Alison and the whale

An Anangu-Pitjantjatjara-Yankunytjatjara story collides with a Hebrew Psalm flowing through a Cornishwoman who was born in the colony and learned about the APY story at art galleries built on Wurundjeri land. Paintings, stories, animations and interviews from a major exhibition here . Senior Law Women and AṈANGU Dancers from the APY Lands slowly unfold the story here with gentle good humour Wirang...

A friend encouraged me to re-preach an oldie on the Syro-Phoenician woman. But you can never quite do the same thing twice. So here’s the oldie, updated to reflect recent news events and some fresh weirdness in my life. Given to Coburg Uniting Church Sunday 8 September 2024.

Revelation can be read to judge and exclude ... but what if it's not like that? A reflection by Alison Sampson on Revelation 6:1-8:1 given to the Vietnamese Evangelical Church of Australia (English speaking congregation) on 28 July 2024 © Alison Sampson 2024.

The dance of the liturgy heals and transforms us: but to receive its gifts, we must participate. A reflection given to Westgate Baptist Community Church on 14 July 2024.

Where does God live? Does God live at church? A reflection for Canterbury Baptist, who are soon to move out of their building for an extended period of time. 

When Satan casts out Satan, he grows stronger: but with Christ we can unmask and bind him. A reflection on Mark 3:20-35 given to Westgate Baptist Community Church on 9 June 2024.  A cheerfully terrible recording for those who will listen anyway - the builders next door continue, and my sound fades every time they get busy with a sander.

What you worship changes everything.

Fear is immobilising, but Jesus' peace offers a way forward. A terrible recording masking out two helicopters, next door's angle grinder, leaf blowers and teens ... which is  the daily backdrop to life in the big smoke!

Jesus’ ‘triumphal’ entry into Jerusalem is a parody, a raspberry, a fart.

Rejected by the worshipping community, blind Bartimaeus is commended for his faith.

A final word to Sanctuary, which closed on 26 November 2023.

Maybe God isn't an angry absentee landlord. Maybe the wicked, lazy, worthless bloke is Christ. A retelling of the parable of the talents, and the last post here for the foreseeable. This podcast was made primarily for Sanctuary folk, and Sanctuary finishes up on 26 November 2023. More details at sanctuarybaptist.org.

We will find Christ among foolish bridesmaids and other outcasts, laughing in boundless joy.

Integrity, love and service are the hallmarks of legitimate authority.

Love is not a warm smooshy feeling, but a decision, an action, and an orientation.

Happiness is fragile, temporary. But even in the depths of anguish, we can know joy.

In God's economy, there is no private ownership, only stewardship.

Who causes suffering when we fail to forgive?

Turning towards one another inevitably leads to conflict, and that means work.

The God of freedom calls us to shape the future through our collective choices.

The story of exodus points to the joy-filled possibilities of civil disobedience.

In his encounter with the Canaanite woman, Jesus repeats then repents of Joshua’s policy of no mercy.

Sometimes, you have to fight for a blessing; and sometimes, it'll cost you.

As we live through the hottest weeks on record, an ancient letter offers counsel and courage.

God meets us in liminal spaces, when all our defences are down.