Alison and the whale

Committing to be together, apart

As we look to our fourth birthday and the annual service of recommitment, how then are we called to live? A reflection on birthdays, church, and Genesis 45:1-15 given to Sanctuary on 16 August 2020 (Year A Proper 15) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Becoming prisoners of hope

In the face of COVID-19 and climate catastrophe, despair feels unavoidable. Yet we are called to a different story, defined and shaped by hope. A reflection on Genesis 37 ff given to Sanctuary on 9 August 2020 (Year A Proper 14) © Alison Sampson, 2020

Neither death nor grief nor anything else can separate us from God's love

We are in a time of tremendous grief and loss; yet we are assured that neither death nor grief nor anything else can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. A response to Romans 8:26-39 given to Sanctuary on 26 July 2020 (Year A Proper 12) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Life on the margins has its own reward

Jesus expects his disciples not only to offer hospitality, but to receive it: for it is in this mutual exchange that they will be transformed. A reflection on Matthew 10:40-42 given to Sanctuary on 28 June 2020 (Year A Proper 8) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Dear Hagar: Letter from a white woman

The stories of Sarah and Hagar have been appropriated by white colonialism to devastating effect. A reflection on Genesis 21:8-21 given to Sanctuary, 21 June 2020 (Year A Proper 7) © Alison Sampson, 2020.
 

Welcoming the stranger, encountering the divine

Emerging from shutdown is an opportunity to recalibrate and create space and time in our lives: but for whom? A reflection on Genesis 18:1-15 given to Sanctuary, 14 June 2020 (Year A Proper 6) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

In the face of chaos, a new story

As the Black Lives Matter protests unfold, let us remember an old story, given to a people who were also invaded, removed from their land, forced into slavery and subject to state sanctioned violence.
Explanatory note: Along with many scholars, this piece assumes that the sea is an ancient symbol of chaos, and that Genesis was written during the Babylonian exile. A reflection on Genesis 1:1-2:4a given to Sanctuary, 7 June 2020 (Trinity Year A) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Reaching beyond the gathered church

During shutdown, many of us long to gather like the first disciples "all together in one place"; but the Spirit of Pentecost pushed them, and pushes us, to reach far beyond the bounds of the gathered church.
A reflection on Acts 2 given to Sanctuary, 31 May 2020 (Pentecost Year A) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Sitting with the loss of the physical body: Today's challenge for the church

For churches grappling with the sudden loss of physical gatherings and an uncertain future, the story of Jesus' ascension provides both encouragement and a model for discernment.
A reflection on Acts 1:6-14 given to Sanctuary, 24 May 2020 (Easter 7A) © Alison Sampson, 2020.

Holy Spirit: Defence lawyer, healer, friend

A testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life, and a promise to all those who have been judged and found wanting.
A reflection on John 14:15-21 given to Sanctuary, IDAHOBIT, 17 May 2020 (Easter 6A) © Alison Sampson, 2020.