I HAVE SEEN THE LORD

1. ‘I have seen the Lord’, Mary told them all.
Then she told them what the Lord had said.
She was overjoyed when he spoke her name.
Jesus Christ is living though he once was dead.
Everything has changed—death is overwhelmed!
Life will never ever be the same.
She was overjoyed when he spoke her name.
Jesus Christ is living though he once was dead.

2. We have seen the Lord,
we have heard his voice —
recognised him when he broke the bread,
opened up our eyes, set our hearts on fire.
Jesus Christ is living though he once was dead.
Everything has changed—death is overwhelmed!
Life will never ever be the same.
Opened up our eyes, set our hearts on fire.
Jesus Christ is living though he once was dead.

2000. A sunny afternoon, sitting at the table under the pergola, working on services for Easter. The opening line from the WJK Lectionary Commentary on the gospel for Easter Sunday, John 20:1-18, started the song: 'At the heart of the Gospel reading for Easter is the resurrection appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, leading to her confession, "I have seen the Lord." All the Easter Sunday texts for Year B contribute: John 20:1-18, 1 Cor 15:1-11 (also the rest of the chapter, though I didn't read it at the time; especially v.54-57)Ps 118:1- 2, 14-24, Acts 10:34-43. Specifically, John 20:16,18; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Luke 24:30-35; John 20:20,25; 1 John 1:1. The phrasing of the refrain "Jesus Christ is living though he once was dead" is related to the 'The Waiting Father' parable, Luke 15:24,32, but even more to Rev 1:18. Also Rom 6:9.

ALWS 5/10/23

To say I've been inactive on my website is a serious understatement! I've written nothing here since early 2021. 

So, does this mean the world has stopped for us, that nothing is happening?
A major event for us in 2022 was moving house in October. We had been in Modbury Heights since July 1993.Now we're back in Klemzig.

In May we travelled to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, seeing work supported by Australian Lutheran World Service. Dorothy and I are Ambassadors for the ALWS programme, Lives You Touch. We are encouraging people to leave money in their will for the work of ALWS. We committed to leave a third of our will many years ago and hope many others can touch lives in this way.
Since then we have visited Box Hill & Loxton with Jonathan & Julie Krause as part of the Asante presentations, promoting the cause of ALWS. Still to come this year are Asante events in Toowoomba & Rochedale (Nov 26 & 27) and Perth (Dec 10)

Looking forward to seeing many people on these occasions.