As part of Sunday's service/reflection I focused on this incident from Luke's gospel (21:5 - 6)...

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, [Jesus] said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’

I didn't read the text, instead I invited people to go in their imagination to a place they consider especially beautiful, and to savour the feelings such imagination invoked.  And then to hear someone say, as Jesus did, "see this, one day soon it'll all be gone."

Oh my! Who could have predicted that the very next day fire would rip through Notre Dame cathedral in Paris destroying the spire?

The photo at the top of this post was taken from a river cruise on the Seine when I visited Paris with my chemo-buddies in 2016.  For me, the memory is less about the place - and it is a stunning building -  than about the people.  It's desperately sad that the spire has been destroyed and so much damage caused, but for me it is more significant that no-one was injured or killed.  Hopefully the bulding can be repaired/restored; it will take longer for the broken hearts of those who love it to mend.

Note to self, though, be careful what you preach on... the unfounded guilt levels were riding high last night!

Today's object is the purse, and unsurprisngly the focus is the betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver.

What struck me was this final paragraph (p 168)

"Yet [Judas'] betrayal of Jesus set in motion the wheels of the climatic days of salvation.  Judas himself, like the money he held, is ambiguous and complex, being able to do harm and enable good. When you look into the dark recesses of your  purse, pray for light, and remember Judas and the fate of so many after him who have been betrayed and destroyed by money."

So, what if it is Judas who actually bought our salvation? That what others intended for harm, God employed for good?  It's no secret that I have a soft spot for Judas, that I feel he gets a bad press, and that I hope beyond hope that he is safe in God's embrace, not cast into outer darkenss, or worse, for all eternity.

What if Judas had said, 'no' to the money? What if he had refused to follow through? How then might the story have ended?  As I type this, it strikes me as curious that we celebrate Mary's 'yes' and condemn that of Judas, yet each is equally important to the story we tell.

Much to mull over as I think about the money in my purse, how I came by it, and how I then employ it...

Jesus said, you cannot serve both God and mammon (money) - God of all creation, help me to align my will with yours, and so avoid the temptation to let money rule my life. Amen.