Rev’d Jon Swales
@revjonswales.bsky.social
CofE Priest, heads up Lighthouse West Yorkshire, climate justice, mission to margins, MBE, M.A, MLitt Bib Studies
Www.cruciformjustice.com
Www.cruciformjustice.com
The Angel of the North
rusted, enormous,
stands watch over broken estates.
Not protection.
A witness.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
rusted, enormous,
stands watch over broken estates.
Not protection.
A witness.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
East of Eden: Gateshead
The Angel of the Northrusted, enormous,stands watch over broken estates.Not protection.A witness.Rev Pam walks the cuttowards the youth worker’s flat.Grey drizzle.Bin bags spilling.Shouting from upsta...
www.cruciformjustice.com
September 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM
The Angel of the North
rusted, enormous,
stands watch over broken estates.
Not protection.
A witness.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
rusted, enormous,
stands watch over broken estates.
Not protection.
A witness.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom
On Sunday he hears both refrains:
“We can’t cope — too many migrants,
our town is overwhelmed.”
And in the same pew:
“Welcome the stranger.
And anyone who disagrees — far right.”
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
On Sunday he hears both refrains:
“We can’t cope — too many migrants,
our town is overwhelmed.”
And in the same pew:
“Welcome the stranger.
And anyone who disagrees — far right.”
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdon
Thomas, parish priest,opens the Bishop’s statement on his screen:“We are deeply concerned to hear of the planned ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in London this weekend.Though framed as a celebration of free...
www.cruciformjustice.com
September 14, 2025 at 5:43 AM
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom
On Sunday he hears both refrains:
“We can’t cope — too many migrants,
our town is overwhelmed.”
And in the same pew:
“Welcome the stranger.
And anyone who disagrees — far right.”
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
On Sunday he hears both refrains:
“We can’t cope — too many migrants,
our town is overwhelmed.”
And in the same pew:
“Welcome the stranger.
And anyone who disagrees — far right.”
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/east-of...
I saw it—
on the road from Reeth to
Arkengarthdale:
an old petrol pump,
abandoned by time,
leaning like a tired priest
who’d forgotten his prayers.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/flowers...
on the road from Reeth to
Arkengarthdale:
an old petrol pump,
abandoned by time,
leaning like a tired priest
who’d forgotten his prayers.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/flowers...
July 20, 2025 at 8:50 AM
I saw it—
on the road from Reeth to
Arkengarthdale:
an old petrol pump,
abandoned by time,
leaning like a tired priest
who’d forgotten his prayers.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/flowers...
on the road from Reeth to
Arkengarthdale:
an old petrol pump,
abandoned by time,
leaning like a tired priest
who’d forgotten his prayers.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/flowers...
The Gospel of the Wild Messiah
He did not come robed in safety.
He did not come crowned in gold.
He came with dust on his sandals,
blood in his future,
and fire in his bones.
Not to keep the peace—
but to break it open.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-gos...
He did not come robed in safety.
He did not come crowned in gold.
He came with dust on his sandals,
blood in his future,
and fire in his bones.
Not to keep the peace—
but to break it open.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-gos...
The Gospel of the Wild Messiah
The Gospel of the Wild MessiahHe did not come robed in safety.He did not come crowned in gold.He came with dust on his sandals,blood in his future,and fire in his bones.Not to keep the peace—but to br...
www.cruciformjustice.com
July 8, 2025 at 6:15 AM
The Gospel of the Wild Messiah
He did not come robed in safety.
He did not come crowned in gold.
He came with dust on his sandals,
blood in his future,
and fire in his bones.
Not to keep the peace—
but to break it open.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-gos...
He did not come robed in safety.
He did not come crowned in gold.
He came with dust on his sandals,
blood in his future,
and fire in his bones.
Not to keep the peace—
but to break it open.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-gos...
He didn’t leave Leeds for a fresh start.
He left because staying meant fear.
The flat was chaos —
tinfoil graveyard,
door kicked in,
violence crouched in every corner.
Even the bat he kept by the door got nicked.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-s-se...
He left because staying meant fear.
The flat was chaos —
tinfoil graveyard,
door kicked in,
violence crouched in every corner.
Even the bat he kept by the door got nicked.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-s-se...
He’s Seen the Wounds
He didn’t leave Leeds for a fresh start.He left because staying meant fear.The flat was chaos —tinfoil graveyard,door kicked in,violence crouched in every corner.Even the bat he kept by the door got n...
www.cruciformjustice.com
July 8, 2025 at 6:11 AM
He didn’t leave Leeds for a fresh start.
He left because staying meant fear.
The flat was chaos —
tinfoil graveyard,
door kicked in,
violence crouched in every corner.
Even the bat he kept by the door got nicked.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-s-se...
He left because staying meant fear.
The flat was chaos —
tinfoil graveyard,
door kicked in,
violence crouched in every corner.
Even the bat he kept by the door got nicked.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-s-se...
From Glastonbury
a scream broke through—
'death, death to the IDF'—
words,
not nice,
should have been silenced,
but words.
Should the police investigate?
Maybe.
Words can stir.
But the IDF isn’t a person—
it’s a war machine
breaking international law
like glass
under boot.
a scream broke through—
'death, death to the IDF'—
words,
not nice,
should have been silenced,
but words.
Should the police investigate?
Maybe.
Words can stir.
But the IDF isn’t a person—
it’s a war machine
breaking international law
like glass
under boot.
July 1, 2025 at 4:44 PM
From Glastonbury
a scream broke through—
'death, death to the IDF'—
words,
not nice,
should have been silenced,
but words.
Should the police investigate?
Maybe.
Words can stir.
But the IDF isn’t a person—
it’s a war machine
breaking international law
like glass
under boot.
a scream broke through—
'death, death to the IDF'—
words,
not nice,
should have been silenced,
but words.
Should the police investigate?
Maybe.
Words can stir.
But the IDF isn’t a person—
it’s a war machine
breaking international law
like glass
under boot.
Daz shows up.
Small lad,
big grin,
tattoos like maps of old chaos.
Bit of a charmer,
but likes a scrap.
Daz having a dig
at a world that pushed him down.
He asks for prayer —
not the polite kind.
Not for calm or clarity,
but to get off heroin.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/wild-go...
Small lad,
big grin,
tattoos like maps of old chaos.
Bit of a charmer,
but likes a scrap.
Daz having a dig
at a world that pushed him down.
He asks for prayer —
not the polite kind.
Not for calm or clarity,
but to get off heroin.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/wild-go...
Wild Goose & Turkey Cold
It’s January 2014 —cold enough to chewthrough bone.We meet in the placenamed for the onewho slew the dragon,but the beasts still roamaround St George’s.They breathe fire,chaos,on the hurt,the wounded,...
www.cruciformjustice.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Daz shows up.
Small lad,
big grin,
tattoos like maps of old chaos.
Bit of a charmer,
but likes a scrap.
Daz having a dig
at a world that pushed him down.
He asks for prayer —
not the polite kind.
Not for calm or clarity,
but to get off heroin.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/wild-go...
Small lad,
big grin,
tattoos like maps of old chaos.
Bit of a charmer,
but likes a scrap.
Daz having a dig
at a world that pushed him down.
He asks for prayer —
not the polite kind.
Not for calm or clarity,
but to get off heroin.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/wild-go...
"The Quiet & The Messy Revival " at www.buzzsprout.com/1894040/epis...
The Quiet & The Messy Revival - Lament & Hope: Prayers & Teaching for Justice and Peace
Words & Voice- Jon Swaleshttps://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-quiet-and-messy-revivalMusic: Pixabay
www.buzzsprout.com
June 10, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"The Quiet & The Messy Revival " at www.buzzsprout.com/1894040/epis...
He Wrote the Date
(for the lad who once lived in the car park opposite Leeds Uni
— a true story framed poetically)
He slept beneath stars—
not the poetic kind,
but the cold blink of CCTV,
the flicker of a dying lamp
in a car park that forgot his name.
(for the lad who once lived in the car park opposite Leeds Uni
— a true story framed poetically)
He slept beneath stars—
not the poetic kind,
but the cold blink of CCTV,
the flicker of a dying lamp
in a car park that forgot his name.
May 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM
He Wrote the Date
(for the lad who once lived in the car park opposite Leeds Uni
— a true story framed poetically)
He slept beneath stars—
not the poetic kind,
but the cold blink of CCTV,
the flicker of a dying lamp
in a car park that forgot his name.
(for the lad who once lived in the car park opposite Leeds Uni
— a true story framed poetically)
He slept beneath stars—
not the poetic kind,
but the cold blink of CCTV,
the flicker of a dying lamp
in a car park that forgot his name.
The One Where the World Burns
On the 22nd of September, 1994, six friends walked into a New York coffee shop and into global cultural history..But while Ross and Rachel were on a break, something else was breaking — the fragile balance of Earth’s climate.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-one...
On the 22nd of September, 1994, six friends walked into a New York coffee shop and into global cultural history..But while Ross and Rachel were on a break, something else was breaking — the fragile balance of Earth’s climate.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-one...
The One Where the World Burns
The One Where the World BurnsOn the 22nd of September, 1994, six friends walked into a New York coffee shop and into global cultural history. Many of us laughed and cried. We quoted it endlessly. But ...
www.cruciformjustice.com
May 19, 2025 at 6:57 AM
The One Where the World Burns
On the 22nd of September, 1994, six friends walked into a New York coffee shop and into global cultural history..But while Ross and Rachel were on a break, something else was breaking — the fragile balance of Earth’s climate.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-one...
On the 22nd of September, 1994, six friends walked into a New York coffee shop and into global cultural history..But while Ross and Rachel were on a break, something else was breaking — the fragile balance of Earth’s climate.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-one...
He Set Himself on Fire
(A true story framed poetically)
He had ink all over him—
names, dates, wounds.
But it was the teardrop
by his eye
that stayed with me.
Not fresh.
Just… there.
Like sorrow
that no longer needs explaining.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-set-...
(A true story framed poetically)
He had ink all over him—
names, dates, wounds.
But it was the teardrop
by his eye
that stayed with me.
Not fresh.
Just… there.
Like sorrow
that no longer needs explaining.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-set-...
He Set Himself on Fire
He Set Himself on Fire(A true story framed poetically)He had ink all over him—names, dates, wounds.But it was the teardropby his eyethat stayed with me.Not fresh.Just… there.Like sorrowthat no longer ...
www.cruciformjustice.com
May 19, 2025 at 6:28 AM
He Set Himself on Fire
(A true story framed poetically)
He had ink all over him—
names, dates, wounds.
But it was the teardrop
by his eye
that stayed with me.
Not fresh.
Just… there.
Like sorrow
that no longer needs explaining.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-set-...
(A true story framed poetically)
He had ink all over him—
names, dates, wounds.
But it was the teardrop
by his eye
that stayed with me.
Not fresh.
Just… there.
Like sorrow
that no longer needs explaining.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-set-...
He reads it in a doorway,
knees hugged to chest,
back cold to the brick.
Gospel half-torn,
creased and smudged,
given by Lighthouse,
tucked in his coat
like a ten bag.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ninety-...
knees hugged to chest,
back cold to the brick.
Gospel half-torn,
creased and smudged,
given by Lighthouse,
tucked in his coat
like a ten bag.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ninety-...
Ninety-Nine and the One That Got Away
He reads it in a doorway,knees hugged to chest,back cold to the brick.Gospel half-torn,creased and smudged,given by Lighthouse,tucked in his coatlike a ten bag.Luke, chapter fifteen.Lost sheep.Some sh...
www.cruciformjustice.com
May 19, 2025 at 6:21 AM
He reads it in a doorway,
knees hugged to chest,
back cold to the brick.
Gospel half-torn,
creased and smudged,
given by Lighthouse,
tucked in his coat
like a ten bag.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ninety-...
knees hugged to chest,
back cold to the brick.
Gospel half-torn,
creased and smudged,
given by Lighthouse,
tucked in his coat
like a ten bag.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ninety-...
Long ago,
many years before the Anthropocene,
before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin,
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent, for the earth was formless and void.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/from-ed...
many years before the Anthropocene,
before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin,
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent, for the earth was formless and void.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/from-ed...
From Eden to the Empty Tomb: A Liturgical Reading of the Ancient Story
A Liturgical Readingby Rev’d Jon Swales MBEThis liturgical resource is a prayerful journey through the ancient story — a story that begins in a garden, trembles through the pain of empire and exile, a...
www.cruciformjustice.com
May 12, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Long ago,
many years before the Anthropocene,
before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin,
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent, for the earth was formless and void.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/from-ed...
many years before the Anthropocene,
before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin,
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent, for the earth was formless and void.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/from-ed...
Unfettered capitalism
has cupidatas—
not holy longings,
not the ache
that births justice
or bends the soul in prayer—
but the kind
that consume.
Like a she-wolf
that prowls the parched earth,
lean with famine,
fat with hunger.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cupidatas
@justmoneymvt.bsky.social
has cupidatas—
not holy longings,
not the ache
that births justice
or bends the soul in prayer—
but the kind
that consume.
Like a she-wolf
that prowls the parched earth,
lean with famine,
fat with hunger.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cupidatas
@justmoneymvt.bsky.social
Cupidatas
Unfettered capitalismhas cupidatas—not holy longings,not the achethat births justiceor bends the soul in prayer—but the kindthat consume.Insatiable.Like a she-wolfthat prowls the parched earth,lean wi...
www.cruciformjustice.com
May 9, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Unfettered capitalism
has cupidatas—
not holy longings,
not the ache
that births justice
or bends the soul in prayer—
but the kind
that consume.
Like a she-wolf
that prowls the parched earth,
lean with famine,
fat with hunger.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cupidatas
@justmoneymvt.bsky.social
has cupidatas—
not holy longings,
not the ache
that births justice
or bends the soul in prayer—
but the kind
that consume.
Like a she-wolf
that prowls the parched earth,
lean with famine,
fat with hunger.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cupidatas
@justmoneymvt.bsky.social
They say your past doesn’t define you.
Maybe.
But it never fully lets go either.
The stink of fish,
rope-burned hands—
that’s where I started.
Me,
my brother,
the nets—
working-class lads
just trying to make it through.
Maybe.
But it never fully lets go either.
The stink of fish,
rope-burned hands—
that’s where I started.
Me,
my brother,
the nets—
working-class lads
just trying to make it through.
May 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
They say your past doesn’t define you.
Maybe.
But it never fully lets go either.
The stink of fish,
rope-burned hands—
that’s where I started.
Me,
my brother,
the nets—
working-class lads
just trying to make it through.
Maybe.
But it never fully lets go either.
The stink of fish,
rope-burned hands—
that’s where I started.
Me,
my brother,
the nets—
working-class lads
just trying to make it through.
We are born with a deep longing
to belong—
to be accepted,
embraced,
and to find our place within community.
This longing is not a flaw but a sign of our humanity.
to belong—
to be accepted,
embraced,
and to find our place within community.
This longing is not a flaw but a sign of our humanity.
April 25, 2025 at 3:06 PM
We are born with a deep longing
to belong—
to be accepted,
embraced,
and to find our place within community.
This longing is not a flaw but a sign of our humanity.
to belong—
to be accepted,
embraced,
and to find our place within community.
This longing is not a flaw but a sign of our humanity.
The one who healed the sick
now bleeds from his own wounds.
The one who fed the hungry
is emptied of life.
The one who called the lost home
now lies abandoned.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-woo... @brianzahnd.bsky.social
now bleeds from his own wounds.
The one who fed the hungry
is emptied of life.
The one who called the lost home
now lies abandoned.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-woo... @brianzahnd.bsky.social
The Wood between the Worlds (Good Friday)
I lit a candle.Not for peace—not yet—but for the manwho called himselfthe Bread of Life,now broken,butchered,starved by the worldthat never knew him.He who claimed,“I am the Resurrection and the Life,...
www.cruciformjustice.com
April 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The one who healed the sick
now bleeds from his own wounds.
The one who fed the hungry
is emptied of life.
The one who called the lost home
now lies abandoned.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-woo... @brianzahnd.bsky.social
now bleeds from his own wounds.
The one who fed the hungry
is emptied of life.
The one who called the lost home
now lies abandoned.
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-woo... @brianzahnd.bsky.social
They say it is morning.
They say the sun has risen.
They say the dew is fresh upon the olive leaves,
and the birds sing as they always have.
But today the light
tastes hollow.
And the birds—
do they not know
he is gone?
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/holy-sa...
They say the sun has risen.
They say the dew is fresh upon the olive leaves,
and the birds sing as they always have.
But today the light
tastes hollow.
And the birds—
do they not know
he is gone?
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/holy-sa...
Holy Saturday: I Who Once Was Blind
They say it is morning.They say the sun has risen.They say the dew is fresh upon the olive leaves,and the birds sing as they always have.But today the lighttastes hollow.And the birds—do they not know...
www.cruciformjustice.com
April 19, 2025 at 3:43 PM
They say it is morning.
They say the sun has risen.
They say the dew is fresh upon the olive leaves,
and the birds sing as they always have.
But today the light
tastes hollow.
And the birds—
do they not know
he is gone?
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/holy-sa...
They say the sun has risen.
They say the dew is fresh upon the olive leaves,
and the birds sing as they always have.
But today the light
tastes hollow.
And the birds—
do they not know
he is gone?
www.cruciformjustice.com/post/holy-sa...