Inspiration in Jesus Name

Transfiguration

2012-02-19T14:03:00.001+13:00

Epiphany 7 year B Sermon Mark 9:2-9

Have you ever wanted to freeze time? Make a moment last forever…

Maybe you were in love…maybe you were holding the most beautiful baby you’d ever seen…
maybe you were about to say good-by
to someone you knew you’d never see again…

Remember how you longed to capture the moment … tame it … hang on to it….

Sometimes this happens to us with our spiritual experiences too…our experiences of God…
we have a moment of palpable immersion
into God’s love for us…we feel it…it overwhelms us with beauty and awe…the glory of God seems to shine around us

And the moment passes…you look around and everything appears just as it was before…
only something inside you has changed…

But you want the feeling back…you want to go back to that moment…you want to recapture and re-experience that sensation of high altitude spiritual encounter…

If only you could freeze time…if only you replay the experience at will…but all you can do is remember it…

Transfiguration slide

I think something like that happened to Peter
there on that mountain…with Jesus and the other two disciples…
in the event we call the Transfiguration of Christ.

With the dazzling light…the change in Jesus’ appearance and the arrival of the long dead...in his fright and confusion …
and the rush of adrenaline …in the face of the unimaginable spiritual implications of what he sees and hears…
all Peter can think of… is to freeze it in time…

to make it solid…to build something…
maybe some walls and a roof…

to contain it…to make it permanent…make it last.

I mean wouldn’t you…want to hang on to this? Wouldn’t you think I’m never going to go back to the old me again …I’m never going to doubt again…never going to be afraid...nor deny Jesus…

Now I’ve been to the mountaintop!

But the spiritual impact of that moment doesn’t last for Peter…does it…even the dazzling sight of Jesus transformed in the company of Moses and Elijah…
even the voice of God…proclaiming Jesus identity and authority…doesn’t last with Peter…

He will still go on to fear and betray and cower…
and yes he will doubt…if his performance on the night of Jesus’ arrest is anything to go by…

If only Peter could have frozen time. If only he could have stayed in that place… beyond doubt…

And even though he’d become the rock on whom Jesus would build his church…
even though Peter would stand on the beach before the risen Christ… even though Peter would become the first Bishop of Rome…and a martyr of Christendom…

There will always be moments when Peter’s human failings would get in the road…no matter how high he climbed with Jesus.

fishing slide

And yet…Jesus continues to call him and stick with him
and extend grace and mercy to him…sending out as his disciple…not only to catch people for the kingdom of God…but to feed them and nurture them as their shepherd.

There is no indication that at any time in the gospel story that Peter is able to rise above his humanity – just because he’d had the ultimate peak spiritual experience.

We will never know if Peter ever understood the full impact of what happened right before his eyes although we knew he felt it…as the transfigured Christ met Moses and Elijah…icons of the Law and the Prophets …almighty thunder and the still small voice…

as they…disappear and converge once and for all…
in the transformed and glorious person of Jesus Christ...as he takes on the mantle of Israel…
to bring hope and justice and peace and light to the nations…

Now

Slide words

"This is my beloved Son….listen to him!" [pause…………………..]

Coming down the mountain slide
And just as suddenly as it began…
Peter’s peak experience is over

Slide words

And when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus.

Blank slide

And then what happens…in the company of Jesus…
they must descend from that rarefied atmosphere…
they must come down the mountain…

and continue with the everyday hard yacka...of bringing in the Messianic Age…announcing the good news…
to the poor and the lame and the blind and the widow and the orphan and the stranger…touching the leper and the unclean…breaking the religious law in favour of God’s Shalom for all people.

They must come down from their high altitude spiritual experience…and most important of all…dang it…

Jesus orders them not to tell anyone one about what went on up there till after he’s risen from the dead. [and Mark tells us they didn’t have a clue what Jesus meant.]

Mountain top slide

And it’s like that for us too isn’t it…like Peter we often think the height of success in our spiritual life are going to be a peak experiences

we look for them sometimes desperately…
in worship…or in our devotional time …

and like Peter …we try to control…
what we have no power to control…
all we can do is be open…to say ‘yes!’

like Peter… we want to freeze time…to pin down concretise…and capture the mystery that is God

But such mountain top experiences are not in our control …we can neither conjure them up in worship
nor in our private devotions…we can’t bottle
and preserve them …

and I think Mark’s story of Jesus transfiguration
tells us that it’s pointless to even try…

There are two reasons why

One…such moments are God given…they don’t happen because we have achieved perfection or even wisdom

Two…as Jesus shows Peter…when the clouds have cleared away…

such moments do not signal the end of our journey…

Dazzling visions and peak experiences
aren’t the point of our formation as Jesus disciples…

New mountain slide

Were we to stay on that mountaintop…
what Jesus came to accomplish… would be reduced to our feelings and our experience of God

The rest of creation with all its bothersome darkness …the rest of humanity…with all its inequality and brokenness…its pollution and hunger…

Even our relationships in our family and our church and our community…

would be irrelevant…because we’re OK! We’re already standing in the light! [pause]

But Jesus came to shine the light of God’s love
into the darkness… that God’s purposes of love would be achieved… even to the ends of the earth.

Times of calling and revelation and intimacy with God are to be treasured for sure…
and Jesus modelled this himself…

but they are oases of refreshment… on the way
because we are called to carry on his work.

So if you’re poor in spirit because you think you’re missing out on signs and wonders…

or if you think there’s something wrong with your faith because you’ve never had a blinding vision of the glory of God…

Maybe you’re just at a different part of the journey…
maybe you’ve already come down the mountain with Jesus …and are right where you’re supposed to be.

And if you think that somehow if only you worshipped harder… prayed more fervently…or sang more passionately ...then somehow you’d find yourself… standing in the dazzling light of God’s glory

Then maybe you’ve forgotten that such moments are God’s doing…not ours…maybe you’ve forgotten as Paul told the struggling Christians in Corinth…

if you’re looking for the light…

the light of God’s love shines in our hearts…

and the glory of God in the face of Jesus.

The Gospel of Waitangi

2012-02-05T15:14:00.003+13:00

Epiphany 5 year B Sermon Mark and 1 Cor

Title slide

After calling Simon and James and Andrew and John
to follow him – so he can teach them to fish for people with the message of the Gospel…Jesus goes on to preach in the synagogue at Capernaum and then on and on...to the neighbouring towns and villages…what his purpose? As he says…

slide words

to proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do. To fish…to win people over…to get people on board with the good news… about God’s love and God’s purpose of peace and wellbeing for all humanity.

Paul slide

A full twenty five years later…in his letter to the new church in Corinth…
Paul identifies the same purpose for his life…

Slide words

I’ve become all things to all people, that I might
by all means… win some.
I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so I may share in its blessings.

The blessings of living in the Messianic age…
the realisation of God’s peace and wellbeing for all people.

Fishing slide

Jesus extends himself…he goes out…our text reports …
so more people can learn… that the time for the Kingdom of God begins… right now…

Jesus walks and talks and restores people to community …
by sharing the message of the Good News

And the same for Paul…blending in… adopting the language and the culture of the Empire around him…
becoming a slave to all…a Jew to Jews and a gentile to gentiles…showing his weakness to the weak

Why?

To remove any and every stumbling block…
which could get in the way… of people hearing that
good news [pause]

Roman slide

To expand their powerful Empire…the Romans had invaded the promised land of the Jews…and they confiscated any part of it they wanted… for their own use…yes
Caesar proclaimed…there could be peace…as long as those who were conquered…remember their place… in the scheme of things. As long as they don’t get above their station.
As long as they don’t demand equality with Roman citizens.

Anyway equality is unthinkable…not in their vocabulary …nor their religion…not even between men…let alone men and women…or slaves and their masters. [pause]

Jewish slide

On the other hand the religious traditions of the occupied people… have long since moved away from the original insight of their faith…that all people are made in the image of God… shifted from the call of the prophets… to care for the stranger and the widow and the orphan –
even if they were outsiders.

By the first century… most Jews see the Roman’s
as unclean and untouchable foreigners.

fishing slide

So Jesus and then Paul…extend themselves… to bring the message of God’s love to everyone…
to both sides of this political and religious equation.

Within Judaism… Jesus enters the forbidden territory
of people who are branded by their religion…
as un-clean or a sinner…he goes right in there… to announce the good news to those who’ve been exiled from their community by these labels…And harvesting corn, healing on the Sabbath…and touching a bleeding woman… Jesus tears down the legal restrictions on what is clean and unclean.

And Paul…inspired by the risen Christ… becomes a subversive chameleon among
the diverse cultures of the Empire…so no people-group will miss out on the good news.

And my friends…everything they did requires discernment. It meant using God’s good news of justice and peace and wellbeing for all people…it meant using this gospel…
to decide what going to build the kingdom of God
and what is going to undermine it. It means discerning …
what is pro kingdom if you like… and what is anti kingdom.

It means constantly using the Gospel to critique the political and religious and economic powers…in every kind of culture …and not one of them escapes the scrutiny of the Gospel’s light.

The gist of Jesus message…the one he is sent by God to proclaim …the gist is …that both the Roman occupiers
and the indigenous Jews… have to wake up their ideas…
and repent of their anti-kingdom attitudes
because the reign of God intends to extend
to the ends of the earth. [pause]

Mountain slide

A hundred and seventy two years ago…precisely at the ends of the earth…

Treaty slide

a treaty is signed between an occupying nation and the people of another land… far from Israel. This treaty is meant to eliminate hostilities and tensions between British settlers and those who’d already lived here.

The treaty is written in English and Maori…
with help of Christian missionaries who…like Paul had immersed themselves in the language and culture of another people… to bring them the good news.

The English text guarantees protection of Māori interests from the encroaching British settlers while allowing settlement to proceed… and establishing a government to maintain peace and order.

The Māori text suggests the Queen's main promise is to provide a government while securing rangatiratanga - Māori autonomy and authority over their own area and land ownership as long as they wish to retain it.

In this way peace and wellbeing was to be ensured for all parties. Perhaps even a microcosm of the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Well that was 1840

Satelite slide

In 1866 without warning or consultation with the various tribes in the Bay of Plenty…the British Crown confiscated all the territory from the coast inland for ten kilometres. They did this to punish another tribe…but half the best land of the Tuhoe people is also seized –
The Tuhoe are the tribe with which the Presbyterian Church will have our primary mission presence.
None of this land is ever returned.

This transgression against the mana and dignity of their people embeds itself into the consciousness of Tuhoe.
And the loss of half their finest land,,, has devastating long term consequences to the wellbeing of the people.
And the confiscation line remains to this day… a highly visible symbol of grievance for the Tuhoe people.

To add insult to injury when some Māori retaliated against the seizure… the Crown sends its troops to arrest the ringleaders and restore peace…
but in the chaos of fighting…women and children are killed Homes crops and cultural treasures are destroyed.

Mountain slide

Yet somehow the gospel of Jesus Christ finds its way to the mountains of the Urewera and the Tuhoe people.

In 1887 a young Rua Kenana joins a shearing gang on the East Coast. During this time he studies the Bible and
develops a sense of prophetic call. When Rua returns home he forms a self sufficient community at Maungapohatu which he calls the ‘New Jerusalem’ Eventually his followers number almost a thousand.

Rua slide

Rua Kenana Hepetipa was of many Māori prophetic leaders who arose in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The young man set about deliberately to usher in the Messianic Age to the people of the Urewera…and many say he owed his influence to the great skill with which he applied the scriptures to the daily lives of his followers.

Inspired by the Gospel…Rua’s community was steadfastly non violent and shared all their possessions in common like the Acts church.

The few European visitors who were willing to risk the difficult journey inland to the mountain settlement
praised the enthusiasm of the faithful, whom Rua was leading towards an enightened and equitable life on ancestral Tuhoe lands.

But Rua allowed the gospel to influence his politics in a way the secular Crown couldn’t tolerate…holding to the beatitude…blessed are the peacemakers…during world War One… Rua tried to keep his people out of military service. Rua insisted it was immoral to fight for a Pākehā King and country… given the injustices meted out to Māori under the British crown.

His gospel commitment to non-violence was viewed as sedition by the Government and created the excuse to launch a raid against the community during which Rua was arrested.

But there were people who would not be put off by the labels placed on Rua and the Tuhoe…nor were they deterred by the isolation of their settlements…These were apostles who like Paul who became slaves to all… in the service of the Gospel

Annie Henry reveal

…chief among them Deaconess Sister Annie Henry
John Laughton reveal

and her contemporary the Rev John Laughton. Known as Hoani…that’s Maori for John …Laughton ministered across the Urewera and Taupō region. He became an recognised scholar of the Māori language… and played a major part in the enormous task…
of revising the Maori translation of the Bible.

Once Rua was released from prison…through tactful and careful listening on Laughton's part, and an open interest on Rua's, mutual trust and friendship developed between the two men. Together they developed a concept of unity based on the belief that one God was the authority for all peoples and their relationship forged an on-going connection… between the Presbyterian Church and Rua’s own church of the Iha rai ra…the Israelites…

In a tribute to Hoani Laughton when he died, the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, said ‘No words of mine can convey the sense of loss our Church will feel on the passing of this great and humble man … I believe history will speak with deep gratitude of his leadership and the solid foundation he has laid… for a true and practical expression of Christian faith and deep harmony in race relations in New Zealand.

Today the legacy of this commitment to equality under God is still manifest in the Presbyterian Church…
because significant decisions are not made without consultation with one another as equal partners.

The Maori section of our church is called…

reveal Te Aka Puaho

Te Aka Puaho…the glowing vine…
a version of the Presbyterian burning bush.

Over the years it’s been necessary and often painful
to allow the Gospel to critique our relationships with one another…as well as our approach to political issues.
Yet the good news of God…the Shalom of God…
revealed by Jesus Christ… must be the ultimate authority
by which we evaluate every thought and every action…
in our Christian life.

Blank slide

So when we read the paper or listen to the news or chose a hymn or song or decide what to think or how to vote on an issue…my prayer is that you will allow the Gospel to speak into your thoughts and your actions.

As Jesus said

slide words

I came to proclaim the message there also; that’s what I came out to do.

To win people over…to get people on board
with the good news about God’s love and God’s purposes
of peace and wellbeing for all humanity.

Not a fishing contest!

2012-01-22T14:20:00.000+13:00

Epiphany 3 year B Sermon Mark 1:14-20

Title slide

First Jesus does it then Jesus calls those he does it with to go and do likewise.

What’s he doing?

First he’s announcing what era we’re in…the era of good news the Messianic Age…the age of justice and peace and wellbeing for all people…also known as the Kingdom of God as opposed to the kingdom of Caesar or Herod or

What else is he doing…he’s telling us we need to wake up our ideas…to turn around and face God and God’s way…the Messianic way if you like…Jesus way…the way of salvation for all people…

Repent slide

Most of our bibles translate the word Mark uses in this story as repent…but we’ve really twisted the meaning out of shape haven’t we…Jesus isn’t saying be sorry for all the bad stuff you’ve done Jesus isn’t talking about the past at all…he’s talking about the present…right now…

The kingdom of God is present…get in on it…

Metanoia slide

Repent in Greek…metanoia… metanoia…

meta...meta – turn or change

noia...noia to think, from nous mind

To think differently

What is indicated by this word is a transformation of the heart; a change of heart…a conversion to a different way of thinking feeling and being

Blank slide

The kingdom of God is present…get in on it…

And go fishing…invite others to change their minds…to think differently…help others to recognise that the good news is the Kingdom of God is right now…the Messianic Age is right now…

And one by one Jesus calls people to follow him and they in turn share what they’ve discovered about God’s love and God’s way and one at a time if every single person who ever lived woke up their ideas…well…

Whole families and communities maybe even nations would undergo metanoia…a transformation into the kind of creation God intended where there is peace and wellbeing for all God’s creatures.

Now don’t get paranoid at how immediately Simon and Andrew and James and John followed Jesus … James and John were already disciples of John the Baptist and John had sent them off in Jesus direction. Remember … when he said …look there goes the lamb of God…

the one anointed and appointed by God…to announce the good news…of the kingdom.

So I guess when Jesus turned up on the beach where they were working…these guys would have been rapt to be invited.

So off they all set to spread the word together…
Jesus disciples learning from him…like every rabbi’s disciples did…absorbing from watching him how to live in the present kingdom of God…how to announce and proclaim the good news of God’s love for all people…freedom for the captives…light for those who live in darkness…

And all the while Jesus is preparing them for the day they didn’t even remotely anticipate…when they’d be sent out on their own… …to announce the good news… to do what Jesus did… to invite people to see the present through God’s eyes…without walls and boundaries…between Jews and everyone else…

Getting them ready for the day they’ll be without the physical presence of Jesus…but with the promised and delivered help of the Holy Spirit. [pause]

Is there any hint of a score card in what Jesus promises to teach them? Any suggestion of a competition? Any mention of earning points…collecting fly buys for the afterlife? Do we ever read about notches on the disciples’ belts or trophies on their walls of all the ‘fish’ they caught?

So what’s their motivation?

Do James and John and Simon and Andrew ask…what are we going to get out of this…what’s the payoff?

Not at all. Why is that do you think?

Ask…

Jesus’ first disciples aren’t thinking about winning a contest to bag the most converts…

Because when your bringing the good news of the Messianic Age…it isn’t about you…it isn’t about feeding your ego…building up your self-esteem…or earning your place in God’s good books…it’s about us…

It’s about the sharing the amazing discovery that you and everyone else on the planet are loved by God…about an incredible breakthrough in spiritual understanding which transforms our thinking forever about who matters to God and therefore who matters to us.

A change in our thinking…which makes us wake up our idears… and our relationships with everybody…as we follow Jesus in embodying God’s love and God’s justice and peace…we become hospitality personified…

wherever we go and with whoever we meet.

Why wouldn’t you want to share that?

And does Jesus promise Andrew and James and Simon and John they’ll see immediate results? Does Jesus assure them they will be able to measure their effectiveness and achievements? [Ask]

Maybe it’s enough to just spread the good news …maybe acting out the Gospel in everyday life…is enough…maybe doing what Jesus was doing is enough.

Maybe we’re not meant to know every outcome …maybe that’s for God to know…

to help us digest these question…let’s reflect on the implications of this short film called Strangers.[i]

Play video

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/26556/Strangers

My prayer is that you will be encouraged by this sermon and this film to shine the light of God’s love into the darkness of everyone you meet – even if you
never find out the impact of your actions.

And should you still doubt God’s love for you and so have no motivation to share it… I pray you’ll find someone who knows that love and can help you on your spiritual path.

And should you be convinced of God’s love for you yet question God’s love for all people… then I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will revisit the Gospel and that you will be transformed by the good news revealed in Jesus Christ.

[i] http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/26556/Strangers

How well are we listening?

2012-01-15T14:06:00.000+13:00

Epiphany 2 year B Sermon

Title slide

Three thousand years ago... a twelve year old boy ... hears the voice of God...hears God… call his name...
and ask him to pass on… a special message…

and amazingly our story assures us...

Text slide

the boy ‘Samuel… had no knowledge of Yahweh...
nor had the word of Yahweh...yet been revealed to him’

Blank slide

Two thousand years ago... when Nathaniel meets Jesus for the first time... before they can be introduced...

Jesus tells Nathaniel he already knows him. [pause]

It seems strange to me now...
that when I first started preparing this message... I just couldn’t see... how these two stories were linked...and why they’re set down for today… side by side with Psalm 139.

But now I can see how beautifully these readings follow from last week’s reflection…
on God speaking light into the darkness at creation
and bringing light into the darkness of our lives.

Boy slide

From deep within the history of the Jewish people
the story of Samuel calls us... a story of a young boy
who served in the Tent of the Tabernacle of Moses...
at the Shrine of Shiloh…

a boy serving under an old priest…
whose eyes and judgment were failing...

three thousand years ago…during the period of the Judges...
before there were any kings in Israel...

I was intrigued at how young Samuel was...
when he heard God calling his name...
as he slept alone on the floor in the Tent of the Tabernacle...
in the glow of the Lamp of God...

And just as they’d crafted the creation poem in the first chapter of Genesis…this account of Hebrew history…
was composed by the priestly exiles in Babylon…to bring light and hope… to the chaotic world of captivity…
to remind the exiles… how God continues to bring light
in the darkness.

And it’s easy to see the story is written much later …because looking back from the time of exile…
it’s clear these priestly historians… already knew…
as Samuel lay sleeping...that the Lamp of God was about to be extinguished… leaving the people in darkness. [pause]

And they already knew why God called this young boy
to shine like a light for those… in his day
who cry out for an end to abuse and exploitation.

They already knew Israel’s enemies from the Gaza
would soon ravage and destroy the Tabernacle…
and that in their plundering …an unthinkable…
unimaginable horror would occur. [pause]

The priestly writers in Babylon knew the most sacred of Israel’s religious treasures… would
be carried off… as the spoils of war…the Lamp of God and the Ark of the Covenant…would be stolen by the Philistines… [pause]

Priest slide

And in a huge tent without windows…like the Tabernacle of Moses…you literally… could see nothing at all…
without the light of the Lamp of God…

that’s why the priests had the sacred task
of making sure the Lamp of God… never went out…

The Lamp of God…in the Tabernacle of Moses….
was known as the 'menorah' in Hebrew …
It was made from one piece of solid beaten gold…
and weighed more than 45 kilograms
The menorah remains today…one of the most popular symbols of Judaism.

and on this golden Lamp was inscribed these words…

text slide

The Light of YHWH is the spirit of humankind

And handed down in the scroll of Leviticus
was the command that this Lamp must shine continually before the Lord…from evening until morning;
it shall be a statute forever in your generations.[i]

When Samuel was a boy…it was unthinkable
the Lamp of God be extinguished.

blank slide

But there was another kind of darkness at this time in Israel’s history…our story tells us the voice of God was rarely heard in those days…and visions were uncommon.
It seems that God had stopped communicating
even with the High Priest… but Why?

With all the ritual...the burnt offerings...the washing ...the incense...the tending of the golden Lamp...
in obedience to the Law…
why couldn’t the priests hear the voice of God? [pause]

Burnt offering slide

Because…the story tells us…the high priest Eli...
and his sons...also priests... had turned the shrine at Shiloh …had turned the house of God... into a disgrace.

In Eli’s son’s hands…the people’s offerings… to God
were abused and desecrated… the Book of Samuel says:

Text slide

The sons of Eli were scoundrels; they cared nothing for Yahweh...nor what was actually due the priests from the offerings of the people. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand... while the meat was still being cooked;
^toclaim for his own whatever the fork brought up.

Blank slide

If the people tried to stop this sacrilege…well…
their meat would just be taken by force.

And because Eli’s sons… abused their power with
everyone who came to the Tabernacle...the story tells us

Text slide

The young men's sin was very great in Yahweh's eyes, because they treated the offerings made to Yahweh
with contempt. [pause]

Blank slide

They were happy to wear beautiful robes…
and claim their rank and status
but they ignored the priestly code. There was corruption and pollution in the Tabernacle of Moses.
And the voice of God did not speak into that darkness [pause]

When the Philistine invaders finally arrived to steal the Ark and carry off the Lamp...
all that was left was a weak and corrupt priesthood...

And as the priesthood fails and people cry out in protest and the light is about to disappear…

Boy slide

our God who shines light into darkness…
calls a twelve year old boy…whose job it is
to keep the Lamp of God shining through the night…

God speaks… into the life of a young lad… with…

word slide

no knowledge of Yahweh and to whom the word of God had yet to be revealed.

before this boy had any understanding of God whatsoever
God spoke to him…and guided him and called him by name …and a revolution in Israel’s thinking about God occurs…

blank slide

someone with no formal training…no life experience …
no status…can be called by God…
to shine the light of God’s love for the people who cried out against the injustice and desecration of the priests…

In a time of darkness Samuel would be set

Text slide

‘as a light among his people’
to proclaim the will and the way of God,

a priest was not needed to mediate between God
and God’s people…

God …would speak to them directly …
maybe even call them to be prophets…before they know anything about God or God’s word… [pause]
because God already knows them!

That’s what Jesus alludes to when he tells Nathaniel…

'Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.' That what our Psalm is saying too…

Text slide

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. My frame wasn’t hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth

your eyes saw my unformed body. [pause]

Blank slide

Whenever a group of religious leaders arise…
claiming to mediate between the people and God
corruption and the abuse of power… seem bound to follow.

When it does…in Israel’s history… and in our own…
God hears the cry of the people…
side steps those in power…and speaks directly
into the hearts of the powerless and the vulnerable. Calling from among their number… a light to shine in the darkness.

[pause]

As it turns out…God calls the young Samuel…
to warn and admonish the corrupt and shady priests…
and to do this the boy has to overcome…
his very real and understandable fear of authority.

Much later…when the Ark and the Lamp are carried off and the light extinguished in the Tabernacle…
those without discernment are so invested…
in the symbols of God’s power…they actually believe… ‘God’s Glory had departed from Israel.’

Blinded by their own darkness…they lose sight of the presence of God… tuned into their own clatter…
they become deaf to God’s voice.

It’s a pattern which repeats over and over again
to this present day…in the throne rooms of corporate kings
in the halls of government and within the walls of churches.

[pause]

What unlikely people … who may not even know God …might be called today by God …to warn those in power with a prophetic word… to rebuke and implore them…
to stop what they’re doing… to wake up their ideas…
and return to God’s way of peace and wellbeing for all people

[pause]

Would you be blind and deaf to their words because of their age or their status or their race or their gender…
or would you recognise the word of God on their lips?

Or maybe you are that unlikely person…
maybe you think you’re too young or too old or not theologically trained…
or maybe you think you’re unworthy…
for God to call by name...
unfit to shine a light in the darkness.

I pray you’ll let God decide that.

And when you that doubt God might speak to you…
I hope you’ll remember Samuel was only twelve and had no knowledge of God or God’s word. Yet the biblical witness assures us... though Samuel was powerless and vulnerable…

text slide

Yahweh was with him and allowed not a single word God told him to fall to the ground.

Blank slide

Every day abused exploited people in our world…
our community even in the church cry out to God…
for hope and for light.
Prophets are called to speak light into this darkness.

Were God to speak your name and give you a message
of rebuke for abusers and hope for the broken…
my prayer is that you will be listening...and that you will risk what you can …to go where God sends you and speak what God calls you to speak.

My prayer is that you will answer as Samuel did…

speak Lord for your servant is listening

[i] Lev 24:3

In the beginning God

2012-01-08T11:21:00.000+13:00

Epiphany 1 Year B Sermon Genesis 1

‘In the beginning… God’…in the beginning…

there wasn’t even space……………..Just God. [pause]

Let that sink in for a moment…close your eyes if you need to
and get your head around it…expand your perception of reality …beyond creation…outside creation… [pause………..]

‘In the beginning…. God’

How long?…irrelevant…Since time didn’t exist yet.
Where?…irrelevant…since space didn’t exist yet…

Just God………. present…being…and then?

And then what? Creating.

Word slide

‘In the beginning God… created’

God created something…what?

Word slide

In the beginning God… created the heavens

God creates space…when all there was… was God …
God… creates space for something … makes room…
for something other than God…

Space isn’t God…even space… is creation…

space in which stars could exist…
and planets and galaxies and nebula…but not yet…
because…that comes later…
more is needed…more is needed…

Word slide

In the beginning God created the heavens…and the earth

But first… where the earth will be there’s…a black hole
a vacuum… in space.

Word slide

Now the earth was formless and empty

Where the earth would be…there’s a black watery depth …and nothing else

Word slide

‘and darkness was over… the surface of the deep’
…dark upon dark…

and then… God moves… or at least…a part of God
moves into the space God has created

a part of God… moves into creation!

Word slide

‘and the Spirit of God… was hovering over the waters.’

The Spirit of God enters… into creation… and drifts…
over the black watery depths…where the earth will be

And suddenly God speaks …

and the only thing listening… is the darkness.

‘And God says…

Word slide

"Let there be light,"…and there was… light’ [pause]

long before the stars and the sun and the moon…
before the earth… before life…

there is light…and light is energy…

once created never destroyed…science has taught us…in the first law of thermodynamics energy can be transformed (changed from one form to another), but cannot be created or destroyed by human kind.

In the beginning…
just God… creating space…
moving into this space…and calling forth light
in all that darkness …and

Word slide

‘God saw… that the light was good’ [pause]

Word slide

Good.

Then God separates the light from the darkness…

This energy…this light… is separated out…
from the formless black watery void…
and each is named by God …day and night

and time is created…[pause]

Space… energy… time

That's’ enough work for one day…don’t you think.

Babylon slide

Many biblical scholars… believe these verses
were written during Israel's exile in Babylon…
a time of darkness…a time of hopelessness and despair…

Their country has been trashed by a powerful aggressor
who destroys Solomon’s Temple…kills thousands…
and carries off all their leaders…into exile.

And this powerful poetry we read…in the first chapter of Genesis …is sorely needed …to contrast the dark vision of the divine painted by the Babylonians and the horrors
in their captor’s creation story.

Their creation story…the Babylonian Enuma elish…
was an official ritual text…recited every April …
on the fourth day of the Festival of the New Year.

Their ceremonial poem…celebrates the god Marduk…
who is raised to the status of chief god…
when Babylon conquers Mesopotamia.

Marduk becomes the official god… and must be exalted by everyone…even foreigners.

Marduk's name means "'son-child'… or 'son-of-the-sun'"… or perhaps "bull calf of the sun." Marduk is more powerful than his father…and his physical appearance is impressive: he’s very large, with four huge eyes and four big ears…
the better to see and hear everything.

Fire blazes from his mouth when he speaks.

Marduk’s proud and doting grandfather Anu… creates the four winds for Marduk to play with…and soon a group of unnamed gods goes to "their mother" Tiamat to complain about the noise and disorder Marduk is causing.

In the minds of the Babylonians…many gods are competing for sovereignty…and in the dimension of their gods … there is nothing but dis- order.

Marduk makes bits of creation…
from the bodily parts of enemy gods…
and human beings are created specifically…
to serve the Babylonian gods.

But the point I want to make here…is that in the Babylonian creation story there’s chaos and disorder.

And the Jewish exiles are grieving for the order and stability they’ve lost…

their world is chaotic…and their culture
is under threat from a conqueror
more powerful than they ever dreamed.

What the Hebrew people need most at this time of disorder is reassurance comfort and consolation…
they need reminding…
that their God… brings order out of chaos…
and creates light out of darkness… [pause]

Today as we watch with horror the unfolding of yet more darkness and chaos in the world …today its every bit as good for us to hear these words…
as it was for the exiles. For just last Thursday ninety kilometres from the rivers of Babylon…a suicide bomb killed seventy people…

When we hear the words "Formless void" we can almost see our own world in peril.[i]

But when others are tempted to despair…
you and I can proclaim in full throated joy …against the powers and principalities who claim
that everything is hopeless and in chaos.

We can say…"In the beginning, when there was nothing but a formless void… God said,

Slide words

‘Let there be light!' And there was."’[pause]

God’s first word isn’t violent or threatening or vengeful Our God’s first word is…‘Let there be light!' [pause]

You know when darkness threatens to overwhelm us…
it’s very hard to say these words for ourselves.
These are words which must be overheard by us…
as we listen
to God's conversation with the formless void.

No human utterance can help us…
when the mountains tremble… and the earth shakes…
no word can help…when we see the chaos and disorder
in our world… except a word spoken from outside creation.

And just when the night is at its darkest…we hear that word
and it is… a sovereign command…it is a promise…

and it is a creative act…"Let there be light in this darkness!"

Blank slide

Just like the quivering exiles in Babylon…when darkness threatens us…we fear the void…we fear the emptiness…
and when fear gives way to panic and despair…
just like the exiles…
we forget all about… our creative…order bringing God
who brings light out of darkness…

we forget that the perfect love of our God...can cast out …our fear…

We forget that our God…‘The creative lover…
[who] has the first word… shall also have the last.
We forget that all evidence to the contrary, God's love is stronger…’ than what we fear.[ii] Even death…

One of the world’s greatest preachers…
William Willemon… reminds us that ‘In life and death, in life beyond death, there is only one word. At the end, it's the same word… as at the beginning…God’s Word:

‘A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’

Hands slide

Over the Advent season…
we immersed ourselves in the event of the Word made flesh…the light of the world …in the coming of the Christ. And in this season of epiphany we remember not only
do we have a creating and loving God…who brings light out of darkness…but we have the very fullness of our God
in time and space… in the person of Jesus Christ.

And we recall another time of great darkness
seventy years after the birth of Jesus
when once again the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed … this time by the Romans...

and how Matthew’s gospel
calls all the people out of despair
to faith in Jesus…

with these words:

word slide

‘the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death…
light has dawned.’

My prayer is that whenever you are tempted to lose heart …when your own darkness or the darkness caused by others threatens to overwhelm you…

you will remember God’s sovereign command…

let there be light…may it shine for you…

and may you carry that light… for others.

[i] Let There Be Light. by William H. Willimon. Sojourners Magazine, November-December 2001

[ii] Ibid.

Occupy the Earth - Grace and Truth in the flesh

2011-12-25T10:49:00.000+13:00

Christmas Day year B Sermon John 1:1-14

God speaks… and the universe is created…
galaxies and giant nebula come into being…
black holes…cosmic gases…suns and stars…
all the elements that make for life…

God speaks and… an un touched…. Hebrew girl…
conceives a child…

and this child… will become a light for all nations…
the light that shines in the darkness promised by the prophets.

God has spoken…………..and God’s very Word…

Words fade on

become grace and truth in the flesh …Jesus is born. [pause]

In our gospel reading set down for Christmas day…
John the theologian…helps us… to understand…
that the anointed one…the holy one… who enters our humanity in Jesus … is the very same Word …with a
capital W… the word…through whom
the whole universe… was spoken into being.

Blank slide

and because of this incarnation… this enfleshment
of God’s Word in a child born in Bethlehem
…a relationship of intimacy is made possible…
between God and all humanity.
slide words

to all who received him…who believed in his name,
he gave the ability to become… the children of God.

Blank slide

God’s purposes…are to be made clear…
in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Where people have walked in darkness and misunderstanding…now…
there’s a walking… talking…human expression…
of God’s Word for humanity…

this child… born in a manger…
would show us by his life… and by his death…
just how God’s purpose of Shalom…
of peace with justice for all people…would be achieved…

Slide words

Love your enemies…do good to those who hate you…
pray for those who persecute you…make peace…
show mercy…be humble…

Slide words

travel light…share what you have to feed the hungry…
care for the sick…let the oppressed go free… [pause]

Earth slide

men and women… living in the deadly darkness of fear and exploitation…abuse and slavery…can now see by the light of Jesus’ life and teaching…
that their wellbeing is what God desires

Men and women… who live in the toxic gloom of pride … and greed and envy …who live in the wasteland of cynicism or the exile of perpetual resentment…

can now see by Jesus’ light…
there’s another way to the fullness of life…

And those who believed in his name…would do what he did
they’d become children of God…as he was a child of God.

Jesus would announce…not the occupation of Wall Street or Aotea Square or Wanaka…but love’s occupation…
of the earth

Word slide occupy the earth

Jesus would demonstrate…
and call his followers to demonstrate
that the purposes of God will not be defeated
by the worst humankind can do. [pause]

Over the season of Advent… our congregation’s been reflecting on some key life questions
for those who follow Jesus

Like ‘How well do we wait for God?’…how well do we prepare for the coming of God’s future?…how well do we make room… for Jesus in our lives?… and how well do we carry… his saving message into the world.

Dare we ask this Christmas Day…
how well… we occupy the earth…in Jesus name…

how well we shine the light of God’s love…

into the dark places of our families and our community…

and the world… [Pause]

Baby slide

The revelation of God… arrived in a human baby… tiny… vulnerable… without protection… food or shelter …
except what his parents could provide.

An infant citizen… of a nation…
occupied by force and by fear…

This child would grow to understand his calling
to do what Israel failed to do…
to shine the light of God’s justice and peace …….
God’s mercy and forgiveness………………
even to their enemies and oppressors…

This child would die speaking forgiveness
rather than retaliate… [pause]

but that was not the end…
by the power of God’s Spirit…the Word made flesh would be raised… and he would call his followers to take the light of God’s love… to the ends of the earth… [pause]

God’s Word became flesh…. and dwelt among us…
full of grace and truth…and to everyone
who believed in his name… he gave the power to be called …the children of God

May the Christ child be born in you today
and may your life be full of grace and truth.

And as we journey together… in to God’s promised future … let us pray that grace and truth…
will one day
occupy the earth…

How well do we carry the Christ into the world?

2011-12-18T11:19:00.001+13:00

Advent 4 year B Sermon 11

Title slide

Mary gives her consent… to carry the Messiah
within her very body… to bear him into the world…
to name him …to take on the cost of loving him …
whatever joy and suffering … are to come…

As we travel through the season of Advent… mindful of the breaking in of God’s future…
we’ve asked ourselves how well… we wait and prepare and make room…
for Jesus in our lives.

Today on this fourth Sunday of Advent… with Mary the mother of Jesus… we ask how well
do we carry the Christ into the world.

Blank slide

According to our story teller Luke…did you notice…
Mary doesn’t bargain with the Angel…
who brings God’s request…………nor is she angry

and though she’s truly mystified…as to the bio/spiritual complexities…Mary agrees… [pause]

Slide words

I am the Lord’s servant let it be to me as you have said…

Mary isn’t promised… nor does she request…
a future without suffering and pain. And consistent with what we know of God’s love…
there’s no hint that Mary would be forced to comply…
were she to turn down the mission.

Blank slide

Mary accepts… without knowing exactly how the future
will unfold…

because she believes herself to be a servant of God…
and as such…Mary is prepared to carry
the Messiah into the world…no matter what the cost

This young Hebrew woman is clearly familiar
with the promises of God…
spoken for generations through the prophets

Mary and Elizabeth slide

This is evident… as she greets her cousin Elizabeth…
with a joyful rendition…of an ancient song of thanksgiving …first sung…
a thousand years before…by the prophet Hannah… at the birth of her son, Samuel…
Hannah was the first to prophesy… the future Messiah would be a king
just as the angel had told Mary.

Mary sings

Word slide

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he’s looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Word slide

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He’s shown strength with his arm;
and scattered the proud. He’s brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

Blank slide

And Mary adds her own ending to the song …
predicting the fulfilment of God’s covenant with Israel.

Word slide

God has helped his servant Israel…in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

Blank slide

Mary…a servant of God… entrusted with a
sacred role in bringing about the coming of God’s future

In the story of Mary’s calling… to carry the Christ into the world… we discover the magnificent pattern…
of the call of God… revealed again and again
in the Gospels and in the stories of the early church …
a pattern we must note carefully… if we are to fulfil
our mission to carry the Christ into the world.

First …Mary is not to be afraid to bear the prince of peace…

why…

because she’s found favour with God.

And what does God’s favour mean for Mary?
Well…God asks her to carry the Christ into the world.
And how on earth will this be accomplished? …

By the power of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t fear ….for you’ve found favour with God…
so you can bring the Messiah into the world…
with the help of the Holy Spirit. [pause]

Jesus slide

Thirty three years later …
on the night before Mary would carry the true cost
of obedience…to her mission

As he breaks bread with his friends…
Mary’s son tells those who found favour with him...
not to fear…when he’s gone…

And what does their favour with him mean…
well… they’re to carry on his work when he’s gone…

and how on earth will this be accomplished? …

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Like Mary… the disciples in the Upper Room are
startled and confused…and as the angel does with Mary …Jesus wants to calm their fears

slide words

Don’t let your hearts be troubled…I don’t speak on my own authority. It’s the Father, living in me who’s doing his work.

When you believe in me…you’ve got a mission…
you’ll carry on the work I’ve been doing,
even greater things.

Blank slide

And there… around that shared meal…
like his mother Mary…Jesus friends
simply can’t comprehend how this will be accomplished.

And just as the angel did… Jesus explains…

It will be accomplished… by the power of the Holy Spirit…

Slide words

the Spirit of truth. The world can’t accept this…
But you know… because the Holy Spirit lives with you
and will be in you…The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name….will teach you all things
and remind you of everything I’ve said to you.

Slide words

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I don’t give to you as the world gives.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled and don’t be afraid.

blank slide

As God’s servant…Mary surrenders her reputation...
even control of her life… to carry the Christ into the world…
she is able to do this… not in her own strength…
but through the power of the Holy Spirit

As servants of the Christ…those who sat down to supper with him… the night he was betrayed…
would eventually carry the Christ into the world…
not in their own strength…
but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And like Mary they would gladly bear the cost…

In a few moments we will once again gather around that table at the invitation of the Christ…

earth slide

in the power of the Holy Spirit… we will be fed…
and strengthened to carry the Christ into the world…

My prayer… is that you will receive the good news of your favour with God…and that you without fear…
will consent to his life in you…
that you might be vessels of his gospel
of mercy and forgiveness, bearers of his justice and his peace into the world.

For the one we carry is the Messiah…
and of his kingdom… there will be no end.

How well do we make room for Jesus?

2011-12-11T09:05:00.000+13:00

Advent 3 year B Sermon
Title slide

On this third Sunday of Advent…we ask ourselves the question … how well do we make room for Jesus?
In this season we already asked ‘how well do we wait?’ …
and ‘how well do we prepare?’ for the coming of God’s future into our lives…

And at Christmas time…the question…
how well do we make room for Jesus…
hangs over everything we do…

and if you grew up…. listening to the Christmas story…

It’s likely the question is embedded…
deep within your heart and mind…

Joseph and Mary slide

along with the image of… an exhausted Mary…
heavily pregnant on a donkey…with Joseph at her side …looking for any place to rest … a place for Jesus to be born.

That census year in Bethlehem…with thousands crowding into every available bed and hostel… it wasn’t personal…
there just wasn’t any room

As children we felt sorry for them…
and for the baby about to be born in a stable…
but didn’t we also experience… the awe and wonder
as angels sang… and shepherds watched in amazement

while tidings of great joy… poured into this unlikely scene…

So over and over… the story ask us this question…
how well do we… make room for Jesus…and his saving message of wellbeing for all people…
in our lives and in our world…especially as Christmas approaches.

Clutter slide

A few weeks ago I discovered a website…
where a few people share their prayers…
as they struggle with this question.
One man’s prayer went like this…

God... time management’s become my ultimate stress.
My workload and weight of responsibilities…
are just impossible for me to handle. When my palms sweat and my heart pounds…I get panicked…because everything in life seems like such an emergency.

I can't even sleep. My mind races with what I haven’t done…

and what need to do tomorrow.

God once I enjoyed my time with You… and came away from Your presence completely refreshed. You were my reservoir of strength and peace. You showed me mercy every day.

Now even You…would have to schedule an appointment
with me! My life is out of control! I'm feeling crazy!
I am in such a hurry all the time…from the moment my eyes open in the morning till they close at night.

I just don't seem to have enough time…it’s such a precious
and scarce commodity. Jesus… I need my time with You again. Not in a rush, or a haze of activity, but in silence.
How can I find room for you, dear Jesus? Help me.

Another woman prayed something very similar:

God, my days are so busy I practically have to schedule
my next breath!

I wish things were different, but they aren't right now.
At least You know I enjoy our time together. And there's no denying I can't make it…without Your strength each day…
I depend on Your love and your guidance to get me through…

But Jesus…with the time crunch I'm under… I do feel disappointed sometimes… when I approach You for an answer … only to be met with silence. It's not like I'm checking my watch whenever we're together. Okay I admit it maybe I am.

Open door slide

Like the town of Bethlehem…our lives get crowded and there’s no room to open the door to anything more…
and it’s always worse at Christmas… [pause]

but making room for God isn’t just something we do
when we have all the time in the world. Our ancestors in the faith… called this a rule of life …
this making room for God…

when they practiced a rule of life …every day was shaped around the rhythm of

Slide words

spoken prayer…around silence in the presence of God… and listening for God’s word
through the reading of scripture…

With these spiritual disciplines…
our mothers and fathers in the faith…made room in their lives even as they worked hard… in their fields and gardens
and their kitchens…to keep the community fed and clothed…

Sometimes this rule of life… was practised in the company of other Christians…and sometimes it was a solitary thing…
but it was always practised every day…day in and day out …which is why they called it…discipline.

And there’s a sense in which…these times of prayer and silence and reading…were times of fasting…from the busyness of life.

Stressed man slide

I know many Christians…who wear their stress and exhaustion like a badge of honour…they never seem to be at peace… they’ve made room for everything… but God in their lives.

And there are others who are busy…not with work…
but negative emotions…
people whose lives are so full of resentment and anger… there’s no room for God

Others are oppressed by financial worries…obsessed with
dark thoughts about the future…some are prisoners of their own social calendar…

Some feel condemned to live in grief or with a broken heart.
Some feel exploited and taken for granted…or judged unfairly … by the demands and expectations of others…
they thirst for comfort and recompense.
But make no room for God.

And some remain captive their whole lives…to past mistakes
Many feel robbed of joy or health or love…
or the energy to praise God… [pause]

If your life is crammed full of any of these burdens

and you have no interest or motivation to change…
to deliberately make room for Jesus…

Scroll slide
Then listen once again… to the promises made
when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue…
as he ushered in the Messianic Age…
and maybe you’ll reconsider making room for him.

Word slide

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because God anointed me…sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to comfort all who mourn

And the gifts God promises with all this…

Slide words

to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

Slide words

They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.

…all who see them shall acknowledge they’re a people whom the LORD has blessed.

Slide words

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

It’s a covenant…a promise…a vow God has made
if we will only make room for it!

Earth slide with words

And this promise… is as true for whole communities
and nations… as it is for you and I as individuals where
no room is made for Jesus and his message of healing and wholeness…

blank slide

In our world…entire communities remain enslaved and oppressed…by the demands of the marketplace or the military…people are imprisoned in a world of consumption…
or slaves to a religious cycle of revenge.

As individuals how are we to open
the gifts of God at Christmas or any other time…
if we don’t make room for God in our lives…

God may not be bound by time and space…but we are…
and so we have to make room…we have to make space

because in love…God’s given us the freedom…
to ignore…to devalue and even to reject…
the comfort…and release…which are God’s saving gifts.. [pause]

How can the world enjoy the year of the Lord's favour…
when we won’t give God the time of day? How can we receive the gifts of God… when we never sit down long enough
to unwrap them.
How can we welcome Jesus…into the crowded chaos
of our lives…when we’ve made no room to receive him?

So what are we to do about this…

well we set aside this hour…don’t we…
in community with God’s people…and that’s certainly a start…
but can we make turn this hour of worship together …
into one of listening for God’s word to us…
in the songs and the scriptures and the sermon…
even in the sharing of our friends over a cup of tea.

And what about the other six days a week…

Open heart slide

Well the next step in making room for Jesus

is to make a decision of the heart…to set aside for God…
a sacred time and a sacred place… every single day
maybe even more than once a day…

and to practise the spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith…
to read and pray and listen in silence…
for God’s wisdom and peace. To schedule a regular time
where there’s nothing…but room for Jesus. [pause]

You could look on this… as a spiritual investment…
or a sacred sacrifice…a time to fast…from the demands
of the world. A time to open yourself…to whatever God
wants to do with you….

And…once you’ve adopted a rule of life like this…

Well there remains only one thing…

accountability …

because we’re all tempted to let things slide aren’t we…
to allow the demands of the world to crowd out the blessings of God once again.

So we make ourselves accountable to someone else …
a prayer partner or spiritual director…or maybe…
just a good friend who understands just how important your spiritual practise is to you

Christian accountability…

is a kind of insurance policy against spiritual burnout…

so there’ll always be room in your life…

to savour the presence of God. [Pause]

Earth slide

And in a world which can’t hear the Christmas story
over the noise of other things…

maybe with practise… and spiritual discipline…
you and I can become
walking… talking…five star accommodation…
for the indwelling of God…
wherever we are in the world.

How well do we prepare?

2011-12-04T12:43:00.000+13:00

Advent 2 year B Sermon 11 How well do we prepare?
Title slide

Today on this second Sunday of Advent…Peter reminds us … once more… what we began to understand last week …
that God’s promised future is coming toward us…that’s what advent means…the breaking in of God’s future

And today in his letter to the persecuted Christians in the
first century… desperately longing for that
promised future…Peter tells us…how to prepare for God’s coming …how to live now…in faith for that future [pause]

Peter slide

Simon Peter …the rock…
on whom Jesus would build his church…
first bishop of Antioch and Rome…shepherd to the early Christians…this Peter wants us to prepare for God’s coming
first and foremost by changing our minds…

Peter wants everyone to change their minds…[pause]
about time…………about the meaning of salvation…
about who salvation is for…and what the coming of God’s future will mean… for the earth.

We know Peter wants us to change our mind about things because the word he uses in the letter…is one we often
translate as repentance…but in reality…
the Greek word Peter uses… means to change your mind …
or your way of thinking and living…

Slide words

the word is metanoian

Peter’s weary people are asking…
How long do we have to wait for relief… how long are we to be food for lions…entertainment for the emperors
why can’t God get his act together?

And in concern and compassion for these Christians
who are fearful of the future…Peter first urges them to alter their perspective on time…‘beloved…he says to them gently …don’t ignore the fact that …with the Lord…

slide words

one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years
are like one day.

Blank slide

And this same Peter… the former fisherman…
who as a young disciple… walked three years with Jesus…
then betrayed him…this same Peter… the sinner…
also wants them to change their minds…. about salvation

The Lord is patient with you…he tells them…

slide words

regard the patience of our Lord… as salvation

not what happens when we die…not heaven…
not sitting on a cloud… relaxing with a harp!
But right now…God’s graciousness and patience toward us?

And while you’re at it…Peter says…change your minds about who salvation’s for

Slide words

‘the Lord doesn’t want anyone to perish…but wants all to come to repentance…
God wants everyone to change their minds! Everyone… [pause]

blank slide

Wow Peter the pastor and the sinner…covers a lot of theological territory here… God and time …
the shape and the scope of salvation and …
one more thing we need to change our minds about

Earth slide

…oh yeah…the end of the world! The day of the Lord…

This Peter …who actually broke bread with the risen Christ…also wants us to change our minds
about the end of the world!

Guess what… he says… salvation isn’t what happens
at the end of the world… ‘cause the world isn’t going to end!
in God’s future… the world is going to be made new!

and in accordance with God’s promise

slide words

we wait for… new heavens and a new earth… [pause]

ladies and gentlemen…right there in the Bible!

Sure Peter says…we’ve heard

Slide words

the day of the Lord will come like a thief…

and the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire…and the earth ….
and everything that’s done on it…. Will… be…disclosed.

But, all this Peter says…is about making things new …
slide words

creating a world where righteousness is at home.

And here the word Peter uses for righteousness …
means justice. A world where justice is at home

Blank slide

And while we wait for all this renewal to happen…
while we wait for everything to be made new…
…what constitutes holy and godly waiting?

Well…Peter says…it certainly isn’t waiting impatiently

There’s no place for impatience…
because God is outside of time…
and God wants everyone to be safe…
and change their minds about time…and salvation
and what they think will be the end of the world. [pause]

And so beloved…says the concerned patriarch…
of a worried and fearful people…

Slide words

while you wait for everything to be made new,
strive to be found by God blameless and at peace…
and regard the patience of our Lord… as your salvation.

blank slide

For repentance read…change your minds…

For righteousness…read justice and peace…

For the end of the world …read renewal… [pause]

But like the Israelites and the first Christians …
oh how we’ve twisted and distorted the meaning of these words….so they’ll conform to our our misunderstandings

Thank heavens…the God of Abraham and Sarah…
the God of Mary and Joseph…stands outside
our understanding of time and space…
thank heavens… God’s promises can’t be undermined by human misapprehension…

Thank heavens…the renewal and healing
of the earth and all that’s in it…
is about the God’s future …not our past. [pause]

Perhaps Peter remembers the night he betrayed Jesus…
the night he balked at letting Jesus wash his feet…
Maybe Peter is thinking of Jesus’ gentle reassurance…

Slide words

“You don’t realize now what I’m doing,
but later you will understand.”

And that same night…
Peter hadn’t understood when Jesus said…

slide words

In a little while you’ll see me no more,
and then after a little while… you’ll see me

Blank slide

Jesus the servant King…was washing off the dirt
making Peter the sinful fisherman clean…
to renew him…to renew them…to renew us.

And in a way they could never imagine…
Jesus body would be renewed in the resurrection…

but Jesus disciples didn’t understand …
and neither did the early church…
their concepts of time and space and salvation…
needed to change for them to prepare the way in faith…

And maybe ours do too… as we prepare the way…
as we wait… to be made new…over and over again…by the story of the birth of Christ…by our gracious and patient God…
as we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth

You know there’s a sense in which… discipleship
is all about preparing the way for God’s future…about how we live now…about striving to be at peace with ourselves
and one another …
about shaping a world where justice is at home.

And with this in mind… we can go out from here with a new and refreshing confidence about the future…
a confidence which comes from trust in God.
Remembering Peters words…God is patient with you

Slide words

so strive to be found by God …blameless and at peace…

How well do we wait for God?

2011-11-27T12:53:00.000+13:00

Advent 1 year B Sermon 11

From today until Christmas we enter the season of Advent…the season of waiting…
for the dawning of God’s future…and in these few weeks
we learn a different perspective on waiting and time…

instead of thinking of ourselves as moving out of the past into an unknown future…we begin to understand
that God’s future… is coming toward us…

In the season of Advent…we remember how God’s people waited for God… sometimes demanding… sometimes pleading…

Slide words

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down…

sometimes in despair…

slide words

you’ve hidden your face from us
and delivered us into the hand of our own iniquity

and in this season…we’re reminded of another kind of waiting…a patient… faith filled waiting…
as Mary and Joseph wait for their baby to be born…

slide words

Blessed… is she who has believed
the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!

blank slide

and we remember the confused and bewildered waiting
for Jesus to return in the life times of the first Christians…
because they’d misunderstood his words about the resurrection

And all this helps us greatly… as we wait…
two thousand years deep into the Messianic Age…
as we wait for God’s will to be done…
on earth as it is in heaven…. [pause]

Please wait slide

In today’s world we don’t much like waiting…do we? Technology’s made everything very fast… send a text and there’s a reply within seconds…pop tea in the microwave… push a button on the computer and it happens…

skeleton slide

we don’t like it…when we have to wait even half a minute…
the way we live our lives…time seems to be short supply…
in frustration…we think we’re going to waste our lives away
if we have to wait for a programme to start up…
or a reply to our text…or for Google
to answer our questions or relieve our anxieties

Pregnant woman slide

And in our irritation and impatience we forget there are some things that simply can’t be rushed…times in life where trying to force solutions…especially in prayer …
won’t make things happen any faster.

Like waiting for a baby to be born…

Please wait

What is it about our emotions and attitudes
that make it hard… if not impossible… for us to wait…
instead of going for the quick fix?
Possibly… one of our spiritual and emotional problems today is we’ve forgotten how to wait well…if we ever knew in the first place…so maybe the Season of Advent…has something to teach us about waiting… about how to become better
at waiting…especially for God.

Perhaps Advent is a good time to reflect on how we wait
because how we wait… can actually determine
how healthy we are… in body mind and spirit…

Tee shirt slide

Some of the biggest lessons God taught me in life
are about waiting. And I like the tee shirt for people like me who need to remember how our attitude to waiting…
can make it harder than it needs to be.
It says …‘O Lord give me patience and give it to me now!’

Earth slide

If we think of God as Father Christmas rather than
as our loving parent and creator of the universe…
the one who knows a lot more than we do
about what we need and what’s possible…

if we think God is like Santa… we going to get very down when what we’ve asked for…doesn’t magically appear under the Christmas Tree of our lives. If we think God’s making list and checking it twice… and going to find out
if we’re naughty or nice…when we don’t get what we want… we believe its because we’ve been bad.

Thank goodness the God revealed in Jesus Christ…
isn’t Father Christmas. [pause]

I know people who’ve come new to the Christian faith…
in the expectation that becoming a Christian
would be a quick fix for all their problems.
And it’s usually not their fault of course… it may be
what they’ve been told…by well-meaning Christian friends.

Sometimes these new Christians will ask God…to take away their pain or their anger or their money worries or they pray that God will fix their marriage or at least make their spouse easier to live with…and when this doesn’t happen immediately…

well sometimes these new Christians turn their back on the church and on God…in disappointment. And that’s so sad
because they never had a chance…
to hear the story of God’s people waiting …and

they never got to learn… how God can be with us
in our waiting…like a baby in the womb waiting to be born…

they never discover…that waiting can be a time when growth actually takes place…and faith takes root…

and so instead of inviting God into their waiting…
they refuse to wait…they give up on God…
and opt instead for a quicker fix…maybe they lose themselves in work or busyness…or in a bucket of ice cream …or a bottle of wine…or another person…
but none of these things are an answer to their prayers…
unless they’r praying for oblivion.[pause]

Park bench slide

You see it makes sense… that how we wait
and what we wait for…can determine how healthy we are …in body mind and spirit

How do you wait…have you ever thought about it?

And did you know there are different ways to wait on God …some far less helpful than others.

Like praying and then waiting impatiently…with gritted teeth and white knuckles…bearing down on God harder and harder for the results we want…under the illusion that somehow…
by the sheer force of our will …God will deliver the goods
more quickly…answer our prayers… faster…
and more to our specifications.

When we wait this way… it’s usually because we want to maintain the illusion of control… over things which are in reality beyond our control…instead of accepting our powerlessness…which is what God may be trying to teach us…we continue to pray for our will to be done…
instead of God’s will.

And what if it’s God’s will for us
to learn to wait a different… healthier way? [pause]

Still another way to wait is… to wait patiently…
and this of course represents some progress in our spiritual journey…we’ve learned something…perhaps we’ve discovered the teaching in the book of lamentations
‘it’s good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.’

But there’s a problem with waiting patiently…if we’re merely waiting for our will to be done…
mistaking this for faith…

And when our will isn’t done…after we have waited patiently for a while…well…we’re often resentful
against God…or worse…we begin to wait impatiently all over again…and lapse back into the illusion of being in control. [pause]

Years ago when I was in this waiting patiently phase of my spiritual journey…and getting tired of waiting…for my will to be done…I had this sudden revelation…
‘What if my will isn’t God’s will!’

And since I genuinely wanted to conform to God’s will for me…at least on an intellectual level …suddenly God was asking me to do this on an emotional level…
which at that time in my spiritual journey…
I could never have imagined…

In fact…God was asking me to ‘go beyond waiting.’
To stop waiting all together… for my will to be done.
And to pray only for knowledge of God’s will for me
and the power to carry it out.

And to pray only for knowledge
of God’s will for me…and the power to carry it out.

Well how do you know what God’s will for you is?

Sometimes when it’s not clear to me…since I live in the Messianic Age…as you do… I take seriously what’s already been revealed to me…about God’s will by the prophet Micah for example…

slide words

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

blank slide

and I take seriously…what’s been revealed about God’s will for me…by the Messiah himself…in his sermon on the mount

About accepting my powerlessness, about not trying to play God, about understanding suffering as part of life…
and about… showing mercy and making peace…

And I remember what Jesus revealed at the last supper…
about choosing to accept the comfort of the presence of God living in me…over and above straining for what I want
when I want it.

In Christ…God has promised not to leave us comfortless.
God isn’t absent in our in between times…God is with us…

And I’ve also learned to live in faith this way…
with regard to my will for other people…
especially when I find myself waiting for them to change…
to conform to my way of doing things
or my way of thinking…

It’s helpful for me to remember that my will may not be God’s will…and that I am powerless over many things…
especially other people…

So as we approach Christmas…
next time you find yourself waiting
impatiently or even patiently… for your will to be done…
why not give serious consideration…to going beyond waiting…and simply pray for knowledge of God’s will for you and the strength to carry it out.

I pray that in this… you’ll discover the peace of God that goes beyond understanding.

And just as in Paul’s letter to the Philippians…
going beyond waiting… doesn’t mean we stop telling God what’s on our hearts and minds…

but it does mean… that once we’ve told God…
we can let it go…because for us…
God’s will is what’s important…and that’s why Paul says…

Slide words

Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus. [pause]

Blank slide

As we travel through this advent time
toward our celebration of the birth of Christ…
as God’s future comes toward us…

may we be encouraged to discover better ways
to wait for God

Survival of the fattest?

2011-11-20T12:13:00.001+13:00

Pentecost 23 year A Sermon Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Title slide

Only pigs with 14 teats should be used for breeding…

Huh? Well that got your attention…

Why do you think that is?

[ask] [won’t have enough for all their babies]

Ok here’s another question from animal husbandry…

Sheep slide

How many teats do sheep have?…
no farmers are allowed to answer…

[ask]

But what if a ewe gives birth to three lambs…well usually there’s a good farmer around to hand feed the spare lamb or put them on another mother….

But…what about animals in the wild? …what happens when a wild pig has 15 piglets…or a ewe has triplets…in the wild? Are there some offspring which have a greater chance of survival than others?

What about the runts who have no chance of shoving their stronger brothers and sisters out of the way
to get a drink…

well they might die of starvation

survival slide

Some people would call this… survival of the fittest…
and many take it for granted as a law of nature…
as nature’s way…only those fit enough to live to breeding age survive…thus ensuring the strength and success… of the species.

This isn’t exactly what Darwin meant… by natural selection …but never the less…the idea that survival of the fittest is some sort of natural law… seems to be deeply accepted… even extended by some people…
to the social and economic order…

You’ll might hear people say …the successful and wealthy make it because they’re hardworking strong and intelligent…and the poor are poor… because they are either constitutionally weak or lazy or stupid…and people will say ‘well its survival of the fittest isn’t it?’

Still others make survival of the fittest into a faith thing…those with the strongest faith are more blessed with happiness and wealth and success…some countries that think they’re a Godly nation…believe themselves to be blessed with wealth and power…thinking it’s only the heathen who live below the breadline…
without providence from God…

Natures law…Black and white…
take it as read…as true as two plus two equals four.

But what if we were to hold this so-called folk wisdom up to the light of scripture?
would it follow automatically that what we think is natural law… is also by definition ….God’s law…

That somehow on God’s high country sheep station … the runts of the litter are just abandoned by the divine shepherd…just written off as
unavoidable and predicable loses… of the puny…
are the weak and the vulnerable sheep just collateral damage in God’s paddocks…so the sleek and the fit can survive and thrive?

Israel slide
With these questions in mind let’s hear again Ezekiel’s prophetic word to Israel’s leaders …as they enjoy their captivity in Babylon…as the well fed guests of the royal family

Ezekiel tells them…The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel;
tell them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds take care of the flock? You’re happy to live off them…eat their cheese, wear their wool and slaughter the choice animals to feast on… but you don’t take care of the flock.

You don’t strengthen the weak or heal the sick or bind the injured. You don’t bring back the strays or search for the lost. In fact…you rule them harshly and brutally. That’s not leadership at all…so they’re scattered because there’s no shepherd…and become food for wild animals. My sheep have wandered all over the mountains ... over the whole earth…and no one searched for them.

Therefore, you shepherds…you leaders…you guys with the responsibility for the flock…because this isn’t how things should be…as surely as I live… I’m against you and will hold you accountable… for what’s happened to my flock. In fact I’m going to remove you from the job

You’re just like the predators out there in the fields …I’m going to rescue my flock right out of your mouths …and from now on…I’m going be their shepherd myself
I’ll look for them and take care of them myself and
I’ll rescue them…I’ll save them…
from all the places they’ve been scattered. [pause]

Is it survival of the fittest on God’s high country sheep station?

Not by a long shot… right away we hear in Ezekiel…
that God’s flock won’t be neglected nor abandoned in the wild… to fend for themselves…at the mercy of predators

What’s natural in God’s economy
is God removes the shepherds who allow such neglect … what’s natural is that God steps in to carry out a search and rescue mission himself…
everywhere the neglected sheep are scattered

Slide words

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.

Do lost and frightened sheep lie down…no…

Do hungry sheep lie down…no….

But when sheep are have enough and feel safe...they will lie down…by the still waters and rest

That’s the natural way in God’s paddock… God will seek out the lost and the stray, and bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak… [pause]

Now of course Ezekiel knows those who hear this oracle will see themselves as either one of the flock
or one of the shepherds…the leaders…

And if your one of the neglected flock …you’re going to be hearing a lot of hope in this oracle aren’t you…
but if your one of the leaders… one of the shepherds…
you’re going to be feeling like God’s getting at you big time …and that’s not the end of it…there are repercussions!

And here it gets really interesting in the original Hebrew … God says
slide words

I’m going to destroy the fat and the strong
by feeding them…with justice.

There are repercussions…for the bad shepherds…

as far the oracle is concerned in God’s paddocks…
the shepherds are just another badly behaved part of the flock…not a more advanced species…so the oracle continues… this is what the Sovereign LORD says…
not only will I be the shepherd… I’ll be the judge too… between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Why?

Sheep butting slide

Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you drive them away…that’s not the way it’s supposed to be in my paddock whether you think its natural or not
thus sayeth the LORD.

I will save my flock…and they won’t be plundered and longer. I will judge between one sheep and another.

And how will God accomplish this does the oracle say…

Slide words

I will place over them one shepherd, from my servant David, and he will tend them; I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

Jesus slide

And here is what this Messianic age will look like …here’s what will be natural in the Messianic Age to come …and now because of the beauty and majesty of God’s promise…I’ll read directly from Ezekiel …

“‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and I will rid the land of savage beasts so they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests… in safety.

I will make them and the places surrounding my hill
a blessing. I’ll send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops;
and the people will be secure in their land.

They will know that I’m the LORD,
when I break the bars of their yoke
and rescue them
from the hands of those who enslaved them.

They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them.

They will live in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.

I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they’ll no longer be victims of famine
or bear the scorn of the nations.

Then they’ll know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and they are my people.

Israel slide

What questions does this oracle of God from Ezekiel ask of us…

Who are the shepherds in our own story…within each family …each church…each community…what about the shepherds of our nation and the global economy.

How can we as the Body of Christ …how can we tell if their farming methods are those of God?

What word of prophesy might Ezekiel speaking directly to you?

Do you hear words of hope or words of challenge.

In every prophetic word… we listen for two things… hope and …challenge…

without both our understanding is incomplete.

We can let the words fall off us like water off a ducks back…or we can drink deeply from them…

We can dismiss them or we can allow God to address us through them… we can allow them to work on us…
to work in us…to read our lives and our choices…

In the lead up to this election, Church Leaders from seven major denominations including
our Moderator Peter Cheyne… have called on all political parties to acknowledge their shared responsibility as shepherds of Aotearoa New Zealand… to provide a just share of society’s wealth and resources for all our citizens, especially the most vulnerable.

This includes …the church leaders say…adequate income for everyone, fair taxation policies, access to good health care, affordable housing, and provision for sustainable living.

“These are not privileges, they point out, but part of the common heritage of humanity…made in the image of God. Social welfare is part of a greater picture
of social, economic and environmental priorities
and decisions about spending. Caring for others makes us better people and strengthens our community.”

This pre-election statement says …
It’s not every day church leaders join together with a collective voice. But bringing ethical questions to the proposals of political parties is critical…

Like Ezekiel’s oracle…our church leaders ask:

Sheep and goat slide

How are the most vulnerable …faring in this society?
How will particular policies affect them?
What decisions will be made about land?
How efficient is our economy…
in producing wealth and income and ensuring its benefits are shared with all citizens?”

Do we have strong, safe communities and
well-protected children, and is the taxation load shared
fairly and proportionately…across all sectors of society.

Sounds a bit like Ezekiel’s oracle on conditions on God’s high country sheep station…don’t you think?

And our church leaders are urging all kiwis
to think about our values, especially during the Election. and then consider what direction we think our Government should take

to ensure a fairer future for all New Zealanders.”

Let us pray

Poor in Spirit

2011-11-06T08:45:00.002+13:00

Pentecost 21 year A Sermon All Saints Mt 5

Title slide

Once upon a time there was a great corporate king… who ruled his empire with power and might…

one morning he woke up bleary eyed from a night of revelry…during which he’d done many shameful things…

blank slide

he ridiculed his best friend on earth in front of everyone …he flirted with the serving wenches…when he thought his wife’s back was turned… he cheated at cards…
and lied about his prowess as a salesman and a lover

And so in the morning when this king rose from his bed
he staggered to the mirror by the bathroom window [pause]
…he leaned his hands on the bench top…
and peered into his own blood shot eyes.

And from the depths of his misery and guilt… he prayed… ‘thank you God…
that I’m not the highest power in the universe.’

The king knew there was a mess to clean up…
his mess… apologies and amends to be made… relationships to be mended…not least with his own wife
and his best friend…
after all…he didn’t want to lose them…

Oh God the king prayed…you’re going to have to help me…I’m to blame for much pain...
and I can’t fix this in my own strength…

Slide words

And Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of God… [pause]

Girl slide

And once upon a time there was a young woman…
who made a living from selling her body…

She did this to pay for the drugs which helped her escape the haunting nightmares from her childhood.
Her self-esteem was non-existent…she considered herself the lowest of the low…deserving the life she led …undeserving of love…in fact un-loveable…

One day when business was bad…hunger
drove her to an old stone chapel… to look for a hand-out. And there she met a kindly and plump old priest…
who invited her to join him and his assistant for lunch

‘No’, the young woman protested…

‘You don’t want to be eating with the likes of me’

‘We’re not so different,’ chuckled the old priest…
as he ushered her through to the vestry…

where a lavish feast was laid…‘We aren’t so different… for God loves both of us!’

I seriously doubt it…the young woman scoffed.

‘My girl…it’s only the sin of pride…that makes you think you’re too bad to love and too lost to forgive…
come lets pray together…
and I’ll teach you to become truly poor in spirit.

And so with the old priest’s help… the young woman became…very poor in spirit indeed…
and exchanged her pride for the love of God.

Slide words

And Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God…

How is it we can be poor in spirit and blessed at the same time?

And what is it… about the kingdom of God
that makes such blessing possible? [pause]

Jesus slide

Well in the past few weeks we’ve learned a lot about Jesus vocation as the anointed one of God…ushering in the Messianic Age…the age of peace with justice and wellbeing for all…the age of God’s Shalom…
of God’s Kingdom

And what Jesus is telling us from that hillside so early in his story…
is whether we’re looking up from the gutter
or down from a penthouse…
when we look at ourselves in the mirror….we’re poor in spirit…when we perceive our true place
in the kingdom of God…

What Jesus is saying is … before we can be truly filled
with the blessing of God’s love…
we must come to understand our true poverty…

And instead of viewing our brokenness…
as a horror and a burden… Jesus suggests… we view it as a door… to walk through… into the kingdom of God.

Woman mirror

And Jesus suggests…when we get a realistic view of ourselves…when we live out of this poverty of spirit…
then we see both how fallen and how lovable we are
in God’s eyes.

And with this new sight…the unexpected happens…we find our self…blessed …
for suddenly every moment seems like a gift…a lot of nonsense is cut out of our lives…
we don’t need to defend ourselves all the time…
or sacrifice our wellbeing to keep up a false image.

Man mirror

When we accept our true place in the kingdom…suddenly we’re free from the compulsion to criticise,
judge, and condemn ourselves and others people…and free from the need to retaliate …

We find that living out of our poverty of spirit
changes our self-image and our expectations of others.
It changes the way we see the world.

woman praying

And when we’re poor in spirit we can become so open
that the love of God can flow through us into the world.

Because we’re not blocking it off with our own pride.

So how do we find our place in the kingdom of God…where the poor in spirit are blessed? [pause]

We pray for it…

Reveal words one by one.
We pray for the blessing of serenity that comes when we accept we’re not God and there’s much in our lives over which we are powerless.

We pray for the blessing of freedom that comes from laying down our pride and admitting how broken we really are and how much damage we’ve caused.

We pray for the blessings of courage and endurance…
to work at restoration and reconciliation in our own lives and in the world…

And we pray for the blessing of forgiveness
when patching things up is simply not our power.

We pray for the blessing of wisdom to seek God’s will in all things…and the blessing of humility…
to accept our dependence on God… in all things. [pause]

All Saints slide

This past week… the church celebrates the feast of
All Saints…or all saints day.
And a special part of this observance is to remember those Jesus called blessed in
his vision for the Kingdom of God revealed in the Sermon on the Mount in the beatitudes…

And we also recall the story where Jesus tells us…

Child slide

unless you become like one of these children…
you won’t inherit the kingdom of God…

And so with God’s may we be like children…
knowing our profound dependence on God,
our limitations, our weaknesses, our vulnerability…

and how easy it is for us to fall down…hurting ourselves and others…and like children…
in our helplessness let us turn to God with gratitude and trust…and accept God’s love

and we when do…

as Jesus promised…

we will be blessed and the kingdom of God will be ours.

Was it worth it?

2011-10-30T11:10:00.000+13:00

Pentecost 20 year A 2011 Sermon

Matthew 23:1-12

You know it’s kind of strange… how God gets through to me sometimes… as I try to discern God’s will…God’s inspiration… in writing a sermon for example…

Knowing this week’s message was to follow last weeks about Jesus as Messiah…
relentlessly confronting the religious powers

I was waiting for that ‘Thank you God’ moment…that aha! Moment of inspiration
when suddenly it came… in a surprise package…

Snedden slide

all dressed up as Martin Snedden…
head of the Rugby World Cup organising team.

It was Snedden’s interview on Breakfast Television last Tuesday. When… Petra asked him

Word slide

‘Was it worth it?’
And I knew…it was the question for this week’s sermon.

And what an exceptional question. Was it worth it?

What Petra was asking of course…was…
in light of all the blood and sweat and tears…
poured into the Rugby World Cup…
in light of the huge investment of energy and resources …would the benefit to New Zealand…
outweigh the cost ?

And what do you think Martin’s answer was?

[Ask – get response]

Mckaw slide

Of course it was worth it! And the true benefits
will be measured in years to come. Here and overseas…

And so right there at the breakfast table…
I… started thinking about…

Crucifixion slide

how God might answer the same question…
Was it worth it?.... All things considered…

Was the cost to our God…of seeing his beloved Messiah …his anointed Christ…suffer and die…
steadfastly preaching mercy…
and praying forgiveness instead of revenge

Was it worth it to Jesus to stay true to the Way…
right to the end…was it worth it to Stephen and to Paul and to Peter…and the other martyrs of the early church

modern day slide
was it worth it… given the shape things today…

after two thousand years of trying…and the Messianic Age …the age of peace with justice and mercy
and wellbeing for all…still isn’t completely realised
in all the earth?

Was it worth it?

Is it worth it?

What do you think God’s answer would be?
Tell your neighbour what you think.

[discussion]

Jesus slide

My guess is that…Jesus already answered the question himself…in his parables of grace…the one lost sheep …the one lost coin…the one prodigal son…
and the one jealous and angry son…
the worth of one…multiplied by millions

parables illustrating the…unrelenting effort of God… seeking us out… calling our name…
inviting us to the banquet table…
the joy of the shepherd and the woman…and the father…

And there’s even hint of Jesus answer…in our reading this morning…we can see it…in Jesus
risky and ceaseless defiance of the religious authorities … who already want him dead.

We know from last week… Jesus has already tied
the two most powerful religious parties… in knots… politically and scripturally…to the point they turn their backs and end all dialogue with him…

And today while the religious authorities are still listening …Jesus turns to his friends and make’s it clear
he’s not urging them to disobey to God’s law…

it’s not the law that’s the problem…Jesus tells us…
it’s the hypocrisy…
of those who call themselves experts in the law.

The scribes and the Pharisees do sit on Moses' seat;
so, do whatever they teach you to do and follow it;
but for heaven sake…

Slide words
don’t do as they do… for they don’t practice
what they teach. They’re happy to burden everyone except themselves. What they’re after is
worldly acclaim…the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogue…
and particularly… respect in the marketplace!

blank slide

…they like you to call them…rabbi…and teacher…

But don’t model yourselves after them.

And the new thing…the revolutionary thing…Jesus says …is from now on… you’re to consider yourselves
their equals…this my friends
is a courageous political risk

And back at the Pharisees Jesus says from now on

Slide words
‘you aren’t to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you’re all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors,
for you have one instructor, the Messiah.’

Blank slide

Get over yourselves. [pause]

In the Messianic Age there is no elevated place
for the citizens of God’s realm…all are equal in God’s sight…all created in God’s image…male and female, Pharisee and Sadducee and every humble peasant …arriving for the Passover…

In God’s kingdom…there’s no point in making a great public demonstration of your piety…
no reason to show off … you can’t score points with God with your status

in fact… in the Kingdom of God

Slide words
the greatest among you will be your servant. Get your head around that…All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Crucifixion slide

Jesus risks his very life…to fulfil his calling as the Christ of God… Jesus invests all he has and everything he does… for the sake of announcing the good news that everyone is equal in God’s eyes.

And without fore-knowledge of the resurrection…
Jesus keeps to the Way and on Calvary speaks peace
and mercy to his last breath.

Slide words

Was it worth it?

You are the answer. [pause]

Every time you make a choice

Every time you open your mouth

Every time you pray or sing or share your faith

You are the answer to the question… was it worth it?

Every time you admit with humility your brokenness and your need for healing and forgiveness.

Every time you show mercy and make peace

And we are the answer too. Together in community

Every time we grasp with humility our relationship with all those made in the image of God.

And every time we turn that understanding into action

we are a sign of the new covenant sealed in Christ’s blood…we are a sign it was worth it…

Was it worth it…love answers yes…

Let us pray.

Messiah

2011-10-23T15:29:00.000+13:00

Pentecost 25 year A Sermon

No one was able to give him an answer…nor from that day did anyone dare… to ask him any more questions.

Jesus… took on the two… most powerful religious parties of his day…and when they couldn’t argue with him any longer… they gave up…they walked away...ended the relationship No more talking… no more questions…no more dialogue… no… more… relationship

As far as they were concerned… they had the power…

You defy our authority…you challenge our assumptions… you present us with an argument we can’t win …
and we’ll cut you off… cold…

end of discussion…no sense wasting our time with you Jesus Cause us any more trouble… and we’ll disappear you…

have you silenced …eliminated. We don’t care how popular you are. We have the power. [pause]

And that’s what happened isn’t it?

Jesus enters Jerusalem with dazzling visibility…
in the traditional way of a Hebrew king…he allows himself to be hailed by the people as…King David’s son and heir and God’s anointed Messiah…the promised one…the one who’d rule in God’s name… over all people…
and who would one day… usher in the Messianic age…

And how would we know it’s the Messianic Age…
the age of the Christ…the anointed one of God…because according to the prophets
it will be a time of justice, truth and peace.
A time of Shalom…a time of wellbeing for all people. [pause]

The people in the street sure want to believe it…
but those with the religious and financial power…well they’re not too sure the time is right…for such good news

maybe later…the Messiah can come…when they’re retired
but right now…they have too much to lose…

But you see…Jesus has a mission…
and he’s not going to stop till it’s accomplished

and Jesus has a message…and he’s not going to be silent
till they get it.

His message all along… the messianic age… has arrived…
the kingdom of God is at hand… you’re all going to have to wake up your ideas. And I’m just gonna keep stirring
till you do. [pause]

So having entered Jerusalem with the theatrics of a Jewish king… at a time when the Sadducees control the Temple economy …Jesus wreaks havoc in their territory…and turns their religious business hub…into a healing centre…

The chief priests and teachers of the law are indignant
when in the very Temple courts…
the children praise Jesus as King David’s son.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they ask him

“Yes I do,” Jesus replies, “have you never read in the Psalms

From the lips of children and infants…
you, God, have called forth your praise!
Jesus insists… I can’t do anything about it…the children’s praise is inspired by God…

And if that isn’t courageous enough …Jesus tells them

it looks like tax collectors and prostitutes… are more eager to enter the kingdom of God…than you are! [pause]

You see to Jesus…the signs of God’s Kingdom…truth and justice and peace and mercy and forgiveness…and wellbeing for all…are simply more important than the disapproval of those in power… so he’s undeterred by it.

And Jesus knows they want him out of the way. And so they know he knows…Jesus tells them a story… about tenants who kill the vineyard owner’s son.

When the Sadducees can’t win against Jesus in a religious barney…they try to trick him into treason against Caesar
… No luck…Then they try to get him on charges of heresy…Still no luck.

Jesus just keeps on… challenging their right to be right about everything. And in frustration and anger…
the Sadducees…the most powerful religious party in the Temple…just turn their backs…
and close off all dialogue with Jesus. [pause]

And here’s where their biggest political rivals take Jesus on.

Those Sadducees couldn’t argue their way out of a paper bag think the Pharisees…let’s just see how this Jesus
stacks up against us!

And it’s right here that our reading for today comes in.
one of the Pharisees…an expert in the law…decides to test Jesus with this: “Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” …Jesus answers without hesitation what every Jewish boy knows:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second’s like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And right back at them…Jesus challenges the Pharisees right to be the highest authorities in matters of holy scripture.
If you’ve got it all figured out Jesus asks…then

Whose son is the Messiah?

“The son of David,” they say.

O really Jesus says… if the Messiah is David’s son…

‘How is it David speaking by the Spirit…calls him his Lord?

And at this point our story teller Matthew says
‘No one could say a word in reply…and from that day on… no one dared to ask him any more questions.

In the Messianic pursuit… of justice and peace and mercy …Jesus would argue till he was blue in the face. Jesus would keep the channels open…Jesus would keep debating…
keep challenging…keep communicating…

But what does power do?

Power… walks away... no more talking…no more questions …no more dialogue… no… more… relationship. When you have the power…they assume…you call the shots

challenge our authority …make us look bad…
and we’ll show you what power is…
we can cut you off cold…end of discussion…
no sense wasting our time

Cause any more trouble and we’ll just disappear you…

have you silenced … eliminated.
We don’t care how popular you are …or how many people are behind you. We have the power.

Power sees Jesus… as an adversary… [pause]

But those who’ve come to trust in Jesus as their Messiah…
aren’t fighting him…they willingly follow Him…
to the tax collectors and the prostitutes…to the marginalised and the sinner…Jesus is no adversary…
Jesus is an advocate and friend…
who offers them a place… at the banquet table.

And the whole point of all this…
is that Jesus is the Messiah…the one who’ll usher in
a new age… of justice and peace and wellbeing…for all people! The one who will bring God’s Shalom
to all people...the one who will bring… salvation…

Obviously the Messianic Age is still a work in progress.
It is both now and not yet… by Jesus reckoning it is …
at hand to be grasped and yet…still to be.

And if we are followers of this Messiah…this anointed one of God…then the story of Jesus arguing with religious economic and political powers…
raises some challenging questions for us.

How long are we prepared to argue and debate
with those in power… when the conditions that make for justice and peace are not present in our family…
or our work place …or our community… When there isn’t wellbeing for everyone in our nation
and even sometimes in the church?

How far are we prepared to go with Jesus’ mission…and Jesus message of good news for the world…

All the way into the halls of parliament…
or the throne rooms of corporate kings?

Do we see Jesus as an adversary… or an advocate?
Are we with him or against him?

And what if we should discover on reflection…
that we are in power…that we are the ones with
the power to decide… how business shall be conducted…
and money spent…

Whose voice are we trying to silence…who do we wish would shut up? What good news are we refusing to hear…
With whom do we deny relationship? [pause]

Could it be Jesus?

Remember the living Christ…the Messiah...
has a mission and his followers won’t stop till it’s accomplished

and Jesus has a message and his followers won’t be silent till it is understood at the ends of the earth. We are sent out from here to make it happen. Everything we do…every protest we make…every vote we cast… will either bring about
the fullness of the kingdom of God… or obstruct it.

And you know what gets in our way?

Fear and pride and the lie… fostered by ungodly powers and principalities…that we have to look after ourselves alone
because no one else will.

My friends that is an ungodly notion…a diabolical notion…

And it immobilises us. It’s in the nature of the world
to create passive citizens…who’ll maintain the status quo. And we accept the world’s rules…
when we deny our responsibility toward the rest of God’s creation.

My friends, the whole point of the gospels…
is that Jesus is the Messiah… and as the prophet Isaiah said…

of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness … from that time on and forever. The zeal of God Almighty will accomplish this.[i]

And should we decide we are with Jesus
in his mission and his message of wellbeing for all…
then the gospel also reminds us that Jesus doesn’t give up …in the face of opposition…and he doesn’t end his relationship with those who persecute him…
and when they’ve done the worst they can do to him

…what does Jesus say? Father forgive them…

My prayer is that by his strength… you will do likewise.

[i] Isaiah 9:7

'...the least of these...'

2011-08-21T16:11:00.000+12:00

Pentecost 10 year A Sermon 11

Title slide

Discussion

‘If you suddenly found yourself without family, food, shelter, or money…
long would it take you to find all of these, given the actual circumstances of your life?’

blank slide

How long to find some food…

What about a place to sleep

And once you recover from the shock of losing everything…
How long to find something to do to earn you some money…

Well here’s a challenge from a South American pastor who works with people in that situation.

Play video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGSvDvDZnb4

Egypt slide

Now having heard what Claudio has to say let’s listen to the Old Testament reading set down for today.

Exodus 1:8 - 2:10 [Michael Hyndman reads]

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us
and escape from the land."

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

Shiphrah and Puah slide

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,"When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live."

But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?"

The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his
people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile,
but you shall let every girl live."

Levite woman slide

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.

Basket slide

When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.

Moses found slide

His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.

When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him,
"This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother.

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water.

[Diane resumes same slide]

Suddenly at the tender age of three months… as far as baby Moses is concern…
there’s no family, no food and no shelter. So when we consider Moses’ circumstances
against what we heard in that video…who in Moses’ story needs a friend?
Who acted as friends? Was Pharoah a friend?

What about Shiphrah and Puah?

What about Pharaoh’s daughter?

Here’s another question…do you think the welfare of Hebrew children… was a political issue in ancient Egypt?
Did people take sides? Did they vote with their feet?
And where was God in all this?

Child and fridge

In the past few weeks, the welfare of New Zealand children has grown into a major political issue…and those advocating for the poorest children in our land…say the problem
isn’t due to the policies of one political party…but to decisions made by successive governments…
over the past 25 years.

The sad thing is that when we hear stories of kiwi kids having red soup for tea and
coming to school without breakfast…sometimes our reactions are harsh …
we want to find someone to blame…Have you ever heard anyone say…
‘some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have children’…or
‘well if they didn’t spend so much on alcohol and cigarettes …then others ask enraged…

'how come investment bankers get millions in bonuses and tax cuts…
when kiwi kids are going hungry?'

Others will blame the government of the day.
But did they raise their voice during the last elections?

Regardless of the causes…
I hope we can all agree on one thing… like baby Moses…
no kiwi kid is responsible for their own poverty.

I hope you’ll also agree that were we to model our communities on the early church… we’d be pushing for collective responsibility to ensure all children…regardless of circumstances…
have the best possible opportunity to thrive.

OECD slide

The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development which embraces 25 industrialized democracies including New Zealand…assesses its members on six dimensions of child well-being.

Reveal all
Material well-being… Health and safety…Educational well-being…Family and peer relationships…Behaviours and risks and their own subjective well-being. And the OECD says there
are significant inter-relationships between these dimensions

And as you can see… material insecurity… is only one measure …
but it has a predictable impact on the others five… particularly when poverty is intergenerational.

We can easily see how our children’s emotional and physical health would be affected by poor nutrition… as well as their achievement at school. And we can surely intuit… how a life of poverty could affect their aspirations…their self-understanding and their relationships…

but what we’re only beginning to understand is our deprivation impacts on our children’s
risk taking behaviour and prospects for employment. It’s not just about whether children are clothed, housed, fed and protected but whether they’re disadvantaged in ways that make it
difficult or even impossible for them to ever participate fully… in the life and opportunities of the world around them.

Even the OECD wants to know if children feel loved, cherished, special and supported…within
their family and community… and whether families and communities are supported
by public policy and resources. And believe me there are children… right here in our mountain paradise… who don’t feel loved and cherished and supported.

There’s a sense in which the ecology of childhood is changing. Even here where few are
materially disadvantaged … childhood is being reshaped by powers and principalities whose motivation certainly isn’t… the best interest of our children.

In our recent Acts series we learned a the key difference introduced by the Christian community
to the caste system of the Roman Empire… was equality… between Jew and Gentile…
slaves and free…men and women… as far as the Body of Christ was concerned…equality meant sharing resources and giving everyone the same status, and the same welcome…
as Paul said 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism'…

And though Christians can be found from Stewart Island to Kaitaia…our impact on community
life needs a bit of a fire lit under it because right here in the land of the long white cloud…
children live in deprivation…without the basics …good food and warm clothing…
children turn up to school cold and hungry and unable to learn…failure in their families or at
school can lead to feelings of worthlessness and affect their confidence
for years to come.

It’s time for the Christian community to re-gain a degree of understanding and control and
direction over what’s happening to all kiwi kids in their most vital and vulnerable years. It is our prophetic calling to do this. In the past it would have been great if we’d acted to prevent the widening gap between rich and poor.

But today we must act …not just because we’re compassionate and merciful…
but because we’re now afraid [pause] of the future nightmare… that could come from ignoring the children in our nation…

London message slide]

Examination of the root causes of recent violence in England has given us all a wake up call.
During the riots… a young British blogger named Umair Haque wrote,
‘The convulsions of violence that wracked London and other British cities… seem to have
exploded overnight…but I'd bet those of us living here know…that fuse has been long burning.’[i]

Wracked from end to end by riots and looting, England is starting to admit the existence of
hidden fault lines in the culture…underneath news chatter about police brutality and parental responsibility… fear is emerging… that some kind of social contract has been ripped up.

Haque writes…If you accept the possibility there are many kinds of violence —
not merely physical,…but emotional, economic, financial, and social… Maybe the real social contract being offered by our society goes something like this: "Some kinds of violence are more punishable than others. Blow up the financial system? Here's a state-subsidized bonus or bailout. Steal a video game? And you're toast."

…and there are many kinds of looting. There's looting your local supermarket — and then

there's… looting a bank, a financial system, a corporation...or an entire economy.’ [pause]

The bedrock of the early Christian community…
was shared property and possessions…shared wealth…
As Dr Luke wrote…
‘All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.’ And Luke reports that people like Ananias and

his wife Sapphira…disgraced themselves… by hoarding stuff just for themselves.

Meanwhile the Roman Empire was saying…look…
power comes from looting, plundering , and enjoying the rewards of conquest. Maybe the same could be said of the powers and principalities operating before the recessions of 87 and 08.

Our young blogger calls it 'the logic of opulence'… centred on more, bigger, faster, cheaper,
nastier, now. And he thinks this glittering, unattainable feverish dream…seems to have driven
the rioters mad. As one told the Guardian newspaper, "Why are you going to miss the
opportunity to get free stuff that's worth loads of money?"

He believes…‘when the rule of law is visibly and easily flouted by the rich…it usually ends up…
being seen as laughable …by the poor.’ And my friends… the eye of this perfect storm… is
extreme income inequality…

England’s rioters were mostly children…like the children in our news this week … some of the rioters went to school hungry when they were younger. Do we want our cities to be places where
so many young people feel they're finished before they even start?

Homes without work are a huge predictor of future problems. In the UK as in New Zealand…a perpetual trade deficit means there just aren't enough jobs to go round.

Girl slide

The problems of youth underemployment, marginalization, and inequality are so pervasive…
more and more economists are pointing to a lost generation…predicting social instability…
across the board… And if we didn't know what a lost generation looks and feels like before…
well, we sure do now.

And so here's the challenge…for New Zealand and for the world…to create an ecology of
childhood that reflects the ideals of Jesus Christ… a true sharing of resources …and friendship…for children whose mothers have opted out…
for sons of single mums without any healthy male role models…for girls who need to learn what
it’s like to be safe around men…Christians in New Zealand need to rise to this challenge…
so a lost generation may be found.

So let us ask ourselves is poverty in New Zealand hidden, or are we just looking the other way? Are we… our brother and sister’s child’s keeper and friend? And will we be a friend
to kiwi kids at the polling booths in November? Can we ask ourselves what the ecology of childhood would look like were New Zealand truly Godzone? And how could we transform it by what we demand from our leaders?

As a church here in the Upper Clutha we’re trying make a difference through our family
connections manager, Kathy Dedo, our two mainly musics and our mentoring programme for year tens at Mount Aspiring College.

slide NZCCSS And you may not know it… but it’s the mission of the New Zealand Council for Christian Social Services… to advocate for policies and services that build strong families and communities.

Our own Presbyterian Support is part of them…You can tap into any of their resources on line or ask me to help you get them.

As an individual Christian there are many ways you could be a friend to for a child outside your family through Presbyterian Support? You could be a Buddy or a Guardian Angel…did you know outside of Government… Support is the largest provider of social services in New Zealand.

kids can slide

Another way you can share friendship and resources is to sponsor one of the twenty thousand
kiwi kid’s on the KidsCan list. Official charity for the All Blacks…KidsCan’s trying to level the playing field for our children…providing the basics most of us take for granted.

River slide

My prayer is that with the help of the Holy Spirit we won’t look the other way …that we will hear the call to be a friend…as we live the way of Jesus. Let us pray…

[i]http://feeds.harvardbusiness.org/harvardbusiness/haque/