St Barnabas, Fendalton: Recent Episodes
St Barnabas Anglican Church
Today’s readings have a multitude of images in them: there’s mustard seeds, mulberry trees being thrown into the sea, slaves at work, and tablets with visions.
There’s all sorts of threads that tie them together – the size of our faith, the size of our vision, even the size of our ego, particularly if we feel we’re being compared with mere servants. And one of those thread’s is humility.
I think the first thing to say about today’s gospel is it’s not about the hereafter. It’s about the here and now. It’s a parable, not a prescription about how to get into heaven. And it’s a parable about wealth and poverty, about a rich man’s table and a poor man covered in sores. It’s about a man who enjoys a feast and a man who lives in famine. And read alongside the reading from Amos, it’s a wider message about too much comfort and too little discomfort, about being preoccupied with material possessions such that the agony of those around them is ignored. It’s a parable and a prophetic word that could just as easily have been written today.
It’s the little things that matter. Welcoming the stranger, orphan and widow. Pursuing peace and seeking justice. Caring for the poor and the needy.
We are continuing in the gospel of Luke, where we are right through until Advent, and this week it’s all about how good it is to be lost. Jesus in the parable here does something he so often does; he turns everything upside down: If you’re lost, you will be found.
Luke 15:1-10 This sermon explores Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin as sharp, funny, and even outrageous stories aimed at the religious elite of his day. Jesus imagines God as a reckless shepherd and an extravagant woman, turning social expectations upside down to show how deeply God values the lost. The humour - like a shepherd abandoning ninety-nine or a woman throwing a huge party for one coin - highlights God’s excessive, almost absurd love. For the lost, this is comforting; for the complacent, it is a challenge: God’s circle of welcome erases every boundary of “us” and “them.”
This sermon wrestles with one of Jesus’ most challenging sayings: “Whoever does not hate father, mother, and even life itself cannot be my disciple.” Jesus shocks his hearers into attention. The message is not about despising people or possessions, but about releasing the grip of possessiveness and focusing on the journey to union with God. To follow Christ is to travel light, keeping God as our ultimate goal and measure of value.
Luke 14:1,7-14
Jesus often spoke of God’s reign in the language of meals and parties, where everyone is welcome and honour is redefined. In a culture where honour was thought to be limited and gained at another’s expense, Jesus revealed God’s honour as abundant, freely given especially to the marginalised. The Eucharist continues this vision: a meal where status, reciprocity, and self-promotion are overturned by grace. At God’s party, we are called to humility, generosity, and manakitanga — lifting others up without fear of losing our own place.
We sometimes talk about Jesus’ “comfortable words”. Well, the gospel today, and the Isaiah reading that accompanies it, could be described as “uncomfortable words”! It’s the sort of text where we’d much rather go to the preacher’s 10 greatest hits of Scripture passages that are familiar, reassuring and not quite so pointed. The lectionary doesn’t allow us to pick and choose, and it’s just as well really, because sometimes, like today, we need to be reminded that it’s a slippery slope to self-righteousness. These texts exclaim, with both barrels, that we are hypocrites. And then we must, at all costs, resist the temptation to respond, “no we’re not!” which only serves to make the point.
Lifting up those bowed down - sometimes Jesus calls us to do this in prayer for others, like those in Gaza, and sometimes to bow down to actually sit with people on the floor.
Jesus has a story for each one of us and calls us to be faithful to our own story and journey. What he calls others to do is between them and God.
When we fail Jesus, he does not cast us aside but seeks and calls us back to life.
Our response must be to live out our calling faithfully. We must run the course that God has chosen for us. The Kingdom of God is about faithfulness to our story and journey.
One of the reasons we light a candle in our services, or at other times when we share Eucharist or pray with people, is because it’s one way of signifying the Christ is with us, his presence is here. We recognise that in that action of lighting and in that focal point of the candle lit.
We remember Jesus' transfiguration in glory on the same day as the bombing of Hiroshima 80 years ago.
The gospel reading today is about prayer, and a particular prayer that we recite time and again.
It’s also about persistence. The persistence of the friend who knocks on the door at midnight asking for three loaves of bread.
The persistence of the one who asks, searches, receives and finds the good gifts God gives God’s children.
When Jesus debriefs the mission trip team, what was the most important thing they learned?
Earlier this week in the parish, as part of our Faith and Film evening, some of you might have watched the fictional film Conclave. Good timing! Today we mark the feast day of St Peter, by tradition the forerunner of the Pope, and of St Paul.
Jesus welcomes us home, back from the edge, back into the family and community of faith.
This Pentecost Sunday reminds me of those two worlds – “of all that is, seen and unseen”. The work of the Spirit is sometimes evident, experienced and in full view. And it is sometimes beyond our horizon, understanding, and grasp; sometimes it’s subterranean.
Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know my sheep. And they follow me.” How do we listen to God’s voice? In the busyness of family life and social media life and school life and work life and hanging out with the other sheep life, how do we hear the Shepherd speak to us? It might be that you have a really good system in place, really good rhythms of daily office and of prayer and of worship and of walks in nature. Or it might that, a bit like Yvette and me, you sometimes need to be jolted so God can put you somewhere where he has your attention, where there’s nothing more than four people, three horses, two shops, and one art gallery.
This week saw the election of a new chief Shepherd in God's Church, Pope Leo XIV, called to care for the sheep.
There is an old children’s song that goes “it’s from the old I travel to the new, keep me travelling along with you”. The Resurrection is really a signpost to the ‘new’. It marks out new territory. It even provides the garments to wear along the way. This story my grandfather told in his diaries of living as a missionary in China in the 1940s explains it best…
The message this Sunday is one of Peace. Jesus appearing to his anxious disciples after his death and resurrection and offering them peace. Once they realised it was Jesus, by seeing him and his scars, he then breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. How hopeful for us all to hear and take in his peace at such times as these. The scripture passage goes on to tell us of the disciple Thomas being absent, and so wanting to see Jesus for himself. Here we get the saying 'doubting Thomas'. And so Jesus did come to him to personally show him his scars and resurrection! Then on seeing he was able to say 'My Lord, My God'. This is for us to believe and hold onto our faith. May it continue to burn with fire within us so we too can stay strong - being able to know his love and peace for us. Also realising that being in community encourages and supports us in our faith and with each other. Jesus /Christ is Risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed.
Some of us are like Thomas who need to know that the risen Jesus still bears the scars of the cross
For most of this past week, my laptop has had a small but really significant problem. The letter ‘e’ doesn’t work most of the time.T here are a lot of words in the English language with the letter ‘e’ in them, including the words ‘English’ and ‘language’! What started as a small annoyance quickly turned into a major impediment. Entire words, sentences, paragraphs, even sermons, risked being incomplete, which is another word with not just one, but two ‘e’s! Two words, however, that are typable are ‘Christ’ - no e’s in there, and ‘is’ - no e’s in there either. But it’s the next word where I needed help.
John 12:1-11 is the account of Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet. It is a beautiful story that gives us insight into the nature of humble service and can inspire us with its stunning example of extravagant devotion.
We are coming now to the end of things. Six days away, we’re told. The countdown has begun.And we have here a remarkable scene; a collage of characters, two of whom take our attention. There’s Mary, this named woman with this extraordinary action. And there’s Judas, this named disciple, whom we will meet again soon, and who here we get a thumbnail sketch that begins to tell us a little more about him.
This Sunday, we celebrated Harvest festival and the bountiful crops that we receive, which tied in with the Gospel reading of the celebratory party given for the lost or returning son. This parable is about two sons and their father. One who goes off and squanders all his money and comes back abject and sorry. The other who is a faithful and hardworking son who gets jealous of the other brothers return and the fathers joy. Jesus uses this to explain how it is with God. God is the loving, welcoming, rejoicing father to all of us. We only have to remain faithful or turn back to face him when we have wandered away. God is so full of joy - full of love for each of us - with ever open arms to welcome and enfold us.
The gardener in Jesus’ parable of the fig tree understands me: “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it.” The gardener believes that if he moves the dirt around, enriches it with fertilizer, and pays more attention to it, then something might happen. In other words, let me keep trying. Not for the sake of my ego, but for the sake of life. Give it another chance. Because, yes, I know what it means when someone doesn’t give up on me, and when God doesn’t give up on me.
In Lent, we might be thinking a lot about appetites, and how we have set aside our appetite for chocolate or wine or chips or whatever in the spirit of giving up for Lent, in the full knowledge that come Easter Sunday we can resume our gluttony with fervour.But there’s something about appetite that we need to retain – it’s not all fasting and sour faces. In giving up our appetite for some things we may, instead, grow our appetite for God.
We have in our gospel reading today the three temptations of Christ, like three knocks on a big door. The first temptation is to be relevant. The second temptation is to be spectacular. The third temptation is to be powerful.
As we read the passage today of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, we too can relate to being tempted in different ways and at different times. We can be tempted in letting go, giving in or saying 'whatever' especially as we are encouraged to try some fasting, extra praying and giving to others. Jesus is our example of keeping strong in believing and hoping in God. As Psalm 91 says 'My refuge and my fortress; my God in whom I trust'.
The gospel reading today gives us these four images: The blind leading the blind. The speck of dust in another person’s eye and the log of wood in our own. The good tree that bears no bad fruit. The house that’s built on sand and the house that’s built on rock.
I find it enormously helpful to have a view of people, including myself, that recognises that all of us have the range of human vices within us. All of us, too, are also, simultaneously, being renewed daily by God’s mercies that are new every morning. And both of those things exist at once. This is the truth of the human condition and the grace of God’s compassion.
What we have here in Luke’s gospel is the grittier version of the Beatitudes we find in Matthew’s gospel. There, it’s the Sermon on the Mount. Here, it’s the Sermon on the Plain! And here, poor means poor. We may want to sanitise it and say that it really means only the poor in spirit, which is a phrase we find in Matthew’s gospel, but not here. Luke isn’t going to do nuance. He isn’t going to spare blushes or avoid offence. He’s grounding the message and driving it home.
As we marked Waitangi Day on Thursday, I recalled an event that involved my dear friend and colleague, the late Kāumatua (Elder) Huikakahu Kawe, from whom I learned so much. I’ve shared some of this in this week’s Connect – so if you’ve read that, then you can take this opportunity to have a nap! But I do want to say a little more here, how it connects with our lectionary readings for today, and how we might respond.
I've seen a couple of good video clips lately about mercy, one in Washington and one at Waitangi...
The story of Simeon and Anna, perhaps even your own story, perhaps even the story of this parish on the cusp of its sesquicentennial, is a story of “by faithful waiting and being guided in prayer and patience to the point where they recognise the glory of God in the child they see.”
Farewell Jo! Our deep thanks and appreciation for your ministry with us over the last 5 years as our Pastoral Care Co-Ordinator. Go well in your new role!
Jesus is in the change business, we can be not so keen on that, but Jesus changes us for good!
What’s going on here? Well, it’s what’s been going on for so long that we sometimes don’t even notice it. But we should. We really should ‘be alert’, as the gospel tells us to be. Be alert to what?! To God at work in the world.
‘Everything is going to be alright’ in neon lights at our Art Gallery – that’s the hope we hold out before us in this season of Advent
What sort of King? Have Kings had their day or is Jesus going to model another kind of King altogether?
Today is Christ the King Sunday and the readings from Daniel and from John have that in common: they both, in their way are telling us a story about kingship or, we might say, God’s reign, or God’s power.
Today is Young Adult's Minister Andy Dickson's last day with us at St Barnabas before he is Ordained a Curate and commences his Curacy at All Souls Merivale.
In his message this morning, Andy reflects on the story of the Good Samaritan and what it might mean for us about finding out who our neighbour is, and loving those around us that we might find difficult to love.
Andy, thank you for your time at St Barnabas. May God guide your next steps, and may he always provide for you and your whanau. As you continue to lead and grow with others around you, we pray that your next chapter at All Souls will be full of growth, aroha and fun. May you be as much a blessing to all at All Souls, as they will be to you and your family. Amen.
The Temple, as Jesus knew it, was one of the great ancient monuments. It had the reputation of being the most beautiful building in the whole world, and the largest and most imposing structure for hundreds of miles in any direction. It inspired awe. The disciples admire its glory. Jesus predicts its end. The disciples assume, here, that there’s going to be a catastrophic event that will cause the Temple to be destroyed and, as part of this, those who follow Jesus will be put at great risk. Jesus knows that he will not always be with them. He knows that they will face what he has faced, and all because of their allegiance to him. He knows, far more than they do, what we might nowadays call the cost of discipleship.
We take our container of food and our jug of water, and whatever they represent, and we say this is all we have and no more, this is all we do and no more, this is as far as we go and no further. This Elijah figure he knows something we don’t. He knows about miracles. He knows about provision. He knows about abundance. He knows about overflowing goodness, grace, mercy. He knows about food that never runs out and water that never runs dry. He knows this. He’s seen it. He persists.
In the Nicene Creed, which we recite here often, and will after this sermon, we say this: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen…”Jesus asks Bartimaeus in the gospel ‘what do you want me to do for you?’ You would think the answer would be obvious: to see! But in lots of ways Bartimaeus already did see. He saw, really before the disciples did, that Jesus is the ‘Son of Man’; he saw, in Jesus, someone who could grant mercy. He saw who Jesus really was while the disciples were still figuring it out. Like how in Shakespeare’s plays, the character of the ‘fool’ is often the wisest of all, so this blind man in the story has the clearest sight.
Inheriting eternal life requires relinquishing control over this life’s treasures and adhering to a new master; Jesus.
In her book Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich says this: “God, of your goodness, give me yourself… If I ask for anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you do I have it all.”[1]
I was drawn to this lovely saying through the very pastoral, well-known comforting words of today’s gospel passage, which are unique, by the way, to the gospel of Matthew, words that find themselves set to music in Handel’s Messiah and put into spoken word in our Book of Common Prayer, in our funeral liturgy, and this St Francis Day.
When Jesus is saying his yoke is easy and light, he is speaking into those contexts: a well-understood agricultural image about oxen sharing the burden of their labours, so that together the task is lighter than done alone; a burdensome following of the Law that deprives life rather than gives it; and an economic and political system that diminishes people rather than fulfils them.
[1] Quoted in Jane Williams Liturgical Reflections, p.89
The disciples are preoccupied with their place in the world, their place in the pecking order. Like everyone else, they’ve got egos, and they know how to use them. But Jesus does something extraordinary. He takes a child, puts the child among them, and says, not just be like this child, as in use this child as some kind of model, but be this child.
C.S. Lewis described Psalm 19 as “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” Lewis identifies its structure as “six verses about Nature, five about the Law and four of personal prayer”.
Guest speaker, Rev Rosie Fyfe, National Directory of NZCMS, speaks to us at our morning services today about overseas missions.
While we celebrate those who built the Anglican Church here, we also celebrate those who have contributed in profound ways to its evolution. Those first builders, and those that have followed, and will follow still, sought to exercise wisdom and came to learn that wisdom is not just the sum of knowledge plus experience, it is a relationship with Jesus, in whom we find wisdom personified.The history of the Anglican church in New Zealand, our own family histories, have both glory and grief, joy and sorrow and, through today’s lectionary readings, we are invited to infuse, even reframe, our reading of those histories in light of this message of Christ.
Wisdom calls us to a life of discernment, to choose the paths that lead to life, peace, and righteousness. The Beatitudes invite us to embody the values of God’s kingdom in our everyday lives, to live in a way that reflects the character of Christ.
We have the reading from the Ephesians 5, where we are directed to be filled with the Spirit. And the language here is of a continual filling rather than just a one-off experience. Being filled with the Spirit is contrasted with being filled with wine, which makes us drunk, gives us a hangover, isn’t life-giving – and too much of it can be very damaging on us and those around us. “Instead”, Jesus says, “be filled with the Spirit.”
Being filled with the Spirit on a continuous basis means we are always watered.
Right here in the gospel of John. It’s right here in John’s telling of the meal where it’s one of the feature ingredients. There’s the wine – and there’s the bread. It’s the story of the Eucharist, gospel-of-John style. Jesus says, as the bread of life, he always satisfies our hunger; in him, we will always find life.
As Christians we feed on Holy Scripture: it is nurtures and sustains us. We listen to Scripture each week as we gather here. We read Scripture. We use Scripture. We study Scripture. But we do more than that too. We assimilate it. We take it into our lives so that it goes from being a text to an act: an act of God’s grace, an act of God’s revelation to us, an act of the Holy Spirit speaking to us afresh each time we hear, read, and study it.
A church that hears Holy Scripture does not do so passively but, in response, engages in visible acts. Holy Scripture goes from text to action each time we act in love, each time we give water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, comfort to the mourner, friendship to the lonely, hope to the despondent, justice to the dispossessed, healing to the sick, good news to the poor.
I don’t know about your Bible, but my personal Bible, which I’ve used since 1993, also serves as something of its own filing cabinet. Inserted among its thin pages are notes I’ve made, bits of paper on which I have scribbled things I can no longer read, and verses and other such material that I’ve once been given that would have held meaning for me at the time and so I have slipped away. Well, as I was preparing the sermon for today, one of those slips of paper fell out, and so I picked it up. It said this:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful”.
It’s from Hebrews 11:23 and, having just re-read the gospel and the epistle, in which there is much to despair, I found, as indeed the note promised, a reason to hope.
The wider context to today’s message is that it’s also Refugee Sunday, in which we mark those who, often involuntarily, are weak and go to places in which they are not welcome. Overlaid onto that is the troubling rise of political parties around the world who reinforce an attitude that says “you’re not welcome” to the weak and dispossessed.
Matariki invites us to do three things:
- Remember the past and honour those we have lost.
- Celebrate the present and gather together to give thanks for what we have.
- Look to the future and the promise of a New Year.
Life doesn’t always go according to plan. We might, when we’re younger, or even when we’re older, have mapped out what we expect will happen, even how we expect God may work in and through our lives. And, as the readings today show, it can be in poverty that we find ourselves richest of all.
In the end is our beginning.
Just out of camera shot, but so critical to what we’ve just had read to us from the Book of Acts, is the stoning of Stephen and the subsequent scattering of the church. That event was in so many ways a lynchpin for what else followed.
What the church needed next was encouragement.
And so, Barnabas is sent. And this is what we’re told:
He saw what the grace of God had done.
He was glad.
He encouraged them to be true to the Lord with all their hearts.
He discerned the work of the Spirit in the grace of God. He looked at it and said ‘God did this’.
What we know of Barnabas from the New Testament shows that he was constantly affirming and motivating others. There was no variation in tempo with him, no blowing hot and cold…
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has written a wonderful book called The Power of Reconciliation. He says reconciliation has four parts: incarnation, crucifixion, new life, and completion. In other words, it makes Christ visible, requires sacrifice, must be lived out and grown into, and will be completed at the end of all things when perfect justice rules the earth. Reconciliation requires us to do subterranean work. It means attending to those things that normally are out of view but are crucially important. In an Evensong service here recently, I talked about how I think the Anglican church runs on cups of tea. I have a friend who talks about teapot diplomacy. In other words, we talk, we share, we listen, we get to know one another while drinking tea from a pot, sitting down at a table sharing a meal, passing the plate, breaking the bread, drinking the wine.
Acts 2 shows us people waiting on God’s promised Spirit. When the Spirit came it was far more than they could ever have imagined! We can trust God to keep his promises.
Tune in to hear guest preacher, Grant Norsworthy - More Than Music Mentor and Grammy-nominated producer of The Blessing Aotearoa - speak at our Lifestreams service on 12 May 2024.
All we do, we must do in love, because he first loved us. Love should be the fuel that drives us.
I like – well, don’t like - but tend to agree with the reading of this gospel that the warning about God’s pruning activity is not an idea we can apply to others (and it is always so much easier to apply sermons to other people than to ourselves!) but a message to all.
No matter how pious we may feel we are, no matter how theological we think we are, no matter how ‘good’ we act, none of that is a substitute for love.
The belief that Jesus rose from the dead with a physical body has been well debated over the years…
Well, we have today two Greeks, or at least two people with Greek names, Philip and my namesake, Andrew. Philip has an encounter with ‘some Greeks’, who say "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
A slight but important tangent is that these are Greeks, and therefore signify that Jesus’ reign and rule, locally felt in Jerusalem as he rode in on his donkey, will be felt in the entire world.
Frustratingly, however, we do not get to read about them seeing Jesus. Philip tells Andrew and together they go to tell Jesus, but we are not told if the Greek-speaking enquirers saw Jesus in person. Instead, Jesus takes the occasion to speak about what is about to happen to him, and invites us to be a part of it.
Here are some numbers for you.
438.
That was roughly the number of people I was talking to at Medbury School on Tuesday – all their students, most of their staff, where we celebrated their Harvest service. The boys and their families had provided non-perishable food, which was stacked neatly on the stage; the choristers sang a song in which they named many fruits and vegetables, and we were warm, and we were sheltered, especially important that day, as only a few hours earlier hail, thunder and lightning had passed its way through suburb of Fendalton.
438.
That’s also the number of people who have used the emergency housing provided by the City Mission in the last year. That is, people who otherwise had nowhere else to live, had no roof over their heads, had not shelter, had no protection from the elements or from those who would do them harm. There are many complex reasons why people need to access emergency accommodation, and it is not always by choice.
But 438 of them did.
An image of what is to come on the cross, and the restoration of a place of worship and prayer.
It's all downhill from here...And Peter is none too sure about Jesus' call to downward mobility. How about you?
Sometimes things don’t quite go the way we expect!
We meet in the readings today three characters who discovered that what they had thought about how God worked was about to be radically changed.
We have reached the halfway point of Mark’s gospel, and not just literally. Today’s gospel passage is the hinge on which the gospel turns. Mark’s gospel, which begins with “the good news of Jesus Christ”, shifts gear. From his ministry in Galilee, focus now turns to Jerusalem, to where Jesus will be crucified.
Our focus in Lent points us in the same direction.
Cassandra orients us to the beginning of the season of Lent in the liturgical calendar. She explores the ways in which the church over time has learnt to keep company with Jesus in the wilderness.
Using three key passages of Scripture we work to establish a Theology of Children’s Ministry. We gain an understanding of why we do what we do in the context of our church services and how to lead our children in their spiritual growth.
What heals a man with leprosy – Jesus’ touch or his words? And what is the place for touch in a post-Covid, risk-averse world?
I want to tell you about three men and a baby.
The first man is Philip. We read about him in today’s gospel.
The second man is Thomas Aquinas. It is his saint’s day today.
The third man is called Ethan.
And the baby is also called Ethan, the newly baptised among us today!
Listen as we explore what ‘Trust’ means, what it looks like and where we find ourselves in the two-way connection of trust between God and ourselves. What are the building blocks of Trust? How does God fulfil our trust? What does it mean to truly work on sustaining our trust in Him and overcoming the blockers we put in the way.
The baptism of Christ led him into his full time ministry and calls us to be baptised into the Christian family and our way of living a Christian life.
As Christmas marked the birth of a child so the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus marks a new beginning for that Christ-child, the start of a ministry, the beginnings of something beautiful and something good. Baptism is new life, a new day. And, as such, is an appropriate way in which to begin a New Year.
The Dominican Paul Philbert once remarked that we should never let the waters of baptism dry from us. We should always, in other words, keep ourselves irrigated by the waters into which we were baptised.
We see a story about servanthood, starting with Mary as she answers her Lord, 'here I am the servant of the Lord'.
We see Joseph becoming a servant to his Lord's instructions and by serving Mary.
The shepherds are the lowliest servants of all and are the first to be visited by the angels with the good news.
And greatest of all we see God's beloved Son being born in a lowly stable to begin his life of servanthood.
What happens between the moment of that angelic announcement to Mary, and the moment of Mary going into labour? St Luke gives us a clue in one word…
We have in the story of John the Baptist a kind of equivalent to a trailer.
John, we are told, came as a witness. He came as someone who was telling us about someone else. He’d seen stuff he wanted us to know. And he was clear he wasn’t the main event. He wasn’t the Messiah. But the Messiah was coming, and he was pointing the way.
So, we have the character of John pointing us toward the person of Christ.
We also, through the Isaiah reading, get a little of the plot. They’ll be proclamation of good news! Captives will be freed! Prisoners released from darkness! Those who mourn will be comforted! They’ll be joy instead of mourning. Praise instead of despair. Ancient ruins will be rebuilt. Places long devastated will be restored. Ruined cities, renewed.
That’s a kind of movie I’d want to see. It’s the kind of movie we’d all like to see.
The Prophet Isaiah begs God to tear open the heavens and come to a warring earth, but how will he come?
As we look for signs of summer, so we are alert to the work of God among us even now, to those signs of the resurrection already before us, to the testimonies of nature, and of people, to the incarnational wonder of God with us. God has moved into our neighbourhood. Have we seen him yet?
Our faith and belief in Jesus and the outworking of that is what sets us apart. What we do here and now matters, how we treat people matters, and how we respond to Jesus matters.
To follow Christ, to obey Scripture, to respond to the gospel is often to go against culture and to embrace a new culture, a new way of doing things, a new order, in which justice and compassion and love and faith prevail, that of the gospel of Jesus.
Paul writes to the Thessalonians to give them hope in the midst of their grief over those who have died. Building on earlier Jewish understandings, Paul speaks of the hope of resurrection and a world remade.
What does it mean to keep awake and alert for the presence of Jesus among us at this turbulent time in our world?
In a crazy world where arrogance and violence dominate both personally and globally, the beatitudes remind us that God has bestowed on us blessing, but we are also to aspire to these as well: the Kingdom of Heaven counters the arrogance and violence with humility, justice and peace.
Rev. 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12 The reading from Revelation takes our minds forward. If you like, it reminds us of something that is yet to come, that is yet to occur, that is to yet arrive, but of which we have a hint, a taste, an inkling. It’s as if we have been allowed to pull back the curtain and the next act is being revealed to us. And it is great hope, not just for the end of our days, but for this day.
For there is also hope for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted.
Isaiah 25:1-9; Matt. 22:1-24 God had been planning this wedding party for so long, this “feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow”, and those who were invited had abused and killed the prophets who had tried to tell them about it. And here, in Jerusalem, right now in this story, the Messiah for which the people had hoped, was indeed in the very centre of their world, and he would, in the very near future, be killed, too. The King of the banquet would, in short order, become the Christ on the cross.
Isaiah 5:1-7; Matt 21:33-46 The vineyard owner in the parable, you’ll note, doesn’t give up. He doesn’t say, at the first severe response, these people don’t deserve what I’m offering. He doesn’t say it at the second severe response. Or the third. For whatever else this parable is about, and the passage from Isaiah on which it draws, it is about God’s unyielding faithfulness. God never gives up.
In Jesus's first two days in Jerusalem at the festival of Passover, the opposition from the Jewish leaders is immediate and strong. Jesus calls them out on their two-facedness though and puts up the eager following of the prostitutes and tax collectors as exemplars who have repented and believed and now follow in the "way of righteousness". The big question is "where is the image of God" amongst his people? It is in those who are open to the Spirit and who receive the fruit of the spirit.
Song of the Three 52-65, Matt 21:23-32 We have in the parable today a story of two sons. Both were asked to go work in the vineyard by their father. One said no, then later yes. One said yes, then later no. It was the first son – the one who said no, then later yes – whom Jesus commended to the chief priests, saying, even, that tax-collectors and prostitutes would enter the kingdom of heaven ahead of them. We also have a reading from the Apocrypha, namely from the song of the three young men that were with Daniel in the fiery furnace. The third part of that song, or psalm is what we read today: a hymn of praise they sang when they realized their deliverance with the refrain “praise and exalt him above all forever” repeated many times, each naming a feature of the world. That reading is apt as our focus today is on the care of creation, and on St Francis of Assisi, whose saints’ day is this Wednesday October 4th. As we had a parable about two sons, so I want to tell you a story about two Francis’.
Everything has value, and everyone puts a different value on themselves, others, and the things in their lives. We can choose to see our value based on comparison to others, or we can choose to see ourselves with the value that God gives us. Then we can start to see the value in others.
Jonah 3:10–4:11; Matt 20:1-16
Both stories, in their way, are about compassion. Both stories, about generosity.
In the parable we see a different ordering of things, an order not of just deserts, but rather of consideration of what each person needs: what they need to feed a family, what they need to maintain their freedom and dignity, what they need to sustain life as it was created to be by God. -The vineyard owner is being generous, abundantly so. It is a glimpse, if not more than a glimpse, of what life looks like in God’s economy, in God’s ordering of things, where the world is turned upside down, where the last become first, the poor become rich, the prisoner is set free, the lame walk, the outcasts are invited to the banquet, the King of Kings is a baby in a manger, the ultimate demonstration of power is found in a crucified Christ, where generosity, forgiveness, grace and love flow abundantly, without restriction, without discrimination, without impediment, and, especially, we would want to say, to those whom we may think don’t deserve it: the last, the lost and the least.
This is new life. This is new creation. This is God breaking in, and breaking apart, the order of things in which we put ourselves and our needs at the centre. This is love.
Rumour has it that there were many shepherds who went past the burning bush, but only Moses stopped and paid attention to God’s voice. How about us?
Rom 12:1-8; Mt 16:13-20 The readings today are about rocks and bricks and living sacrifices and worship and identity and confession and sober judgment and the work of the Spirit and quite a lot else besides, all coming together in a community of God’s people. And this community takes many forms and many functions and found within it are prophets and servants and teachers and encouragers and givers and leaders and those who are merciful. And there are different forms and different functions and many members but they – we – all make up one body, each belonging to the other.
The BBC series Who do you think you are? seems to give those involved a stronger sense of their own identity. Interesting then that Jesus asks his disciples, Who do you say that I am?
God’s mission was never to Israel alone, but includes the wider world, where foreigners, outsiders of any kind, will love and worship God; where God will bring them to his holy mountain; where they’ll celebrate in God’s house of worship; where their sacrifices and offerings will always be welcome; and where God’s house will be known as a house of worship for all nations.
Both Elijah and Peter have an encounter with God when literally in the depths of despair, and find God meets them where they are, and still has plans for them.
On this day being Peace Sunday and also the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, Jo Cotton talks to us about Hope, New Life and Resurrection.
Both our readings today (Rom 8:12-25; Matt 13:24-30,36-43) tell us about things we cannot yet see, about seeds and weeds and the work of Christ, and the Spirit, in their scattering and harvesting. As we say in our creed, “we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” And this Social Services Sunday, we see this in sharp relief.
Guest preacher Dr Csilla Saysell - freelance blogger, preacher, public speaker; formerly lecturer in Old Testament - joins us at our morning services today as we celebrate Bible Sunday. Dr Saysell writes Bible-reading notes on her blog and engages in preaching and teaching in church contexts. Her interest is in helping Christians read and understand their Bible better and apply it in meaningful ways to their lives.
Do check out her blog here: https://labradoritemoments.com/
Now, the gospel reading we have today is not one in which the disciples are breaking into song and dance. They’re afraid, very afraid. Bear in mind these guys are seasoned fishermen. They know what it is to go out on the water, probably every day. They’ve experienced all kinds of weather before.
So, this must have been one big storm! One wild storm! Their boat was about to sink. They were scared for their lives.
And what’s Jesus doing? Well, he’s sleeping on a cushion!
That’s the paradox of the Christian life, no matter how difficult it gets we have the hope of Christ in the mystery of suffering, in God’s love that will not let go, in the Spirit interceding for us in our weaknesses. In our cry out to God from the wilderness, he will respond. This is at the heart of its good news, you see: we’re not doomed, not at all.
We have in the readings this day, two stories of Jesus calling people. It seems fitting that these passages should be about ordinary people in these ordinary times. Because even though we tend to venerate Abraham and Sarah as the patriarch and matriarch of our Christian faith, and the twelve disciples as the special chosen dozen men, they really were very ordinary people and we can take great comfort in that. Not only are these ordinary people; they are also people that God calls together.
Sometimes it’s easier to grasp a picture of God, rather than pile up too many tricky words…
Acts 1:6-14; John 17:1-11 The ascension, as it follows the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, is the triumph of God’s Yes over humanity’s No, to which, in the face of God’s outworking in our lives, by his Spirit, in his church, through a flawed yet restored and reconciled humanity, we say ‘Amen!’
In what way is Jesus The Way? How did his claim to be The Way make sense in the light of the passage in which it sits? And what does that have to do with Star Wars?
The striking thing about this gospel passage is that while sheep may have all the qualities for which sheep are famous, they also know the voice of the shepherd, they know the feel of his rod and his staff, prodding, directing, pushing, guiding; they know that following the shepherd and his voice leads to safety and pasture and life.
Emmaus was a place of encounter with the risen Jesus. Today it’s also a place of encounter and growing reconciliation for Jews, Muslims & Christians…
Exod 17:1-7; John 4:5-42Jesus, in this encounter with the Samaritan woman, is inviting us to show compassion, and compassion without judgment. Compassion is always costly, always uncomfortable, always says that someone is worthy of our compassion because they are worthy of Christ’s, as we are; always demands of us a response, requires of us to break down the barriers, reach across the divides, listen to those with whom we might disagree and, as one, drink together from the deep, profoundly generous, deeply compassionate living water that is Christ.
Gen 12:1-4a; John 3:1-17And so, what do we do with that sign of caution that I seem to always remember? Well, it’s good to be careful. And caution has its place. But let’s not let caution get in the way of curiosity about Jesus, for you never know, as Nicodemus found out for himself, where that curiosity might take us.
What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Jesus has some choices to make – and so do we…
1 Cor 3:10-11,16-23; Matt 5:38-48Perfection equals wholeness – and wholeness of character, wholeness in Christ, wholeness by the work of the Holy Spirit, wholeness in God’s economy comes from deep need, great failure, desperate want; not from boasting in our praise but by kneeling in prayer; not from building towers to the sky; but dwelling in the Garden of Gethsemane with the Christ on the way to his tomb; not from proclaiming our greatness and goodness, but from holding that which is great about us – that we are created by God, loved by God, shaped by God – alongside all kinds of grief that we experience in life.
Readings: 1 Cor.1-9; Matt. 5:21-37And so where do we go with this passage? Do we go, as I did, to the fictional world of Shortland Street and find escapism there in the sordid lives of others? Do we go, as I did, face to face with those whose sin is great and think that perhaps ours is somehow less so? Or do we go to the cross and see there the one who takes the script we’d been living by and says, tearing it up, ‘but I say?’ And what else might Jesus say to us after those three life-changing words, ‘but I say… I love you’, ‘but I say… I cherish you’, ‘but I say… I forgive you’, ‘but I say… I set you free’?
This Waitangi weekend, and considering our readings today on salt and light, from Matthew’s gospel, and on loosing the chains of injustice and untying the cords of the yolk, from Isaiah, Andrew tells us about his friend and colleague Huikakahu Kawe, and what he taught him.
We look at being obedient to the call of Jesus to follow him and become fishers of people. We are encouraged to tell people the good news and invite our friends and family to share in the life of the church that we enjoy.
The imagery of baptism, Jesus’ and ours, teaches us that we have to learn to go with the flow of the Spirit, that going under and coming up are constant parts of life, and it is never too late to get back in the water...
Tune in to hear guest preacher Fr Chris Orczy, St Luke's Inner City Chaplain, preach at all our morning services today.
Today we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, and no it’s not how many shopping days till Christmas! Where do we find Advent hope at this busy time of year?
No one knows the when the Son of Man will come again but we need to remind ourselves that while we are waiting are we still living in the way of Christ?
Our very own Jo Cotton - Pastoral Care Coordinator - preaches to us today and unwarps the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. "All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted"
Guest speaker Dr Andrew Butcher, Principal/Te Taiurungi at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, speaks to us at our morning services today.
Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager is a tricky one – whose example should we follow? Or is there another model – the Queen was by all account a shrewd judge of character…
Tune in to hear our very own Geoff Bevan talk about the cost of being a disciple of Jesus (Luke 14:25-33)
Have you ever thought that you could offer hospitality by being willing to be interrupted?
God gave us the sabbath for rest and prayer, not to forget our duty towards our neighbour.
Jesus saw the woman who was beneath the radar of others, and bent over to raise her up. We too are called to be those who lift up those who are bowed down.
The Christian race is less a sprint, and more a marathon, or is it in fact a relay race?
Jesus brings us truth - and the truth may hurt, as Jesus asks us to put God above all else, including family and friends.
Current Priest-in-Charge at St Michael's and All Angels (where the Riverside Market is opposite) and previous Chaplain at Christ's College, Rev. Bosco Peters is our guest preaching at all our morning services this Sunday - Transfiguration Sunday.
God asks us to put him in first place -- before family, before friends, before career. If we do this, then everything else will follow.
New Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines talks at all our morning services today; tune in to listen to the work of the City Mission and how Corinne feels she can contribute in her new role.
We ask God’s blessing on all those who go to sea, and we give thanks that Jesus is with us in any kind of trouble.
An exploration and celebration of what Queen Elizabeth's Christianity means to her and how it informs her life and reign.
We explore the richness that is offered to us in the words used in te reo, which can add depth to our understanding and use of the prayer Jesus taught us— so familiar and simple, and yet profound in its reach.
The Spirit has always guided us, has always been creative, and is with us today, inspiring and leading us through life.
Is our language about the Ascension being up-wards something we need to leave behind in a scientific world? What does Jesus’ Ascension actually mean for us?
The early church faced this issue head on, and Peter learns a valuable lesson that God the Holy Spirit is on the move ahead of him.
Parishioner and Vestry member Geoff Bevan talks to all services this morning about money. Often difficult and awkward to talk about - "the elephant in the room" - however it is important for us to know the financial reality that we are living in.
Guest speaker from Barnabas Fund NZ speaks at our morning services about persecuted Christians around the world - and how we here in New Zealand may be able to offer practical help.
We live in a world where there are not a lot of 2nd chances, if we fail, people tend to come down on us like a ton of bricks. But that is not Jesus’ way…
We are all responsible for our own behaviour, and what we do, for good or ill, affects the whole Body of Christ.
It seems like we live in a world of foxes, of cunning and slyness. Jesus shows us another way – that of the mother hen sheltering her chickens under her wings, but it is a way of sacrifice.
Jesus’ example of resisting the lures of the devil shows us that we, made in God’s image, may also resist temptation; and also demonstrates Jesus’ humanity, as well as his divinity.
What will ground our faith in this very uncertain world we live in, with Russian aggression threatening war in Europe, and closer to home the March of Omicron rapidly increasing its footprint around us?
God sends out his word into the world, in order to accomplish what he wants accomplished. This gives us great reason to live in hope. Because God is all-powerful, we know that his will will be accomplished, and there will be peace on earth.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies. Does that include the really awful people we know? How can we love them?
Well if there’s any week to be reading this extract from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain it’s this one – ‘love your enemies’ Jesus says, and here we are on the 13th day of a protest within the Parliamentary precincts now involving around 1000 people with 750 tents and 800 cars, and an increasing number here in Chch in Cranmer Square.
The beatitudes, or beautiful attitudes, are the raw, unvarnished, faith-rattling, rules of God. How do we each measure ourselves on such rules as these?
When Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet he felt unsuitable but God commissioned him to a ministry involving deconstruction as well as construction. Ministry in the last 11 years has involved both sorrows and joys but God has been with us all and will continue to lead St Barnabas into an exciting future.
Special guest preacher Rev. Mike Hawke, currently Church Support Officer at the Anglican Missions Board, joins us across our morning services this Sunday. Do tune in and enjoy his message!
We can naturally be a bit fearful of change but the good thing is that like water into wine, Jesus changes us for good, and for good!
Guest speaker Rev. Dr John Fox - Senior Ecumenical Chaplain @ University of Canterbury and Priest Assistant at St Christopher's, Avonhead, speaks to us about the baptism of Jesus. He shares his own story of baptism, and what the Baptism of Jesus may mean for us today.
Guest preacher Bede Cammock-Elliott, from our very own Lifestreams congreation, shares his thoughts about what it might mean to celebrate Christmas in a COVID world.
Guest speaker Dame Sue Bagshaw joins us during our 9.30am service where she talks about the Christchurch Youth Hub.
Plato’s famous analogy of the cave describes a community of people living in a dark cave unaware of a world of beauty and light just beyond their experience. Jesus is like a visitor who comes from the world of light into the cave to lead the people to freedom.
These words in our own Eleanor Horne’s pithy and exquisite hymn sum up the message of Advent and Christmas – God comes into our world as a baby, and fills us with awe and hope.
The title of the iconic neon artwork along the side of our Art Gallery in town is just the message for the Advent season we enter today. This is our hope.
Guest speaker Liz Yeoh from our very own Lifestreams congregation, shares her testimony regarding a recent personal loss and how God strengthened and carried her through it.
On the morning of the crucifixion Pilate met Jesus and asked if he was a king – the one with power met the one with authority. Jesus replied that his kingdom was not from this world. In our age of despots and tyrants, do you serve the true king who rules with mercy and gentleness?
Perhaps we feel we just have to grin and bear this Covid thing. It’s hard to be patient. Jesus tells his disciples there’ll be tough times, there’s a time to wait on God, and then there’s a time to act…
Elijah was sent to the most powerful person in the land as well as the most disadvantaged – a widow from Zarephath. God works in world events as well as with individual people in need. So do not be afraid when events seem overwhelming – trust in the purposes and love of God.
In Mark 10:46-52 Bartimaeus is portrayed as an ‘ideal’ disciple. He called out to Jesus in faith and was not put off by obstacles. He recognised Jesus true identity, genuinely wanted to be healed, and became a follower of Jesus. Will you seize the day?
Jesus heals Bartimaeus who is blind. But we might ask the question – who in the Gospel story is really blind? And who actually has the most insight into who Jesus is, and can be too for us?
In Mark 10:35-45 James and John represent all status-seekers hungry for honour and prestige. They failed to understand that Jesus had come to lay down his life as a ransom for many. Jesus calls into question our human values of pride and self-importance.
The rich, young ruler was an eligible disciple in so many ways and yet his wealth had a hold on his heart. What idols have formed attachments on your heart that leaves God out in the cold? Without God at the centre we will never be truly free or truly human.
On the surface Mark 9:38-50 is a strange collection of sayings but the common theme is the importance of taking our walk with Jesus seriously – who are our allies, who are we fighting against and how are we to wage this struggle – don’t you know there’s a war on?
Who could forget on our TV screens recently the soldiers giving desperate children and babies in Afghanistan a drink from a water bottle?
While Jesus was trying to tell the disciples his vocation was to suffer and die they were arguing about who was the greatest. When questioned by Jesus they were silent. What do we grasp after? Status, wealth, power? God overturns our human values and invites us to welcome everyone – ever those without status in the world’s estimation.
When the priest saw the injured man he saw ritual defilement, when the Levite saw the man he saw one more job to do, but when the Samaritan saw the man he saw a human being in desperate need and was filled with compassion. Who we are determines what we see and what we see determines what we do.
This morning we welcome Sr Kathleen Rushton, RSM, who is speaking about Mary, mother of Jesus, whose feast we keep today. Kath is a New Testament scholar, author of 'The Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor: Healing Justice in John's Gospel' and a Sister of Mercy, spiritual director and adult educator.
In the bread and wine of our Eucharist service, Jesus offers his body and blood to us, the Body of Christ. Today we walk through the Communion service, to see how we feed on Christ in word and sacrament.
Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life". And we are asked to be the people who bring life to others, because we are provided with sustaining life in Jesus.
Feeding of 5000: Followers of Jesus can learn so much from the feeding of the 5000 – be moved by compassion, develop plans, involve people, believe God will use our meagre resources and be responsible stewards.
Finding reading the Bible a bit of a struggle? Perhaps it’s because we tend to think it’s more about Information than Transformation…
On Bible Sunday we’re reminded that God’s Word is creative, challenging and inviting. Furthermore, we are called to be agents of God’s Word in the world today. Are you listening?
A look at the importance of shipping, the challenges seafarers face today, and those who care for them while in port. All this along with the gospel story of Jesus walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee.
Today’s gospel plunges from the heights to the depths with Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee…
Many in the Western world would claim today: ‘There will be no miracles here’. Our Gospel today engages with a similar question – will there be miracles here?
When Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth the people remembered him as a carpenter and son of Mary and thought of him as a wood-worker with pretensions. Jesus responded with, "Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." (Mark 6.4)
Music Sunday allows us to consider the impact of music on our worship. Rev. Pauline Stewart interviews hymn writer Marnie Barrell about her role as a hymn writer and how music enriches worship of our God.
Guest speaker Rev. Michael Baker, clinical director at Petersgate Counselling Centre, talks to us about shalom - peace. In this world of distress and uncertainty let us remember that God is in control and he hears us when we cry out in need. Jesus Christ brings power, love, order and healing to our lives.
Today in our church we celebrate the feast day of St Barnabas. Guest speaker Dr Nigel Yeoh from our Lifestreams service encourages us to think about ways of being generous in all aspects of our lives - so that we, like Barnabas, can be good men and women, "full of the Holy Spirit and faith".
On this Te Pouhere Sunday I thought it would be good to look at some of the words used in the Lord’s Prayer in te reo, as they can open up to us spiritual depths that can be found in the words chosen
We are a new creation and have been given the Ministry of Reconciliation (1 Cor.5). We are also called to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. By basing our lives on Jesus' teaching we are building on a firm foundation that will help us through the ups and downs of life (Matt. 7.24-29).
John 3:1-17 - This passage is all about Nicodemus who visits Jesus to explore the relationship between Jesus and God the Father, and learns about the need to be born again, of both water and the Spirit, who brings new life and a fresh perspective. Nicodemus' image of God expands - he learns that Jesus has come from God not to condemn the world, but to save it. God loves us, was alongside us in Jesus and lives in us now through the Holy Spirit - the Trinity in action. Trinitarian reaching out is expressed in the creation of all that is. Trinitarian connection is manifested in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. Trinitarian enfolding is the invitation to dance. God invites us to join the dance!
Trinity Sunday is a time to consider our experience of God. It is a chance to think about how we participate in God’s family and extend our experience of God to others.
We look back over 17 years of Lifestreams. God the Holy Spirit transforms us and sends us out.
Pentecost is the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those 120 disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem two thousand years ago. Out into the world they went to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. We, too, need to pray "Come Holy Sprit" and be open to all God has for us.
Is the Ascension of Jesus theological disaster territory? Can we who no longer believe in a three-tier lift shaft style universe, with heaven, earth and ‘the other place’ all stacked on top of each other, subscribe to the idea of Jesus ascending at all?
Jesus prayed with his disciples. He prayed for their unity, protection in the world and being set aside as a people who belong to each other. This has relevance for us today.
On this the 6th Sunday of Easter we continue to focus on Jesus' resurrection appearances. In the lead-up to today's passage Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and his other disciples, including Thomas. Today's gospel story is all about a miraculous catch, Jesus inviting his disciples to breakfast on the beach, and Peter's reinstatement. Peter was re-commissioned for a pastor-teaching role. Members of the Body of Christ who have similar gifts are to use them to feed/tend for God's lambs and sheep. Those with other gifts are to "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17).
Perhaps it takes not just 50 days but a lifetime to live into the resurrection life and hope of Jesus, following in the footsteps of the risen Christ. We are all called to practise resurrection as we live out our daily lives in the places we live and work as Easter people, resurrection people.
Within Jewish tradition, the vine was/is a picture of Israel. However, this vine failed to produce the sort of fruit that God desired. Therefore, when Jesus came into the world he declared that he was/is the true vine. An intimate relationship between God, Jesus and his followers is crucial for the bearing of much fruit. We are to “abide” in Jesus (Jn. 15:4-5) if we are to display the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), the qualities of love (1 Cor. 13:1-13), and have our prayers answered (Jn. 15:7).
The grape vine is used as a metaphor by Jesus to describe his followers’ lives in relationship to himself, and his life in relationship to God the vinedresser. Grape vines need pruning and nurturing if they are to produce much fruit, and so do we. Essentially this passage is all about the vine, the branches, and fruit bearing so that we who are followers of Jesus may bring glory to God.
Tune in to hear Rev. Spanky Moore's wise words from his final sermon in the Christchurch Diocese. We wish him, Sarah and the kids all the best in with their new adventures in Nelson. We'll miss you Spanky - come back and visit us!
Every time the risen Jesus appeared, the disciples seemed terrified. Just what does that say about the resurrection body, and our attitudes to our own bodies?
On that first Easter evening Jesus addressed his disciples with three phrases “Peace be with you”, “As the Father sent me so I send you” and “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Three phrases that shape our mission today. It begins by being reconciled to God and receiving Christ’s peace, we are then sent out to participate in Christ’s mission in the world and finally we receive the resourcing of the Holy Spirit. The question is “As the Father sent Jesus will you be sent?”
The New Testament is permeated by the good news that on the first Easter Day Jesus Christ rose from the dead thus defeating sin and death. Jesus has broken open the way to the fullness of life – this is the ‘more’ we all long for. This Easter you are invited to move from the shadowlands into the presence and light of Jesus.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey he was hailed as King and Messiah – and he was although not the kind the people were expecting. Jesus did not bend to suit the adoring crowds but instead set his face to go to the cross to deal with our human rebellion and sin more thoroughly that we ever thought we needed.
Today is called Passion Sunday and it's not so much the "Stir a passion in my heart, Lord" sort of passion, or perhaps in a funny way it is. But Jesus takes us out into the fields of golden wheat first...
At Passover time some Greeks sought a meeting with Jesus, the writer of the Gospel of John's hint about the soon coming universality of the Gospel. Jesus seemed to be rather obscure when answering these people's request. However, he was thinking past the immediate and rather focused on his impending death and subsequent resurrection, for our sakes. After this Jews and Gentiles alike would begin to "see Jesus" as he really was/is: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24, NRSV).
The intensity and strength of God’s love is so amazing not because of the bigness of the world but because of the badness of the world. God sent his son to a world in rebellion against him such was his love – a love that reaches out to you and me today.
Snakes don't get a very good press in the Bible. So just what does it mean when Jesus tells Nicodemus "just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up' (John 3:14)?
Like someone throwing a switch that stops a stage show in mid-flight, so Jesus, in driving out the animals and money changers from the temple, stopped the whole operation of the temple momentarily. This was not only an act of judgement on a system that had become a stumbling block for those seeking to find and worship God, but it was also saying that worship of the one true God was, from now on, to be centred around the person of Jesus Christ himself. Are we as passionate about the things of God as Jesus was?
Jesus turned over the tables to challenge people to look at their faith. There are lessons for us in His behaviour.
Peter correctly affirms Jesus as the Messiah but misunderstands what that means. On no uncertain terms Jesus corrects Peter and explains that to be a disciple we must be prepared to go where he goes and submit ourselves to his lordship.
In these days of Covid and the royal commission investigating abuse in care, can churches really be a touching place any more? Jesus challenges us as he reaches out to touch a man with leprosy.
Jesus touches the man with leprosy and heals him. How do we think about touch in a touch-deprived and touch-averse world? Can the church be a touching place?
Jesus called the fishermen right where they were at their jobs and used their skills and experience for his purposes. Are we ‘stuck’ where we are? Can we offer ourselves afresh to Jesus for his service?
God called a boy, Samuel, to serve him as prophet. God seems to delight to call the under-qualified, young and insignificant. God is calling you – first of all to be in relationship with him and then to serve him with our lives. Will you heed his call?
God in Christ entered deeply into human life in order to redeem our humanity deeply. In spite of the mess we all experience in life, God is with us to work out his good purposes – God specialises in messes!
It was night when the shepherds were told of the birth of Christ the new born king and they hurried to Bethlehem. Christ also comes into our dark world and gives us hope in the midst of the pandemic – will you also hurry to meet him?
Mary teaches us that’s it’s OK to wrestle with and question God’s call on our lives but ultimately to consent to God’s will – in spite of the risks and personal cost.
Sometimes the prophets among us comfort the afflicted, other times they afflict the comfortable. John the Baptist did a bit of both as he encouraged people to prepare their hearts for the Messiah.
At the time of Christ the Jewish people were in a kind of double nightmare – suffering under occupation and unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. Into this situation John the Baptist came to shake the people awake. The pandemic is also a wakeup call for all of us – we are being stirred from indifference and distraction to faith in the living God.
Those who returned from exile to Jerusalem were dispirited – God seemed hidden and absent. We also experience the hiddenness of God at times but this is when God is powerfully at work in our lives. We want God to ‘come down’ but through Jesus God is already among us and working within us.
Advent Sunday's readings are full of dramatic even terriying imagery, and yet we hold on to the promise that God will come like child.
The parable of the sheep and the goats is more of a vision of the end of the age when we give account to God of our lives. This is less about an arbitrary judgement of God and more about what our lives end up amounting to – does our faith flow out of us naturally with acts of compassion?
We only experience God’s grace to the extent that we give it away to others. The Parable of the Talents is not about investment capitalism but about what we do with all we’ve received from God. As we bless others with what we’ve received we will enter into the joy of our master.
Today marks the end of Heritage Week in Christchurch. We also remember Armistice Day, and the 75th Anniversary to the end of WW2. Guest speaker Frieda Looser preaches today at our special combined service in the St Barnabas Memorial Church, consecrated in 1926.
The 8 Beatitudes teach us how to live our life. We are told by Jesus that we are blessed when we practise humility.
Jesus and the disciples were caught in a storm on Lake Galilee and with a word from Jesus the wind and waters calmed. This is about Jesus’ ability to calm the storms in our lives but it also tells us something about the identity of Jesus. If only God has power over nature the disciples realised they were in the presence of someone divine.
Daniel, from whom the Old Testament book takes its name, is a tremendous example of faith and good character. His enemies tried to strip him or career, liberty and life itself. However through his devotion to God Daniel found that God’s law transcended human laws and he was saved from the lions. Ask God for grace as you face your own lions today.
Sharing our load with someone who cares allows us to gain a peace beyond our understanding.
Rev. Jenny Wilkens interviews parishioner Alison Rudduck on her recent experience teaching in Kurdistan, Iraq.
Today we have special guest Joanna Frampton (St Christopher's, Avonhead - and member of our very own Antioch) speaking to us about overseas mission. Hear about Joanna's time in PNG and be encouraged as to how we can support CMS mission partners near and far.
Today hope is in short supply especially in our age of disasters, badly behaved leaders and a global pandemic and yet hope is indispensable for human flourishing. Jesus Christ offers us all hope that cannot be taken away – it is like an anchor that keeps us safe amid the storms that assail us.
Family feuds - families and church families have them! How do we deal with conflict with members of our church family? It's not easy but Jesus promises to be with us as we do this sacred work.
Jesus Christ the divine Son of God shared our humanity and showed us how to be fully human and fully alive. We are now called to grow to become more like Jesus and thereby to flourish more fully as human beings. Church is therefore an exciting place of transformation and hope.
Jesus took his disciples to a place dominated by polytheism to ask them who he thought he was. Peter didn’t answer “I think you are the Son of God,” he said “You are the Son of the living God.” Peter is declaring that Jesus has no rival – he is unique. How would you answer this question and are you living according to your answer?
How does Jesus respond to a woman he sees as a foreigner? She persists in asking for help for her daughter who needs healing.
The Canaanite woman showed great perseverance in staying engaged with Jesus in spite of push backs. She also displayed great insight in wanting the blessings of Israel to spill over toward her – a gentile. Nothing is gained by disengaging – hang in there with your questions and frustrations and you will grow through them.
Elijah was running for his life thinking that the whole of God’s purposes relied on him and he’d failed. However God spoke to him in ‘the sound of sheer silence’, renewed his calling and helped him realise there were many others who had not compromised their faith. What is your ‘Why?’ in life? Discovering it will keep you motivated and humble!
Jacob wrestled with God on the night before he met with Esau. Until then Jacob had tried to carry forward God’s plans through his own cunning but in wrestling with God his strength is fully expended. However he continued to cling to God and asked for a blessing. We must not rely on our own human capacities but on the power of God to bless us and our church.
Visiting preacher Rev Dr Graham O'Brien addresses the issue of human life in the context of the caring ministry of the church. Currently Graham is the Ministry Educator in the Anglican Diocese of Nelson, Co-Chair of the InterChurch Bioethics Council and a committee member for the national "VoteNo campaign".
Opening the Bible is what we are called to do as Christians but just as important is letting the Bible read you.
In spite of our mistakes and broken relationships, God continues to carry his purposes forward and offer hope for reconciliation and healing. Sarah tried to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael but in God’s mercy there was still hope and a future for them.
Barnabas was a very influential leader in the early Church – he responded whole heartedly to the gospel, recognized the guidance of the Holy Spirit and was a source of reassurance and encouragement to all he met.
Each & every life matters to God - how the Trinity calls us all into communion with God.
On the day of Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church transforming slow, timid and weak disciples into a group who turned the world upside down. With a new openess to prayer and faith post lockdown let’s confidently express our faith to others as well.
What symbol of the Holy Spirit resonates with you? Dove, Flame, Comforter, Rainbow Parakeet...?
Why Jesus is in a class of his own and has a unique claim to be the 'way the truth and the life.'
On the road to Emmaus Jesus reveals himself to two disciples through the scriptures and the breaking of bread. They are transformed by this encounter and return to the others eager to share their new faith.
Thomas tries to get things back to normal, but finds the resurrected Jesus starts off a whole 'new normal'.
There is no resurrection without the cross or the despair and emptiness of Holy Saturday. We may feel in a state of sadness or despair but Christ is with us and his resurrection has changed everything.
One year on from the anniversary of the March 15 mosque attacks, guest preacher Rev. Dr Bob Robertson joins us this morning. Some people hate Muslims - but what would Jesus feel and say? What should we feel and say?
Abraham received God’s call and promise and set out from Haran to obey without seeing any evidence. God’s call was from barrenness to blessing and from polytheism to an alternative community gathered around the one true God. God calls us today to a new, fruitful community of faith.
Jesus was led into the wilderness by the same Spirit who affirmed his identity at his baptism. Jesus was faced with temptations that are common to us all – hedonism, egoism and materialism. Ask God for the grace to overcome and be strengthened for ministry.
Jesus shows us a different way when relationships break down and people hate us – he asks us to love those who hate and despise us. We don’t ignore bad behavior but we engage creatively with love.
God is as concerned about our relationships with others as about our relationship with God.
We are called to put things right with others in order to follow the teaching of Jesus. Challenging as this is at times, our behaviour matters, not just to others we interact with but also to God.
Jesus calls us to change society one person, one family and one community at a time. We do this by being intimately involved within the community – like salt, and by revealing and radiating the love of Jesus as a Christian community – like light.
When Jesus called the first disciples they left everything, followed him and participated in Jesus' mission. We are also called to follow Jesus, grow to be like him and get involved in ministry - inviting people to move from the world view of secular humanism to the Christian world view.
Why can't there be the joy of new beginnings without the pain of endings? Our readings are full of both today...
Come and see! When Jesus' first disciples asked him where he was living, Jesus didn't give his address. He said "come and see"! Come and do life with me. Come and experience what life with God is like.
Just as John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, we are called also to point to Jesus with our words and behaviour.
Jesus came to John to be baptized not because he needed to be forgiven but rather to identify fully with humanity. In our own baptism we are joined to Jesus and so the words of God to Jesus "You are my beloved with you I am well pleased" apply to us as well. This is the source of our identity and self esteem. So reach out to others in the confidence of God's love as Jesus did.
When Jesus was born the religions leaders of the day showed little interest but Gentile astrologers travel thousands of kilometers to see him. It’s equally puzzling in our day that more people don’t follow their yearning and enquire about Jesus. At the beginning of a New Year, let’s all follow the ‘homing instinct’ God has placed in our hearts to seek him and find him.
The problem of suffering and evil are a real challenge to Christianity – we ask “How can a good and loving God allow the ongoing presence of evil in the world?” However God came into the world at its very point of need – as NT Wright said “Before the Prince of Peace had learned to walk and talk, he was a homeless refugee with a price on his head.” On the cross Jesus dealt with the evil in the world finally and decisively.
Tonight at our special Antioch Christmas service, Rev. Jenny talks about the down-to-Earth God.
St Patrick and St Joseph both experienced acute challenges in life but chose to interpret them in terms of God's wider purposes. We are also called to interpret the challenges of life as opportunities to cooperate with God and be his agents of blessing in our various contexts.
John the Baptist could be a firebrand preacher, but what about when he ended up in prison?
When John's disciples asked Jesus if he really was the one to come he told them to look around at the evidence. There were signs of the in-breaking of God's kingdom everywhere. Given that signs of God's Kingdom are ambivalent today, we may be tempted to ask the same question. But we can
be sure that Jesus is the one and that today we are being called to carry forward Jesus' Kingdom agenda in all areas of life.
How do we respond to ideas about Jesus' second coming 2000 years later? Where do we find advent hope today?
Vicar Mark Chamberlain interviews Bishop Brian Carrell, a member of the Commission that produced this new worship resource to replace the Book of Common Prayer.
A favourite guest speaker at Antioch, Anglican University Chaplain Rev Spanky Moore is back and this time preaching on failure! Learn about his personal story of failure and how we might come to see our own failures in our lives. How do you think God feels about your failures? At the end of your time do you want to be known as a courageous failure or a successful coward?
In the gospel of Luke the drama of the crucifixion of Jesus is carried forward through the taunts and mockery of the leaders, the soldiers and one of the thieves. They ask Jesus to come down from the cross to save himself, however if he had done this he would not have been able to save us. This is the final temptation. However Jesus persevered and became the savior of the world. Today we can be transformed by the power of the cross.
Tonight as we continue with our Antioch Tricky Issues series, we have three panelists joining us - Professor Steve Chambers, Rev. Ron Hay & Dr Mandy Caldwell. Hear their views about science & faith as we look into the issue of "has God become irrelevant in a scientific world"?
Evangelism begins with joy because it's an overflow of our experience with Christ and causes people to ask for an explanation. When that happens be prepared to bear witness to Jesus Christ. Also think about the church community as partner - invite your friends and relatives to church. Pascal said "Make good men wish it were true and then show them that it is."
Tune in and listen to our very own Youth Worker Kathryn Fee as she talks about the issues of sex, virginity and 'Purity Culture'. Delivered at our 7pm evening Young Adults service, "Antioch".
We were pleased to be able to have Roger Sutton, Anglican Missioner, speak to us at all of our morning services today. Tune in to hear how door-knocking with an energy-saving lightbulb in hand has enabled volunteers to reach out to those in the Eastern suburbs. Hear about real stories about people facing poverty, cold houses, social isolation and generally average lives, and how Roger and his team have helped many individuals and families.
All Christians are saints because the Holy Spirit dwells in us but far from suffocating our personalities, God leads us to fullness of life. As Moses saw the bush burning but it was not consumed, so God fills us with his light and the fire of his love but does not consume us. In fact many of the great saints who are the heroes or heroines of faith, were very ‘colourful characters'!
Extinction Rebellion (XR) started a year ago, and has spread to over 70 countries. In October 2019, tens of thousands took action around world. But they're not rent-a-crowd activists. The Wellington group was led by an 80 year old who'd never protested before, and prominent citizens are members. Who are XR, and why are they taking this radical action?
Rebecca Finch of Extinction Rebellion is our guest this Sunday at Antioch, in our “Two Sides to Every Story” series…tune in to hear her story.
The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is yet another 'gospel in the gospel' and illustrates in a nut shell the attitude required
for us to be justified before God - it's not about our human effort but God's amazing grace. One application we may consider is using our sense of gratitude for God's forgiveness to galvanize our care for the planet - after all, like salvation itself, the planet is a gift we must treasure and steward wisely.
The parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8) is an encouraging parable but a rather tricky one. Encouraging because we're encouraged to persevere in prayer - God hears us and we're told will not delay in answering our prayers. However it's tricky because of the word translated 'quickly' in verse 18. However this word is sometimes translated 'certainly' or 'surely' and so the emphasis is not so much on the speed of God's response but rather the certainty that God will ultimately overcome evil with good. So we must think through the implications of why God appears to be slow in addressing the evil we see in the world. Atheism's answer turns out to be too simple whereas Christianity's answer centers around Christ's death on the cross.
As we look at the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers in Luke 17, we are reminded that Jesus is the ultimate healer and reconciler. Do we see beyond the healing to the healer? Let us all be agents of healing and reconciliation to those around us.
In the healing of the 10 lepers in Luke 17, only 1 turned back to Jesus - and in doing so, turned back to God in faith. The '1' fell down at Jesus' feet with reverence and praise. Are you willing to turn back to God? Is your life marked by praise and thanksgiving to God? Let us be a people who are full of gratitude, for God is the giving of all good things.
The rich man didn’t really see the impact his lifestyle had on poor Lazarus. Do we? And are we willing to live with less, so that others may simply live?
The Beatitudes, also known as the Sermon on the Mount, suggest how we are to "be" rather than what we are to "do". They give us a picture of a person in whom Christ dwells.