Addiction and the Church
Physical health, mental well-being, relationships, finances, safety, identity—these are just a few of the things profoundly impacted by...
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A Jesus & Justice Shaped Blog from Rev’d Jon Swales & Friends
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Jon Swales
Nov 232 min read
-3 A Lighthouse Story
The forecast said -3°C. Cold enough to kill someone who isn’t prepared. For anyone who knows the homeless—especially those who count...
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Jon Swales
Oct 232 min read
Missio Dei/Missio Satanas
We hear it often, whether at the vicar factory, in mission books, or from our leaders: Missio Dei—the mission of God. This phrase...
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Jon Swales
Oct 122 min read
A Lighthouse Reflection: Beauty & Weakness
When I visited Peter—though that’s not his real name—I found him lying on the floor, paralysed from the neck down, waiting for an...
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Jon Swales
Oct 42 min read
The Kingdom of God: Action, Lament and Hope
When Jesus proclaimed, "The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news," He wasn’t inviting us to simply listen but to...
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Jon Swales
Aug 207 min read
BiblioDrama: Stones & Grace
“Stones and Grace: Jesus Breaks the Chains of Condemnation” Bible Passage: John 8:3-11 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought...
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Jon Swales
Aug 182 min read
Breaking Barriers: Matt 9:1-7
Breaking Barriers: The Church and the Power of Disruptive Faith"- Matthew 9:1-7 Jesus wasn’t always the crowd favorite. In one story from...
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Jon Swales
Aug 132 min read
Wolf Whistle: A Lighthouse Story
Let me share with you a story—a real story, though the name has been changed. Tori came to Lighthouse one Sunday—tough, loud, and...
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Jon Swales
Aug 122 min read
Image of God: A Lighthouse Story
Let me tell you a story—a true one, though I’ve changed the name. Peter was a regular at Lighthouse. Raised in care, he was a bright guy,...
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Jon Swales
Jun 292 min read
The Times They Are A-Changing
A few thoughts about the Kingdom. In the life and work of the Messiah from Nazareth, the long-anticipated 'age to come' is breaking into...
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Jon Swales
May 202 min read
Jesus & the Structures of Domination
Jesus, in proclaiming and embodying the kingdom of God, confronts the structures and systems of domination head-on. He heralds the...
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Jon Swales
Apr 301 min read
Liberator Spoke: Beatitudes for the Traumatised
When Liberator looked at the crowd he went up a mountain and sat down to encourage his people. He opened his mouth and spoke to his crew...
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Jon Swales
Apr 281 min read
Two Religions (Opium for the Masses)
There is a certain kind of religion, An opium for the masses. It Numbs, Distracts, And anaesthetizes us from the pain of the world, Into...
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Jon Swales
Sep 23, 20231 min read
Beatitudes (Lighthouse Version)
When Liberator looked at the crowd he went up a mountain and sat down to encourage his people. He opened his mouth and spoke to his crew...
57 views0 comments
Jon Swales
Sep 11, 20231 min read
Head, Heart & Hands
The Church of Jesus is called to emulate and embody the love of Jesus, showing radical compassion to those who are marginalized,...
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Jon Swales
Sep 2, 20231 min read
Do Not Run: A Poem for Missional Realism
Do not run from concrete reality, Into a world of romanticised abstractions. Take courage, The truth at times will hurt. Do not...
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Jon Swales
Sep 2, 20233 min read
The Compassion of Jesus
Jesus was known and remembered as a man who was moved with compassion. Here are two examples. Matthew 9:36 (NRSV): "When he saw the...
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Jon Swales
Aug 30, 20231 min read
Jesus & the Expendables
All empires and complex industrial societies have what Lenski, the cultural anthropologist, describes as 'expendables.' At the top of the...
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Jon Swales
Aug 29, 20233 min read
The Kingdom and Hospitality
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the...
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Jon Swales
Aug 26, 20232 min read
Healing & the Kingdom
And {Jesus} came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all...
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