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What difference does the Ascension make in our lives?
John has a conversation about that, and suggests that one way to see the ascension is that it completes the Incarnation, and through it Christ becomes the Christ of all times and places.
In light of that, we contemplate on the Ascension and Jesus final prayer in John 17  and take time to reflect on the invitation to make visible the presence of God particularly in love, just as Jesus did.

You can read the notes for this sermon here

As we end Epiphany-Christmas with its focus on light and revelation, we are given the Beatitudes from Matthew's sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1-12).
John explores how Jesus gives words to what he is already doing, and what he will continue doing. Jesus is living the empire of Heaven and inviting his disciples to join him.
In an election year in all that has happened what uncomfortable positions might this invite us to consider?

You can read the notes for this sermon here

Where does Christ the King Sunday come from, and in light of that discuss

·       What images or words of Christ’s kingship come to mind?

·       What is unhelpful about Christ the King?

·       Where do we look in the bible for our images of Christ the King?

·       What does Christ the King offer us?

Christ the King is complicated and contested. It means different things to different people and can be used to justify some appalling things.

One of those is the shameful story of the creation of Te Pihopa o Aotearoa. And yet the reign of God prevailed, and we have had our radical constitution for 30 years which involves self determination and co-governance. In the reign of Christ what do we have to offer the discussions around these issues in Aotearoa-New Zealand today

You can read some rough notes about this here

John begins by reminding ourselves that the questions we ask, what we look for and how we look, determines what we see, even when we read scripture. What questions are being brought to the gospel, and what might Jesus in Luke be inviting us to see?
In light of that what does apocalyptic language like Luke 21 invite us to pay attention to. In a world with so much seemingly going wrong what does Isaiah 65 offer.
Where are the signs of life?

You can read the notes for this here

As part of our service dedicated to remembering those who have died Andrea talks about the history of All Saints/All Souls, and Halloween. The price we pay for love is to grieve. May we love well and grieve well.

Using Amy-Jill Levine's book “Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi”  I want to retell the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus a couple of different ways to open up the option of more than one way of reading a these stories as parable.

·         How do we feel when we read this story? 

·         Do we read verse 8 in the future tense, as something he will do in response to Jesus wanting to come to dinner, or in the present tense as a defence of against the grumbling. Or both? The Greek goes either way. 

·         What echoes of other stories in Luke do we hear? 

·         What uncomfortable questions does it ask of us?

You can read the notes here

Luke 18:1-8  seems straight forward. It even says what it is about. But it turns out not so much. There is a lot going on here.
Luke is asking how we encounter God – acting for justice in the world, or slow to act like the judge.  
And I wonder what the invitation to pray incessantly for justice really invites us into:  a passive praying, an praying like the Negroes of Southern USA, or pestering active praying like Greta.

• So how do we pray in this time of peril?
• What do we pray for?
• And how is our praying changing us?

You can read the notes for this sermon here

John uses Karoline Lewis’s framework from the story of the 10 lepers to talk about living gratitude. He then uses that to show how Francis made room for God and lived gratitude. We finished by listening to “All Creatures Lament” by The Porter's Gate (feat. Fernando Ortega & Molly Parden) reflecting on how we are called to live gratitude.

What are we being invited to be attentive to, so that we might turn back and praise God for who God is, that we might grow in gratitude to God and then go on our way living gratitude, continuing to be attentive.

You can read the notes to this sermon here

John uses the Lambeth Call on Environment and Sustainable Development to introduce this year’s Season of Creation. He explores the burning bush logo and introduce some thoughts around living simply.
What is it we are invited to listen to at this time?

To help with listening to the earth, here is a link to the Earth examen https://seasonofcreation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-SOC-Earth-Examen.pdf

And I used this video made by TSSF made last year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmxnP-kL7cs&authuser=0

You can listen to this sermon here https://colourfuldreamer.blogspot.com/2022/09/living-simply-for-creation.html

Clark Houltram talked on Sunday about the importance of shipping to our city and country, and the work of the United Mission to Seafarers.

The Mission to Seafarers is an international mission of the Anglican Church that cares for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all nationalities and faiths. There are 230 Mission sites around the world. Tauranga is one of those site. 

A sermon looking at the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), approaching it as being about what takes us away from what is important, rather than listening to Jesus being more important that offering hospitality.

What might be the real things for us, and what distracts us?

You can read the notes for this sermon here

We live in a fractured and divided world with so many issues dividing us.  This is in stark contrast with what Jesus gathered around him, and the kinds of communities Paul created. I wonder in the sermon what Luke 10:1-11, 16-20    and Paul's letter to the Galatians might offer us as an alternative to the way we seem to be spiraling down into bitter conflict,
What do we as followers of the prince of peace, and as members of Christ's community of peace offer all this?

You can read the notes for this sermon here

Rev. Debbie Garrett says
"In the reading from 2 Kings Elijah is preparing Elisha for his death.  Elisha reiterates several times that he will never leave Elijah when Elijah is suddenly carried by a whirlwind into heaven.  In the reading from Luke 9 Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death and ascension as he resolutely sets out for Jerusalem.  On the journey three of his companions agree to follow him wherever he goes. The first one is put off when Jesus says, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”  The other two lay down conditions that prevent them following him at that time.  They must return home to bury a father or say goodbye to their family.  In Biblical times family was all important in people’s lives for that was all they had.  Jesus, whose face was set on fulfilling God’s will by going to Jerusalem to die, wants disciples whose faces are set on obedience to God’s call.  Luke in this reading is making it clear following Jesus is not easy and for some may well mean sacrificing aspects of family life. "

Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. One Sunday a year to think about the Trinity, and then put it back on the shelf for another year. One important aspect of the Trinity is the relationship between the three persons – a relationship of mutuality, care, generosity, of ubuntu. This is where we meet God, and are invited to live this out in our relationships. How then does this help us celebrate harvest festival?

What ways are we being invited to live in ways that allow creation and all involved in the harvest to thrive?

The notes for this sermon can be found here 

At its origins and at its best the doctrine of the Trinity is an invitation to join those early Christians reflecting both on our experience of God the Father in the Risen Son, made known in the Holy Spirit, and the story of Jesus and the whole of scripture and how that makes visible the ongoing presence of God in our midst and in our world. We are invited to respond with awe and humility to the invitation to be immersed in the relationship of love that is at the heart of God.

So I wonder how might we talk about the Trinity and its importance to our lives of faith?

You read the notes for this sermon here

John explores how Pentecost invites us, not so much to remember and celebrate a past event, but to reflect on what the recurring gifting of the Spirit sets in motion today.
How do we experience the work of the Spirit in our life?
What is it setting in motion?

You can read the notes for this sermon here.

John uses his experience of camel riding on the hill where the ascension took place as a way into – John 17 and Jesus' prayer, Easter and resurrection, the Ascension. All these stories are camel lurch moments and should make us rethink everything.
In light of that

• how does resurrection/ascension change our present, 
• how does it shape how we live?
• how does it affect what we see as of utmost importance?

The notes can be found here

John explores the story of John 13 to see how crunchy “love each other” is. Jesus loved Judas, Peter and all those male disciples who were about to betray him, deny being his follower, run away and hide. He washed their feet and shared his food. Love each other can be hard.

And he uses the stories of Henare Wiremu Taratoa and Heni Te Kiri Karamu as examples of the risk of loving as Christ loves.

Who do we struggle to love? who do we struggle to receive love from? How might we "love each other."

The notes for this sermon can be found here

John talks about the good shepherd tradition, and how the gospel writers in general and John in particular apply that to Jesus. This gives rise to 2 questions

-          how do we pay attention to Jesus the good shepherd that we might follow his voice?

-         how do we live out this tradition today?

He then uses the story of Tabitha/Dorcas as an example of what it looks like to be a good shepherd now.

You can read the notes for this sermon here

A reflection retelling the story of the meal on the lakeside that honours the back story and maybe offers a way for people into the story to hear Jesus words to them.

The notes for this can be found here