineyard and enjoy the privilege of working for Him who wants us to be there.
Similarly, if there are mistakes and failures, disappointments and frustrations, even when we have tried our best, then we are not to be too hard on ourselves. We are not the owners of the vineyard. No-one expects us to save the universe, sort out the parish finances, bring peace on earth and good will to all people, persuade God to come as our Bishop and lure the Blessed Virgin Mary to become our next parish priest. We just get on, do and be the faithful tenants we have always been called to be, gaining wisdom and experience with each passing mistake.
Finally,… at the end of the readings we have a simple statement and response.
‘Hear the word of the Lord’ and the response ‘Thanks be to God.’
We listen, sometimes a little more attentively than other times, but sometimes we don’t hear and sometimes don’t take it to ourselves and amend our lives accordingly.
The religious leaders of the day understood that this parable was explicitly and implicitly for them. They get it.
And if they can hear it, if they can understand it … If they can get it… then why can’t I?
Hear the word of the Lord …. Thanks be to God.

20/09/2026

Recently I was privileged to see the musical ‘Pretty Woman’. You may have seen the film starring the handsome Richard Gere and the very attractive Julia Roberts.
Right towards the end there an iconic exchange occurs when Edward (Richard Gere) conquers his fear of heights to climb up the fire escape of Vivian’s (Julia Roberts) apartment building, playing out her childhood fantasy of a knight rescuing a princess from a tower. When he asks what happens next, Vivian puts an empowered spin on the classic fairytale.
'What happens when the dashing knight rescues the damsel from the entrapment of her tower?’
Answer: ‘She rescues him right back’ highlighting that their relationship is actually a mutual rescue where they have both fundamentally changed and saved each other.
In the film / show Vivian rescues Edward from the entrapment of the cold hearted slavery of making dollars at the expense of others and himself. In turn he rescues her from a life of prostitution. Thus both are enriched and liberated. Both can now explore a freedom that they have needed.
But there is a solemn little warning for all of us who seek to free others from whatever encumbrance we imagine they might have.
Everyone needs freeing. Our snares could be cash, the need to be needed, the longing to be noticed, the addiction to guilt. Clergy and carers of all sorts, can be particularly unseeing of their own enslavement. So fervent are we in rushing to save one poor soul after another, that we forget that we have locked ourselves up in a tower of entitlement and self congratulatory praise.
We need to be reminded that we also are continuously tempted, the tendrils of ego are forever growing and entwining and we should always remember the humbling truth that the tax collectors and prostitutes are getting into heaven ahead of us.

20/09/2026

Egbert and Fr. David
The usual path for the aspiring preacher for today’s little parable of the two sons is, I think, as follows.
Dad has two sons. One who is devious and disobedient and on our grumpy day we would call him a bare faced liar. He says he will go and work in the vineyard but does not. The other is more honest and says a polite, or not so polite ‘No thanks it’s too hot, the work is tedious and boring and you don’t pay according to the standard minimum wage, let alone any overtime I do.’
Later he thinks all that was probably a bit harsh and dad probably did catch him at an awkward moment. So he quietly, unobtrusively slinks off to the vineyard and just gets on and does it.
Then our fearless preacher would point out that even when we grumble about doing God’s will it’s better than telling fibbers and not doing it at all. A change of heart, a re orientation to God’s will and doing what He asks even if we have been wicked and mischievous is better than hypocrisy. Thus Tax collectors and prostitutes, even though they might live on the seedy side of life, will make it into heaven before those who are full of their own self entitlement and self righteousness. My pet theory is that there will be many such people waiting to greet me when I get to the other side and what an entertaining group of people they will be.
Of course it’s better still if you can always say ‘Yes’ and always do it with a completely joyful and gleeful attitude; but few can achieve that and none can sustain that emotion perpetually. We all have our grizzly and glum days. Don’t take yourself too seriously and just get on and always try to give it your best shot. Reorientation and conversion are an ongoing process and God’s will is not always palatable, glitzy and glamorous.
But when preaching about this parable not a lot is said about the third person in the parable and that is the Dad.
In my opinion the Father is just as vital to the story as the two sons.
Here’s why.
The father knows his sons very well. He’s watched them grow and burgeon and develop over the years. He knows their gifts and their foibles. For all this, he makes a conscious decision each and every year to go and work in his vineyard. The vineyard is his livelihood, his sustenance. It’s his business and ultimately it is what puts food on his table at night.
So to ask the sons to go and work in the vineyard, is a risk. What if they muck up the harvest? What if they don’t prune the vines in the right way? What if they eat more than they harvest? When The Master sends out his sons into the vineyard it makes Him vulnerable as love always is.
And to push the parable even further than I should, try this hoodie on for size.
What if this is not the first time that Dad has asked his sons to go and work in the vineyard. Is it not possible that he knows jolly well that Son number 1, let’s call him Fr. David, will lie to his face and say one thing and go off and play his Nintendo switch all afternoon whilst quaffing refreshing beverages and sampling stilton cheese.
And with son number 2, lets call him Egbert, Dad knows that there is a chance that ultimately, eventually he might finish up in the vineyard testily doing the right thing even if his heart is not in it.
What if, for the last umpteen years, at every harvest, this has been the pattern of things for this w**emaker and his sons. And what if every year, Dad still asks, still puts his livelihood and the vineyard’s reputation on the line and he knows that frequently, his sons will let him down. But, he will never give up on them, he will continue to ask and the invitation will always be there. The good news of this parable is Our Loving heavenly Father’s unending love. The invitation with no use-by date to go and reap a reward in the vineyard that is tricky and rocky, but utterly inexhaustible in its mysteries and joys.
One last thing to ponder. There is an echo of today’s parable with the story of the prodigal son. Dad and two sons. One who stays at home and is self entitled about his inheritance. The other a ratbag who nicks off and squanders his inheritance. Both parables have a dad and two sons. Both contrast one son against the other. But the most important thing that links them is the uninterrupted and burning desire that the Father has for his sons. He craves intimacy and relationship with the two sons. He craves intimacy and relationship with all his children. He craves intimacy and relationship with you and I. He always has done and he always will forever and ever amen.

20/09/2026

A special kind of blindness.
The folk who compile our lectionary try to offer a common theme between the readings. It’s not always obvious, but it can be discerned with some time, effort and patience.
The common thread in today’s readings could be titled ‘a special kind of blindness.’
Let’s start with the gospel, the parable of the generous employer.
Various people are hired at different times of the day to go and work in the vineyard. There are some that sign on at the crack of dawn whilst others drift in at various times throughout the day.
All are given the understanding that they will be paid a full day’s wages.
The working day comes to a close and the viticulturists, w**e makers and bottlers all line up to get paid.
First, those who have only worked a few hours. As agreed, they are paid a full days wages. So when those who got out of bed with the sparrows come along they expect significantly more. But not so. They are paid what was agreed. A full day’s wages. Exactly the same as their counterparts who only a worked a few hours.
Understandably they whinge to Benno Seppelt, the owner of the vineyard who asks them, politely mind, to go back and read their fair work agreement contract.
They grumble because they have fallen into the trap of comparison. They are comparing themselves and the long day they have worked, with the Jenny and Johnny come lately’s. And at one level I completely understand their rumblings and rumination, but comparing yourself to someone else is not healthy. This is because you can become so fixated on someone else, their good bits and bad bits, that you are distracted from taking a good honest look at your own bad bits and good bits.
The grumpy labourers are so antsy about their fellow workers that they have forgotten all the remarkable work they have accomplished. They fail to celebrate and rejoice in the things they have achieved in the vineyard on the Northern slopes of Coonawarra. It’s a very subtle form of spiritual blindness, not easily spotted, but very potent.
So what’s the link or theme with these disgruntled cellar hands and our friends in the Old Testament lesson.
First, the Israelites could cheerfully be labeled as a pack of old whinge-bags. Whilst trekking through the wilderness they complain about the lack of water, the quality of the water, the biting snakes, the length of time Moses goes up the mountain, the lack of bread and the lack of meat.
So there is a really good homily linking the readings, about the temptation of whinging and how infectious it can be.
But there’s another theme in both readings. The blindness of both groups of people. Time and their new standard of living, has blinded the Israelites to all the miraculous things God has done in the past to enable their escape from slavery. And day by day, they always have the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. God in fact has not abandoned them, but all the time is leading them on to the promised land. Moses might be fallible, but he does not give up on them. He does not phone the Bishop, type a quick letter of resignation, take his long service leave and annual leave and disappear into the mists of blissful retirement at Miners Rest.
Similarly, by casting aspersions on their boss the whinging workers in the vineyard have forgotten how blessed they were to have a full days work and full days pay.
Both groups fail to see.
There’s another bit of blindness right at the end of the first lesson.
God provides quails… for the Israelites to eat. Yum Yum. But also some bread.
“In the morning there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.’
They fail to see what it is right before them. The bread God gives them; and here we have one of the very first references to God giving bread for the nourishment of his people. There will be more of course, culminating in the bread of life that we receive from the altar at the eucharist. And there are times when it becomes so familiar that we forget what it is and who it is that we receive. This is my body. Our Lord always chose his words very carefully and he means what he says. This is my body… this is my blood.
The take away this morning is about spiritual blindness. By comparing ourselves to others we cannot see the marvellous gifts God has given us. We fail to see who it is that is in our hands. We fail to see how gifted and blessed we are and all we have achieved in Our Lord’s vineyard.
Others can see how special we are. God sees how exquisitely remarkable and miraculous we are. And if they can so easily see those sparkling gifts in our very own selves … why can’t I?

13/09/2026

Anything which must be remembered, must be said / shown.
I am re-reading the book ‘I heard the owl call my name’ by Margaret Craven. It’s about a young priest sent to a scenic but remote part of British Columbia. He has much to learn but is blessed to have a ‘local’ who is wise and patient.
At one point the ‘local’ says to Fr. Mark ‘Anything which must be remembered, must be said.’
Within the context of the book it applies to the village’s old language Kwakwala which is not written down and so is only spoken.
But when I read this line just the other day I saw something different. I interpreted it as a firm reminder that if you want someone to remember something and never forget it, you actually have to tell them… frequently. It may be a boy thing or maybe in my dotage I am more forgetful; or it might be my familiarity with sister death, but the pressing need to let your loved ones know that they are … well… loved, is all the more urgent with each passing hour. Say it earnestly, say it tenderly and say it often. You can’t get family back. You can’t get friends back.
Another thought after I read my quote. There are a whole lot of marvellous things that can’t be written down. Ask anyone who has ever fallen in love to adequately describe the experience in the English language. They will almost certainly begin with …It was like….admitting that words just don’t cut it. Words diminish the experience because of their inadequacy. Falling in love is to enter into a new dimension, a different world where things are ‘shown’ not spoken or written. Can I change my quote to
‘Where there is no written language, …anything which must be remembered, must be shown?’

06/09/2026

When this one thing finishes,… then everything else can begin.
Over the decades I have had the humbling privilege of walking alongside folk as they have transitioned from one ‘place’ to another and perhaps this is a daily process.
Some are subtle like grey hair, a wrinkle and a common cold. Others are monstrous and uninvited. Sometimes the development is welcome, like the transit from heavily uncomfortable and pregnant, to the birth of a child.
Sometimes it is a traumatic upheaval from life to death. I have not sought these companionable opportunities and the most fruitful occasions are when they have found me.
On these fraught occasions I come back to the line
“When this one thing finishes,… then everything else can begin.” This sounds easy, exciting and something to look forward to; but it isn’t always. The ‘everything else’ isn’t always clear, is often painful and frequently is not looked for or looked forward to.
It takes months, sometimes years to know what the strange bumpy terrain feels like. I suspect the trick is to be exceptionally gentle with yourself. To be patient and to listen to others who have traversed this country before you. Where are the boulders and the pitfalls?
Now I find myself looking to my own transition. Sometimes straining ahead, eager and enchanted. Sometimes poignantly not really ready to relinquish the treasures I know I must surrender. If it were anyone else I would know exactly what to say and how to listen, but when you're in the centre of the maelstrom yourself, it’s almost impossible to be objective. The eye of the cyclone is supposed to be still and calm but when everything else is swirling frenetically around you… So I cling to my mantra “When this one thing finishes,… then everything else can begin.”

Anglican Parish of Hamilton

05/10/2026

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