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    • I thirst
      • Sermon by Pádraig Ó Tuama, Guest Preacher, on 15 March 2020 Reading was John 4:5-42 Download this sermon as a PDF Good morning friends, in these strange times. Strange times with a virus that shows us how fragile we are to something so tiny. And strange times to be one year after a horror attack visited by a person of Christian affiliation to a community of Muslims in Christchurch. For us, it’s a year, but for those affected, it’s yesterday. We will talk today about the thirst to belong, and the need to find belonging outside of the places of convenience or habit. It’s not directly related to the anniversary, but it’s not not related either. Our text, as you heard is John 4 — an encounter between Jesus and a woman from Samaria. She is a loved character in all Christianities, her conversation with Jesus is extraordinary. In the Eastern traditions – both Catholic and Orthodox – she is named — Photine: the light-filled, or luminescent one. And that is what we’ll call her. Photine is a rich feature of the gospel of John. She, it seems, is thirsty to experience and remember herself in a new way. Perhaps because of her identity as a Samaritan, or because of the way her own people treat her, she may not find it so easy to break free from the constraints of culture or other people’s imagination of her past. She is, like many of us, keen to find a way to be more free in herself, and more free from the things people project onto her. Firstly, a little context: John’s gospel is the latest gospel written and it is distinct from the other gospels. Gone is any reference to the Kingdom of God. For this gospel Heaven is here already, eternal life is to be experienced in the way we engage in the here-and-now. There aren’t any demons in John’s gospel either, and instead of a load of miracles, there are just seven. And John’s gospel is also filled with extended dialogues between Jesus and other characters. Jesus has already engaged in a dialogue with Nicodemus (3:1–21), and later on will engage with a crowd (6:22–71), the authorities (7:14–52; 18:12–59; 9:1–41) and the crowd again (10:22–42). So Photine sits in with other dialogue partners in the fourth gospel. These dialogues are frequently filled with conflict — the conflict of belief/unbelief, of light/dark, of following/not following. These dialogues serve as a way of embodying the message of Jesus into a tool for the listeners to this gospel to embody in their own lives. Some people think — and there is great value in this — that the conversation between Jesus and Photine is a way of symbolising a discourse between Jews and Samaritans. To hop–skip–and–jump through centuries of history here’s a brief historical sketch: Samaritans, it’s thought, were part of a remnant of Jews left behind after the initial conquest of the ten northern tribes of Israel by Assyrians in about the seventh century BCE. Those who stayed behind — or, more accurately, were left behind — intermarried with other peoples. Their Jewish practices became mixed with other religious practices; and while it maintained many of the aspects of Judaism, was distinct enough to cause significant sectarian anxiety between the two belongings. These two religious devotions were not as far apart as some depictions imagine; they did worship on different mountains, yes, but many of the emendations of the Samaritan Torah are what finally ended up in an agreed–upon Torah of Judaism. The extraordinary biblical scholar Sandra Schneiders suggests that the five husbands may be a literary device to refer to the five accusations of infidelity levied against Samaria by the Jews. Whether you see this encounter as a way of imagining two schools of thought — like the recent film The Two Popes for instance — or a depiction of a private conversation between two private individuals, there is value in both. In each, there is the question about how a people, or a person, fits in with their identity. Photine is one of the most richly depicted characters in John’s gospel. When Jesus speaks to her, she questions his audacity in speaking; when he promises her water that will never run out, she replies that he has no bucket. She is quick-witted, undaunted, intelligent, observant and engaging. While there is no direct reference to humour or energy between them, the tone of the description and the  openheartedness of her language shows her as a person at ease with language, insightful, wary about other people’s power, and not ashamed of her needs. and yet, she is a sole actor. Why is she there at the late hour, the hottest time of the day, getting water? Is she avoiding people? Is she shunned? Jesus, too, has found a companion with her. He is often finding time away from his own: his own people, his own family, his own followers, his own religious belonging. He belongs and he doesn’t belong, he is in and out. He has things to say to his own, but he finds himself on the outside. Jesus and this woman have much to share with each other. It is no surprise to me that they had what seems to be an elemental recognition of intellect, experience and intuition in each other. How do we belong? And what do we do with our thirst to belong? In our thirst to belong, people do terrible things: they sacrifice their integrity, we treat people as members of a big ‘other’ group without treating them as individuals; we re-enact the wars of history in the stories of today, we escalate hatred and get caught up in old stories. When I was younger, I learnt about the English. I have no time for Empire, but I know that most people today living in England are either ignorant of the impact of their empire or else feel far from it. Hating the English today is a diminishment of them and — ultimately — me. What groups do we learn about? Usually — like the Jews and Samaritans — neighbouring groups are too close for comfort, and we create hatreds for our near neighbours that we don’t demonstrate to people who are far away. Most violences against another group begin in the imagination both of ourselves as well as the other. We imagine that THEY are corrupt because of blah, blah, blah and WE are not corrupt because of blah, blah, blah. Violence of attitude begins in the imagination of the other. Recently I worked with a group where they were very concerned about how Muslims treat LGBT people. They were deeply concerned, had read various bits of the Quran, and read articles etc. However, the thing was that this group of Christians weren’t particularly welcoming themselves. They certainly didn’t think LGBT people deserved welcome, acknowledgement , sacraments , leadership, apology, acknowledgement. It is so easy to fantasise about THEM because of blah, blah, blah, when really the thing we project onto THEM is often something close to home itself. Jesus and Photine are both people on the edges of their community, each called by their own integrity into an imagination of themselves and the other that leads them to audacious places. Jesus and Photine were each on the edge, and the only way into a bigger imagination of their civic belonging was to bring people along with them. She rushed home and said to people ‘Come meet the man who told me everything I ever did’. She invited her people across a sectarian divide to learn from people of so-called Otherness. Jesus needed conversation with his followers because they were shocked at his having a private conversation with a woman from Samaria. Was it because she was a Samaritan, or because she was a woman? Unfortunately, people, because of the latter. In this encounter with Photine, Jesus demonstrated that he believed women had minds, intelligences, beliefs and reasons in their life, All of their very own. It’s a shock to think that this was a surprise then; it’s an abomination to recognise that this is alive now. In a strange way, one of the messages of this text for us today is to seek belonging outside the places of our belonging; to push the boundaries, to imagine that our ways of life as groups of people will be enhanced by meaningful encounters with the other; and not just simple ‘aren’t you lovely’ encounters, but ones that go to the heart of things, ones that invite us to say when we disagree, to meet, to talk, to speak from the mind of belief and the heart of yearning. To be open to ourselves in the space created between ourselves and another. Jesus, in your name, much horror is done. People cultured by the cultures that have grown around you imagine that the horror they create is justified in the name of right. You, who knew torture, knew that torture is never true. We, who today mark an anniversary of horror, note with horror what people are capable of doing. In the face of this, may we remember: the fifty-one members of the beloved community, and their families, and their friends, and their colleagues, and the futures they’ll never see. What starts in an ungenerous imagination can lead to horror. So may we remember to nurture in us an imagination that is generous towards all others. Because you did this, and in you, people on different sides of empire found themselves laying down their hostilities. Amen.

    • No condemnation now
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 8 March 2020 Readings were Genesis 12: 1-4a and John 3: 1-17 Download this sermon as a PDF If you have recently bought more toilet paper then you usually do, I want you to know there is no condemnation here. This is a safe place. But if you have bought lots of toilet paper (or hand sanitiser) I want you to pay special attention to God‘s Word today! In the shadows of the night, Jesus has a hushed theological conversation with a religious leader, who felt he had lots to lose if found ‘guilty by association’. Nicodemus struggled to understand what Jesus was talking about when Jesus shifted the topic to how people needed to be ‘born again’. And I think we can empathise with Nicodemus. If the words of Jesus are familiar to us, let us spare a thought for those who heard them first. We can sometimes feel those who saw and spoke with Jesus have the advantage of proximity. But think for a moment of their disadvantage of trying to interpret some of what he said without ‘Zondervan Bible commentaries’ – and how Jesus’ radical teaching fitted into the big picture of his mission, God’s identity and the Big Story of the Bible. What would it have been like to hear for the first time those others words of Jesus in today’s passage? you will not perish but have eternal life Taken literally, how confusing is this? How would people hear these words? We don’t know for sure, but by the time the Gospels were written, the first Christians knew Jesus was not announcing the end of human biological death. People still died. We will still die one day. Although, we live in denial about that fact a lot of the time. Stanley Hauerwas observes many people think that, with the help of science and modern medicine, I might get out of life alive! These words of Jesus “you will not perish but have eternal life” may be familiar, but we need to hear them again, for what they say to us in a time of fear and uncertainty. What does it mean to have eternal life? What does it mean to be saved? What is it that Jesus is promising? Jesus is not promising that we will not get corona-virus. Jesus is not promising that we will not die. But what Christians have always believed and trusted their lives on, is that Jesus shows us God is committed to us – really committed to us. Stanley Hauerwas puts it this way: The good news of the cross is that through Christ’s cross and resurrection, we have been baptized into his death and resurrection, making Christians a people capable of staring down death by refusing to let death determine our living. Our faith is a faith that makes a difference in lives that are future-focused. Don’t we see this with Abram and Sarai?  God promises a future. Who here is 75 years old…? You’re the same age as Abram when God called Abram: Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Gen 12:1) As an aside, we see here a familiar pattern in the Bible. God calls people and makes a promise. Go from your country… and I will make of you a great nation… It’s the same pattern we hear just before Jesus ascends to heaven: Go and make disciples of all nations … And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  (Matthew 28:19-20) We are reminded again of the ‘Big story of the Bible’. The point is, that part of what we hear today from God’s word (both in the Gospel, and at the start of the story of the Hebrew people) is: our faith opens us to a promised future. God is not interested in condemnation and destruction. God promises redemption and reconstruction. (Isaiah 43:1-2a) But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; ‘Passing through the waters’ was a historical  reference to what…? The Exodus – where God led Israel out of Egypt through the waters to freedom. What God has done in the past focuses our faith to what God will do in the future. Here at St John’s we have been planning for the future. We are nearing completion of a massive project to strengthen this building to withstand earthquakes, so this worship space we’ve received from others can be passed on to future generations – to continue the witness of the Gospel in the middle of Wellington city. Our faith is lived now, AND has a future focus. And this future-focus is desperately needed now – as the world is gripped by fear because of the spreading corona-virus. Just as this future-focus is needed for addressing the environmental crises. Our faith motivates us not to simply accept what’s happening around us, but work for the future God calls us to. Once a year I attend a retreat for Ministers over the hill in the Wairarapa. And I love to walk the Remutaka Incline – the old train line that hugs the mountain range. There are a number of train tunnels on that walk, and as I walk through the only reference is the light at the far end of the tunnel. Keeping my eye on that light keeps me heading in the right direction. Whatever surrounds me – the darkness, the water running down the walls, the giant wetas! – I can see there is a way forward. Whatever happens to us, whatever we are surrounded by, whatever we do ourselves, nothing can take us away from God’s enduring love shown to us Jesus. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (v16) If these words are so familiar that they almost seem cliché, then let us hear in them that God’s commitment to us is greater than anything else. The Reformer Martin Luther summarised this beautiful verse: For the world has me; I am it’s God Jesus shows us that God is love. Jesus shows us that God is with us; God is not distant but stands with us in solidarity. God is found where Jesus is found – and he is someone who meets secretly at night with ‘Nervous Nick’ the religious leader; just as he meets in the noonday sun with a Samaritan woman, a forgotten nobody. Nothing less than the whole world is the focus of God’s unlimited, inclusive love. God is not on a rejection mission, but a rescue mission. I’m reminded of the words of the old hymn: No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine! … Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me! (‘And Can It Be’ by Charles Wesley) God does not condemn, but promises us a future. Let us hear the promise of life for all who are perishing – when we face what is fearful; when we face death – our hope is our trust in the One who came to show us God loves the world, [and] you will not perish but have eternal life. We have God. (and some of us now have LOTS of toilet paper). So, as those baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection – can we please spread hope? God does not condemn – neither should we. Rather we can proclaim Christ is with us, and remains with us forever. To God be all glory!  Amen.

    • Remember me (Part 2)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 23 February 2020 Readings were Isaiah 46:3-4 and Matthew 4:18-22 Download this sermon as a PDF Last week I shared with you some thoughts and reflections on dementia, which was based from a summer paper I took called The practical theology of mental health presented by Professor John Swinton. However, I think it would be good to quickly summarise what was talked about. First we recognised that dementia is a disease that causes a person to lose their rational thinking and memory. It is a disease that is greatly feared because it affects the mind, and primarily Western society sees the mind and the ability to remember as crucial to being a person. Steven Post said that We live in a society that is “hypercognitive”, a society that places inordinate emphasis on people’s powers of rational thinking and memory. It is as though our humanness is tied to how well we remember and think. I think therefore I am If we can no longer remember or have rational thought it seems as though we have lost our humanness, our personhood. We reflected a little on the mind, which is so much more that what happens in the brain and how other cultures define being human as I am because we are And then we reflected on the Good News of Jesus Christ, through two readings. Psalm 139: 1-12, where we were reminded that God knew us before we were born, remembers our forming, our creation, our development, our lives. And Luke 23:39-43, where we heard through the words of Jesus to the criminal on the cross, the promise, that through the joys and trials of life we are remembered – or better put re – membered, into eternity. Nothing will separate who we are from God. In response to dementia, the Good News is that God holds us in God’s memory and what should be the underlying truth of our lives is this: Jesus says to those who follow him I AM The great I Am statement that Jesus is God – therefore we are.  I AM therefore we are  Therefore we will never stop being who we are, even if we lose our memory or ability to have rational thought, because we exist and have our being because Jesus is and always will be. Today I want to reflect a little more on what are some of the profound things those with dementia have to teach us and how we as a church can care for those whose lives are changed dramatically over a relative short space of time. In his book Becoming friends of time: Disability, timefullness, and gentle discipleship John Swinton offers a reimagining of discipleship and vocation for those both with dementia and those who offer care, including the faith community. If we were to quickly share our understanding of discipleship probably most of us would say it is primarily what we do as we follow Jesus. To take up our cross, to question and to doubt, to pray, to do all Jesus taught and continues to teach us to do. And if I was to ask you to tell what vocation, Christian vocation is about, maybe you would say it is what we are especially called to do in life for God, whether that is to be a teacher, a cleaner, an accountant, a minister, a parent, a grandparent. However, what if we understood that following Jesus and our primarily calling in life as human beings, is about the worship of our creator by simply being the created? People with dementia remind us of being present in the moment, present in the presence of God, as human being rather than human doings. I’m not saying that this is something they have sought to do or desire to do, because as we explored last week, dementia is a disease that causes great dis-ease and suffering. And yet, there is a profoundness in that, even if the person has lost the ability to remember who they are or who Jesus is, they remain His disciples – he has still called them, like Peter, like John in the reading we’ve heard today, to be his, even when they don’t know who he is or where he is going. Moreover, being solely in the presence of Jesus rather doing things for Jesus, reminds us of God’s grace. It reminds us that we are created beings, we can let go and allow God to hold us, to love us, to re-member us. Harry Huebner in an article he wrote titled ‘On being stuck with our parents’, adds to this thought: Dementia makes us more intimately aware that faithfulness in exile, in a place of homelessness, strangeness, speechlessness, is after all possible. It may help us see that our salvation, [that is our restored relationship to God and all of creation into eternity], lies not in our control over life but in our life in Christ when we have realised that we are not in control. The story of salvation is not principally about Jesus Christ equipping his followers with new insights or tools or strategies or power to fix things. Rather salvation lies in the drama of God’s grace and mercy into which we are invited as participants. Another things that those with dementia challenge us with is ‘time’. One of the most common phrases I’ve heard this year is ‘I’m so busy.’ And I wonder if our biggest idol in life is ‘Time’ – we no longer see time as helpful to life but rather something that must be followed and obeyed, sometimes at great costs. Time is completely different when it is solely based in the present moment, where the past and present hold no power. When we visit those whom have dementia we are challenged to rethink ‘time’ and its power over us, – is our presence in the moment, our loves and care ruled by looking at our watches or are we willing to be, as they are, people held in the mercy and grace of God? And in that time recognise our own humanity as created beings, also held lovingly in the arms of God who says I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. So what does this mean for us as disciples of Jesus as we lose our memories or as we care for those who do? One, I believe that as we are all remembered, re-membered by God, our task is to hold the memory of those who can’t remember – to retain who they are, even if they don’t know who they are – to tell their stories – they may not seem who they were but in Christ they are and always will be. John Swinton said something that extends this thinking, We need to make it possible to belong – to and to truly belong means we need to be missed – those with dementia are often not missed. So to be a remembering community also means to truly miss those who can no longer gather with us for worship. Two, as we are remembered we are to remember what it means to be disciples of Jesus called to be in his presence – we are called to do many things but primarily our call is to worship the one who made us by being who we are, loved and held by His grace. Three, I think it is about taking away the power of time in our lives – or should I say it is about taking time rather than being taken by time to sit and be and love as God incarnate, took time, to be, to love, to save   . Let’s pray to the one who will always be with us, always remember us and always love us.    

    • Remember me (Part 1)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 16 February 2020 Readings were Psalm 139: 1-12 and Luke 23:39-43 Download this sermon as a PDF During the holidays I enrolled in a summer school course in Dunedin called the Practical Theology of Mental Health, which was run through the Theological Department of Otago University. The lecturer Professor John Swinton, is the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy, at the University of Aberdeen.  He is also the founder of the university’s Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. During the course, Professor Swinton, helped the class explore topics such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, suicide and dementia through the lens of theology. You may be surprised to hear that I came away from the course energised and I am excited to share with you some of what I learnt. So today, I would like to reflect a little on dementia and what God has to say about this disease – a disease that is affecting more and more people around the world, in New Zealand and within our own communities. There is no way I can cover everything and I am certainly not an expert on this topic but I hope and pray you hear the Good News of Jesus Christ today – also if anything you hear today brings to the fore pain or hurt or questions don’t hesitate to talk to one of the ministers or elders. This morning we’ve had two readings. The first reminds us that God knows us and has known us from before we were born. The second shows us that that God re-members us, even in the face of death and beyond (paradise). Try and hold onto these two points as I continue. First it would be good to say something about dementia, which means ‘without mind’. For most people dementia is a neurological disease that causes a person to lose their rational thinking and memory – there are differently types of dementia, the most commonly known is Alzheimer Dementia. There is also Vascular Dementia – affects reasoning, planning, judgement, memory and other thought processes caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to your brain. Lewy Body Dementia – associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. Mixed Dementia – a condition where changes representing more than one type of dementia occur simultaneously in the brain. Frontotemporal Dementia – a group of related conditions resulting from the progressive degeneration of the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. The common factor with all of these is the loss of rational thinking and the losing of one’s memory. If I was to ask you what might be one of your greatest fears you might respond by saying it is the fear of losing your mind – this fear is often portrayed by the villain in horror movies. Why? Is it because we believe that it is our mind that defines our humanity, our being a person? Therefore if we lose our minds we cease to be human, to be a person? Steven Post, a professor at the Center for Biomedical Ethics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, in his book ‘The Moral Challenge of Alzheimer Disease’, says, We live in a society that is ‘hypercognitive’, a society that places inordinate emphasis on people’s powers of rational thinking and memory. So if anything happens to us that removes our ability to think rationally or hold memory it seems society has decided we have no value. It is as though the essence of humanness, is thinking – ‘I think therefore I am’. And once I stop thinking in any way, I cease to be. Another way to look at it, is that while we can tell our story and interact with the world then we are human but once we lose the ability to tell our stories we lose our personhood. The great terror of dementia is that those who have it are losing who they are. And eventually society also forgets who they are. In response to this narrative we need to hear the truth of the Gospel, which doesn’t ignore the great work carried out by the medical world, but recognises that the medical world [primarily in the West] has also been influenced by hypercognition and therefore it’s treatment of those with dementia will be influenced and guided by the philosophy ‘I think therefore I am’. And challenges the assumption that those who have dementia have lost part, if not all, of their humanness and their value to society. To begin then, we need to have a new understanding of what the mind is or at least go back to Scripture where both the Hebrew and Greek imply that the Mind involves the Soul, the Spirit and the Heart. If we take this seriously, then the mind is so much more than the place that stores memory or make possible rationale thought and expression – and therefore has huge implications on what it means to be human and hold personhood – to lose the ability to keep memory and be cognitive does not mean you are losing your mind and therefore your humanity. Losing one’s memory is one of the scariest things about dementia, especial if what one remembers is only held in the brain. However, our bodies also hold memory – there’s a wonderful story about Margaret Mackie, who suffers from dementia, who moved into a Scottish care centre.  A food server Jamie Lee Morley walked past the lounge one afternoon and heard a lovely refrain. For a moment, he wondered if somebody had left the radio on. But then he spotted Mackie, 83, singing a pitch-perfect version of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. “I was stunned,” recalled Morley, 31. “I’ve loved singing and music since I was a little lad, and I could just tell that Margaret did, too. Her voice is amazing.” Morley, who has worked at the Northcare Suites Care Home in Edinburgh since it opened last [Autumn], began singing regular duets with Mackie in the dining room and hallways. A video of one of their songs has been viewed thousands of times since it was posted online this month. Although Margaret on a day-to-day basis struggles to remember who she is, through music and singing she remembers. The same can said about those who participate in the sacrament of communion – as they take the bread and juice their memories, emotions, and ability to interact reawakens – the issue with these memories is that once the music stops, the sacrament eaten, the memories fade. There is a powerful African philosophy called Ubuntu: I am because we are. Which means we are all connected and the only way to be realised as persons is through other people. An anthropologist proposed a game to African tribe kids. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree ad told them that whoever got their first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they all too each other’s hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that, as one could have had all of the fruit for themselves, they said, “Ubuntu. How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad? Ubuntu in the Xhosa culture means I am because we are. We remember and have memory because others hold the memories of who we are in community. However, with any community, even the community of faith, our holding the memories of others is often reliant on how we ourselves feel.  Even those with the best intentions struggle to find the time to be in the present with those whose story they are retelling. And like any close-knit community the uniqueness of the individual can be swallowed by the many – memories can be told but can also be told poorly or inaccurately. Returning to the two scripture readings we heard this morning, we hear that God knew us before we were born, remembers our forming, our creation, our development and promises, through the joys and trials of life to remember us, or better put re – members us, into eternity. Nothing will separate, who we are from God. Maybe another way to put this is through a story. An elderly woman in the mid stage of dementia, for no reason became distressed – she repeated the same word over and over again – the nurses wondered how best they could help her.  One nurse listened closely to what she was saying and eventually heard the word ‘God’.  She was repeating the word over and over again.  The nurse asked her if she was afraid that she was going to forget God.  She said “yes”, “I am afraid I am going to forget God”.  The nurse responded by saying, that yes you might forget God, but God won’t forget you.  Because of the reframing, the woman became less anxious and more peaceful.  She was simply reminded that as important as her memory is it was not as significant as the memory of God of her. In response to Dementia, the Good News is that God holds us in God’s memory and what should be the underlying truth of our live is this. Jesus says to those who follow him: I am therefore we are. I will stop here now and next week we will explore a little more the theology of Dementia. Now we will sing the song ‘Jesus remember me’.      

    • Who in the world are we?
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 9 February 2020 Readings were Matthew 5:13-16 and 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5 Download this sermon as a PDF If there is one consolation I feel about all the work going on with the roads outside – with all the disruption, inconvenience, noise (and smell!) – I’m just really glad WE aren’t having to pay for it all! It must be costing a lot, and we know about the cost of getting things sorted and future-proofed! There has been anxiety for us, however. The streets closest to us are closed; the disruption is massive. And there is still uncertainty about when it will all be put right. It compromises access to Church, and there is a risk that for some they are simply unable to physically gather for worship and other activities here. We know it is necessary work, but at times, it feels all this disruption is a metaphor for the Church in New Zealand. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the Church is being directly targeted or attacked, but the Church in New Zealand increasingly finds itself cut-off, isolated and marginalised. The Church in New Zealand used to have a more central and influential role in society. But we can no longer assume this, and sometimes it may feel like the Church has been ‘fenced off’, or that there are increasing obstacles that have to be overcome for connection with church communities. This week it has been unusual to hear, in the media coverage of the Southland floods, the Presbyterian Church communities mentioned as they assist in the disaster recovery. And, let’s be honest, maybe we don’t hear much about Church communities in the media simply because Church communities aren’t often involved in key events. Increasingly, Churches do not have the resources they once had to offer practical assistance. As church communities lose their social influence, they can correspondingly lose their ability to be involved – the lack of capacity follows the lack of having any significant role in the eyes of the surrounding culture. Phew! This is a pretty gloomy picture, huh? But for those of us who’ve been around for the last 2, 3, …4(?) decades, the decline of the social role of the mainstream church is familiar. We have observed people’s decreasing involvement in churches – along with rugby clubs, Girl Guides, Rotary, and other volunteer organisations. Many of us are still processing this lack of influence related to involvement stemming from a perceived lack of relevance in society. Some yearn for the ‘good old days’. Others see that the current picture isn’t all gloomy. What is it that really matters for Christian faith? If dominance in the public square is the most important thing, then we can concede the Church has lost a great deal. The Church is no longer wields significant power in politics, setting the moral agenda and social reform – in ways it once did. However, is Christian faith something more than dominating power? The Danish Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, warned the Christians of his day not to assume their Christian faith was assimilated into the national culture. He was worried about a prevailing attitude that reasoned to ‘be Danish’ meant to ‘be Christian’. For him Christian faith necessarily has a distinctive factor; Christianity must always retain a critical distance from the culture around it, in order to be faithful to God – first and foremost. I think Kierkegaard is on to something! Does this match what Jesus says…? Jesus says, You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. What does this mean? Well, Jesus uses salt and light as images of change. They are nouns, but Jesus uses them to describe action. They bring difference (even transformation) from the bland; from the everyday gloom. Jesus says, You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. (vv13,14) Remember, this is still early on in Matthew’s Gospel, as Jesus’ own ministry is beginning. And he’s laying out expectations about the mission of God, and people’s part in it. I’ve been preaching a consistent point this year so far: that, as followers of Jesus, we are invited to pray to God: ‘your Kingdom come on earth as in heaven’. We are implicated in the activity of God’s reign, and the further realisation of God’s reign. Jesus came in person, to reveal who God is, and how to be human. He blazes the trail and calls us to follow him. What does this mean for Christians today…? Theologian Stanley Hauerwas says: Jesus Christ is still the most interesting thing that the church has to say or to do in the world, the truth about us and God. God’s peculiar answer to what’s wrong with the world is a crucified Jew who lived briefly, died violently, rose unexpectedly, and even now makes life more difficult and out of our control—but so much more interesting than flaccid sociological analysis. …The church has trouble in the world because of Jesus. For God so loved the world that the Son was sent to the world, but the world has [not accepted him]. We wouldn’t know, that self-sacrificial, nonviolent love is the point of it all, without him.[1] Jesus says You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. This seems extraordinary, that we would be thrust into the spotlight (almost literally!) It sounds like it’s about us, but we know this is ‘derived identity’ – we are salt and light because we are identified with Jesus. We get to have the enormous privilege to live as ambassadors of God: let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (v16) In the reading today from 1 Corinthians Paul makes clear to the Church, the most interesting thing that the church has to say or to do is Jesus Christ: I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. … your faith rests not on human wisdom but on the power of God. (vv2 and 5) Perhaps it is worth reminding ourselves, as we are completing a significant strengthening project on this building, where we recognise power. We are investing in this building as a place for us to retain a presence in this city. We want to be among the world, the culture. And, having a recognisable place to stand together, allows us to be salt and light in the city. The building isn’t the salt and light – we are! In fact, do you notice Jesus says “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.’…? He doesn’t say “You should be the salt of the earth.” As though we have responsibility to be useful. Neither does he say “You will be the light of the world”, as though this is something saved up for a heavenly future. You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. Already. Right now. If Jesus says this is what we are, do we need to earn this identity? Do we need recognition from others? Does the world need to acknowledge our ‘saltiness and brightness’? If we hear Jesus, and are willing to follow in The Way, we are on a mission. And this mission, although it centres on us (in Jesus’ words), its purpose is the glory of God. Let’s take that in for a moment… our mission brings glory to God.  There are needs everywhere in our world. Being salt and light in the world is to do God’s will and offer hope, offer purpose, offer meaning. By doing good, we do what we are made to do. And therefore, we become more who we truly are. So if we find ourselves questioning our identity because the Church is cut-off, isolated and marginalised in our society, let’s be reminded we don’t matter because we’re powerful, in control, and wielding influence. We matter because we are still following the One who proclaims an upside-down Kingdom and invites us to do whatever good we can in the world, to the glory of God. Let me finish with a quote from Stanley Hauerwas: once-disheartened church people [have] gained new enthusiasm for the odd way that Christ takes up residency among us, people who are able to say to various disbelieving, deadly presumptuous empires: “we are not going anywhere”. Let’s pray… ————– [1] ‘A reply by Stanley Hauerwas & William H. Willimon’ http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=f6ab9bfa-080c-4692-9d45-1762d2963676%40pdc-v-sessmgr05

    • Glimpsing the upside-down kingdom
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 2 February 2020 Readings were Micah 6:6-8 and Mathew 5:1-12 Download this sermon as a PDF Not everyone acknowledges Jesus is, who he said he is. Many people are comfortable relegating Jesus to a fine moral teacher; prepared to leave the jarring and audacious claims about himself unresolved. Perhaps this opinion (that Jesus was a fine moral teacher) is plausible when we consider the contribution his teaching has made significantly influencing and shaping how we now know justice, peace, health care, social welfare, human and civil rights, gender equality, and many other aspects of human life. The teaching of Jesus is not only influential, much of what he taught has become mainstream. However, how credible is this opinion (that Jesus was a fine moral teacher) when we hear this teaching of his in today’s passage of Matthew’s Gospel? All these “Blessed are…” declarations open the section of teaching in Matthew’s Gospel famously know as ‘The Sermon on the Mount’. If (like me) you grew up memorising them in Sunday School, let me say: don’t let the familiarity allow you to miss the shocking nature of what Jesus is teaching. Unlike other teaching of Jesus, that is integrated into human interactions, laws and policies… this teaching remains radical – really radical. Jesus spells out kingdom values that fly in the face of the world’s values. This teaching has not been assimilated into conventional wisdom. Is it because the teaching isn’t as good as Jesus’ other teaching…? The truth is that this teaching hasn’t taken hold in the same way because it remains radical. It has always been radical. What Jesus declares to be true here is an interruption, …an upheaval, …an over-turning, …it contradicts what most of us assume to be ‘normal’ and ‘right’ and ‘that’s the way it is’. Again, let me say, I think we can miss this because of a familiarity with these words. So let me try and show how confronting this teaching is by inverting Jesus’ declarations: Blessed are the rich, in things and self-assurance. (Doesn’t this sound more like the world you and I know and live in?) Blessed are those untouched by loss. Blessed are the powerful. Blessed are those who are ‘realistic’ about what is right, willing to compromise for what will ‘work’. Blessed are those who insist that ‘heads should roll’ and demand restitution. Blessed are the cunning and opportunistic. Blessed are those bold enough to make war. Blessed are those who, doing good things, receive many accolades. Blessed are those whose religiosity makes them widely admired. Can you see the extent of Jesus challenge to conventional wisdom? It is an interruption, …an upheaval, …an over-turning. Another point, is that these are declarations – not instructions to try harder to live a good life. Jesus is declaring to people that this is the way it is for you – and it is cause for joy. It is a declaration of human identity and dignity. Even though highly counter-intuitive, this is the reality of how things matter in God’s reality; in God’s Kingdom. Think about it. People’s experiences of mourning, sadness, poverty, hunger, …continue. Jesus isn’t offering relief or a therapeutic way through. He is not offering us a self-help programme. What is Jesus offering…? A promise. It is gospel. It is good news. Whatever you think about yourself and your place in the universe… here is how God sees you. It is not good advice. It is a promise. Oh right, so we should just accept the misery and injustice and exploitation and retribution and violence – because there is a promise that we will get our reward in heaven? Is that it? We accept the struggle and complexity now, and hold out for paradise when we die? Well, yes! Heaven does await us – Jesus has died to give us life. But not just that. In his teaching here, Jesus can’t be merely talking about hope for heaven when we die. For one thing, Jesus declares Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. That makes no sense if the reward is only conferred in heaven. Furthermore, remember that in the prayer Jesus teaches (The Lord’s Prayer), we are to pray ‘Your will be done, on earth as in heaven’. Jesus teaches that God’s Kingdom is among us. Now. So what do these declarations of Jesus offer to us now? If they are so counter-intuitive, defying conventional wisdom… If they are not instructions on how to live a good life… If they are not just about rewards for when we die… …what is Jesus teaching us? I suggest that as followers of Jesus, we can hear in these declarations, promises that we can trust what matters in God’s economy – what is truly valuable. And if we pay attention to human experience, we will increasingly recognise how so much of it is cherished by God. Then we will expect to make more sense of human experience within God’s purposes  – now and into the future promised to us. What seems to be upside down, is in fact the right way up. Are we willing to trust, pay attention and expect to understand this more? I want to share a story. But before I do, let me say one more thing – partly to summarise what I’ve been trying to express and partly to introduce the story! These declarations of Jesus are like signposts for where we may glimpse God’s Kingdom in our midst. They are like signposts for where we may glimpse God’s Kingdom in our midst. And Jesus gives them so that we may rejoice with expectant hearts. The story is titled ‘Two Old Men’ and is by Leo Tolstoy. It’s a favourite of mine, and if you haven’t read it, you should. It’s short, and here’s a link where you can read it in full. https://archive.org/details/TwoOldMen_LevTolstoy/mode/2up Two Old Men is a story of two men, and guess what…? They’re old! Their names are Efim and Elisha, (Elisha – we are told – has a bald head like the OT prophet), and they decide that before they die they must make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. (Pilgrimage was a common Christian practice, especially in the Orthodox Church. It was a sacrificial act of faith, expressing personal devotion to God). After months of planning, they collect what they will need and begin to walk. Part-way into their pilgrimage, they come to a village that seems deserted. No one is about. Efim is keen to keep walking through this village, but Elisha wants to stop for a drink of water. So thirsty Elisha (the bald one) encourages Efim to continue walking, assuring his friend that he will catch up with him. So Efim continues on and Elisha approaches a small hut to find water. Entering the hut Elisha encounters darkness and the smell of death. As his eyes adjust to the lack of light, he see bodies on beds. With trepidation he investigates and finds that the inhabitants are still alive, but barely. As Elisha opens doors and windows, and offers them food and drink, he begins to see that their needs are more complex than he first imagined. Recognising the desperation of their situation, Elisha feels compelled to stay and help. So the (bald) man stays in the village, helping the villagers find their way again to happiness and health, never going on to Jerusalem, eventually returning home. The other man makes his way to Jerusalem. Efim keeps waiting expectantly for his friend, who never comes. And after completing his time in Jerusalem, he returns home. At one point on his way home, he comes to a village that seems strangely familiar to him. And then he realises that it is where he left his friend – but everything seems very different now. Men and women, older and younger, are busy at work and play; animals are healthy, and the crops are growing. And so he asks, ‘What has happened?’ In simple innocence, the villagers explain that a man stopped along the way and gave them back their life. The story concludes with both men finally at home, telling the stories of their pilgrimages. Tolstoy has no desire to tell a black-and-white story, with a good man and a bad man. It is more nuanced than that, as life is. The last lines tell of their joy in meeting together again. But, clearly, one man paid attention to the needs around him. His pilgrimage became saving the people of a village. One intriguing aspect to Tolstoy’s story is that while visiting the holy places in Jerusalem, Efim is convinced he glimpses the shiny bald head of his friend Elisha among the crowds of other pilgrims – but when he tried to go over to him the crowds got in the way. Therefore, Efim is surprised when he returns home to find Elisha already there! “You must have overtaken me returning home” he says. Efim is shocked and bewildered to hear that Elisha never made it to Jerusalem. Why is it that while in the holy places Efim caught glimpses Elisha? Might the apparitions suggest that the man, who never made the journey to the Holy Land, nevertheless was in the holy presence of God as he served the needs of others? The kingdom of God is something we can catch glimpses of. Jesus gives us signposts for what to look for. Jesus is showing us what seems to be upside down, is in fact the right way up.  

    • Theology of geography
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 26 January 2020 Readings were Psalm 27:1, 4-9 and Matthew 4: 12-23 Download this sermon as a PDF I wonder what you hear this morning from God’s Word? What I notice in the Gospel passage is all the movement. Jesus is a guy on the move. And the writer almost seems in a hurry to tell you all that Jesus is doing and where he’s going. It unashamedly refers to the local geography in the region where Jesus lived on earth. I hope you remember from Christmas where it was Jesus was born. (“O Little town of ….?) 1. Born in Bethlehem, but he and his family move to Nazareth. Matthew 2:23… “he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.” 2. Then as Jesus commences his public ministry, he moves himself to the River Jordan to be baptised by John – in an act of solidarity with all humanity. 3. Jesus then immediately moves himself into the wilderness for forty days where he is tempted. 4. In this morning’s passage we hear where Jesus moves next: “he withdrew to Galilee”. Why? Well, he hears that John the Baptist has been arrested. Having been tempted by the devil and then hearing this shocking news of his cousin John, he goes to a place of familiarity; he goes home. Perhaps some of us over the holidays have gone back to places of familiarity. Places that makes us feel more like ourselves, places that remind us of our identity, away from some of the complexity and uncertainty of the world. Jesus withdraws to Galilee, a familiar place for him. 5. But we hear in this passage that he moves again. And this is the one of the most intriguing parts: He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali… Perhaps that doesn’t seem very interesting to you. Fair enough. In a moment I’ll explain why it matters that Jesus moves into the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. Firstly, let me refresh our memories about how this passage fits into the biblical story. To understand any passage of the Bible it’s always good to understand how it fits into the bigger story. And we can understand our own lives better when we keep in mind the big story of the Bible. I hope you will remember from the Pathway of Faith framework we introduced last year (to help us with intergenerational faith formation) that one of the 8 pillars is titled ‘Big Story of the Bible’. And it’s great when we can keep this in view. This passage of Matthew comes after the long story of God with the people of Israel in the Old Testament. God made a covenant promise to the childless couple: Abraham and Sarah. They will have descendants that will populate an entire nation. Their grandson Jacob had 12 sons who became the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel (curiously Zebulun and Naphtali are two of his sons, and their tribes settled in those areas, were are named after them) One of those sons, Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. He did well but (in another turn of fortune) his many descendants eventually became slaves in Egypt. God used Moses to lead the Israelites to freedom – Red Sea, Mt Sinai, golden calf, 10 Commandments. After wandering the desert, the Israelites entered into the Promised Land God gave them judges to rule, but the Israelites wanted God to give them a king. So Saul became the first king, and then his son King David. David’s son Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, but he lost the plot and then the kingdom erupted into civil war and divided into two parts: Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Both nations turned away from God. Both were defeated by foreign powers and experienced exile. During this time they tried to make sense of who they were and what God was doing. Eventually they were able to return home. They rebuilt the temple and different prophets challenge the Israelites to be faithful to God. That is a (very) brief summary of the story of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. But the story of Israel doesn’t stop at the end of the Old Testament. The story of Israel continues. And Matthew gives us deliberate sign-posts in his Gospel as a bridge from what God has been doing with Israel in the Old Testament, and what God is now doing in Jesus Christ. If you were here on Christmas Day, you will have heard me describe the Incarnation of Jesus Christ using the words of Eugene Peterson: The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. (John 1:14) This means that we can now know God with greater clarity, and experience God more completely. The incarnation is not primarily to provide us with information. God could have done that through someone else. By showing up in person, we recognise God has come to achieve something we cannot achieve by ourselves. What could it be that God achieves in Jesus? Let me explain why it matters that Jesus moves into the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew records… [Jesus moves into] the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 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.’ In flesh and blood, God moves into the neighbourhood. And by moving himself from one part of the region to another, Matthew shows us that Jesus fulfils an Old Testament prophecy! (from Isaiah 9:1-2) Jesus physically moves, and the prophecy is fulfilled! Matthew is giving a theology of geography. These places aren’t significant to me (I can barely pronounced them!), and they probably don’t mean much to you either. But they are vital to the specifics of the story and representative of all places where the presence of Jesus is needed and comes. the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light God is in the neighbourhood people! Jesus moves from place to place, showing his presence matters as he reveals God’s purposes and promises to real people in real places. What is Matthew showing us…? Jesus belongs to all people – including the people of this city. In today’s Psalm there are two times where is the mention of the ‘tent’. I think this jumps out at me because my family and I went to the New Wine festival last week, giving up our usual home comforts to sleep four nights in tents. (We had a great time, although it was certainly in-tents!) Some had impressively large tents for their families. In contrast, our family of six had two small tents – squeezing four into one tent and two of our kids into the other. I’m sharing this detail because one night at about 2 am, I awoke to a sound. It was the sound of one of my kids sobbing. The sound was coming from the other tent. I called out ‘What’s the matter?” The response was: “I’ve had a nightmare” “Oh dear…. Go back to sleep” “I can’t. …I need a hug” (Now, I’m in the other tent, zipped up in my sleeping bag …my cosy sleeping bag.) So, I called out again “Shall I pray for you?” “I need a hug.” “Okay…” My child needed a hug. In the darkness and uncertainty, my child needed my presence. (Although I’m sure the request was actually for Mum!) In the Psalm the tent indicates the holy tabernacle where the people of Israel worshipped God. The tent represents the presence of God. And what Matthew is pointing out is that Jesus is the presence of God on earth. As Jesus moves places, he brings light to darkness. And because Jesus has come to those places, all places are holy with His presence – including where we are right now. Jesus is present, and his light in the darkness is our hope. The message Jesus proclaims is the same as John’s: Repent! Turn away from the darkness and toward the light. Get yourselves ready for all that is coming. Ditch the dark gloom of our experiences and expect something better – God’s Kingdom is coming! Life can be dark – we know that. We have worries: health, family, old age, political folly, violence percolating around the world and in our own communities. Life in Zebulun and Naphtali probably changed very little that day when Jesus fulfilled the prophecy by moving in that area. At least in ways that were immediately noticeable. But the promise is from a faithful God; you will see the light and this light will transform your reality. However it may seem right now, one day wholeness will overwhelm our pain and sadness; love will defeat hatred; peace will overcome hostility; tears will become laughter. The presence of Jesus in the neighbourhood is a cause for hope; the light is moving into the dark places. Will we live in ways that show we believe this? Will you share this hope in the world? Will you take this light to where it is needed? This could be by: celebrating the safe birth of a baby visiting someone in hospital supporting a couple struggling in their relationship or with the responsibility of parenting giving encouragement to keep praying for children and grandchildren to know God’s goodness in their lives. Hope may seem inadequate or even naïve, but when we accept that we are not in control and that God is trustworthy and asks us to follow Jesus, then hope is a courageous (even counter-intuitive) strategy. And Christian faith maintains it is the best strategy humanity has. Jesus moves and fulfils God’s prophecy. Light has come into the darkness. Come be part of this movement… let us build something… make a new reality as God has intended it… this is the message, the moment, the meaning of life! Jesus preached the promise of the Kingdom after the bad news of John’s arrest. Turn your backs on the bad news and turn toward the good news of the Kingdom – the power and presence of Jesus who beings healing, wholeness, redemption and salvation. In his name, and for the Kingdom, Amen.

    • Praying for a change
      • Address by Rev Dr Rebecca Dudley on 19 January 2020 Readings were Isaiah 49: 1–7 and Mark 9: 14–29 Download this sermon as a PDF This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. (Mark 9: 1) Address and Activity Before we start: Invite all ages to double small bits of string. Make a knot or a few knots. How tight is up to you. Hold on to it, feel it, and we will come back to it. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God our rock and our redeemer. Amen. … It is a pleasure to be with you this morning and in the beginning of the new year. I am a morning person.  I love the possibilities and the starting fresh. The Christian traditions tell us the mercy of God is new every morning. And every New Year’s day we start fresh too. But this year, January 1 2020, felt different.  I woke up and looked out the window seeing what seemed at first a golden haze. From a distance a beautiful sunrise, maybe. Then I looked for the sun. I couldn’t find it. This wasn’t the  sunrise.  Could it be the bushfire smoke? It was. I am signalling you through the flames I am signalling you through the flames The North Pole is not where it used to be Manifest destiny is no longer manifest… …as we read the words of Lawrence Ferlinghetti this morning to begin our Call to Worship. 2020 has started with old conflict and new fires and floods,  trends toward continued warming and more frequent disasters, health emergencies made worse by broken systems, overlapping with war.  In case this all sounds very gloomy, I perhaps should tell you this is my day job. I work with legal frameworks that can help vulnerable people in humanitarian emergencies (refugee law, IHL, human rights). So, and you may see where I am going with this… here is a knotty problem. How do we pray in terrible times? Sense of fearfulness about the future seems to be in the air.  I would like to share with you a ‘Hot off the press’ report from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Survey Millennials and War): A survey of more than 16,000 millennials in 16 countries and territories last year – roughly half in peace, half experiencing conflict – commissioned by the ICRC explored millennials’ views on conflict, the future of warfare and the values underpinning international humanitarian law, such as the use of torture against enemy combatants. The results indicate that millennials are nervous about the future, and heightened tensions globally are likely to deepen these fears. A plurality of respondents, 47 percent, think it’s more likely than not that there will be a third world war in their lifetime. And although 84 percent believe the use of nuclear weapons is never acceptable, 54 percent believe it is more likely than not that a nuclear attack will occur in the next decade. So we ponder these knotty problems. Hold on to those. We started with the question: how to pray in these times? I would like to talk a little now about the WHY and the HOW of prayer; WHY we should pray, and then talk about HOW we can pray. Why to pray From Mark’s Gospel, we heard a story about how Jesus heals a boy of an evil spirit after his disciples had failed. When the disciples ask what they had done wrong, Jesus says, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. About twenty years ago, we came across this text while I was working on other huge issues on poverty and inequality. This text helped our understanding of prayer in the face of huge and overwhelming problems of the world. I just want to say a few things about this story. Firstly I know that historically Christians have blurred the line between mental illness and spiritual possession, and I am not sharing this story to keep that message alive. I don’t understand mental illness; modern science has found ways to try to understand some ways the body and brain function but Over time medicine, and law and our understanding has developed to separate out mental ill health from the persistence of evil, wrong choices, their evil consequences. Secondly, we might understand a bit about mental ill health but we still don’t understand the persistence of evil, wrong choices and evil consequences. Thirdly, sometimes, in fact, many times in life, we are not big enough to handle the scale of how wrong things can go. We are so small and the problems of the world are so big. Sometimes things are such a mess that prayer is the only thing for it. Some of the evils we face cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. Sometimes we think the opposite of prayer is action. I would like to propose to you that the opposite of prayer is not action. I have learned that the opposite of prayer is despair, thinking that we are all alone, that we can do nothing. Involvement in the world leads disciples to prayer. We are not easily driven to our knees. We are not easily driven to our knees. May I say in passing, Presbyterians are never driven to our knees. I  sometimes go to Anglican and Catholic churches because they have kneelers. But ‘nothing happens when we pray,’  you might say. I would challenge that idea. As we explored it, we found a few things that can happen during prayer. First, prayer reminds us that we are not alone. God is with us. We are part of many communities, not least the worldwide Christian Community. We are not alone. Second, in prayer, we can nourish a steady hope for renewal of this world God loves so much. Third, in prayer, with God with us, we confront head on the causes of evil. And finally, in prayer, we are drawn into God’s will for the world God loves so much. So, if involvement in the world leads us to prayer, prayer leads us the other way, back into the pressing issues of this messy chaotic world God loves so much. Its not too complicated.  Here are some examples I find helpful. You can find a verse in scripture. The Psalmist is often overwhelmed by wickedness and despaire and found poetry for the ages in it:  My prayer now for being overwhelmed comes from Psalms (119: v133) Order my steps and do not let evil have dominion over me. Sometimes when I am very low, I just pray this: God, this is too much for me. I need to hand this over to you. How to pray I have promised you that this morning we are going to draw on the traditions and resources of our faith to consider how we pray in terrible times. First, we remember what prayer is? Christians have often described it as a Conversation with a purpose. The purpose is to offer ourselves to be changed. Or if you prefer Richard Foster, in his book on Leadership: God is always speaking, always doing something. Prayer is to enter into that activity. Padraig O’ Tuama, who will be our visitor in March, says: Prayer is rhythm. Prayer is comfort. Prayer is disappointment. Prayer is words and shape and art around desperation, and delight, and disappointment, and desire. Prayer can be the art that helps you name your desire, and even if the desire can only be named, well, naming is a good thing, surely.   Naming is what God did, the Jesus tell us, and the world unfolded. Naming things is part of the creative impulse. How do we pray? Well, as I said a few minutes ago, it is super-easy and will take your whole life to learn. In terms of practices of prayer as Henri Nouwen wrote, The only way to pray is to pray. The only way to try is to try. We already have some clues in the service we have been worshipping in together. Prayer traditions: Reflected in the order of service or in the short prayers we already talked about. God or Jesus: Naming  who you are speaking to. Then you might say, ‘I don’t know what to say.’  That’s ok. The Apostle Paul has been there before us and promised that the Holy Spirit will intervene for us and pray if we don’t have the words for what is on our hearts (Romans 8: 26- 27). Then we might say: I am here. You are here: Pray to feel God’s presence with you. That’s invocation. Then we might continue to Adoration: you are amazing. Then to Thank you: Praise and thanksgiving. Try to wake up with praise and go to bed with thanksgiving. This is a way to reframe our thoughts to. To identify what we are thankful for can turn grumpiness to gratitude. I am sorry: Confession: we are part of the brokenness and want to be part of the healing of this old world. Then maybe, ‘Help me. Help us.’ That is Intercession: Naming the desires of our hearts for the places we are and for this world that God loves so much. Being bold. As Walter Wink wrote, History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being. Blessing. Blessing is about wishing well, and healing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about how blessing can heal a broken world and I would like to close with his words. While he was running a clandestine seminar after the his confessing church had broken with the church over Nazi-ism. Then the new seminary was outlawed, the building shuttered and leaders arrested. So they met in a remote Farmhouse as war grew more and more likely.  Here is what he wrote as the storm clouds threatened in 1939: ‘The world lives and has its future by means of the blessing of God…. Blessing means laying one’s hands on something and saying: you belong to God in spite of it all.  This is the way we respond to the world. We do not forsake it or condemn it. Instead, we recall it to God, we give it hope, we lay our hands on it and say God’s blessing come upon you May God renew you, you dear God created world For you belong to your creator and redeemer. [We can do this because we have been blessed ourselves.] And whoever has been blessed must pass on a blessing. The renewal of the world, which seems impossible, becomes possible in the blessing of God. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Activity You are invited now to pray, and to untie the knots in your string. Start anywhere we have talked about, name who you are speaking to, Thanks, praise, confession, intercession, asking blessing on the world. Just start. Maybe Jesus, or God. I am here. You are here. I am sorry. I want to find a new way.

    • Doubt it
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 22 December 2019 Readings were Luke 1:5-20 and Luke 1:26-38 Download this sermon as a PDF If you think it seems you’ve heard these Bible readings recently – don’t worry it’s not you, it’s me. We did hear this story a few weeks ago, read for our worship. I’m wanting us to dwell more on this stunning visit Mary has from an angel – and perhaps even more stunning: Mary’s response! You see, Mary’s encounter with the incarnation (whilst unique) tells us something about our encounter with the incarnation. The central point I want to draw from this reading is how Mary doubted honestly. This points to something important for our faith – that honest doubt is good and helpful for knowing God, and for living as God wants us to. How is doubt good? Well, compare Mary’s doubt with the doubt of Zechariah (earlier in chapter 1 of Luke). Zechariah When the angel comes to Zechariah to tell him his wife Elizabeth is going to have a baby, he says: Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman. (Luke 1:18, The MSG) And how does the angel respond? Because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of your son’s birth. Because he doubts, the angel makes him mute. Mary When the angel comes to Mary to tell her she’s going to have a baby, Mary says: But how? I’ve never slept with a man. And how does the angel respond? Well Mary, nothing is impossible with God… In response to Mary’s doubt, the angel gives assurances and explanation! What’s going on here…? Is the angel playing favourites? Is this angel being inconsistent? …or is the angel just ‘a few feathers short of a flock’? I suggest that, in God’s Word, we are presented with different types of doubt. 1. Doubt that’s good for us, is doubt that asks questions, actually wanting an answer, in order to understand more. That’s an honest doubt. Mary asks the questions because she wants an answer; she doubts and she wants to understand how, what the angels proclaims, can be true (with hope that it can be). 2. Doubt that’s unhelpful for us, is doubt that rules things out automatically. A question may be asked, but it’s a question that doesn’t want an answer. It’s a cynical question “Do you expect me to believe this?” I don’t want an answer; there can’t be an answer. It is not seeking to understand. And in that sense, it’s not actually doubt at all; it’s not wavering uncertainty, but is a kind of self-assured, dogmatic, distorted faith. It’s asserting a reality that is assumed to be true and unchangeable. It’s not doubt at all. And that is why the angel responds harshly to Zachariah. Honest doubt is so great for our faith. It’s characterised in two ways. It is humble. It’s honest about not knowing. It is brave. Because if you ask a real questions, well, you might get a real answer! That can be scary. And that’s why sometimes we don’t express doubt – we’d prefer to assert what we already believe; we don’t want to be challenged by anything new. We see that Mary is both humble and brave. And because of it we know her as someone God uses for the wonderful plans of the incarnation, plans that fulfil God’s purposes. If Mary hadn’t doubted, if she hadn’t asked the question, perhaps we’d never know the additional material the angel shares. We’d never have this heart-warming assurance: Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. (Isn’t that one of the best promises God gives us?) And we wouldn’t even have it if Mary hadn’t doubted and asked the question. So, consider your faith, follow your doubts and always ask the questions – with humility and courage. And may the Holy Spirit continue to show us the way to the One who offers us life – in its fullness. Amen.

    • The parables of Jesus (Part 3)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 24 November 2019 Reading was Luke 20:9-18 Download this sermon as a PDF Today we’ve heard a parable by Jesus, which we are going to explore a little bit this morning – but before we do it probably handy to understand what parables are and the background to the one we’ve just heard. Jesus used parables, which are figurative forms of speech, to teach, criticise and even attack, those who thought they understood God and what it meant to follow God. Today’s parable is known as the Parable of the wicked tenants, although some people like to call it the Parable of the Noble Vineyard Owner and His Son. Here is a modern painting by James B. Janknegt called The Wicked Tenants. The background to the parable concerns Jesus’ entry into the city of Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. His first place to go is the temple, the place of worship – what he finds disturbs him so much that he and those who follow him block the main thoroughfare – it seems as though people had been using this as a way for quick business rather than worship. He overturns the tables of those who changed money. He knocked over the chairs of those who sold doves for sacrifice – driving out both sellers and buyers. He even shut down the afternoon sacrifice. In response to these actions, “the Chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him” (Luke 19:47) but were frustrated in so doing because “the people hung upon his words” (v48). In their frustration they came up with this question: By what authority do you do these things? If he gets the answer wrong, the people’s opinion will turn and then the leaders can get on with their murderous plan to have Jesus arrested and killed. Jesus responds by telling this parable. Once there was a very wealthy business man, who own a number of pieces of property in Wellington.  His favourite property, was the family home on Oriental Bay Parade. As time went on, the business, which had begun in Wellington, had outgrown its premises, so the business man decided it was time to move to another site, a larger site in Auckland.  By the end of the year the man and his family had moved to live in Howick. Rather than sell the property on Oriental Bay, the man decided to rent it. For a number of years rent was paid on time, however the man had lately noticed a few discrepancies – either the rent came late or was not enough. Rather than hire a property manager, whom he had had issues with in the past, he decided to send one of his own employees – Elijah – to visit the property and talk with the tenants to see if everything was ok – if they were struggling financially he was sure they could work something out. After a few days, the business man found himself recovering from shock as he heard from Elijah, who was covered in bruises, what the tenants had done to him. “Not only did they refuse to pay the rent”, Elijah said “they pushed me down the stairs, pulled me outside, and then told me get lost.” Knowing what Elijah was like, (a bit hot-headed) the business man thought there must have been a misunderstanding – he was willing to give the tenants the benefit of the doubt, so decided he would ask Mo, another employee, to go and ask the tenants for the rent and to be tactful about it. It was during the staff meeting a few days later that the business man received a phone call from Mo – Mo it seemed had spent the last few days in hospital recovering from a concussion, bruised ribs and broken teeth. He had been found lying unconscious in Victoria Park and taken directly to the emergency department – the police wanted to know what had happened but before Mo said anything else he wanted to check what his employer wanted to do. Mo was not surprised when his boss told him that he would cover all expenses but would prefer that Mo not press charges – he would like to deal with the situation his way. Third time lucky – the business man decided to send his HR manager, John, to try and negotiate with the tenants – if they weren’t willing to listen this time, he would call the police. John was good with people and knew how to get them to listen to him. The following day he flew down to Wellington. Knowing of the proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Act that would remove the ability for landlords to end a periodic tenancy agreement with no cause – John had arranged to take the tenants out for a meal with the hope to gather evidence of just cause so he could get them thrown out of his bosses home. A few days later… The business man knew John liked to take his time, however he hadn’t heard from him for almost a week – even for John a week without any communication was unusual.  What had happened? Becoming more and more concerned with the whereabouts of John, the man’s son suggested that he go down to Wellington to find John and to see how things were going with the tenants. Although he had misgivings about his son visiting the tenants, he thought that this could be the thing that finally makes them see sense.  Being in the presence of his son would surely make them remember that the house they lived in was his, they would apologise and also pay the rent. Almost as soon as the business man had heard from his son who had arrived safely in Wellington, his phone rang again – it was John’s wife letting him know the horrifying news that John had been found lying in a pool of blood – he had survived a knife attack and left for dead in a small park.  It would take him months to recover. Immediately he thought of his son – there was no coincidence that these violent acts had taken place when he had tried to engage with the tenants, and now his beloved, precious son, was walking into a place of murderous intent. From that moment on time moved slowly, like walking in mud. He called his son – no answer. He booked a ticket to Wellington – the earliest was later that evening. The flight seemed to take forever. The taxi seemed to take the scenic route. He called his son – no answer. As the taxi came around the corner of Oriental Bay, he noticed part of the road had been cordoned off – three police cars and an ambulance sat motionless around his home’s driveway. Opening the door while the taxi still moved, the taxi driver slamming the brakes, he leapt out of the car and started running, heart beating, thoughts rushing – “Oh No, Oh No”. Almost crashing into the police officer near the front door, he was grabbed and held, as three men, men he recognised as the tenants were brought down the steps in handcuffs – with sly unrepentant eyes they each turned their head towards him, the last one simply saying: We killed him, you pompous, self-important bastard, he’s lying in the back garden, bleeding out, if you want to see him! Falling to his knees, with tears flowing freely down his face, he cried out to the passing men, I allowed you to stay in my home, I wanted to work things out with you, and you treated me, my son, my employees, and this special place as nothing more than a lair for your own selfish desires – I will see you get the full weight of the law thrown at you – if it was up to me I would see you hang!   By the time the story was over, the leaders knew Jesus was talking about them – they were like the tenants. In their distorted understanding of leadership they had become people willing to even commit murder so they could keep their position and their place. God had done everything to remind them of their leadership roles – to lead and teach the people of God – even by risking His beloved son, whom at that very moment they were trying to get rid of – because of their unwillingness to listen or to change, they would eventually suffer the consequences. What might Jesus be saying to us in this story today? Do we know how much God desires us to know him? Do we realise what God has done to reach us – that God in and through his son stepped into our world became flesh so we could know God? Do we take what God has given us and use it in the wrong way? Whatever God might be saying are you, are we willing to listen and change if we need to or will we continue to go our own way?  

    • The parables of Jesus (Part 2)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 17 November 2019 Reading was Luke 16:19-30 Download this sermon as a PDF Last week we began a three-week series on the parables of Jesus found in the Gospel of Luke. We noted that the Hebrew word for Parable mašal and the Aramaic word for Parable mathla were defined as figurative forms of speech of every kind, not simply as stories. We recognise was that these figurative forms of speech were not simply given to lay down general truth but were uttered in actual situations of the life of Jesus, and more often than not, they were used to correct, reprove, attack: for the greater part, they used as weapons of warfare. I also shared that there are eight groupings of parables which were around particular emphasis: Jesus’ sermons on the Kingdom of God Cries of celebration God’s mercy for sinners Cries of warning and a call for repentance The challenge of the crisis Realised discipleship The way of suffering of Jesus And the ultimate end Taking all of this into consideration we explored the Parable of the Unjust Steward, which is found in the group ‘The Challenge of Crisis’. We came to realise that the main point of this parable was about the owner – God, who was amazingly generous, merciful and forgiving. That‘s why the property manager was commended, not because he lied and cheated and stole but because he knew, he remembered, he trusted that the owner would continue to be merciful, generous and forgiving, even if he chose to do the wrong thing. This is what Jesus says we can learn from the children of this generation – live in the complete knowledge that God is abundantly generous and merciful. This week, our Parable is called the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man and also fits in the group called ‘The Challenge of Crisis’. So let’s seek to listen to what Jesus might be saying to us today, about God, about our own lives and what the crisis is that Jesus might be talking about. There once was a wealthy man, who lived in a luxury penthouse apartment in Central Wellington – it was his custom to work hard and to play harder. He spent much seeking out the best boutique fashion designers so he could fill his wardrobe with clothing that highlighted his extreme wealth and status. Not caring about the noise, his neighbours’ desire for sleep or the hours his staff worked day and night, he held extravagant parties daily, in his large apartment – inviting many of his associates to join him in celebrating his lifestyle. Constantly hearing the noise above and witnessing the foot traffic of the wealthy man’s guest and smelling the catered food being brought in through the apartments foyer, Lazarus lay on his rolled up blanket in the a small alcove, outside the main entrance – homeless for a number of years, Lazarus, who had been made redundant, which eventually led to ill-health and a broken marriage, positioned himself, with his four legged companion, an English Mastiff called Percy, his only source of comfort – with the hope that some food might find its way to him. As the evening grew later a continuous flood of people, food and alcohol entered the building. The sound of music and dancing increased as did the smell of meat being slowing cooked over a BBQ. Rather than complaining about his plight, Lazarus settled down for the night. He rolled out his blanket and drew closer to Percy for comfort and warmth. That night, during the party, Lazarus died. And although those who found his physical body wondered who this man had been and what to do with the dog, Lazarus, in his death finds himself face to face with Jesus – the one who knew his name – the one he had learnt about at Church (the same church the rich man occasionally worshipped at) – and Jesus had prepared a party for him. A party where there was plenty of food, drink and comfort. That same night, unbeknown to Lazarus, the wealthy man had had a massive heart attack while dancing the Cha, Cha, Cha, and also died. A large funeral was arranged, no expense was spared, eulogies were given and eventually his property and wealth was distributed to his family. However, the wealthy man in his death, found himself in a place of suffering. As he wondered what was going on he tried to focus his eyes on his surroundings. It seemed to him that whatever place he was now in, it held no colour; only hues of black and grey.  There was a smell of burning flesh, like the odour that would wafted from a BBQ, but there was no accompanying hunger pangs that came with such a smell because the odour was mixed with a tinge of rot. Looking around for the source of the fire, he raised his eyes and saw, far off in the distance, two people, one whom he recognised as Lazarus, the homeless man whom he often saw at Church, (when he could get there) and the other, whom he somehow knew was Jesus. Lazarus seemed to be having a great time – he had been laid out in fine clothing, similar clothing to what the wealthy man use to wear. Lazarus was obviously enjoying some type of beverage. What he saw enraged him. Why the hell should I be thirsty while Lazarus is drinking his fill? So he commands Jesus: Jesus, save me will you!  Come on, you know I’ve been going to church for a while – tell Lazarus to bring me some water, or if you’ve got beer that would be even better, because this place is burning my throat; it must be the smoke in the air. Lazarus doesn’t tell Jesus that this man demanding the drink, is the same man that walked by him every day, ignoring his need, his thirst, his suffering. Instead it is Jesus who responds to the wealthy man. My dear, dear brother, I know you from Church. I know you had everything when you were alive. You had shelter, warmth, food and beautiful clothes to wear, whereas, Lazarus had none of those things – you know that because you heard his testimony and you walked passed him every day. But now he does have a place of safety, a place of comfort and plenty of good things to enjoy. Whereas all you had, all you got used to, has gone and so you suffer not only because of what you have lost but because you still believe you are owed something. There is no way that Lazarus can help you – even now he’s asking me if he could bring you some water – no, there is a great space between you and him which nobody can cross. You might think the wealthy man would hear these words and give up, but he was used to people obeying him, so instead he applies a different tack – rather than commanding, he begs: Wealthy Man: “Then please, please, please send Lazarus to my family so he can tell them how to live better, so they don’t end up here.” Jesus: “They go to church often enough to hear what is said about God’s Kingdom and how to care for the poor. That’s all they need.” Wealthy Man: “But Jesus, you’re wrong, I know that if they see a miracle they will believe and change – they know the Bible but it’s not enough, they need something special for them to take it seriously – to do what it asks, what you ask!” Jesus:  “Look! If they don’t listen to God then no miracle or sign is going to help them, not even a miracle as great as someone coming back to life after being declared dead!”   So then, what might the parable be saying about God’s Character and how we might be called to live? Like last week, on the surface this story seems clear. There is a turning of the tide, we might say, lf we live like the wealthy man then when we die we will suffer – if we are poor then we are going to have a great life in heaven. Does this really fit with the rest of what Jesus says in the Gospels? Christians over the years have used this parable to figure out the afterlife. However, this wasn’t Jesus’ intent. Rather Jesus is wanting the listeners then, who were primarily the temple leaders, to focus on the present, by situating themselves with the wealthy man’s family – He’s not telling them to stop enjoying the blessings they have received but rather, before it’s too late, use what they have to bless others because that is what God does. Jesus asks the same of us, not as a way to gain salvation, but because that is what he does. How do we know this? The Bible tells us so, the Prophets tell us, the community of faith tells us, Jesus tells us – so how are we living our lives in the face of that truth?

    • The parables of Jesus (Part 1)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 10 November 2019 Reading was Luke 16:1-8 Download this sermon as a PDF Over the next three weeks we are going to reflect on some of Jesus’ parables in the Gospel of Luke, but before we begin, we probably need to know what a parable is and why Jesus used them. What’s a parable? The basic definition is ‘a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson’. However, if we were to understand the common speech of post-biblical Judaism, the Hebrew word for Parable mašal and the Aramaic word for Parable mathla would be defined as figurative forms of speech of every kind: Similitude Allegory Fable Proverb Riddle Significant name And rule What is even more important to recognise is these figurative forms of speech were not simply given to lay down general truth but were uttered in an actual situation of the life of Jesus, in a particular and often unforeseen crisis. And more often than not, they were concerned with a situation of conflict. Dr Joachim Jeremias in The Parables of Jesus says these forms of speech were used to: Correct, reprove, attack: for the greater part, though not exclusively, the parables are weapons of warfare. Do you know how many of these figurative forms of speech are given by Jesus in the gospels? There are approximately 37, which of course we will not be able to get through in three weeks. It’s helpful to know that there are eight groupings of the parables. And these groupings are formed around particular emphasis: Jesus’ sermons on the Kingdom of God – The mustard seed (Mark 4:30-32) Cries of celebration – new garment and the new wine (Luke 5:36-38) God’s mercy for sinners – the two debtors (Luke 7:41-43) Cries of warning and a call for repentance – the unfruitful fig-tree (Mark 11:12-14) The challenge of the crisis – the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-8) Realised discipleship – the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) The way of suffering of Jesus –the stone must be rejected (Mark 8:31) And the ultimate end – New Temple (Mark 14:58) Taking this into account and remembering that these figurative forms of speech are used by Jesus to correct, reprove or attack thoughts about God and God’s Kingdom, today we are going to explore one of the parables found in the group The Challenge of Crisis. It’s called the Parable of the Unjust Steward or the Parable of the Dishonest Steward. As you listen to the parable, try and hear what Jesus might be saying about God and how he might want us to live knowing God’s character. There was a very wealthy woman who had hired a property manager to look after her huge portfolio around Wellington and the Kapiti Coast. Recently someone she trusted had brought to her attention that her property manager had been removing particular household goods from her properties for his own purpose; either keeping them for himself or selling them for extra cash and then blaming the tenants. Calling the manger to her office she told him she knew what he had been doing and wanted to know why – with no response she told him that she had no other option than to immediately dismiss him. Not knowing how she had found out what he had been doing, he began to plan what to do while his boss was still talking – he was too old to find another job. He knew that she could have done more than simply fire him, she could have threaten to bring charges with the police – but he also knew she was someone who had always been generous and compassionate. Counting on her nature, he began to leave her office, while, at the same time, asking if he could finished up the work he had been doing – this involved collecting the rent from a number of tenants who were late in their payments. With her agreement ringing in his ears he quickly arranged to meet with a number of tenants, who although late paying their rent, had particular connections in the business and property world – he had to talk with them before any news got out that he had lost his job; hoping to gain from his misfortune. It was risky but in the mind of the tenants he was still the property manager so he would use that to his advantage. The plan was to meet with the tenant that owed the most in rent and yet had the highest media profile. Knowing that the tenants believed he still worked for the property owner he asked: “How much are you behind in your rent?” In response the tenant said “I know, I know, it’s a lot, about a years’ worth – I keep planning to pay but then things come up and I know she is so, so generous [talking about the owner].“ The property manager then said: “Look if you agree to give me half of what you owe then I can make sure you will only have to pay six months’ rent –you’ll need to sign this agreement and if she eventually finds out you can always say you didn’t know I had been fired. And if she goes on about it you can also use your media contact to shame her – you know, she got the reputation of being fair, of being generous and forgiving and now she’s forcing you to live on the street!”  Once the tenant signed the agreement, the property manager contacted the next debtor in line to arrange a meeting and an opportunity to lay out the same scheme. With the agreement of the second tenant signed, the property manager gathered the signed documents and with a cat-that-ate-the- canary smile, returned to the property owner with the news the rent would soon be paid. It didn’t take long for the property owner to find out what was going on. However, rather than being angry she applauded her ex-employee for his sharp wit and wisdom.   So then, what might the parable be saying about God’s Character and how we might be called to live? Does God want us to be like the shrewd, unjust property manager? Does God want us to lie, cheat and steal? If your answer is yes, then you’ve missed the main point of the parable – the main point of the parable is about the owner – God, who was amazingly generous and merciful. That is why the property is commended not because he lied and cheated and stole – which if you notice led to others lying and cheating. But because he knew, he remembered, he trusted that the owner would continue to be merciful, generous and forgiving, even if he chose to do the wrong thing. This is what Jesus says we can learn from the children of this generation – live in the complete knowledge that God is abundantly generous and merciful – we can choose of course to live anyway we want but then we shouldn’t call Jesus Lord. Knowing that this parable fits in the category of ‘challenge of crisis’: maybe the crisis is that the disciples had forgotten God’s character and needed to be reminded. What might life look like if we continue to live in the knowledge that our God is so, so generous and merciful?

    • Do you hear what I hear?
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 1 December 2019 Reading was Luke 1:26-45 Download this sermon as a PDF The people of Israel lived in a state of advent waiting: of waiting for an arrival. God had formed a covenant with Abraham, and had promised an ordered future – free from the chaos of unfairness, violence and misery. And so they waited for a Saviour – for the Messiah, who would enact God’s rule. We get a sense of that in words of Psalm 122 we heard earlier… King David gives thanks for the difference God’s presence makes – for the peace and unity for all people, for ‘right living’. It was a descendant of King David whom Israel was waiting for. This waiting for the arrival of the Messiah is expressed in the words of the carol (which we’ll sing in a moment) “O Come, O Come Emmanuel’: O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel… Key of David… Rod of Jesse… Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here Here is a really old painting, from the Catacombs in Rome. It is a painting of a woman praying. This is her activity of waiting.  This image of a woman with outstretched arms is called Orante – ‘One who prays’. It is a pose of trust and desire. She stands feet planted firmly, openness expressed by her body – arms and even eyes (not praying with her eyes closed, like many of us!) It represents the human experience of waiting for something. The world is not as it’s meant to be. We know this, and so don’t we all wait for freedom, justice, peace, well-being…? This is a painting of the Christian community, and dates from the Third Century. At this time in history, Jesus has come into the world. So what is the woman waiting for…? She’s not waiting for the Son of God to come in flesh. That’s already happened. I suggest she could be waiting for Jesus to be received. Christians like her, and like us, do not need to treat Advent like an imaginative replay of the waiting in the centuries without Jesus – before the Incarnation. Jesus has come. But has Jesus been received? This woman prays with expectation that she will be open to receive Jesus fully; to enter fully into relationship with Jesus, and enter into the Kingdom Jesus came to bring. Are we waiting with expectation – praying – to live fully in God’s Kingdom? Our Advent is one where we know Jesus has come – we have received Jesus into our World, and the world has been changed. But has Jesus been received into our lives? Are we waiting with expectation? I was visiting someone in their home recently, and suddenly the whole house is shaking. It wasn’t an earthquake but the roaring of a jet aeroplane taking off from nearby Wellington airport! The person I was visiting didn’t respond at all. The roar had made me jump out of my skin, but they were used to the roaring jets, they live with it every day. I’m guessing they can probably even sleep through it. Are we sleeping through Christmas? Have we heard the ‘roaring’ of the story of Christmas read this morning? Can we hear the claims of Christmas – of the doctrine of Incarnation – that God became human? Three things to hear in the reading about Jesus’ incarnation: 1. The angel says: “the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David… (this is the descendant of David Israel was waiting for) 33He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. What kind of person is this?   2. But Mary has more immediate questions about the incarnation: Mary says to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? Oh…, this isn’t going to need a husband. Make no mistake this is not a man’s doing, this is God’s doing.   3. The third and most amazing thing about the incarnation is identified by Elizabeth’s words to Mary: blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord Elizabeth is talking about how the Lord is revealing something amazing to Mary about the plans for her. And the way the Lord is understood fits with the theology of the day. But Elizabeth also says: 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? Mary could well have said “Wait…what…? ‘The mother of my Lord’?! This is a bombshell! …that the Lord God of heaven has a mother – what is more a mother who is young, poor and unmarried. Do you hear the roar of the Christmas story?! The metaphysical becomes physical. The immortal becomes mortal. The immutable has become radically vulnerable. The impossible has become possible. What is Mary’s response? (Let’s note this carefully. In its familiarity we may miss the meaning of her response.) How can this be? (v34) Mary’s response is really important for us. Some people are snobs – what a lecturer of mine called ‘chronological snobbery’. It goes something like… Well, people back in those days weren’t very sophisticated and lived in a culture where they could believe those sorts of things – God becoming human; Jesus was God. But I think Jesus was just a great moral teacher. I’m a modern thinker. We can’t believe in those things anymore. Right…?, you’ve heard this? But Mary doesn’t just accept the news, she says “How can this be?” She doesn’t just respond “Oh great, that’s wonderful , all my dreams come true.” Mary says “How can this be?” She’s dubious (at best!). So when you hear people say “I can’t believe a claim that God became human. Other cultures back in those days went for that sort of stuff. Such extreme beliefs were normal.” That is ‘chronological snobbery’. And I’ll tell you why… We have to understand the thinking in other cultures to assess whether they would believe something more easily than we do today. Let’s take a quick look at the main cultures around at the time the Incarnation was being proclaimed. What were the worldviews of the people closest to the event? Did the cultures in those days make it easier to believe the Incarnation? Greco-Roman culture: The doctrine that God could become flesh was absolutely contradictory to the very core that worldview, that believed that the physical world was intrinsically dirty/polluted/evil. The idea that the divine would become human/physical was absolutely ridiculous and impossible. Eastern culture/worldview: The material world was an illusion. The divine would call us away from the illusion of the material world. The divine would not come into the material world, to ‘fix’ it! So again, the doctrine of the Incarnation is absolutely ridiculous to Eastern culture and thinking. Judaism: Did you hear me say earlier that the Jews were waiting for their Messiah? Surely, they would find the Incarnation easier to embrace? Absolutely not – in fact, of all the cultures at the time, Judaism struggled with this the most. They were waiting for a Messiah, but the suggestion that God HIMSELF would come into our midst (in the flesh) violated the central understanding of who Yahweh is. Judaism had the highest view of God. Yahweh is not some ‘life-force’ or something, Yahweh is the transcendent Creator of the universe, outside creation, separate. He is known and adored because He is holy; God is ‘other’. His name couldn’t even be written down. And so, of all the cultures of the time, the Incarnation is most repugnant and offensive to Judaism. Do you see? There was nothing about these cultures and the respective worldviews at the time that made the Incarnation easier to believe than today. Furthermore, the incarnation is not the logical progression in a developing series of ideas about the divine in relation to the world. It wasn’t like the Incarnation was a ‘solution’ for anyone at the time. The incarnation ‘interrupted’ and violated all cultural thinking. The doctrine of the Incarnation should be heard today as an explosive roar – but that was true for those at the time also. There was nothing easier at the time about believing God has become human. So what does this mean for us? Well, in addition to not being guilty of ‘chronological snobbery’, we should consider why so many people who faced the same intellectual barrier we do, believe. If it was no easier for them (and yet they accepted, and staked their lives on, this doctrine) then something confronted them so profoundly, their worldview was shattered. The roar of the Incarnation overwhelmed their pre-existing conceptions. There is something about the person of Jesus that overturned people’s worldviews. Please let the roar of Christmas – the doctrine of the Incarnation – confront you. To say “I just can’t believe God became a human” in response to the central claim of the Christmas story, and the lives of all who have embraced this for themselves, is intellectually lazy. It needs accounting for. And can’t be by saying: it was easier to believe that back then, or it was the logical progression in a developing series of ideas, or it a solution to fix a problem at the time. If you struggle to believe the Incarnation, so did they. But they looked and saw what changed everything. Will you look? Will you hear the ‘roar’ of Christmas? Will you get past the familiar sentimentality of Christmas and allow the claim of the incarnation to confront you? This woman prays with expectation that she will be open to receive Jesus fully; to receive his freedom, life, purpose, wholeness, hope; to enter fully into relationship with Jesus and enter into the Kingdom Jesus came to bring. Would you do that? Have you done that? Have you received Jesus? Are we waiting with expectation – praying – listening for the roar?  

    • Spirit, Church and Hope: Vision for intergenerational faith formation (Part 2)
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 3 November 2019 Readings were 2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12 and 1 Peter 2:4-10 Download this sermon as a PDF What do you think of when you hear the word ‘institution’[1]…?  Who wants to be associated with an institution these days? Where there are Royal Commissions into abuse in care. Patients waiting longer for surgery. And young people dying in University hostels. With all the scrutiny, institutions are very uncool. Who wants to be found as part of the ‘institution’? What about churches…? Many people see churches as institutions. But not the writer of 1 Peter. By comparison with an institution, the church is described as living stones…being built into a spiritual house. (v5) We’ll consider what this means for us in a moment. But first I want to recap what we heard last week… Today I’ve titled the sermon the same as last week: Spirit, Church and Hope: Vision for intergenerational faith formation. Last week I explained that we are claiming the vision of Joel (that Peter echoed on the day of Pentecost) we believe God’s Holy Spirit is working in our midst. Joel’s vision is ours too: the Holy Spirit is present with us all… sons and daughters … old men and young men… male and female We are claiming our own vision for intergenerational faith formation. This vision builds on our strengths as a Church, AND takes us into a more intentional way of living as an all-generation Church family. This vision is about knowing God’s presence, growing our faith together. We are going to be exploring a lot more how this framework gives us opportunities to experience intergenerational faith formation. And we pray we will all be attuned to the presence of God’s Spirit and open to the experiences we have together. To remind you again, these are the eight pillars of faith formation that synthesise with the four main words of our St John’s Mission Statement: Worship Peak Experiences Encounters with Jesus Grow Mentors and Life Coaches Big Story of the Bible Live Positive Peer Community Anchors/Rites of Passage Share Serving in Mission Respond with compassion There is more detail about this framework available – and copies of the booklet Towards the Future can be picked up in the foyer today. So, how does today’s reading from 1 Peter help us recognise ourselves as a community with a vision for intergenerational faith formation? There are three things I want to highlight about ‘living stones’ that identify us, not as an institution (depersonalised, and monolithic), but as a vibrant kaleidoscope of wondrous humanity! Firstly, the ‘living stones’ are plural. The church is more than just me, and more than just you – we are people drawn together by the Holy Spirit. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people (v10) The living temple (that the Holy Spirit inhabits) is us, built together. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul talks about the individual as a temple of the Holy Spirit. But virtually all other references to the temple of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament are plural. Y’all are the temple of the Holy Spirit!  Plural. The second thing to notice is that the ‘living stones’ are described using passive present progressive. We are being built We are being built presently/now. We are continuing to be built. It’s not our own efforts, but God’s grace that transforms us …into who we truly are. The Holy Spirit is present with us, among us now, and is at work with us, within us, and among us. Like the workers who crawl all over this building during the week. We are not sitting still, the Church is meant to be a dynamic body of people – being transformed by God’s grace. So, living stones are plural and passive present progressive… And thirdly, we are interconnected. We are like bricks in a wall. Not as Pink Floyd described: all in all it’s just another brick in the wall. No! Every brick matters and we all depend on the other. Each brick above you heavily depends on you as a brick ‘here’ in the wall. And you are dependent on the bricks under you. If any of the others shake, they all shake; if the others fall, they all fall. Do we live as if one stone moves they all move? Or do we privatise our faith and participate in church as a discretionary activity; as consumers? Another way of thinking of the church is like a jigsaw puzzle. We are all parts of the one puzzle. Each a different colour, a different shape (no sniggering please!) and each valuable in the big picture. You know what it’s like to finish a puzzle and have one piece missing! I think if Jesus was teaching today… sure, he might stick with the parables about a missing sheep, a missing coin, but perhaps he’d add a story about a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle! C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian writer describes human interconnectedness in his book The Four Loves. And I want to read you a part where he reflects on his tight-knit group of friends. (His mention of ‘Ronald’ refers to his friend J. R. R. Tolkien. And his mention of ‘Charles’ is a reference to his friend Charles Williams, who had recently died.) In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction…. Far from having more of Ronald, having him ‘to myself’ now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald. … In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious ‘nearness by resemblance’ to Heaven itself… [like] the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision crying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have.[2] Do we live with this sense of connectedness, and this sense of abundance together? With this sense of ‘the more the merrier’? As “living stones…being built into a spiritual house” (v5) we are connected to each other more than we are often ready (or able) to recognise. A big part of this lack of recognition is because our relationships are fragmented. Why do our relationships fragment….? Because our relationship with God has fragmented. You might be surprised how much of leadership in the church is a lot of the time invested in holding relationships together – you and I (everyone) is prone to fragmentation! We live on the fault-lines of our human weaknesses. Thank God, Jesus comes to sort us out. Jesus died on the cross for us; to restore us and make us whole. God promises: you can get right with me, and I can hold of each of you together in my community of self-giving love. To think of the Church another way…we are like threads woven together by God. Being woven together make the threads stronger than each separate one, AND usually more beautiful too. The lyrics of the song ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes’ expresses the purpose we find when we recognise we are woven together: A single thread in a tapestry Through its colour brightly shines Can never see its purpose In the pattern of the grand design And a third way to pictures ourselves together as the Church…is when a single note of music recognises the other notes in the song. It is identified with something bigger and more beautiful; something with pattern and purpose. I wonder which image you feel speaks of the Church best? Stones, tapestry, or music? At the centre of our lives together is an image we can see… the Table. When each of comes to the table alongside others, we are re-membered together. And we remember we are one family… of all ages, being formed in our faith together. So, this word we hear for us today, describing us (the Church) as “living stones”, strengthens our vision for intergenerational faith formation. Indeed, may it be so. Let’s pray…     [1] Do you think of: dependability, inclusion, common good…? Or do you think of: bureaucracy, rigidity, depersonalised, monolithic…? [2] The Four Loves http://humanitas.org/?p=3381

    • Spirit, Church and Hope: Vision for intergenerational faith formation (Part 1)
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 27 October 2019 Readings  were Psalm 65:1-5 and Joel 2: 23-32 Download this sermon as a PDF These two readings are given to us from the lectionary for this Sunday. And when I saw these were the available readings for us, I was very excited – because they speak so powerfully about our experiences together as a Church right now. We have a vision for intergenerational faith formation (and I wish there was a slicker way to describe this – it deserves a cooler name!) …but this vision builds on our strengths as a Church, AND takes us into a more intentional way of living as an all-generation Church family. This is a vision of knowing God’s presence, growing our faith together. In Psalm 65 we hear words of praise for who God is. These are glorious words of fullness, strength, power, abundance, and joy. God is the one who answers our prayers. (v2) God is the one in control – we are God’s and we are part of God’s glorious creation. Humanity praises God in recognition of who God is. But wait, there’s more to this Psalm, right…? Psalm 65 also expresses praise for the close relationship with God, and with each other… To you all flesh shall come. (v2) We praise God, for God knows us, and God is knowable by us. And we live in this joyous state of communion with God and each other. It’s this connectedness, and celebration of the affection God has for us, that is also heard in the prophecy of Joel. Let’s look more carefully at the passage from Joel – because this is the passage that I think really speaks to our own vision for intergenerational faith formation. This passage from Joel may sound familiar. These important words from Joel are those we hear each year on the Day of Pentecost – the day which we understand as the birth of the Church. Peter quotes Joel’s words in his sermon on that first Pentecost to emphasise that this great gift of the Spirit was for everyone. I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.  (vv28-29) This is certainly the central part of the passage I want to focus on. Peter and Jesus’ disciples trusted in the saving grace of God shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And they recognised God’s promise of hope again, as – on the Day of Pentecost – God’s Spirit is poured out on all people. And, what a wonderful promise this is for us today as well! The grace of God shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is present among us now! And where I want to land this promise for us today… is how this boosts our vision for being a Church family committed to intergenerational faith formation.  Growing in the love of Christ. The Holy Spirit is present with us all… sons and daughters … old men and young men… male and female The Church’s experience of Pentecost confirms the abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit for all – without discrimination; without exclusion. We experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit together. What is that like? As a child I remember when my parents would invite someone to stay at our home. Whether it was a member of the wider family or a special guest, the presence of this person would change our experience in our home. The house was tidier than usual. Everything became more beautiful and clean. We would use the ‘good’ cutlery and plates. And everybody would be on their best behaviour. It wasn’t phoney, but rather the small irritating factors of family life seemed less important, everybody paid attention to the special guest, delighting in their presence and attentive to all they said. This is a bit what it’s like being aware of the glorious presence of the divine person who lives permanently within the walls of our lives, whose presence we experience together. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that gathers and sustains the Church community. This has always been the case, is true now, and always will be so. We do not need to ‘manufacture’ experiences of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is always moving within us, among us and between us. Our part is to be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit. And our expression of commitment to intergenerational faith formation is to be intentional about identifying how the Spirit is present with us all. Each of us is a gift to everyone else, and the Holy Spirit gives us shared experiences that grow our faith together. This is not new. We have experienced this up to and including today… Let me share some personal examples. When I was a young fella, my parents were very integrated in the life of their local church (they still are!). We went to church every Sunday, and I would have better luck getting off school if I was sick then getting off Church!  (Maybe they thought I might get better at Church!) And I would accompany my parents much of the time to other church activities. One time I remember a Men’s Dinner in the Church hall, for which my Mum and other women in the Church were catering. I must’ve been about 7 or 8, and I can recall hanging around doing little jobs (it’s possible I was also being a pain in the neck!) The memory of this experience has remained with me largely because of the after-dinner speaker they had that night. He talked about his love of Rolls Royce cars – and some of you will have guessed it was none other than Roger Lloyd. A member of this congregation still, now in his nineties. This is one clear memory of being part of an all-age church. It wasn’t what I’d describe as a super-spiritual experience, but certainly one that strengthened my identity as a person include in the Church community. It is an incredibly precious feeling for me, and has shaped my whole life and sense of God’s will for me. As a young guy, I was mixing with people of all ages in the Church, experiencing the life of faith and growing in that. Growing surrounded by many people of different ages, reinforcing spheres of relational influences that nurture faith. And the same has been true in this congregation for many years. My wife has given me permission to share her precious experience of growing up in this congregation as a young girl. And, although her experience was having her faith grow with friendships with lots of adults, there is one that stands out for her. This adult is still part of our all-age experiences together. She had her pantry raided by young people last weekend. And we’ve recently celebrated that she has been part of this St John’s all-age family for 70 years! Betty Robertson. For Naomi, and many others, Betty is a role model of faith. Betty, thank you. We believe with all our hearts that: Faith is communally transmitted and communally sustained. While intergenerational faith formation isn’t something new at St John’s, we are approaching it more deliberately, because we can see the wonderful results – for us all as we grow in our faith. We have adopted a framework to help us be more aware of the opportunities for experiencing the Holy Spirit together… There are eight pillars of faith formation that synthesise with the four main words of our St John’s Mission Statement: Worship Peak Experiences Encounters with Jesus Grow Mentors and Life Coaches Big Story of the Bible Live Positive Peer Community Anchors/Rites of Passage Share Serving in Mission Respond with compassion There is more detail about this framework available – and copies of this booklet Towards the Future can be picked up in the foyer today.We are going to be exploring a lot more how this framework gives us opportunities to experience intergenerational faith formation. And we pray we will all be attuned to the presence of God’s Spirit and open to the experiences we have together. Others have caught this vision already, and Neil Dodgson is going to briefly share why this vision of intergenerational faith formation is so important for St John’s…

    • Taming the tongue
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 20 October 2019 Reading was James 3:5b-12 Download this sermon as a PDF I want to start by showing you some of my home movies! My family and I visited Sea World last year, and a definite highlight was seeing the orca jump and splash the crowd. Orca are animals that can be tamed. As can parrots, sniffer dogs, …and I’ve even heard of people who can get their cat to use a toilet! But, what about taming the tongue? We hear from scripture today: …every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-8) No one can tame the tongue. If I asked how many words you estimate you say every day, what would you answer? I recently heard that we speak an average of 7,000 words every day. How many of these words are pure and life-giving? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This is contradictory; if this were true this little ditty wouldn’t be need saying. The field of human psychology recognises very well how words can hurt and even cripple us. Once said, words cannot be retrieved. This passage from James paints a picture of how dangerous our words can be. And what solution does it offer…? None! We recognise the risk and (perhaps like me) you can relate to it, but this passage does not go on to suggest how we tame the tongue. no one can tame the tongue (v8) It is a pessimistic description of the human tendency to say things hurtful and harmful. Given this bleak assessment, can we say anything about taming the tongue? Well, we have to. So, (as we are accustomed to) we look to Jesus to guide us; to teach us about who God is; to reveal to us what God desires. We look at how Jesus’ death displays love given for us, and for proliferation in the world. A youth pastor who was part way through telling what he thought was a funny story about a heavy woman, …when he just stopped and mumbled something about being unable to remember the story. I asked him later and he said he felt God telling him in that moment to stop. (And he refused to tell me the rest of the story!) Although we look to Jesus to guide us, we can (and do) make bad choices at times. We are each a mixture of good and bad. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. (v10) Jesus is our guide, and yet (I want to be crystal clear here) Christian faith does not suggest we try and simply emulate Jesus with our daily choices. Trying harder isn’t the answer; we can’t reform ourselves enough. The good news is that Jesus gives us what we need. When we open ourselves in trust, we are conformed to Jesus. We do not emulate/imitate Jesus, but are conformed to him. Jesus is inviting us to trust our whole being (existence) into his. By the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, the more we are open to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the more Jesus is able to share the goodness of knowing God with us. Do you see the difference between trying to emulate Jesus, and being conformed to Jesus? The outcome of being conformed to Jesus is that our lives begin to be shaped more by God’s will and purposes for us and the world. With lives conformed by the life of Jesus (in relationship with God the Father), we find ourselves responding to this grace in ways that proclaim God’s ways. All we are and have is conformed to God’s ways – our time, talent, taonga (treasure) – and our tongue. So, let me end on a positive and hopefully encouraging point. Although we are told “no one can tame the tongue”, I suggest, as we trust Jesus, our lives are conformed to God’s wholeness and peace and our lives bless and bring life. This includes our tongues, which can proclaim God’s way and offer hope to all those around us. Let’s pray…

    • Rescued for a future
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 29 September 2019 Readings were Psalm 91 and Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15 Download this sermon as a PDF I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. This is the moral outcry from the teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. The world heard her address the United Nations this week… People are suffering. People are dying and dying ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is the money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! For more than 30 years the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you’re doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.[1] Her speech makes me very uncomfortable, but we have a moral responsibility to hear the critique. As someone older, I cannot ignore the voice of the younger generations, especially on the issue of the future of the planet. As a St John’s Church family we have made recent efforts to ensure we are listening to our own young people. And we will continue to ensure we hear their voice; their moral leadership. And I strongly believe we will have our experience of life and faith enriched by the perspective of the younger generations. Greta Thunberg confronts all of us. What is it you hear in what she is saying? Are her words apocalyptic or hopeful?She concluded her speech to the UN saying: We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not. Greta’s words seem to me both apocalyptic AND hopeful.She warns of the peril of our action, but does not give up – she believes that things will change. We have heard similar words of doom and hope this morning, from a much more ancient source.This passage from Jeremiah (about Jeremiah) is a bit tricky, so let me explain what we have heard. The context is important (as always for understanding scripture). The time is about 600BCE. Jeremiah is being detained – he’s a prisoner held in the court of the guard of the King’s palace – that’s where everything happens in this episode. Why is Jeremiah being held in detention?As God’s prophet, he has been speaking God’s word; confronting those in power. Jeremiah has made King Zedekiah very uncomfortable with his vociferous moral voice. Jeremiah speaks truth to power, and his prophecies are not welcome. The official powers are trying to silence him. But Jeremiah continues to speak (with unflinching moral leadership) what God wanted. The unrepentant nation is sinning against God and it is being judged. They are going to lose the war they are fighting – the war against Babylon. That is the first part of this reading – focused on the relationship between Jeremiah and King Zedekiah. The second part of the reading is focused on another relationship: Jeremiah and Cousin Hanamel. And we need to be aware of the transition from verse 3, ahead to verse 6, because ‘the word of the Lord’ shifts from speaking to the King to speaking directly to Jeremiah. God’s word to the King is judgement… but what is God’s word to Jeremiah…? God tells Jeremiah to purchase a block of land; to buy the land of Anathoth from his cousin (Jeremiah’s cousin – not God’s!). Why? Why would anyone buy property at a time when the nation was besieged by an invading army? What value can the property expect to have when there is widespread political and social disintegration? This purchase of property is counter-intuitive, and is a declaration of God’s sovereignty.Although the judgement will come against this faithless nation and it will be severe, there is hope for restoration. God will bring His people back to the city. We hear what this passage means in the final verse: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. (v15) The land that is now being decimated will be saved and restored. It will not be lost; it has a future purpose. The city will again be inhabited by those who will be the light of God to the whole world. This is a message of hope amidst very real threats, danger and destruction. Jeremiah faithfully speaks God’s word and offers moral leadership in a desperate situation, to proclaim hope. God is in control. We can see how relevant this proclamation of hope is for our world today. You and I, in our own lives, experience setbacks, defeats, declining fortunes, conflict and stress. And we also recognise these personal experiences playing out on a much greater scale. The gloomy picture of this country’s largest business, Fonterra. The co-op, that produces a quarter of all New Zealand’s exports, reported this week a loss of $605M. Around the word, the largest economies are locked in a bitter trade war. We are living with global political instability – Brexit in the UK, and steps toward impeachment of the President in the US. And, of course, the ever-looming climate crisis. We need assurance – more than ever – that God is in control. Friends, the good news we have is that God is not only in control, God promises a future. And, as those who hear the good news, don’t we have moral leadership to exercise…? What is this good news? Let’s be clear. Psalm 91 declares the nature of God’s promise to us. God will protect us. God will answer us. God will rescue us. God will deliver us. God says: With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. (v16) It is in the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, we have full clarity of the good news. In Christ we are shown that we are both saved FROM and saved FOR. We are saved FROM all things that threaten to destroy us. Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. And Jesus proclaims the coming Kingdom of God. This coming Kingdom resonates with the image of the city we heard in Jeremiah – a place, a people, ruled by God’s perfect will, where there is the fulfilment of God’s comprehensive and coherent purposes. One of my favourite books is ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens. This classic is a story about doom and hope. Do you know the opening line…? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… The opening line is familiar to many, but listen how Dickens continues the theme of doom and hope… …it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way… The story concludes with one of the most gripping illustrations of substitutionary sacrifice, and serves as a reminder of what Christ has done to save us – both FROM and FOR. A man with a wife and daughter is in prison facing his execution, when an old associate (without family and whose life has been far from exemplary) comes to visit him in his prison cell. This visitor drugs the prisoner, swaps clothes with him and has him taken to an awaiting carriage, under the pretence that the prisoner is actually the visitor, who has fainted with emotion. Later that day, the visitor (who obviously bears similar physical resemblance) goes to the guillotine and is executed in the man’s place. This man substitutes himself to save the prisoner from death, and save him for a future with his wife and daughter. A further tender moment in this story is when a young woman, also in the prison condemned to execution, recognises the substitutionary sacrifice this man is performing and asks if she can hold his hand. The dying man is a moral leader… he chooses to give up power and becomes strength to the girl, who is drawn to the courage of this man in their mutual weakness. It is a story of hope amidst despair and destruction. A story of rescue offered for another. A story of purpose craved by those who know their need. A story of something like a new city being built where people find a future place to live in peace with each other. The good news of Jesus Christ is the truth that we are both saved FROM and saved FOR. We are saved from sin – which is not a substance, but broken relationship. We are estranged and separated from God (like the lost toy in the movie Toy Story). Christ dies in our place in costly solidarity with humanity in its shameful and culpable situation. And his Resurrection displays the hope we hold in God’s future – a future we are rescued FOR. In Romans 5 we are told: while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, … (v10) having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. … one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. (v18) Peace/shalom with God is restored in Christ’s sacrifice, as well as peace between each other. We are brought back into relationship and life. Friends, let’s be clear: this is the good news that God is in control and promises a future. So, whatever threats and fears we experience, Christ displays God’s solidarity with us. We are able to hold the hand of Christ extended to us. We can experience NOW the resurrection life of the one who makes true the plans God has for the future. The word spoken to Jeremiah is true for us also: I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your well-being and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jer 29:11) What do you imagine these plans are? What is our vision for the future? I want us to give this serious consideration, because (as I said earlier) we are those who hear the good news, and we have moral leadership to exercise in the world. We are asked to join with the work of Christ to build the city of God’s Kingdom, as a light to the world, where everyone will find life and hope. We started with the moral vision of a young woman, and I want to conclude this message with another young woman: Malala a moral leader for now and the future. The world came to hear the name Malala in 2012 when, at the age of 15, she was shot in the head by the Taliban. How does a Pakistani girl become the target of an assassination attempt…? rior to that she was an activist for the rights of women and girls and a vocal opponent of the Taliban. She was a writer and a speaker, and the attack she survived now gives her a platform to reach so many more – the intention to eliminate her and her voice has had the opposite effect. Malala is only 22 years old, and is a current figure of hope and vision for our world now in the 21st Century and into the future. Her moral leadership is in large part due to her family, who strengthened her, and equipped her. They celebrated and validated her in a culture that doesn’t always value women. She was given opportunities; she was nurtured; her talents were given energy. The upbringing of Malala, into the moral leader she has become, is a reminder of the importance of how we invest in the lives of our young people – nurturing them by sharing our time and interest in who they are and encouraging their gifts. Will you join me to continue strengthening young people and shaping them into moral people…? People who listen, who make great moral decisions, people who care? May the example of Jesus Christ be our guide and inspiration always, as we participate in His life with the Father and Holy Spirit, and thereby share hope with the world. Amen.   [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greta-thunberg-un-speech-you-have-stolen-my-dreams-climate-activist-tells-climate-summit/

    • Encountering Jesus’ decisions
      • Sermon by Wayne Matheson on 22 September 2019 Reading was Matthew 7:24-29 Download this sermon as a PDF One day an obscure monk named Martin Luther stands before a very powerful tribunal that could excommunicate and perhaps kill him if he doesn’t renounce his idea of salvation – justification by faith alone. He says, My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. Five hundred years later you and I are here partly as a result of that one decision. I believe that outside of God, the greatest and most remarkable power in this universe is the power of decision. The power of being to choose to affect eternal destiny is a unique reflection of the image of God, and you have this power right now. Every day marriages are made or broken. Children are loved or neglected. People’s character gets strengthened or shipwrecked. Destinies are carved out – all because of this power of decision that God has given to humans. Nobody understood this better than Jesus. Jesus never simply gives out information for the sake of giving out information. One of the great illusions of the church in our day is that information alone can produce spiritual maturity. If we want to create spiritually mature people pump them full of more information. Jesus relentlessly presses people to make a decision based on his teaching. That decision is to be connected to action – often-costly action. “Do you want to be healed? Stretch out your hand.” “Pray and don’t give up.” “Go and sell all you have. Decide, act, and then come and be my disciple.” “I’ve set you an example. You also are to wash one another’s feet.” “Peter, come to me on the water.” “Go and sin no more.” Above all Jesus says, Follow me, follow me, follow me. Nobody ever went away from an encounter with Jesus saying, “That was a good talk.” Always with Jesus people have to face the question: Will you choose? Will you act? Will you decide? Will you obey? Will you submit? Will you follow? Kings, beggars, judges or lepers, it didn’t matter. Jesus takes every human being’s choice with unbelievable seriousness. When human beings encounter Jesus, it is decision time. Know this: Jesus is still in the decision business. He is going to ask us to make the decisions of our life in light of the one great decision to follow him no matter what. Today will look at brief encounter that one individual has with Jesus – Matthew. Matthew’s life revolves around two decisions. The first was made long before this story. According to an old saying there are only two things in this life that are certain. Death and taxes. Tax collectors have never been popular people through the history of the world. In Israel, tax collectors were in a whole other category. Israel was occupied by Rome, and Rome was primarily interested in how much money it could wring out of occupied countries. So instead of having Rome collect taxes, they would have natives of each of those countries do it. In this case, they’d get Israelites to do it. The way it worked was they would allow Israelites to bid for the right to be a tax collector for a particular area. For example, somebody might say, “I’ll bring in five million dollars for Wellington,” and they would get the job. That person could collect as much in taxes as he could get away with. Anything he could get away with that he could collect, and he had to give to Rome what he had bid. Everything else he got to keep. It was assumed that tax collectors were guilty of massive dishonesty because that was the case. There was a saying, “For tax collectors’ repentance is hard,” because tax collectors had cheated so many people, they wouldn’t even know who to go back and make amends to because the list was too long. One Roman writer wrote about a town that erected a statue to an honest tax collector because corruption among tax collectors was so common. Tax collectors in Israel were despised not just as corrupt but as traitors who had sold out their brothers and sisters to their enemy, Rome, for profit. They were deprived of political and civil rights. Tax collectors couldn’t serve as a witness in the courts. They were not allowed to serve as judges. A devout Israelite would not let a tax collector touch the hem of his robe. Matthew has betrayed his people, corrupted his morals, and is sitting at a tax booth trying to rip off travellers, and he would have lived and died right there. Except one day, Jesus, stops at his toll booth. Apparently, Matthew has heard Jesus teach before about a God who extends grace to tax collectors. Jesus gives a very short talk: Follow me. Matthew does not now need more information. He doesn’t need another illustration of forgiveness or further explanation about grace. He needs to decide what he is going to do. There comes a point where information must be acted upon. If you don’t, if you keep on accumulating more information without responding to it, without taking action based on it, if you just keep piling it in without responding to it, you will get inoculated against it. Your heart gets hardened to it. Matthew sits there. Here is whatever financial security that he could accumulate because nobody else is going to hire him. The only people who will accept him are other tax collectors or other sinners equally disreputable. His future, his faith, his destiny, his eternity hangs on what happens next. This is his moment.  He stands and walks around his booth. He looks this man from Nazareth in the eye and says, Let’s go. I want to be with you. I’ve decided. I want us to understand what this decision involves for him. I want to read Matthew 9:9 again and then look at the passage of the same story in Luke. There is a two-word phrase that is in Luke but not Matthew. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9) Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi”- the same person – “sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:27) What is the phrase? He “left everything.” Matthew had money, possessions, financial security. This decision cost Matthew more than it does any other disciple. Matthew is the only one that has the one-verse parable; Jesus said, A man finds a treasure in a field, and in his great joy he sells everything that he has and buys the field so he can possess the treasure. Anytime somebody sees how good it is, this life that Jesus offers, anytime somebody really gets it – they realise they get to be a part of that life. Anything they have to give up to be a part of that life they do it with joy because of how surely good life in this kingdom is. I think Matthew paid the highest price of any disciple. The rest of them, the fishermen, all could have gone back to fishing if they needed to, if things with Jesus didn’t work out. Matthew could never return to his old profession. That door was closed. When somebody encounters Jesus, it is decision time. That decision will involve action that is very powerful, and I want us to see this is not just true for Matthew. This is Jesus’ whole ministry. Jesus tells a story about the power of decisions. The more that I study this parable, the more I am struck by how absolutely brilliant it is in its insight to human nature and human destiny. This comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Now some people think the Sermon on the Mount is a list of rules of moral principles or a list of ethical guidelines and it looks a little foreboding. That is not what Jesus is primarily speaking about. The crowds gathered yet they had heard talks on rules before. When Jesus speaks – it stops people in their tracks. Matthew summarises Jesus’ whole message, From that time on, Jesus began to preach, Repent, the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 4:17) and then in verse 23, Jesus went through Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news. When you think about the Gospel and ask, what is the gospel that Jesus had to preach, it was the gospel of Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that it has come near. This process has begun. The Kingdom is not here in its fullness yet. There are other kingdoms that defy it, complete with it. Jesus is saying all this information comes down to decision. There is something very universal about this story. It strikes at something deep about human nature. Some of you may know there is another story very similar to this. See if you can guess which story it is. In this story, every character builds a house and every house faces a test. If the house is built wisely it endures, if it is built foolishly it collapses. Anybody want to guess? The Three Pigs. Every pig builds a house. One uses straw, one sticks, one bricks, but they all build. Every pig faces the wolf. They all hear the same knock,”Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” They all respond, “Not by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin.” In this story whether the house survives, or collapses depends on the wisdom with which it was built. Jesus says everybody builds a house. Another way of saying this would be to say everybody constructs a life. Like it or not, wisely or foolishly, you are constructing a life. You are building your house. The way that you do it is by making choices. You alone can do this, and you cannot avoid doing this. Many people don’t want to face this truth, because it feels like a burden to them. They want to let somebody else, a parent or a spouse or a boss make these choices. Sometimes very authoritarian churches thrive because people want somebody else to take responsibility for making choices for them. Sometimes people get tired of choosing. In our day we face what experts call “choice overload,” because we are inundated with the need to make decisions. When we are indecisive, when you put off making decisions, those too become part of your house. The choice we never make, the conversation we never have, that too becomes part of your house. You are building your house. You cannot avoid this. People don’t drift into deep and vital prayer. People don’t drift into generosity of spirit. People don’t drift into deep community. People don’t drift into evangelistic passion. People don’t drift into discipleship. Jesus never expected that they would. That is why he always pressed for decision. Jesus says everybody faces the storm. The big, bad wolf comes to every little piggy’s door. We have a way of thinking that circumstances make our lives and that our lives would be good if we could construct them where there are no storms. You cannot choose your storms. This is a deep truth of life. They will come. Circumstances do not make our lives. They do not build our houses. They do not create our souls. The ultimate storm Jesus is talking about in this parable is the judgment of God, which will come one day to every house. God will not judge you for the circumstances of your life, but for the decisions of your life. Storms reveal what the foundation is. Everybody decides what they are going to build their life on. This foundational commitment is actually basing all our other choices. Not just in theory, but in actuality. We all must build our houses on something. What are our choices based on really? Jesus shows his brilliance when he assesses the problem of the man who built on sand. He doesn’t say that the man was deliberately wicked or intentionally twisted. What adjective does he use to describe the man who built the man on sand? Foolish. You understand this. Whenever children do something foolish, their parents will often try to lead them on a decision evaluation exercise. Parents will ask a question, always the same question. My parents asked it of me, I’ve asked it of my children. One word, three letters – “Why?” “Why did you leave your bike under my car?” “Why did you have a contest to see who could stick the spaghetti noodle farthest up your brother’s nose? Why?” The answer is always the same, three words, “I don’t know.” Of course, they don’t know. If they were doing things for reasons, they wouldn’t have done such stupid things in the first place. If you were to ask the foolish man, “Foolish man, why did you build your house on the sand?” what do you think he would say? “I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It just happened.” Nobody sets out to build a house on the sand. No architect says, “One good storm will wash this house away. Let’s put it here.” It just happens. If you were to ask Matthew, “How did you become a tax collector?” what do you think he would say? “I don’t know.” No child says, “I think I’ll become corrupt and deceitful when I grow up. I’ll choose rejection and humiliation from all the people I love the most. I’ll make sure the only people who hang out with me will be the kind that drag me down morally and spiritually. I’ll make sure I’ll sear my conscience and cut myself off from God and his people. I’ll sign up for a life of loneliness and self-loathing.” Nobody chooses that. Matthew made easy choices when the hard ones would have cost too much. He got hardened to the suffering of his own people until it didn’t pierce his heart anymore. The Sermon on the Mount back in chapter 5 starts with these words, Now when he saw the crowds, he went up the mountainside…His disciples came to him and he began to teach them and at the end of the sermon we heard, The crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law. That last statement has a precise meaning. The crowd is not saying ‘He is a good teacher and really knows his stuff.’ Jesus is claiming something no other teacher or rabbi would claim. Did you hear it in the reading? There is a rabbinic saying from the time of Jesus attributed to a rabbi named Nathaniel. It says, Whoever studies Torah and does good works may be likened to one who lays a foundation of stone and bricks that raising water cannot overturn. Sound familiar? Did you spot the difference? Not whoever hears Torah and does it, but whoever hears these words of mine. The coming of the kingdom has begun. Jesus comes to tax collectors and sand builders and foolish little piggies, and says, You can choose again. You can choose wiser. You can choose deeper. I’ll forgive you. I’ll teach you. I’ll guide you. I’ll go with you. I’ll partner with you, and I will give you power. He will do that for you. Who knows what might change? He will not do one thing for you. He will not choose for you. That you must do on your own. Jesus himself will not do that for you. Jesus and his kingdom are right here, and there are worlds of possibility open to us as there were to Matthew. That might shape us, feed our mind that might cause us to think new thoughts, how we spend this precious gift of time, how we make our life a gift of God. You – and I – we must choose. Then invitation is to encounter Jesus; to hear his words, “Follow me” and to decide…  

    • God’s calling us (Part 2)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 1 September 2019 Readings were Genesis 12:1-5 and Matthew 16: 24-26 Download this sermon as a PDF Last week we explored God’s call in our lives. I asked you to remember three things, which were? Like Prophet Jeramiah, we have all been called by God. Because of God’s call to us, we are to live, think and act for God with God, where ever we are and in whatever we are doing. And the only really way we can do this is by following Jesus, who not only is with us, and who makes it possible to live the call, but shows us what it looks like. I also said we would be continuing to explore God’s call this week. As I’ve been preparing these sermons, I’ve been thinking about how God has called me throughout my life. I’ve recognised God’s quiet calling, through my baptism, where these words were spoken: Jesus Christ came into the world, lived, died, rose in newness of life, and ascended to God’s right hand. All this he did for you, [for us], though you do not know it yet. And so the word of scripture is fulfilled: “We love because God first loved us.” I’ve come to know God’s call through my parent’s faith in Christ, along with the faith communities I’ve been a part of over the years. But probably the most times I’ve heard God’s call has been when I’ve been deeply affected by a situation that I know touches the heart of God and I have to respond. Let me tell you a story. Most of you know I have been brought up in a Christian home, my parents were missionaries, my father a ministers, my uncle a minister, my aunty a minister – so you could say there was in good chance one of my parents’ four sons would work for the church. I’m not sure this had anything to do with a call, except, our family culture, our conversations, our thought patterns and decision were infused with stories of church, missionaries and theology. Every family has a culture which will model particular thoughts, desires and dreams. Are these desires and dreams God’s call? I believe they are a general call, in the sense that God speaks into every aspect of our lives but the question we have to ask is ‘which god is calling?’ Anyway, growing up I was always influenced by church talk and culture, it was always in the back of my mind, which of course God knew and I believe used, when I experienced my first, secondary call, which was to apply for the Training in Mission programme run by CWM (London Missionary Society). I had been working as an electronic technician at Tait Electronics, in Christchurch, for six years and had begun wondering if this was what I would be doing for ever, not because the work was bad, just that I had discovered that I enjoyed talking with people rather than looking at electronic components all day. One day when I was visiting my parents, dad showed me a small article in the national churches newspaper, Crosslink, inviting applicants for TIM. At the time I thought it was interesting but nothing more, however the following days and weeks the desire to know more grew, something about the programme, (the travel sounded exciting) and the chance to learn more about God, touched my heart. If I look back now, it was as though I was being gently pushed to apply, which I eventually did and after months of waiting, was accepted to represent the PCANZ on TIM. This experience has taught me a number of lessons about God’s call. God works in and through our desires, our dreams, as long as they line up with His. I believe, knowing we have first been called to God, by God, for God, we are constantly being provided doors to go through, NOT one, or two, but many and if they are in obedience to God’s call, then God will bless each and every one we walk through. I’ve often pray now, when I believe God is calling me to do something, that if it is really from God, then the door will stay open, if it is not from God that the door is closed in ways that I can’t miss. Another thing about God’s call is that not everyone around us will understand it. When I told some of my friends and colleagues at Tait Electronics that I was leaving to go on an 11-month mission training programme, they thought I was crazy. Why would I give up a good job, a good income and ongoing security, and with the possibility of promotion? All I can say, is none of these things seemed to answer my questions about my purpose, my calling, at that time. If we look at the Genesis reading today, Abraham’s call is to live a life of truth in God as he journeys before God – even if he (Abram) has no idea where he is going, where he is going to sleep, how he is going to grow food, and how he will provide for his family. God’s call to Abraham is asking him to see, in the midst of all those watching, that the only one who ultimately counts, is God. It is the same for us, as much as we might be bombarded by peoples’ advice (some good, some bad). However much we want to please some of them because we love them or respect them, or however much we are tempted to give in to those who call us foolish or tell us we are crazy, we have to first remember that we live for God, and are therefore guided by what pulls at God’s heart. Not the heart strings of others. I’ve learnt that following God’s call is not a recipe for an easy life, just hearing Jesus’ words to carry our cross tells us this. Doing what I believe is God’s call in my life, has not always meant a life of ease. Following Christ didn’t stop me from suffering from depression or experiencing times of doubt or seeing my family go without certain things. However, if you asked me if I would have done something else, my answer would be ‘no’ because going through the doors God has shown me and not always knowing where they lead, has meant I have had to trust God. Like my son who leaped off the trampoline knowing I would catch him, I have come to know that God will catch me, even if at times I fall and there is pain – I have also learnt to leap! God’s call doesn’t mean you won’t fall, but man, it makes you want to leap again and again, because ultimately our leaping with God is eternal and it is exciting! And finally, there can be more than one call at a time. As much as I know I am called by God at this time to be a minister in a church, I also know that I am called to be a father and husband. I am not called to solely focus on one and ignore the others but as a minister to proclaim God’s Word of love, justice, grace and forgiveness in word and action, to God’s people here as a father, to love, protect, provide as God loves, protect and provides for us as a husband, to seek to see Lala flourish (and vice-versa) as God desires our flourishing. There is more I can say about God’s call but I will finish it here – what I would ask you do is reflect on how you are living out your call now, being Christ’s followers where you are, in what you do, with what you think. As you reflect do you hear God encouraging you in your call or might God be calling you to try another door? If you feel God is calling you to try another door (s) but you are afraid, might it because you are worried what others might say or do? We need to remember that we follow God’s call in Jesus Christ, which can be scary but also life giving for ourselves, others and the world – what can be better?

    • God’s calling us (Part 1)
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 25 August 2019 Readings were Jeremiah 1:4-19 and Matthew 4: 18-22 Download this sermon as a PDF What’s the meaning to life?  Why are we here? In other words what is our calling or purpose? Whether we admit it or not I believe all of us, at times in our lives, ask these questions. Maybe you’re in a job that you hate or you find yourself in a place that no matter what you do, something seems to be missing. Taken from the book The Call by Os Guiness, I share a story: “As you know, I have been very fortunate in my career and I’ve made a lot of money – far more than I ever dreamed of, far more that I could ever spend, far more than my family needs.” The speaker was a prominent businessman at a conference near Oxford University. The strength of his determination and character showed on his face, but a moment’s hesitation betrayed deeper emotions hidden behind the outward intensity. A single tear rolled slowly down his well-tanned cheek. “To be honest, one of my motives for making so much money was simple – to have the money to hire people to do what I don’t like doing.  But there’s one thing I’ve never been able to hire anyone to do for me: find my own sense of purpose and fulfilment.  I’d give anything to discover that.” There is a deep and profound desire to know why we are here. And I imagine this was the same for Jeremiah, prior to God’s call. Jeremiah was seeking purpose to the different elements of his life, a drawing together, we might say, of his family history, which seems to imply that he was descended from the family of Abiathar, King David’s High Priest. His knowledge that his family had been banished to the small town of Anathoth by King Solomon and the ongoing effects of that banishment, and the injustice he was presently witnessing at the hands of those in power – although many proclaimed loyalty to YAWEH they worshipped other gods, which at times led to the horrifying act of child sacrifice. In this place of asking he was ripe to hear from the only one who could draw the threads together, to make sense of what had happened and what was happening. To be reminded of the God who called him, the one his family worshipped, and if he was willing, be involved in what God was going to do. Which was to do all that was needed to bring His people back to Himself, even if it meant using the power of Babylon to do it. I’m struck by the force of God’s words to Jeramiah. He’s told to get on with the call, even though it was going to be dangerous, difficult and at times painful – God reminded him that he had been known before he was born, that he has been prepared, and God would give him the words to speak. So he has no time to wait until he is older, or wiser, or better rehearsed, rather, God promises to give him what is needed at the time. Ultimately this trusting God’s call is life giving, for himself and the nations. We may not be called like Jeramiah to be a prophet, but I do believe God calls each and every one of us. Firstly, and we see this in the Gospel reading, our primary call is as followers of Christ by him, to him and for him. We are called to someone (God) not to something (such as being a parent, politics, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as Bluff or Port Villa in Vanuatu). A secondary call is to think, speak, live and act for God wherever we are and in whatever we are doing. Os Guinness says this well: Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service. This call, if we listened carefully, is just as forceful to us as it was to Jeramiah. We can come up with a whole lot of excuses but God won’t allow them to stop what God is doing – God will however give us what we need to do and be what is life giving, if we agree to follow the call. So then what might this call look like for us? One of the biggest issues when it comes to calls is that many Christians believe the best of the secondary call is a vocation in the Church. I can remember when I was studying at Bible College, being told that because I had been a missionary, I really didn’t need to study the bible, because I had made it. The ultimate of calls had been realised. I’ve talked to a number of Christians who have said to me over the years that they don’t feel that they are serving God because they aren’t working in the church, they aren’t a minister or missionary. This is called the ‘Catholic Distortion’. This is in no way putting down the Catholic faith but rather it represents a time, when Catholic Church leaders and theologians, created a dualism where the spiritual was elevated above the secular. Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesarea, argued that Christ gave ‘two ways of life’ to his Church. One is the ‘perfect life'; the other is ‘ permitted’. The perfect life is spiritual, dedicated to contemplation and reserved for priests, monks and nuns. The permitted life is secular, dedicated to action and open to such tasks as soldiering, governing, farming, trading, and raising families. As strange as this might sound to our ears today, many Christians still hold to a form of this thinking. William Wilberforce almost gave into this thinking, considering full time service in the Church, and yet Wilberforce is a brilliant example of someone whose call, although lived out in the secular world, witnessed God’s answer to slavery, injustice and greed. The world might have been in a worse state if Wilberforce had become a monk. Another thing we need to watch out for is ‘Protestant distortion’, which is pretty much the opposite of what we have just heard. Instead of the spiritual being elevated, it is the secular that becomes the most important. In other words our call becomes another term for work. At the time of the Puritans, such words as, trade, work, employment and occupation came to be used interchangeably with calling and vocation. As this happened, the guidelines for callings shifted; instead of being directed by the commands of God, they were seen as directed by duties and roles in society. The original demand that each Christian should have a calling was boiled down to the demand that each person should have a job. Which if we think about it, puts into question who the caller is – God, the employer or society? If we recognise we having a calling, for us, by God, then that must influence what we do, how we work, how we interact with others – the spiritual can’t be hidden away. There is no way, if we take our calling seriously, that we will simply live life without knowing God is with us. However, it may challenge us to think about some of the things we do – I don’t believe God would call any of us to choose to live or work in a way that destroys or oppresses others. Also, our calling doesn’t mean our lives will be easy or without stress. But we will have lives that answer the question ‘what is our purpose?’ Next week we are going to expand on this a bit more and also reflect on how we can lead others to know the Calling God has for them. But today remember these three things: Like Jeramiah, we have all been called by God. And because of God’s call to us, we are to live, think and act for God with God, where ever we are and in whatever we are doing. And the only really way we can do this is by following Jesus, who not only is with us, and who makes it possible to live the call, but shows us what it looks like. What might God’s call be for you?

    • Sign of the times
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 18 August 2019 Readings were Isaiah 5:1-7 and Luke 12:49-56 Download this sermon as a PDF Today’s Gospel reading is known as one of Jesus’ hard sayings.  It is hard because what Jesus is saying doesn’t seem to stack up with everything we believe he stands for. How can the prince of peace say he has come to bring fire to the earth? Today we hear instead that Jesus has come to bring division. Division not only between communities but division in the deep relationships found only in families. This isn’t really the news we want to hear when we already know there are great divides between the poor and the rich, the powerful and powerless, the oppressed and the oppressors. The list could go on. On the surface this reading really stings and yet maybe it’s because we have forgotten the essence of the Gospel. Or at least focused on the parts that we understood or agree with. But if we go just below the surface of meaning, what Jesus is asking of those who are listening, is this: ‘Do you think I have come to protect the status quo?’ The answer, of course, is no! What happens when anyone challenges the status quo? Let’s try a little experiment now, I would like all of you to stand up and move to a place you’ve never sat before and you’ve got exactly 20 seconds to do this… Now some of you may have found this easy, some not so. What might happen if I asked you to do it again? Some of you might have become annoyed, some would have relished the challenge. There might be some mumbles, some of you might not move at all. If there were this array of responses to me asking for people to move, to challenge what has become the status quo, the ‘what is usual’ of seating arrangements, how might we respond if asked to do something really difficult? Most, if not all of us, will become protective if what we have become accustomed to is challenged, especially if what we are accustomed to benefits us. And even we what we have grown use to isn’t that good for us, it is hard to let go of it. So can we imagine the response to a man who calls the world to live by forgiveness rather than might, courage rather than fear, and humility instead of power. Can we imagine the response to a man calling people to care for the poor, love their enemies, and forgive those who persecute you? Actually we can: the response was ‘murder’. Jesus lived and breathed the Kingdom of God and that was always going to cause problems. I mean you can’t have two kingdoms reigning in the same place at the same time. It would be like trying to play football and rugby on the same field at the same time. What rules would be used? How might those who had trained hard to play one sport react when told they needed to play by the rules of the other game? Jesus knew, simply by being who he was, that he would cause division. And if that was the case for Jesus, then it will, if we take following Christ seriously, the same for us. Not that we will seek division but rather division will at times be the effect of our faithfulness to Jesus who calls us to live the way he did. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R27pSpWgmBE We may not have experienced the same type of response Susan received for her faith. However, if we take our following Jesus seriously there will be some negative responses, because we are living God’s way in a place that works in ways other than God’s. This is the sign of the times. Whenever we are faithful to Jesus, by loving those who are hard to love rather than worshipping ourselves, whenever we put others first rather than seeking the top position, whenever we courageously stand up for justice, speaking against anything or anyone who uses their power to control others, to tell others they are worthless, who gain life by sucking dry the lives others, and people, powers, government, even families respond in anger, hate or violence, then this is the sign that God’s Kingdom is breaking in. The sign of the times are crystal clear – God’s kingdom reigns and some people don’t like it! Following Jesus seriously, means we are sign bearers, proclaiming God’s Kingdom reigns. Something I would like us to think about, we don’t have to answer it now, is this: If the biggest response we get for being faithful to Jesus is apathy, are we following Jesus the way he wants us to? How much might the fear of division cause us to stop being as faithful to Christ as we should be? Let’s pray…  

    • Jesus is Lord
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 11 August 2019 Readings were Matthew 12:1-8 and Romans 10:1-9 Download this sermon as a PDF In this morning’s passage from Romans, Paul tackles head-on what it is to be ‘saved’. It is Paul’s deep desire for people to be saved, but he’s concerned about some expectations. What’s the problem…? Those who are seeking to establish their own righteousness. being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. (v3) These people Paul identifies are trying to build their own faith. They have missed the whole point of the Good News of Jesus: we don’t have to save ourselves; God gives us righteousness. All we need to do is accept God’s gift = ‘submit to God’s righteousness’. How do we do this? How are we saved? Paul makes it plain – and it’s beautiful (as well as profound and powerful): if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (v9) Do we accept this? … that we are saved by acknowledging that ‘Jesus is Lord’? Or is our faith more shaped by a sense of trying to do things for God, so God will do things for us? Sometimes our good Christian practices actually suggest a kind of atheism. I’ve recognised some of my Christian practices can actually be where I ‘locate’ my faith. My earnest arrangement of pious habits can become therapeutic – done (if I’m honest) to make me feel better about who I am and the situation I find myself in. When this is true, our faith becomes something we do, rather than God’s effect upon us. Sabbath-keeping was commanded by Yahweh to Israel.[1] Then Jesus comes along and (as we hear today) he is a Sabbath-breaker! Jesus is reframing what faith is and how to live it. Jesus shocks the religious experts, declaring he is ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ (v8) I was at a retreat for Ministers this week, and the leader described how the whole biblical story can be seen as one where God demolishes established patterns of human belief in order to clear space for real faith. Ask Abraham and Sarah, Jonah, Nicodemus and Paul. We run the constant risk of wanting to take faith into our own hands, control the situation, tame God, and experience our Christianity by way of predictable formula. God comes to break that open. God comes to us only as gift. God comes to us as revelation. And the main reason I think we need to hear this again today is because of the anxiety many of us live with, when we take too much responsibility; when we try (sometimes really hard) to be okay to God; to ‘establish our own righteousness’. Paul is saying this inverts our salvation. What we need can never come from us – what we need comes from God. Stop living out of anxiety and submit to God. Let the truth of our confession that ‘Jesus is Lord’ really identify and shape our living. With this as our confession, Paul assures us ‘you will be saved’. Submitting to all Jesus is (and has) is enough – he’s everything we need. God’s revelation to humankind is Jesus. Scripture tells us Jesus’ authority comes from his obedience to the will of God – which is to save us. So Jesus came from heaven (giving up equality with God), to die for us. (To quote another early Christian confession from Philippians:) Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11) ‘Jesus is Lord’ becomes our faith when we declare it – when Jesus is OUR Lord. Doesn’t this suggest that our faith emerges from who we recognise Jesus to be? C.S. Lewis famously summarised the options for how we can respond to what Jesus said about himself. Jesus must be mad, bad, or God (or, if you like: ‘Lunatic, Liar, or Lord’). We have to decide whether Jesus was: mad (he believed what he said but was wrong) bad (he knew he was wrong but said it anyway) God (he was right about what he said) Those are the options for who Jesus is (according to Lewis). And to come to the conclusion that Jesus was right about the claims he made about himself is to accept that Jesus was (and is) God. Faith acknowledges Jesus as God’s revelation when (from our heart) we confess ‘Jesus is Lord‘. A major milestone in my own faith journey came when God spoke to me through a very specific verse of scripture. Up to that point, I had wondered if the Holy Spirit was real and at work in my life. I wasn’t sure I had any evidence of this …until I heard this verse from 1 Corinthians 12:3… Paul says: I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. When I can confess ‘Jesus is Lord’, when you confess ‘Jesus is Lord’, the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives! In the recent conversations with our young people about Baptism and Confirmation we considered together ‘Jesus is Lord’ as one of the earliest Christian confessions of faith. What did it mean for those first Christians…? In the context of the Roman Empire, to declare ‘Jesus is Lord’ is to directly contradict the assumption of divinity by Caesar. It is a declaration of loyalty away from whatever desperate despotic power is demanding obedience, in recognition that God’s full revelation to humankind is Jesus. What does it means for us to confess ‘Jesus is Lord’, when our context is not the Roman Empire; or the Third Reich; where there is no presumptuous tyranny? I think there can be a watering down of this confession –  what we expect it means for us, and what is expected from us. Theologian Stanley Hauerwas mocks the ridiculousness of Christians saying things like: Jesus is Lord…but that’s just my personal opinion. We need to recover what it means when we say ‘Jesus is Lord’. There is freedom when we locate our faith in declaring ‘Jesus is Lord’”. I’ve already mentioned the anxiety of assuming our faith comes from our Christian practices – rather than the other way around. There are other anxieties we experience in life, which we can be freed from. When we declare ‘Jesus is Lord’ we recognise the location of ultimate power; true authority is held by Jesus – the Author of life (Acts 3:15). Following the Christchurch mosque attacks some feared a pro-Muslim response might compromise the influence of Christianity in New Zealand. More common is the anxiety of… decreasing church attendance the missing generation of young people in church communities an erosion of morals marriages that break apart the scourge of social isolation, self-harm and suicide. Whatever we feel threatened by, is disarmed when we declare again ‘Jesus is Lord’. When fear seizes us, our confession of Jesus’ authority above all else puts into perspective our identity, our reality and our destiny. We can also be ‘un-free’ when we give ultimate loyalty to those cultural symbols of success: employment romance parenthood independence, or health.[2] On their own, these can never satisfy our deep needs; they cannot fulfil us. And the more seriously we take them the less seriously we believe that Jesus is Lord. The more space we give them in our lives, the less space we have for Jesus. Let me make one more comment…and the more thoughtful of you may already be ahead of me… Tomorrow we are hosting an interfaith discussion. Doesn’t the audacious confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ jeopardise any genuine discussion with people who hold other beliefs? If all I’ve been saying is accurate, we must recognise this Christian confession is really outrageous. Despite our Post-Modern instincts, it makes no sense to water it down by saying things like ‘Jesus is Lord…but that’s just my personal opinion.’ The particularity of our confession is offensive, it has always been offensive. But, far from being an impediment to genuine discussion, locating our confidence in Jesus as Lord, enables us to be free of anxiety and to confidently engage with others who are different. Martin Luther King recognised peace doesn’t come from giving up our specific beliefs. He pressed further into his faith. Tapping deeply the resources of Christianity leads us to be able to love those who are different (as Jesus shows us). As we trust that ‘Jesus is Lord’, we can expect to experience freedom from anything that might otherwise threaten or distract us. May it be so.   Amen.   [1] I’ve recognised such assumptions in contemporary Christian writing encouraging the practice of Sabbath-keeping.…having a day of the week to live differently, more slowly. Good stuff. But much of this literature fails to ground this in a theological basis. In fact it can often be encouraged on the basis of helping us achieve a ‘balanced life’, helping us stay ‘centred’, helping us resist the lures of our consumer culture. Authentic Sabbath-keeping only makes sense within the story of salvation. [2] Hauerwas: with the help of science and modern medicine I might get out of life alive!

    • Rich toward God
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 4 August 2019 Readings were Psalm 107:1-9, 43 and Luke 12: 13-21 Download this sermon as a PDF What do you think of this teaching of Jesus, in the Parable of the Rich Fool? I once heard this read in a worship service, and the reader concluded by saying: This is the Word of the Lord …unfortunately! Last Sunday we heard Jesus teaching about prayer. Jesus taught an actual prayer (that we call The Lord’s Prayer), that starts “Our Father…” His teaching this way shows us that we can expect our prayers to be heard, not because of our own effort we put into the words we use, but because of the relationship we have with God. Because of what Jesus has done, we are adopted children of God. For this reason, we can have confidence that God hears our prayer. We hear Jesus teaching again in today’s Gospel reading. What is today’s teaching by Jesus about…? Would you say he’s teaching about…Conflict resolution…? Asset management…? Warning against greediness…? Selfishness…? That you ought to give more money…? Please do not think that my sermon today is intended to make you give more. That’s not my message to you today. It might seem like it, especially as we are in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to strengthen our church. No, we are hearing this Gospel passage today because it is in the common lectionary. So, God has given us this passage today! We Ministers can be hesitant to preach about money. But I’m not wanting to shy away from preaching about money (and I’ll say why in a moment). But …I am NOT preaching about money in order to make you give more. (Of course, God may well have a message for you that I do not intend – in which case, all I can say is ‘Look out!’) The reason I’m not wanting to avoid talking about money, is because Jesus didn’t avoid talking about money. In fact, did you know that Jesus talked about money a lot? Out of his 30 parables, 11 of them involved money. Maybe it’s because Jesus taught so much about money that the man approached Jesus to adjudicate the gripe he had with his brother about the family inheritance. However, Jesus refuses to be used in the way the man wanted, and instead responds (addressing all those who are listening): Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ 16Then he told them a parable… The way this is presented to us we should be looking for how Jesus’ parable tells us something about human greed, and the relationship between our life and our possessions. (Did I say this sermon might get uncomfortable…?) In Jesus’ parable, the man benefits without any adequate acknowledgement of the source of what he has gained. And this is a problem. At no point does this rich man credit God for the provision of his wealth. Furthermore, he never acknowledges that his wealth should have some purpose other than satisfying his own desires. When he dies, he loses his wealth, and he does not know God. This is a warning not to end up a rich fool – a total loser. A ‘fool’ we must understand in the biblical context is someone whose practices deny God. And this is the main deficiency of the wealthy farmer – his failure to acknowledge God in his decisions. Curiously, Jesus portrays the farmer engaging in self-talk: “What should I do…? I will do this…” In Luke’s Gospel, those who engage in soliloquy are consistently portrayed negatively.[1] This highlights the self-centred isolation of this farmer who makes decisions without reference or relationship to God. Jesus warns us not to end up a fool, having stored up treasures for ourselves “but are not rich towards God.” (v21). In this way, we see then how Jesus’ teaching about money and possessions is highly theocentric – focused on God and our relationship with God. Jesus wants us to see God as God truly is, because if we do, we will see the meaning of our life and the purposes we live for in a radically new way. If we can see the riches God shares with us, won’t we live with a similar sense of abundance and generosity? How is it we live in a similar way to the wealthy farmer…? Listen again to the words Jesus uses to introduce the parable: Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. (v15) The Greek can more accurately be translated ‘you do not exist in your things’. Our full existence cannot be orientated toward possessions (and the pseudo-security of possessions). Jesus invites us to see our existence as orientated toward life from and in God. There is an ominous factor hanging over this parable… mortality. When the wealthy farmer dies, he loses his wealth and he does not know God. Jesus invites us to consider our existence as more that what Life Insurance actuaries calculate as ‘three score and ten’.[2] Jesus invites us to see our lives as more about salvation; our ultimate existence in God’s provision. How can Jesus invite us to see our lives as more? Because he has died to give us a life that endures. Life in the eternal presence of God; alive in the embracing of unquenchable divine love. If we entrust our existence to God, we will have an appropriate relationship to our possessions. We will trust in God, and not seek our security, meaning and hope in our things. Someone once said The most important things in life are not things at all. If we trust God our relationship with money and possessions will look different. Our giving will not just be a duty. For generosity is about the heart – everything we are and do. Jesus knows that our attitude towards money is a window into our hearts. Jesus’ own heart is pure. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says: 9For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Jesus, who was rich beyond our imaginations gave it up out of love for us. Jesus became poor, so that we will enjoy all of God’s provision. That we will experience life the way it’s meant to be. We sometimes sing a song with words that express this truth about our existence: Let the weak say, “I am strong” Let the poor say, “I am rich” Let the blind say, “I can see” It’s what the Lord has done in me So…  what now? My friends, we are not to store up for ourselves, but to empty barns. Jesus says Those who lose their life will find it. (Luke 17:33) What are your ‘barns’…? Jesus warns us not to store stuff for ourselves but be ‘rich toward God’. Jesus was entitled to glory and reward, and he got ashes. When our hearts are melted and we have recognised our emptiness, we are able to receive what God has ready to give us in Jesus Christ. The old-school preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said: The one way you know that Jesus Christ is precious to you is that nothing else is. Friends I will pray words of a song as a prayer dedicating our lives to the purposes Jesus lived and died and lives for.If you want to dedicate yourself to Jesus, you can add your ‘Amen’ at the end. Jesus, all for Jesus All I am and have and ever hope to be All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into your hands For it’s only in your will that I am free For it’s only in your will that I am free Amen.   [1] For example, Luke 5:21-22 and Luke 9:46-47 [2] This actually comes from Psalm 90:10 (KJV)

    • Our Father
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 28 July 2019 Readings were Matthew 6.7-13 and Ephesians 2:19-22 Download this sermon as a PDF What do you expect when you pray? Are you being heard? Why would you think you are being heard? What do you expect when you pray? Let’s delve into this together this morning, and hear what the God is saying to us by the Spirit through the Word. Jesus teaches about prayer by contrasting with a futile way of praying. Curiously, Jesus doesn’t contrast good prayer with people who do not pray at all, but with people who are going about it a certain way. When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them… (vs7-8) Does this suggest that the way we pray matters…? I’m not so sure…let’s look at this closely. Surveys show that lots of people in our country pray. Although the numbers who belong to churches in our country is decreasing, the vast majority of the population say that they pray. Last weekend I flew to Tauranga for the Connect Youth Conference. You may have heard that a plane flying last Friday from Wellington to Tauranga had one of its two engines die in flight. Well… guess what…? (That wasn’t my plane!) It was the flight after our one. But a friend of mine, (who is also a Minister), was on that flight. And he said when the engine conked out, the woman next to him went immediately into ‘prayer mode’. My friend said to me (in his words) “she didn’t have a religious bone in her body”, and yet that was her reaction to the drama unfolding in flight. (The way my friend told me about this, I do wonder if perhaps that woman is telling HER friends that she was next to a Minister on that flight, and in that crisis he never once prayed!) The point is, many people pray. But what are they expecting when they pray? As we’ve noted, when Jesus teaches about prayer he makes a contrast with those who pray in useless babbling. But it’s not because our technique is important. In fact, he’s making the very opposite point: don’t be like those people who are anxiously pray thinking they will be heard because of all their words. That’s not important. “Do not be like them.” Jesus says. So, what IS Jesus saying is important…? It’s about what we are expecting when we pray. Why we think we are being heard. To teach about prayer, Jesus teaches us an actual prayer. And this prayer is what we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. And The Lord’s Prayer has been in continual use by almost every church across the world. It’s a prayer that’s included in just about every wedding I conducted. And, when preparing funerals for those who aren’t at all sure about their faith, when asked whether they want The Lord’s Prayer included, the response is typically: “Oh, yes, absolutely.” With such familiarity, we may miss something profound about what Jesus is teaching in this prayer. How does the prayer begin…? Our Father… Jesus teaches we are in intimate relationship with God. (Now, for some of us the gender-specific title of ‘Father’ can be difficult, for many reasons. It’s the parental title we’ve inherited. And so although it would be too extreme to stop using is, many have found God is able to ‘fill out’ the meaning of this title. So that when we use ‘Father’ in addressing God, we can recognise divine nurture, as well as protection; tenderness, as well as strength; and so on…). To talk to God with such an intimate name is astounding – to use a family title. And so it’s the nature of this title that is at the heart of understanding what Jesus is teaching us about prayer. It seems to me Jesus is contrasting two ways of praying, and these reveal our different expectations in praying, …including why we think we will be heard. One approach is a business approach. The other approach is a family approach. The first approach assumes prayer is based on a transaction. The second approach assumes prayer is based on a commitment. If you pray with an assumption that prayer is a transaction, your expectation of being heard is about you meeting the necessary conditions that merit the prayer being heard. And if you feel your prayers aren’t heard, you may respond in a couple of ways: 1) You may respond with coldness or anger. I’ve done the necessary action; I’ve earned favour; …I deserve to be heard 2) Or, you may respond with anxiety or guilt. I’ve blown it; I’ve done something wrong; …I don’t deserve to be heard That’s what happens when your prayer has a business approach; prayer as a transaction. What Jesus teaches is that our approach to prayer is on the basis that we have a family connection to God. God is our ‘Father’ (our loving parent) and is committed to us. Before I became a Minister I worked in different places – banks, insurance companies …even a fish & chip shop! And I can honestly say I’ve worked with people… that I’m really glad I don’t work with any more! With family it’s different. We probably all experience testing times with members of our wider family, where they do extremely irritating and difficult things. And if it weren’t family, we’d have nothing to do with them! And that’s the point, because they are family, we stick with them (or we’re stuck with them!) There is a commitment that endures, where our other kinds of relationships may not. Jesus is telling us we are part of the family – God’s family. We have been adopted as children of God. The thing about adoption is that it happens, not through the actions of the child (they are seldom even aware of being adopted), but by the actions of the loving adopting parent. Jesus’ whole life shows this wonderful adoption by God. God has come and shared our humanity. We have been rescued from sin and death – once and for all, and the risen Jesus fulfils the purposes of humanity. By doing all this, God has shared with us what is God’s. Jesus says: when you see me you see the Father. And this costs God. Because when we see Jesus suffering we see the Father suffering. God does this for our sake, so that we are able to know God and know our life embraced in God’s life. What this tells us about prayer…is that we can express our doubts to the Father without rejection. We do not have to get our words right, we have nothing to impress God with. God chooses to hear us because God has chosen to adopt us in love. The other thing this tells us about prayer is that prayer is never something we do on our own. Even when we pray this prayer by ourselves, we still use the plural. We are praying together with Christ, and therefore with one another. We hear the words today from Ephesians that express our unity in Christ; we are united as a ‘household of God’. The image is of all of us built together as a temple, where God dwells. There are foundations (the prophet and apostles), the cornerstone is Christ, and we are a structure connected and growing together: built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. (v22) We can relate to such an image particularly well at the moment, with all the building work going on around us! As the building is being strengthened, let’s believe that God is also strengthening us in our faith and mission. So… What do you expect when you pray? Why would you think you are being heard? Because Jesus teaches us that we are in intimate relationship with God. We are known, and we know God. Jesus teaches this prayer to show us how to trust. Jesus isn’t teaching how to master a religious act of praying; Jesus is teaching us to shift trust away from ourselves – away from having to pray perfect prayers to get God to hear us. We don’t have to trust ourselves, we can trust God. Hear again what Jesus is teaching us: your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Your Father knows God the Father is turned toward us, and has already addressed us before we say “Our Father…” When we pray “Our Father…” it’s not us beginning the conversation – for God has already addressed us in Jesus. We are making our response to God’s grace. And this is incredibly empowering; God knows us better than we know ourselves; we are his adopted children. Your Father knows We do not need to plunge nervously into a flood of words. Your Father knows Our words do not make our prayers heard. Your Father knows Well, wait a minute, some of you may say, in that case, what’s the purpose of prayer at all? If “the Father knows”, isn’t prayer unnecessary…? Let me answer this question (and conclude this sermon about prayer) with the words of someone else. The German preacher and theologian Helmut Thielicke spoke these words to his congregation in Stuttgart, who continued to assemble throughout the horrors of the air raids during World War II: The main thing in prayer is really not that we present particular petitions, but that we enter into communion; into a personal relationship with the Father. If I do nothing else but say from the bottom of my heart, “Our Father…”, the main thing has already happened.[1] Amen.   [1] Helmut Thielicke, The Prayer that Spans the World (London: James Clarke, 1965) p37.

    • The plumb line
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 14 July 2019 Readings were Amos 7:7-17 and Luke 10:25-37 Download this sermon as a PDF I’ve been caught up with the Cricket world cup over the last couple of weeks. How many of you stayed up to watch the dramatic semi-final between India and New Zealand last Wednesday night? Listening to the radio prior to the game many of the commentators speculated that although New Zealand has a chance of winning it was more likely that India would be going to the final. Now, however, we can read news stories that say The book will always say that New Zealand beat India by 18 runs in the first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup. But you’d need thousands and thousands of words to tell the full story of a marvellous, nuanced match. It placed unreasonable demands on the brain, gut, heart, nerves, eyes and soul – and that’s just for the neutral supporters. The Dominion Post said this: Cricket World Cup 2019: Tenacious Black Caps hailed for heroics against India Previous weeks, the headlines and news articles had been quite different. On the 7th July it was stated that the odds did not favour the Black Caps. The Black Caps have been installed as distant outsiders going into the semi-final stages of the Cricket World Cup, being placed at $9 to be raising the Cup aloft in London eight days from now. According to the bookmakers, it will most likely be a three-horse race for the title, with India – New Zealand’s opponents in their semi-final on Tuesday – being set as $2.90 favourites to win the World Cup, with England at $3 and Australia at $3.40. What were the bookmakers using to make this assessment?  How do couches assess the players on their team? The past performances of individuals and the team? Runs made? The support of the players? Injuries and health of the players? The ground condition? Whatever they use, there must be some type of criteria to measure against. And these criteria become measuring tools used to see how well a team is going and also how well they might go, whether a particular player deserves to stay on a team, are unable to continue to play, or even end a contract. It’s much the same in today’s Old Testament reading where we hear God’s vision to the part-time prophet Amos. Amos’s vision is of God standing beside a wall that is in plumb (straight from top to bottom). Grabbing the attention of Amos, God directs him to a plumb line, which will be used to measure the straightness of the wall, which represents God’s people. The result of the measurement is that Israel is out of plumb (they are not in line with God) and therefore they need to be demolished. If they were a cricket team, the issue would have been they were no longer following the coaches directions, in actual fact they were working hard to counteract everything the coach had taught them – because of this their contract is to be ended (or so it seems). To understand why God was so upset we need to understand a little about the context, who Amos was, and what God’s people had been doing/not doing. Amos was called from his life as a shepherd in Judah to speak a word from God to the northern Kingdom of Israel; to speak truth to power in that Kingdom. The word used to describe Amos as a ‘Shepherd’ indicates that he was more likely a person of social standing who traded in sheep and goats and other agricultural products. Amos was called to speak to the powers of his day, a regime led by Jeroboam II, who was king of the Northern Kingdom in the mid – 700s B.C.E. It was a time of power and great prosperity, where the people of Israel assumed their privilege and affluence were evidence of Gods’ blessing to them as the chosen people. They had forgotten their suffering as slaves in Egypt. They were, at that time, free from the influence and harassment of neighbouring superpowers. But, as a consequence, they neglected to share what they had with the poor. Their religious practice was disconnected from their social ethics and lacked any type of social justice. So Amos, called by God, gives a word of judgment to those who believe they are above reproach. Because Israel relies on military power rather than on God, they worship without any concern and care for the poor, and fail to reflect their faithfulness to God in their social relationships. God will: Destroy the high places – where other gods are worshipped Destroy the sanctuaries of improper worship And wipe out the family line of the king. Some very drastic consequences. So then, apart from the use of Cricket, is there anything in the prophecy of Amos that fits our own context? If God held up a plumb line up to us, would God find us straight? .The good news is that I believe God does find us straight, however it’s not because of anything we have done or do, but because of Christ. When God holds the plumb line against us, His people, He sees His Son, standing straight and tall, with nail pieced hands and feet, and yet I wonder how often we might, with Jesus standing between us and God, be pulling the finger. I know that I struggle, at times, with loving my neighbour, even though I know it is one of the two commandments that Jesus says are important. I’ll even remind you that it is important to do. But I often find it easier to walk past those who are cast down than get involved in the depth of pain that they may be experiencing. Maybe we’ve become complacent because we know we are saved, we measure up, just like when the people of Israel assumed their privilege and affluence were evidence of Gods’ blessing to them as the chosen people. But how are we doing when it comes to caring for the poor or fighting for justice? God has saved us and calls us his people. We are God’s people due to the mercy God showed to a remnant of the exiled Israel (Amos 9). But I do wonder sometimes how angry God may get when we fail to love our neighbour. Or what the consequences may be if our worship is anything other than the worship of God. Like most families, I’m sure you have particular things that people need to followed by the family members – following these things doesn’t make the people part of the family – they are family no matter what. However, if each member follow the particular rules the family flourishes. Of course there is forgiveness if someone does something wrong but forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean there are no consequences. One of the rules we have at home is that no one is able to have their devices, phones, tablets in their bedroom. If this rule is broken, a conversation ensues, which often involves the word ‘sorry’ but there are also consequences, such as limited device time or the confiscation of the device. We don’t always get it right, we do things wrong, we don’t always forgive straight away, we get angry, but we also love – it is this love that makes us want to try to work through issues. As I’ve said we are God’s people, we are loved, we are restored to God because of Jesus. But maybe we take that for granted sometimes, and this could, if we go by Amos, mean that there could be consequences for not doing what God has called us to do. What do you think?  What do you believe God might be saying to you, to us today through the Prophet Amos?

    • He brought me out of the pit
      • Sermon by Rev Stuart Simpson on 7 July 2019 Readings were Psalm 30 and Luke 10:1-20 Download this sermon as a PDF O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit When I read the Psalm for today, I couldn’t help but reflect on these verses – in particular ‘restored me to life from among those gone done to the Pit’. The writer of this psalm has experienced something so terrible in his life that it has felt like death – he has been in a pit, which was often seen as the abode of the dead or a bottomless source of scourges and plagues. So a pretty dark and awful place to find yourself. And God has restored him, has given him new life. As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a time, around twenty years ago, when I spent a little time in Wales, in a town called Penrhys. The reason I thought about Penrhys was due to two things. First Penrhys has been a coal mining town – workers had, for many years, on a daily basis, delved deeply into in the ground to make a living – quite ironic that they had to make a living by travelling to the place that I’ve just said represented the abode of the dead. Second, Penrhys was colourless – it was as though all the colour had been sucked out of the place – like a pit, filled with darkness and grey.  It reminded me of the time when I had depression – a time without colour. Penrhys hadn’t always been this way, actually until the late 16th century, it was one of the holiest sites for Christian pilgrims in Wales. Like the psalmist life, for a long time, Penrhys had been doing well, that was until the mines closed and people started to lose their jobs. An estate was built as a possible answer to the growing crisis but rather than provide a way out of the pit, it created a deeper hole. To the point that the estate has gained a notorious reputation, more and more people are housed in close proximity to one another with little or no amenities and continuing unemployment. And yet some, like the palmist, can say O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit In the midst of the pit, God has stepped in, has brought them out and is continuing to bring them out. While I was there, I witnessed God, through his people, in the greyness of the estate, bring colour to people’s lives and restore them. And this reminds me now of the second reading, the sending of the seventy – the seventy disciple’s chosen and sent by Jesus to proclaim the good news. News that sets the captives free, brings sight to the blind and delivers people from the pit (from death). In 1992 Llanfair Uniting Church was opened in the heart of Penrhys to be the ever present, living and breathing, loving and serving, good news of Jesus Christ. Through worship, a café (sound familiar?), a cheap laundrette, homework groups and employment support, the church is a place where the kingdom of God has come near. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit Another pit I thought of was ‘cobalt mining’ which was now a growing concern in countries like the Congo and Madagascar.  Cobalt is one of the main minerals used to help produce the batteries for mobile phones. Cobalt in small doses is ok but in larger doses can negatively affect both the health of people and the environment – as long as mobile phones are required, the more need of mines to operate, which often use local people, including children, as cheap labour. The physical pit of a mine deeply affects people’s lives, where it seems that the life of some is less important than having the latest phone. Yet in the midst of this, disciples of Jesus have decided to step in, seeking to be advocates through aid and development agencies such as Amnesty International or Fairphone and faith communities that become incarnational, living and working alongside the affected people. Five years of work by the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has brought to fruition a mining code that will foster transparency, local development and adherence to the law. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit Now of course the Psalmist isn’t really talking about mines, or actual deep pits but the reality of a life caught in a place that has no way out, is often all too real. And right now, you might be experiencing the pit, where everything is grey, just like Penrhys. You might feel overwhelmed with illness, the pit may feel so deep that your only companion is loneliness and isolation. Or you might know of others whose lives seem to be covered in darkness, where there is no colour, no life, no joy. However deep you find yourself, and I don’t want to sugar coat it, because it is awful – I can’t even begin to comprehend what some of you might be going through. I know that God does – and like the Psalmist, who would have only been able to turn to God and ask for rescue from the pit because he remembered God’s constant faithfulness in the past. We can turn to all we know about Jesus – who not only sent the disciples to heal and save people but actually did everything, even climbing into the pit we find ourselves in, to take our place. Jesus doesn’t say “give me your hand and I will pull you out”, Jesus says “stand on my shoulders, scramble over my head, use me to get out of the pit.” And once out of the pit not only do we proclaim: O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit But we become people working with Christ to close the dark pits that negatively affect people’s lives and the world we live in. One way I experienced this, when I was ill, was by someone in the congregation, and I will always be grateful for this, gave me some flower bulbs to plant.  There were days nothing was happening, my illness never seemed to change, and yet bit my bit I witnessed the bulb grow – it took time but slowly the bulbs became beautiful flowers – colour had come back. This reminded me of God’s faithful – even though I couldn’t see God and I was still unwell, I was reminded that God was there, doing what was needed, most of the time simply being God with Me, his child. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit If anything this morning has spoken to you, if you would like prayer about this, don’t hesitate to talk with one of the ministers or elders. I would like to finish now by us listening to a song by U2 – 40, which is based on Psalm 40. U2 – 40 I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit Out of the miry clay. I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song. How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long, how long, how long How long to sing this song? You set my feet upon a rock And made my footsteps firm. Many will see, many will see and hear. I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song?

    • Trinity
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 23 June 2019 Readings were Genesis 1:1-5 and Mark 1:9-13 Download this sermon as a PDF You’ll see the sermon title printed in the Bulletin is ‘Trinity’.  My supervisor for my Masters dissertation said “Few things have the potential to strike fear in the heart of a parishioner like the threat of a sermon on the Trinity. Speaking of God is deceptively tricky… How do we speak the unspeakable? How do we describe the indescribable?” And yet we must speak about God. The Trinity is the central doctrine we discussed in our recent Baptism/Confirmation course. On this day of Tyler and Luke’s Baptisms, I want us to visit this task of speaking about God – it’s something we all need to remember and need help with! Something we acknowledged in the Baptism/Confirmation course was the fact that God wants to be known. And so, what we speak about God is what has been revealed. What has been revealed is that God is always at work in creation, …calling, redeeming and restoring. God is always moving, Father, Son and Spirit, so we may know the fullness of God’s love for us. Both our readings today reveal important facts about God. Mark’s Gospel is well-known for its ridiculously fast pace! If we were being nice, we’d say the author ‘uses words very economically’. (Perhaps I should follow this example!) This passage at the start of Mark uses very few words, for a massive payload of facts about God. He gets away with it by drawing on the resources of God’s story revealed in all of scripture. We can see this in how the start of Mark matches the start of Genesis (in talking about God and what God does): The Spirit of God descends on Jesus like a dove. In the Aramaic translation of Genesis the Rabbis would describe that “a wind from God swept over the face of the water…flittering like a dove”. Mark uses this same image of the Spirit of God. Like the creating voice in Genesis, the voice of the Father speaks, declaring ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ And, of course, the Son is there (dripping with water), having been born into God’s own creation. The Son’s Baptism is the mandate for our own baptism, as the embodiment of divine solidarity with humanity. Both passages reveal God as three persons, by what God is doing – this is how God wants to be known. I’m not trying to pretend the Trinity is easy to understand. The Trinity is very difficult. It overloads our puny brains! Our intellectual wiring gets overloaded/overheated! The doctrine of the Trinity is essentially: one God eternally existent in three persons.  God is neither three gods, nor one God acting in different ways. God exists in three persons who relate to each other and love one another. God is not fundamentally more one than God is three, and God is not fundamentally more three than God is one. The picture is the ‘Trinitarian Washing Line’. It depicts (in a silly, but memorable, way) this necessity of speaking about God as both ONE and THREE. But let’s not worry about the Trinity as some mathematical problem for us to solve. Although the Trinity is difficult (and easy to express badly or partially) the Trinity is the experience of God for us to enjoy. We are dealing not with an abstract concept, but the activity of the real and living God (as God has chosen to be known). God wants to be known as God really is (even if that’ll risk frying our puny brains!)[1] This truth is difficult to express, and the result is a doctrine that is unique. If you were making up a religion, could you make up the doctrine of the Trinity? Perhaps you and I can see this as compelling proof that Christianity is true… because even if you could have imagined this up, you would never dream of sharing this idea with others! It’s too hard to believe – too difficult to explain and too easily misunderstood![2] We deal with the facts about God, and this way we avoid misunderstanding God, and our own existence. What has been revealed is one God eternally existent in three persons. And we can speak about who God is by saying God is a community, in relationship.(Someone said to me recently that when a big idea is expressed as essentially ‘relationship’ – it’s probably Allister giving a sermon!) But relationship IS the fundamental reality of existence; that’s who God is, that’s what is revealed in creation, what is revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. And if God is a community, this truth shapes the reality of the universe and the meaning of life.[3] Now, a relevant sermon always offers practical implications for our own lives – and a sermon on the Trinity is no exception! I’m pleased to offer you all VERY practical implications today. If this universe is made by a God who is one in three persons, then relationships of love is what your life is really about. Did you hear that? Relationships of love is what your life is really about. Let’s be real about how hard that is in our lives: when there is so much pressure to work hard, to accomplish all I can, to make lots of money, to make the most of who I can be. There are many distractions away from loving relationships in family and community. Do you know how many funerals I’ve conducted where family and friends wished the deceased had spent more time at the office, looking at a screen, posted more on Facebook? Not one. If you put other things over relationships, you will miss out on love. When Jesus says “those who lose their life will find it”, he’s only telling us what the Father, Son and Spirit have been doing for all eternity. Being in deep, committed relationships involves loss of personal options, time, and money. But you will be in touch with reality – for we see in God as a community that love is the ultimate reality. And how can we know God (who is a community) except by being part of a community? To best know God is by living actively and deeply as Church. During the Baptism/Confirmation course we heard this quote from the comedian Milton Jones: You don’t have to be part of a team. You can go and kick a ball around in a field on your own if you want. Just have a plan for when the opposition turn up, that’s all. In a world of disintegration and fragmentation, the Church can be a reflection of God as community. We can transcend divisions between people existing as a community where all ages, sexes, professions, cultures, etc. meet, for this is what the Gospel promises us to be the Kingdom of God. (John Zizioulas Being as Communion p254-5) I want to finish by coming back to the Gospel of Mark. Mark is telling us the story of Jesus – which is the story of God in connection to the history of human beings. Mark tells us Jesus lives and dies not for his own sake, but for ours. Jesus is not living with himself at the centre, but is expressing the reality of the Trinity – love that spills over, and orbits around others. Jesus draws us into communion with God the Trinity – as Jesus moves toward us (in his baptism and death on the cross). And we respond, because if we know Jesus we cannot stay still, but are drawn into living community.[4] What is ultimately true about who God is,  is shown to be real for us too. We experience the life of God, because God is relationship, and God looks at us and sees the Son: You are my [child]… with you I am well pleased. Amen. —————- [1] “The doctrine of the Trinity affirms the rightness, the propriety, of speaking intelligently that the true God must always transcend our grasp of him, even our most intelligent grasp of him.” N.T. Wright [2] N.T. Wright recognises the humility with which we speak about God… “…the doctrine of the Trinity, properly understood, is as much a way of saying ‘we don’t know’ as of saying ‘we do know.’ To say that the true God is Three and One is to recognize that if there is a God then of course we shouldn’t expect him to fit neatly into our little categories.  If he did, he wouldn’t be God at all, merely a god, a god we might perhaps have wanted. The Trinity is not something that the clever theologian comes up with as a result of hours spent in the theological laboratory, after which he or she can return to announce that they’ve got God worked out now, the analysis is complete, and here is God neatly laid out on a slab.  The only time they laid God out on a slab he rose again three days afterwards. But we don’t get to make up our religion, we have to deal with the facts – with what God shows us about who God is. And, if you’re wondering ‘Why does all this matter?’, let me try to explain why I think it matters a great deal how we speak of God. You see, if God is not three and one, but just one, then God would have an essence, not of love, but of power/greatness/otherness. Many people see God as merely one, and such belief produces moralism. We know God primarily as the ‘prime mover’, the overseer, the holy ‘other’. A god who is distant and harsh (ever heard God described this way…?) The other danger of this view of God (particularly in our culture) is it elevates individualism – for if the fundamental essence of God is one-ness then this true for my essence (I’m, most importantly, an individual with individual rights). [3] The reality of God is the essence of the universe, because it’s a reality that has existed forever. It’s what’s been happening inside the life of the Godhead for all eternity. [4] John Zizioulas summarises the breath-taking implication for humanity: “Thanks to Christ man can henceforth himself “subsist,” can affirm his existence as personal not on the basis of the immutable laws of his nature, but on the basis of a relationship with God which is identified with what Christ in freedom and love possesses as Son of God with the Father. This adoption of man by God, the identification of his hypostasis with the hypostasis of the Son of God, is the essence of baptism.” (Zizioulas p56)

    • Knowing hope
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 16 June 2019 Reading was 1 John 3:1-3, 14-20 Download this sermon as a PDF I remember growing up and hearing readings from the Bible about ‘hope’. And, to be honest, I thought the term ‘hope’ was a bit wishy washy – it sounded to me like ‘wishful thinking’. And we need more than wishful thinking in our world. There are many challenges: violence; political disintegration, in Europe and other places; climate crisis. The people of our world need hope. So what can Christian faith offer the world? What is the proclamation of hope? Recently in the conversations with our young people about Baptism and Confirmation, I shared what the missionary and theologian Leslie Newbigin said when he was asked whether, as he looked into the future, he was optimistic or pessimistic. He responded: I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! For Newbigin, hope is a person. Our confidence (and ability to live as people of hope) is in knowing Christ. As today’s reading affirms: we will see him [that is, Jesus Christ] as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Hope is knowing Christ. So, how do we know we know Christ? I want to encourage us all by sharing three ‘tests’ for how we know we know Christ. (And I’m grateful to Tim Keller for these tests.) The TRUTH test In the following chapter of this letter of John, he says: By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God (1 John 4:2) Do you hear what this is saying…? “that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” that’s the truth test we’re given. Many consider Jesus a great moral teacher – but that’s it. Jesus wasn’t God incarnate. But even at a basic moral level this is inadequate. This fails the Golden Rule – to treat Jesus Christ as He would want to be treated. What happens if you insist on describing someone the way YOU want to, regardless of what they know about themselves? If someone comes to me and says “I like to think of you as a very lazy person.” “But,” I say, “I’m not a lazy person. I’m known by most as someone who works hard and likes long walks.” If they still respond “Well, I like to think of you as a lazy person”, they have the right to hold that opinion, no one is going to lock them up for that, … but that is the end of the relationship! If you want to relate to me only as you want to think of me and not accept who I really am, we cannot have a relationship – you don’t know me. We have to take seriously Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Word, or we will never know Him. The OBEDIENCE test In the previous chapter of this letter of John, it says: Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar… (1 John 2:3-4a) Here is how this works… If I have a friend, whom I say I know personally and we are very close, then, I would never do anything that constantly makes that person weep; that constantly grieves that person; that dishonours them; that violates what they stand for, and love, and live for. If you really know Jesus Christ, you wouldn’t do things, day in and day out that make him sad. If you really know Jesus Christ, you wouldn’t do those things – at least you wouldn’t do those things without realising the terrible way if affects the relationship. This is how I was describing ‘sin’ a few weeks ago – whatever damages relationship (distorting, disrupting, dislocating). Of course, we all do this; we are all inconsistent; we all make mistakes. The obedience test is whether we recognise when we have damaged the relationship by breaking the commandments we are given, and seek the grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ. Recognising we have wandered off in the wrong direction, and that we need all that God offers. The LOVE test We heard this in today’s reading (v14) “14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another.” (1 John 3:14) We know we know Jesus Christ when we love one another. But wait, it’s harder than we might first think. Listen again to the verses that follow: 16We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. (1 John 3:16-18) The love Christ shows us is ‘sacrificial action’. To know we know Christ is to love in ways that bring real change in meaningful ways. To love the way Christ loves is to express our hope for the world. To ‘live and share Christ’s hope for our world’, is to be part of a movement that changes the world, with passion and compassion. Let’s pray…

    • Human being as Relational being (Part 3)
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 19 May 2019 Readings were John 13:31-35 and Revelation 21:1-6 Download this sermon as a PDF The last two Sundays I’ve shared aspects of my Masters research. The research was in theological anthropology, specifically thinking about human being as relational being. Today is the third sermon I’ll give on my research topic … and it will be the last. Let me recap what I’ve said the last two Sundays. The main point of my research is that we are relational beings. I’ve hoped to give you a new sense of how this helps understand who we are, and what this means for how we live, and what we hope for. We are creatures in relationship, not just with other humans, animals, and creation – but also with God. To understand that, and the fullness of who we are in this relationship, we need help. We can’t see our full selves by just looking at ourselves. To know what it is to be human, we need a new perspective. Seeing with new perspective reminds me of a joke my 8 year old daughter told me last night… What do you call a hen looking at lettuce…? Chicken Caesar (sees a) Salad! How do we see with a new perspective…? How do we look at our lives through heaven’s eyes…? Well, God reveals to us in Jesus Christ true human personhood and true human destiny. We are shown by God what it is to live as beings-in-relationship. Sadly, our relationship with God is disrupted and messed up. God can feel far away at times. Also, sin disorientates human relationships, and we experience dislocation, distortion, deception and contradiction of our relational existence. We know when human relationships get broken in horrific events, like the Mosque attacks. We also know about broken human relationships from our own direct experience; the disappointments of relationships falling short of what we hoped. The Good News, regularly proclaimed in places like this all around the world, is that God’s gift of grace is the justifying work of Jesus Christ which offers restoration of relationship. The distortion of human sin can be healed and the dislocating separation overcome. (That’s the very brief summary of the last two sermons.) Today I want to make two points to conclude this sharing of my research about human being as relational being. And I believe these offer us enormous hope! Firstly, we can respond to the relationship God has initiated. Secondly, we have a part to play in what God is doing. These points directly relate to what I said last week: As we respond through faith and participate in God’s will, we share in personhood that is full of meaning and purpose. And, as you and I live and share Christ’s hope, we join in the fulfilling of the destiny God has intended for humanity. Today I really want to answer the question ‘Yeah but HOW?’ How can we respond to the relationship God has initiated? Do we try to live as best we can? ‘Keep the rules’…? Do we just try harder to love God and others…? Perhaps it’s not about us… Against our instincts to push ourselves to be better, can we submit ourselves to something greater? Can we surrender in humility to what God gives us in Jesus Christ? I’m not suggesting we emulate Jesus Christ as an example. (That’s following the same instinct to push ourselves to be better!) No, rather than emulating, I want to invite you to consider being conformed to Jesus Christ. When we let go of what we think makes us who we are, we allow ourselves to be conformed by the One who is trustworthy; shaped by the One who is the pattern of relational being.[1] When we listen to the Living Word in worship and prayer, and respond seeking to live as God guides us, we are allowing ourselves to be conformed to Christ. To respond this way is to actually move deeper into who we truly are. We move in the direction of what is intended for us in restored relationship with God and all creation. Conversely, when we reject this, to do things our own way, we move away from who we truly are and what is intended for us. This response (to be conformed to Christ) leads us to join in what God is doing – the future God is building. What Jesus talks about as the ‘Kingdom of God’. Would it surprise you if I said that, to truly know ourselves in restored relationship, our best response is a communal response…? What does a communal response to God look like? The Church is the community of restored relationship where human being as relational being can be understood, experienced and expressed. Together we respond in relationship to God, and participate in the future God desires for us (and from us). This participation takes different forms as God’s Spirit guides us in our context and culture toward the fulfilment of God’s ultimate goals for creation. So today, what do we hear the Holy Spirit saying to us through Bible readings? What do we hear expressing true personhood aligning us with what God is doing?  In John’s Gospel, Jesus says to his followers love one another. Just as I have loved you (13:34) Isn’t this an invitation to respond to the relationship God has initiated? …embracing human being as relational being and participating in God’s will? …sharing in personhood that is full of meaning and purpose? And in the reading from the book of Revelation we are offered a picture of the future God intends: See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; (21:3) Here is a future characterised by full and unbroken relationship. Where we will participate fully in God’s purposes. What if this future isn’t far, far away (in a distant galaxy), but is breaking into our world now? Let me conclude with some questions for us all… When do you know and experience restored relationship? When do you have a sense you are joining in what God is doing?[2] Our St John’s Mission Statement: “God gathers us to worship and grow our faith, so we can live and share Christ’s hope for our world.” This is our mission as an expression of who we are, as relational beings. Just today we’ve heard of ways we can do this… serve residents at the Dixon Street Café volunteer as part of the DCM foodbank collection. Go on a mission to Marton. Support young people in their exploration of faith. Serve the worship services of the community here on Sundays. What might it mean to you, as you look at your life through heaven’s eyes? …to know God gives direct relationship, and desires restored relationship? How might God be drawing you into deeper relationships, healing brokenness toward the fullness of what God intends for you? Is God’s Spirit guiding you to repair a relationship you know needs attention? Do you need to take a risk? Will you trust God with a situation you’ve been trying to manage yourself? Hear the hope of Jesus’ words today: love one another. Just as I have loved you Jesus, our friend and brother, conform us to your humanity. Amen.   [1] To allow ourselves to be conformed to Jesus Christ is a relational experience. It is to participate through the gift of the Spirit in the relationship of the Son to the Father. Our response to be conformed to Jesus Christ sweeps us up in God’s grace, and draws us into the communion of the divine Trinity. Does this participation make us ‘more divine’…? Actually, this relational participation makes us more human. We are restored in our created destiny through conformity with Christ and participation in the divine-human relationship. This is who we are meant to be as human beings. To understand and experience true human personhood is to identify a particular source as reliable –the divine movement toward ourselves as human creatures offering us a gift. And then, there is the movement from ourselves as human creatures offering a response that fulfils our true human personhood. This dual movement, initiated by God, is how are human personhood is best understood relationally. God has taken the initiative to create relationship with creatures, and by faith this is recognised as the basis of human personhood. [2] We (the church here and around the world) act as witnesses, stewards, co-creators, and anticipators. We express witness in our glorification of God through our worship, as we proclaim restored relationship and celebrate true personhood. We express stewardship by living authentically in interdependent relationship with other people and the natural world as God’s creation. We express co-creation with God by engaging with culture, rather than retreating from the world around us, which is symptomatic of broken relationship. We express anticipation of all it means to be human in proclaiming the Kingdom of God as the fulfilment of all dimensions of humanity in true relationship to God.

    • Human being as Relational being (Part 2)
      • Sermon by Rev Allister Lane on 12 May 2019 Reading was John 21:1-19 Download this sermon as a PDF Last year I did research as part of a Masters Degree. Part of sharing some of this Masters research with you, is being accountable to you for the time I had (and hugely relished) for Study Leave last year. Last week I offered an introduction to the topic of theological anthropology, and promised we’d get to the implications for us and our lives. Today I want to quickly remind us of what I’ve concluded about theological anthropology, and proceed to describe how our true human existence becomes distorted from what it’s meant to be. The main point I wanted to make last week (which is also the main point of my research) …is that we are relational beings. And the main thing that goes wrong with our relationships is that they become broken. We do not always experience relationships as they are meant to be experienced. Last week I said Theological anthropology is describing who we are as human beings. And the focus of my research has been on human being as relational being. We are in relationship, not just with other humans, animals, and creation – but also with God. To understand that and the fullness of who we are in this relationship, we need help. We need to look at what it means to be human through heaven’s eyes.We need a different perspective. Look at this photo… Do you know where it was taken from? Here is where it was taken from… The photo was taken by a drone hovering directly above where we are right now! To understand ourselves as beings in relationship, we need a different perspective. We are best to look, not in the mirror, but to Jesus. For in Jesus, God has revealed true human personhood and true human destiny.We are shown what it is to live as beings-in-relationship. As we respond through faith and participate in God’s will, we share in personhood that is full of meaning and purpose. As you and I live and share Christ’s hope, we join in the fulfilling of the destiny God has intended for humanity. As I hinted last week, this sounds lovely, but it may not always feel like that for us, right? Our relationship with God is disrupted and messed up. Our relationships with others are often broken. My research identifies broken relationship as ‘sin’. I know some of us really don’t like talking about sin. ‘Sin’ is the one theological topic I’ve had the most push-back on. Some of us are very uncomfortable in describing ourselves as affected by sin. I wonder (quite a lot) about why this might be the case… We might conclude we’re basically okay if we assessing ourselves by looking around at others and comparing our behaviour with theirs. It was this sort of self-assessment that Jesus teaches about in his parable of the lost sons. A few weeks ago we heard this parable from Luke’s Gospel; about the Father who has two sons – the younger son went away and lived a wild life, the older son stayed at home. In Jesus’ story both sons are lost… the bad one is lost in his badness, but the good one is lost in his goodness! How can you be ‘lost in your goodness’…? It’s about relationship. This older son doesn’t go away but he does act independently; he wants to ‘make himself’. And he neglects his relationship with his Father. He wants to EARN his identity instead of trust in the love of the Father. He wants to make himself, instead of discover who he is in the love of the father. The older son’s sin is not wild living, it’s disconnected living – relationally distant from the Father. His sin is not the distraction of living for something else; it’s living for the self – with contempt and neglect for the Father. He’s not lost despite his goodness; he’s lost IN his goodness. In the Christian tradition, ‘sin’ is the name for the disruption of relationship. Understood as beings-in-relationship, whenever we resist our essential relation to God and our need of God’s grace, true relationship is disrupted. Psalm 51 acknowledges that our human sin is relational: Against you, you alone, have I sinned (Psalm 51:4) Human disobedience is personal. Sin is not primarily our distance from the realisation of a moral standard, so much as our resistance to authentic relationship with God and others. If we think of sin as a violation of morality, then we might look at what others do and conclude I’m not as bad as them. Sin isn’t a big problem for me – as much as it is for them. That’s what the older son (in the parable) felt, failing to recognise his relationship with his Father was broken. And …that the relationship with his brother was broken. Sin as broken relationship can be best described using words such as: dislocation, distortion, deception contradiction. Humanity is dislocated in the relational order of created being, and this ‘being out of place’ produces distortion in relationship with God and others. The reality of human sin and its distorting consequences is easily identified and documented. Sadly, the evidence is overwhelming. The World Council of Churches expresses the current ‘disorientation’ in human experience: Sin is a reality which cannot be ignored nor minimised, for it results both in the alienation of humanity from God and in the brokenness of the world, its communities, and the individuals which make up those communities.[1] This is an accurate expression of sin as the contradiction of human relationships and the distortion of our true identity as relational beings. Christian faith is realistic about sin and its effects on us and the world. AND Christian faith proclaims the Good News that is the Gospel of Christ! It is the Gospel that overcomes the contradiction of sin. If we trust in the Good News of Christ, we experience restoration of relationship. On our own we cannot understand ourselves, let alone save ourselves – to try and do so just further dislocates us as relational creatures from God. Our submission in faith accepts the central promise of the Gospel that, only in Jesus Christ, the relationship of humanity to God is restored. This restoration what Jesus offers to Peter in the Gospel reading we’ve heard today. Peter’s dislocated relationship was marked in his denial of Jesus – three times before Jesus was crucified.Now, the risen Jesus offers restoration of relationship to Peter. Peter is invited to make a response of true relationship.Three corresponding times Jesus asks Peter to respond relationally: Simon son of John, do you love me…? I’ve shown this next video clip before. It’s a powerful one. A young African boy has been kidnapped away from his family and forced to be a child soldier. In this scene he encounters his Father again for the first time in years… The Father speaks gently to his son, remaindering him of his true identity. The Father’s gentle and steady words addressed to his son are a revelation and an invitation …to be rescued, …to restoration, …to relationship. Faith is our true orientation whereby God is trusted as restoring relationship, and therefore overcoming the disorientation of sin. The gift of grace is the justifying work of Christ which restores the relationship between God and humanity. This sharing in relationship of the Son to the Father relocates a person, and overcomes the separation of sin. What this means for us today is: we can be honest in our prayer to God about our need. To express our need to God is not a complaint, but an acknowledgement of our true humanity. The distortion of human sin is healed and the dislocating separation is overcome, so that (in faith) there is restored relationship between God and humanity. And in this restoration, we have a part to play, as the Church. We can experience and advance true personhood in Christ. Next week… I want to share two things: how it is that we best respond to God in relationship, and how our participation in relationship with God makes us truly human. Now, let’s pray…   [1] World Council of Churches, Christian Perspectives on Theological Anthropology (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2005), 39.

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