Alana is dreaming. It is daytime – noon, it seems, for the sun is high in the sky and blazing brightly – and she has walked outside of their house and is wandering in a strange wilderness outside which, though she cannot recall ever seeing it before, seems not altogether foreign to her. The groundContinue reading “The Gift (Day Eleven)”
Author Archives: Matthew Pullar
The Gift (Day Ten)
Staying behind in the living room, Peter’s eyes skim the pages of the children’s Bible but in his head he is replaying every second of the conversation, his mind freezing over key moments, pausing, replaying, examining the scene from every angle he can find. At several points he thinks to get up and check onContinue reading “The Gift (Day Ten)”
The Gift (Day Nine)
The Story of Hannah and Samuel There was once a man named Elkanah who had two wives. Their names were Hannah and Peninnah. Elkanah loved Hannah more than Penninah, because she was a kinder person and her conversation was more engaging than Peninnah’s who, as her name implies, was a bit of a ditz. (“HowContinue reading “The Gift (Day Nine)”
Unfolding the Year – a selection of liturgical poems
In celebration of reaching my 150th poem for the liturgical calendar, I have put together a collection of 15 of my favourites from the poems I have written so far. For those of you who have joined the project recently, I hope you enjoy discovering some of the earlier poems. And for those who haveContinue reading “Unfolding the Year – a selection of liturgical poems”
The Gift (Day Eight)
Slowly the story returns to him. Hannah was the second wife of Elkanah, and unable to have children when Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, had already given him several children. Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah, however, and whenever they went to the temple to offer their sacrifices he gave Hannah an extra helping of theContinue reading “The Gift (Day Eight)”
The Lord Our Redeemer (Second Sunday of Advent)
Make way, make way In the desert, make way In your desert hearts, make way Prepare the way, make straight the path For the Righteous King is here Prepare your hearts Your sullied hearts Present your hearts; He comes with flame To burn right through our sullied hearts; Who can stand before His flame? TheContinue reading “The Lord Our Redeemer (Second Sunday of Advent)”
The Call (For Richard Baxter, Pastor and Spiritual Writer)
He seeth and pitieth you, while you are drowned in worldly cares and pleasures, and eagerly following childish toys, and wasting that short and precious time for a thing of nought, in which you should make ready for an everlasting life. (Richard Baxter, A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live) Wars are waged,Continue reading “The Call (For Richard Baxter, Pastor and Spiritual Writer)”
The Gift: Second Candle (Day Seven)
Peter and Alana have spent the day shopping for Christmas presents. The task is always a challenging one. Peter’s family is small and easily pleased but Alana’s is another matter. She has two brothers and one sister, and they have their respective partners and families to shop for. This year her oldest brother Simon, theContinue reading “The Gift: Second Candle (Day Seven)”
Our Flesh (For Ambrose of Milan, Bishop and Teacher)
Of wondrous purpose took He our flesh, to the end that He might show that the law of the flesh had been subjected to the law of the mind. He was incarnate, that He, the teacher of men, might overcome as man. (Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith) Minds explode to hear theContinue reading “Our Flesh (For Ambrose of Milan, Bishop and Teacher)”
The Gift (Day Six)
The neighbours were all ready to hurl their puddings and their dishes right in the mother’s face, only they were interrupted by a small, unobtrusive family who appeared in amongst the crowd and started to speak, quietly at first but with a quality in their voices that made everyone else stop and listen. It wasContinue reading “The Gift (Day Six)”
The Consolations of Writing 