now is the time

On today’s minisode (mini episode 😉) I’m talking about how you (we) need to be where you are right here and now. Why it’s important to be more present and to be in the moment instead of recording everything for later. I think we forget to be present when we are doing something and we become so concerned about getting a video or photo of where we are that we forget to actually BE THERE! This is just a little reminder to maybe put down the camera and enjoy where you are right NOW!

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For this week’s #TuesdayTriplePlay, Kevin spotlights 1 new album and 2 albums that he missed from 2021.  Today’s mix includes Afro-pop, rock, and Americana.

Angelique Kidjo – Mother Nature (2021)

• Sample Track: “Mother Nature”

The Mother Hips – Glowing Lantern (2021)

• Sample Track: “Looking At Long Days”

Jade Bird – Different Kinds of Light (2021)

• Sample Track: “Now Is the Time”

 (August 29, 2021) Father Charles Persing, the pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Parish, reflected on today’s reading of the Epistle of James regarding a common situation: “We feel like we just want to raise our hand and say to God, ‘I have done enough. I quit. I just want to listen. I do not want to do anything anymore; I just want to hear you. I want to listen.’

“Now is our time to do something,” Father Persing reminded us. Saint James “used some words that were very strong. He said to us that we must give birth to the Word of Truth by living it. He uses the words, ‘Be a doer.’  Do not just sit back and listen; get up and do something. You know, get off the grass and move along, get off your couch, get out of your house, get back into your routine. And do not delude yourself, because what we need to do is take care of these things. If you do that, God is going very happy with you,” Father Persing said.

John asks what words we might use to describe Jesus, and what images of God that offers us. And then to ask

-          Where have we experienced those qualities of that in our lives?

-          What is the invitation as we enter Lent? 

He then explores Mark 1:40-45, getting behind the healing, and seeing it as a further example of what “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Let that blow your mind and change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!” might mean.

How does all this help us be open to invitation in Lent to?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

John uses some of Rob Bell’s story to explore some of the issues with our gospel reading this morning, particularly how healing stories are problematic, and how passages like this are used to limit the role of women in ministry to serving men who do the real work of ministry. 

He goes on to use the theme of liberation, in scripture and in Mark, to ask how this might be read as a story of liberation and restoration. Karoline Lewis says that Jesus heals because the Kingdom of God is here. Now is the time!  Healing people restores them to communities and restores and heals communities. Peters mother in law is liberated from her fever and restored to her household and her vocation in that household. And in her service, she reminds us all that the real work of ministry is service. Jesus said so of himself. She can be seen as the first disciple who gets that. Some of the men take much longer. 

What has this to do with Waitangi Day?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

John explores what Epiphany, Candlemas, and Mark offer as we begin a new year

He wonders what blows our mind as we listen to these stories?

In light of that

·                     what are the possibilities as we start this new year?

·                     what boundaries might we cross?

·                     how might we join the work of liberation?

The notes for this sermon can be found here

As we start this new year, this opportunity to grow and live in new ways, John explores how Mark’s call story offers us the themes of: now is the time; repentance; and trust.

He invites people to -

People to share stories of call, and to reflect on how they are called now.

People to reflect on what those themes might mean for us as a community this year.

The notes for this sermon can be found here

Many people are already aware of what the Gospel message is all about. Some may have heard it for years, starting as children in Sunday School. They know all about the problem of sin in our lives, the plague that it has been on mankind, and its destructive effects on people. They may know how Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, how that He went to the cross to suffer for sins as a substitute for guilty sinners. And many know that by trusting Christ they can receive the forgiveness of sins and peace with God. Well, that would be wonderful if they possess all this knowledge. But the question remains, “Have they come to Christ for salvation?” The gospel call is an urgent one. It’s not one to consider later on down the road. The Bible says that NOW is the day of God’s grace. Not tomorrow. What are you waiting for?

We are so prone to thinking about God as someone who we need to clean ourselves up for and heaven as a place that we have to work hard to attain. Well, certainly we cannot stand in God's presence the way we are, and certainly heaven is NOT open for unprepared sinners. But the gospel message really comes to us from God's view - not ours - and He has made mankind an offer of forgiveness. What an extravagant display of love and grace! Have you ever said ‘Thank you’?

The Bible is a book of history, outlining sequences of events in the order that they happened to make up a narrative that can be understood, examined and verified. Various times, events, and experiences that scholars have both studied and relied upon for centuries are recorded with amazing accuracy. Often, the writers specified actual ‘days’ in which different, important events happened, and there is much to learn as we read through the accounts of what actually transpired on those days and how they affect us even today. This message looks at four outstanding days as described by the Apostle Luke in his gospel. This can be a day of opportunity for you – a day when you listen to the Word of God and believe it - a day when you can trust the Saviour once and for all for the salvation of your soul. In the perilous times that we are living in, don’t you think that would be the wise thing to do? Today?

Trying to resist the various circumstances, challenges and processes in your life is futile, since whether we like the notion or not, they all work together like a gearbox in a motor vehicle to get us moving onward. We may need to reverse every now and again or manoeuvre in a few different directions, but travel forward we must, otherwise we will never reach our destination. 

You may have been waiting for a sign--an affirmation, a confirmation, some information to establish you, empower you or to give you permission. You may have fought the doubt of delays, dealt with disappointment or wrangled with a few bouts of depression. Now is your time to step out--one step at a time, one day at a time.

The world has changed. We are in a different state than we were just 10 days ago. Recently, the innocent lives of two black men were taken for no apparent reason. 
This is not a 2020 issue. This has been an ongoing issue for hundreds of years. Many times in our nation's history, we have had civil discourse due to the oppression of one sect of our population. 
Today, we are seeing it again. What can we do? What are the changes needed to create not only harmony, but equality. 
We can be the change. We just need to know how to start the conversation. 
edu-Me discusses ways to help yourself and your children understand this new chapter of our history and begin the change we need for our nation. 

From an unchurched Englishman to an Englishman that loves Jesus Christ, Dennis preaches about how the church needs to reach outside the walls and be where the people are. Just like Saul (Acts 9) we need to go OUT and tell others about Christ, not wait for them to come to us. We should be yelling it from the rooftops how much God loves us all.