Sermons from All Saints

Published October 18th, 2009 at 8:30 am in Sermons from All Saints with no comments
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Preacher Revd Dr Pauline Stewart, Feast of St Luke the Evangelist.

October 18th 2009 Luke 10 : 1-9

In today’s gospel reading we hear of Jesus sending 70 disciples (some texts say 72) ahead of him to prepare the people for his coming and to give the message of God’s power and love.

These disciples were sent out in pairs to undertake their missionary work. They were to travel light. They were to get on with the task of spreading the good news, by the work they did and by the message they gave that God’s kingdom was right on their doorstep. They were to stay in one place taking the meals that were offered.

The disciples returned to Jesus with “joy” sometime later to report the success of their mission. If we had continued the reading we would have heard that Jesus gathered his disciples and said privately to them “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it”.

When I read this story written over 2000 years ago, I was struck by the timelessness of passages we have the opportunity to read in the bible. I make this comment on the basis of a story that has both similarities to and differences from the sending out of the 70. I entitle this modern story “The mission of disciples from All Saint in Invercargill”. I use the word disciples here in the sense of the Collin’s dictionary term “follower of the doctrines of a teacher”, the teacher, of course, being Jesus.

A parallel story from today could be the one about 2 assistant priests who went out, as a pair, on a mission to an island in the Pacific. They did travel light with respect to their personal belongings, but took additional bags of books, classification system dividers for the library, art supplies and other gifts. They stayed in one place, offered peace in the name of God and worked on tasks which were beyond the capacity and resources of the very poor Anglican mission secondary school, they went to assist. And the two assistant priests have returned, filled with “joy”. I am sure by now that many of you will have worked out that the modern story is about Judy and my trip to a secondary school in Tonga.

And whilst it is not possible today to relay in full the amazing spirit led 8 days we lived out on our mission in Tonga, I do want to share one of the reasons why Judy and I return with “heartfelt joy”. When we left Invercargill for Tonga we left with some trepidation about whether we could make any difference with our visit. We knew the “library” had been shifted upstairs in the very basic concrete building housing the school. We had no other information about it. We walked into a room with boxes of donated books, most of which would be of no use to the students because of their age, topic and reading difficulty, no tables, no chairs, a dewy system that had no system to it, a circulation desk which was an old table with an old piece of material thrown over it and a book where some books issued were entered. No caretaker came to clean. The librarian was lovely, and willing, but had no experience running a library.

Five days later the library had an operating system, an issuing system, 90% of the books in boxes removed and the 500 or so books which were of any use had cards, envelopes date dues, made and attached. An old desk was repaired and provided for circulation, old desks were scrubbed down with Ajax cleaner and Judy and I and the Deputy Principal took the school truck and purchased plastic chairs for the tables. We bought mops and buckets and cleaned the floors. At 6.10 pm on the Friday, before catching the plane out at 3 am in the morning we invited the principal and deputy principal and secretary, who had helped us a great deal up to the library. When they came into the completed library, at first they were just lost for words. In his words of “thank you” the principal spoke of God’s goodness. The tears of joy rolled down his cheeks and he spoke of God’s grace and love in sending us to assist the school. We both felt very emotional and when we reflected we were surprised ourselves, at what we had been able to achieve. We did indeed feel like “workers in God’s harvest field”.

The centre of school life, the library, was again operational. I can remember very few times when I have felt the power of the spirit as strongly as I did when Judy and I stood, absolutely exhausted, in an upstairs room with this small group of Tongans. The atmosphere was almost indescribable. I certainly choked back tears as I spoke of how much we had gained from giving in God’s name. Judy’s emotion was evident too.

Through this mission I personally discovered many things about mission and about myself as a disciple of Jesus. Today I only have time to mention a very few of those discoveries.

I discovered, for example, that when you step out of your comfort zone, the regular rhythms of your everyday life and routines, when you really give up something , such as your time and subject yourself to a challenging situation, it can be pretty scary. Yes, Judy and I did cope with a Tsunami warning that did not fortunately eventuate on the main island of the Tongan group of islands, but more importantly for myself I learnt about how to take risks, how to trust others, how much we can gain from those who have nothing, what genuine gratitude looks like and how to work alongside the owners of a different culture when you have “palangi” (or outsider) status. I learnt to be more patient, a quality I need to cultivate more now in my busy life. I learnt how much we receive when we give of ourselves in God’s name.

My biggest discovery, however, was that my trust in God, my absolute trust, through the good times and the sad times, my trust that God knows the plan he has for me, is so well founded.

And I am reminded of the words of Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”.

We were not really sure what we would be called to do when we got to Tonga. I went trusting that God would use me well. As Judy and I got off the plane in Tonga at 2 am on a warm Tongan night I said to Judy “Well here we are. I hope we can find something to do!”

I believe God called us to this mission so that we could grow spiritually and personally. Yes we had to accept the call. We had to work throughout our week on the island. But in the end the mission was about God’s love and care for people, the receivers and the givers. This mission, I feel, was part of God’s love for me and for others. I learned what real joy is. I can still feel it in my heart.

The church exists by mission just as a fire exists by burning. It is simply not enough to just be nourished spiritually by others, and to call it a day, or a Sunday, at that point.

Mission is not an optional extra for Christians who are “interested in that sort of thing”.
It is the essence of discipleship for all God’s people, for the people who follow Jesus in their belief of a loving God.

Missions are as varied as one can imagine. What they require is for us to take the focus off “self” and put the focus on others. You may not be called to undertake a mission on a Pacific Island. You may be called to listen to a neighbour who is experiencing a hard time, or provide practical help for a family struggling to make ends meet or transport for someone who is unable to get to appointments or support for a church programme.

And age is no barrier for God’s missionaries. My mother, who is 87, and has failing mobility, provides a mission for many older people by taking time to listen and provide comfort. But we do need to trust God and step outside our comfort zone, beyond what we do regularly, if we want to experience personal and spiritual growth. It is only when the workers in the field, as the reading today calls those on a mission for God, rely and trust God, that they can show others that God is in fact present and a real help in times of need.

Jesus said “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves”.

And isn’t it just like that today?

The world doesn’t seem to want to hear about our faith in God, the nearness of God’s heavenly kingdom, the joys to come. It almost seems the world is peopled by individuals with ear muffs on, with respect to having God at the centre of one’s life. But maybe that is the crux of the matter. Perhaps it is not what we say that is important but rather how we use our lives, that will make a difference to people’s acceptance of God’s central role in the life of all people.

Jesus asked his followers to caste out demons, heal the sick and greet people who had no interest in a message about God. I wouldn’t mind betting the 70 chosen by Jesus felt inadequate and not up to the task they were given. .. Just as I felt inadequate when we considered making a difference in God’s name.

What is it you need to do today? What have you put off doing because it seemed too simple, too small, too silly to do or too overwhelming? Or perhaps you felt you would not be well received.

What act of humble obedience do you need to do so that you might claim what God is offering to you, and through you …to your family, your neighbours, to people you don’t yet know?

Who is sufficient for these things? No one – but whenever God calls, he also empowers. And by trusting in God you will experience the confidence you need for the tasks that need to be done. I had never redesigned a library. Judy had used a library throughout her career, but never set one up. But somehow we were given the skills to make a difference and to give hope to the teachers and learners in an island secondary school.

Today’s gospel reading talks to us of small matters with big consequences. It s up to each of us to consider just what we can do for others to assist in the growing of people’s understanding of God and how he works through those who follow him.

From the point of view of two assistant priests called to help in a library in a poor secondary school in Tonga, the experience of showing God’s love turned out to be an amazingly powerful and spiritually enriching experience. And I wonder what plan God has next for me and what plan God has for each of you also, if we will but TRUST in him.

Blessed be God, day by day, as we grow in his loving care for ourselves and others.
AMEN.

Second Sunday in Advent
December 6 2009

Malachi 3:1-4; Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6.

Richard Johnson

What is stopping each of us from allowing more of God in?

What are the valleys, hills, mountains, crooked roads and rough ways that hinder the advent of God in people’s lives?

Sometimes there is a sense of unworthiness – a feeling that we are not good enough for God to want to meet with us. Sometimes, it might be sin, something in our lives that we know is wrong, and so makes us draw away from God.

But we see in Jesus that God gladly draws hear us, just as we are; it is us who hide, like Adam and Eve. When God called out to Adam and Eve after the act of self-will and sin, he knows what was happened., but still desires to meet with them. It’s Adam and Eve who pull away, refuse to allow God near them.

The parables of grace reassure us that despite our shame or sin, we need not hide away in shame. Think too of how Jesus actively sought out the ‘sinners’ to eat with him at table, in that most intimate act of fellowship and acceptance.

Romans 5:2 : ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.’ Wonderful, hopeful words indeed.

What other hills, mountains, valleys, crooked roads have emerged between us and God.

Fear perhaps, of what might be expected of us if we allow God in too much, fear of what may be asked of us. The words of Jesus reassure us – ‘do not be afraid‘ is often said by the Lord, who also tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Mt 11:29-30).

Fear perhaps of what might emerge from within us, past events and behaviour we have tried to conceal, to cover over. Fear of what God may draw our attention to.

Busyness? We allow this to happen. We tend to listen to the loud, insistent voice of duty and the world, pushing us along, telling us we just have to get going, do this, do that, not to waste time. And we listen, telling ourselves that we will make time for the Lord later in the day, or tomorrow. And it never happens, because the world makes sure it never happens.

The voice of God is indeed a still, small voice, but it’s there. Listen for it and obey. Make Advent a time of waiting and listening. If we allow ourselves to be driven by the pressure of the season, we are in danger of missing the gift of the presence of God.

The invitation is to stop, listen and open ourselves to the presence of God . To be aware of how we may unconsciously or consciously be keeping God at a distance.

It is dangerous in a sense. That our lives may be disturbed. But it is also profoundly safe in that we are moving ever closer into a love that we see in Jesus. Safe, but not safe?

God offers – and longs for – this relationship. Remember those powerful words of Jesus, over Jerusalem, in Matthew 23:37-38: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

Keeping God away, unconsciously or consciously, by building up mountains, digging valleys, making the smooth ways rough and the straight crooked, can lead to a faith that is dissatisfying, empty, desolate. This Advent and from now onwards, allow yourself to be gathered under those wings of intimacy, to know the wonder and joy of the love that will not let us go.

Advent Sunday, November 29 2009

Richard Johnson

Isaiah 64: 1 – 9, 1 Corinthians 1: 3 – 9, Luke 21:25-36.

It’s getting close to that time of the year when I am instructed to move the Christmas Tree indoors. Now, we go for a living tree, planted in a big green plastic pot, and every year the tree grows and as growing trees do, it gets bigger and seemingly heavier but definitely more bushy and higher and more difficult to manoevre up the stairs and into the living room. One of the disadvantages of having an upside-down house with the living upstairs is struggling up the stairs which turn 180 degrees halfway up. There are cries of ‘careful’ as branches get tangled with the bannister rails or threaten to sweep pictures off the walls.

But the heavy lifting and logistics of the transport is only half the story. Once upstairs, the story really gets interesting. Where now is the tree going to go? Furniture is moved back and forwards. And back again. The tree in its heavy pot is moved backwards and forwards. There is even discussion about moving one of the big comfy chairs out. Making room for the Christmas tree is never easy. Eventually space is made, which has required a rearranging of the room and possibly a removal of furniture. But it’s worth it. I love Christmas trees in general and Christmas lights in particular. Got to turn the lights off to get the best effect, though.

This made me think of Advent, and of how we are challenged year-by-year to make room in our lives for God. I am very aware of how busy all our lives are, and how when it is surprisingly difficult to agree on times for courses, meetings and even home visits. It’s not that people don’t want to come to a series on deepening faith, or a prayer gathering, or see the vicar, it’s just hard to make room in increasingly busy lives. Ask a group to agree on a day and time for a meeting, out come the diaries, and suddenly it is a real problem. Change the date and things don’t get any easier. Change the room layout and the Christmas tree is still a problem!

But that is not the real challenge. What is most challenging is to make room for God. Meetings and church activities are not at the heart of Gospel life – intimacy with God is. My Christian life has been one of tension between hungering and thirsting for time with God (Psalm 63) and the demands of ‘busyness‘, when perhaps God gets given a few minutes of my time in a day, and is frankly lucky to get that. And yet other times I choose to make time to come into the presence of God, to make room in my life for the One who loves us. And those times are increasingly special to me – and my prayer is as the Psalmist writes, to hunger and thirst and long for God, to cling to him, sing in the shadow of his wings. And what precious times those are.

The wonder of the Incarnation is that through the life of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, we see and experience how God draws us into life within the Trinity, room is made for us and all people in the inner life of intimacy within God.

The life of Christ that is given to us, and is modelled in the Gospels, continually challenges us to make room in our lives, to love God with all we’ve got and to love others as God loves us. Through the birth, ministry, passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, God invites us to see that there is room for us in the life of the Trinity, and invites us to make room for Him and for others.

This Advent, I challenge you to reflect on your lives – what might need to be rearranged in the living room of your life, or even discarded, to make room for God? What is stopping you from spending time with God in quietness, prayer, scripture? And the next challenge is to ask: Who could we make room for in our lives this Christmas?

I’ll soon be looking at how best to fit our Christmas tree in our living room – but all of us should be looking at our own lives to see if there is room enough for the King of Kings this Christmas, and for his people.

November 22 2009.

‘Aotearoa Sunday’

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Handing on God’s teaching
Colossians 1:3-14 Praying for each other
Mark 4:26-34 The kingdom is like a seed

Richard Johnson

Last week we reflected on how we live our faith in uncertain times, and we saw how Jesus encouraged his disciples and thus ourselves to persevere with our ‘assigned tasks‘ (Mark 13:34) , to be ‘faithful in faith‘, which included building lives on the foundational practices of prayer, scripture, lifelong learning ,corporate worship and loving service, which, to quote half a verse in today‘s epistle (Colossians 1:10b) leads to our ‘growing in the knowledge of God‘.

But that is only half the story of our ‘assigned tasks’. Today, on this special Sunday when we reflect on the coming to these islands of the Gospel, and the growth of the church from very small beginnings, from tiny seeds, we are reminded that it is now our turn to sow of seeds of faith for future generations. It’s always been like that – one telling someone else, that someone else telling someone else, and so down all the generations to us here in All Saints this morning .We are here because of the faithfulness of what the writer to the Hebrews describes as a ‘great cloud of witnesses’. (Heb 12:1).

Many feel unnecessarily nervous about sowing seeds of faith, about passing the Gospel on. But it can be very simple – and the reading from Deuteronomy gives hint of what to do. We are told to ensure that our children, and their children, may know the Lord our God. We do this by ourselves being faithful, by ‘loving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength’ and sharing our love with others by being open, by not hiding our faith, by naturally talking about God, at home, away from home, by even making our homes speak of that faith. It could be as simple as chatting about how prayers have been answered, about how faith has helped in good situations and in hard times, by saying simple blessings before meals, by asking God to bless others, by assuring people of your prayers for them, by leaving devotional materials around, like a bible by your favourite chair, or a daily bible reading guide – simple ways of gently affirming your faith, making your faith part of the daily fabric of your life.

Grandparents can have a special role in the sharing of faith too – there has been an explosion of faith among young people in Russia, and it turns out that during the darkest days of the atheistic regime, the grandmothers, the ‘babushkas’ kept faithful to the faith, and after the fall of Soviet communism, the young turned to their grandparents to learn of their faith that had been denied them and their parents.
In your families and circles of friends, let your faith be known to all, don’t conceal it, let it be known that you are a practising Christian.

This Sunday, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the New Zealand Prayer Book, a remarkable book, and one used well outside the Anglican tradition. Here we have over 800 pages packed with faith, passed on to us by others. This is a wellspring of Gospel truth, deep and inspiring. Prayers, readings, scripture, poetry, liturgies, blessings, services, material old and new, from the Old World, from the South Pacific – there is something for everyone here, to help us keep faithful in our journey with Jesus. We’ll be hearing a chant from these islands a little later, a chant that speaks of the progress of the treasure, the Taonga, of the faith from its first arrival in these islands and how the Gospel, the news of Christ, was passed on from person to person, community to community.

The gospel story is a miracle in itself. As Jesus says to us this morning, it begins with a tiny seed planted in faith by someone. We don’t how it happens, we are reminded, but it grows, and makes more seed, and that grows. Paul expresses wonder at this in the epistle - in thankfulness and joy, Paul notes how ‘all over the world‘, the Gospel is producing fruit and growing, just as it had been doing since the day his readers ‘first heard and understood God’s grace in all its truth’. The same astonished delight is expressed in Isaiah 49, the great promise of the servant who is to be the Light of the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. And Aoteroa, Te Wai Pounaumu, New Zealand, is indeed from the perspective of Jerusalem at the very ends of the earth! ‘Where have all these come from?’ asks the narrator in this Isaiah passage as the writer is given a vision of a host of people arriving in the Holy City.

‘This is the Lord’s work, and it is marvellous in our eyes,’ is the answer given in Psalm 118:23.

Here in this nation, we are the inheritors of a unique tradition in Gospel life, blending the flavours of many nations and peoples, a rich life of multicultural and multiracial faith which is well reflected in the New Zealand Prayer Book, which, taken in to our lives and hearts, will serve us well as we grow in Christ and pass on the Good News to the next generation.

Faithfulness in word and deed are perhaps the seeds that grow within us, enabling us as the epistle says, ‘to grow in knowledge of God’, which is the abundant life Jesus promises us. Listen to this Collect from Daily Devotions for Sunday morning, in the prayer book, page 106. ‘Eternal God, grant to us this day and every day such readiness and delight in following Christ, that whether our lives are short or long, we shall have lived abundantly. Amen’

Now we hear the chant about this abundant, the Christ life, titled The Poi, written by Kingi Ihaka, which sings of the Gospel seed being sown in these islands, of it being passed along, to us here this morning. And now we too pass the message on. The treasure of the Gospel, the Taonga, is not given to us alone but to be passed on. Please turn to page 154 as Adair shares this chant with us, alternating between Maori and English…

Be ready!
take a look at all people,
at what is in the cup of my hand
for this is a treasure from our forebears;
a poi, a poi, a poi, hei!

Hold the poi!
Quiver the poi!
Twirl and strike,
and now the chant!
I strike my poi,
my poi flies,
and flies direct,
landing in Ngapuhi country,
for there stands the rock
at Rangihoua,
even at Oihi,
that is the rock
on which the gospel was established,
The gospel – and became fixed.

To give glory
to God in the highest
and peace was declared
throughout New Zealand and its seeds
have been broadcast among the tribes
and have grown and born fruit – bears now.

When you have crossed
to Raukawa country
it is Rota Waitoa
the very first Maori ever
to be ordained to the
sacred ministry
And at Wanganui
there is Wiremu Te Tauri,
the first person to introduce
Christianity there.
And the news has also reached
the Ngati-Ruanui people
among whom were Maniheea
and also Kereopa
the first Christian martyrs
for the faith in New Zealand.
- Indeed!

My poi now flies
to the Eastern seas
and there strives
Piripi Taumataakura who
introduced Christianity to
the Ngati Porou
while in Mataatua country
is Ngakuku
and in Arawa country
is Ihaia
And in Ngati-Kahungunu country
is Te Wera…Yes! Te Wera!

The lightning glows and flashes
well above the heavens
drag the canoe
with its cargo
of love;
bind it
with peace,
Aue! Hei!

(A Poi is a light ball on a string of varying length which is swung or twirled rhythmically to sung accompaniment.)

Faith and the end of the world…

November 15 2009

1 Samuel 1:4-20. Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25. Mark 13:1-8.

Richard Johnson

It’s doomsday again in the movies. A familiar series of apocalyptic disasters bring the world to an end – volcanoes, trains hurled into the air, earthquakes upwards of 10.5 on the Richter scale, Los Angeles slips into the sea, the Vatican collapses, its dome crushing worshippers, and a tsunami dumps an aircraft carrier atop an exploding White House. Meanwhile a tidal wave sweeps across the Himalayas and a meteor shower strikes Earth. This is just some of the action in the soon-to- be-released movie, 2012 Doomsday.

This review from The Telegraph sums up the story – The director Roland Emmerich – a veteran of catastrophe in his earlier films Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow – was inspired by theories that the calendar of the ancient Mayans foretells the end of civilisation on Dec 21, 2012.

The Telegraph article quotes a Mayan elder as recalling how he was bombarded with questions about the end of the world during a recent trip to Britain. “Man, they had me fed up with this stuff,” he said, his frustration clear.

The Maya make up about half of Guatemala’s 13 million people and many live on less than $2 a day as subsistence farmers – an unimaginably far cry from the colossal budget lavished on 2012, which stars John Cusack, Woody Harrelson and the British actress, Thandie Newton.

“If I went to Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn’t have any idea,” said Jose Huchim, a Mayan archaeologist in the Yucatan. “That the world is going to end? They wouldn’t believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain.”

‘The US space agency NASA has condemned a promotional website on the film after receiving hundreds of inquiries from people who believed it was genuine – including some from teenagers who said they were contemplating suicide because they did not want to experience the end of the world. “

The end-of-the-world business is great business. Websites, books, alternative communities, movies, all generate huge enthusiasm and energy as end-of-the-worlders share their ages-old excitement about final disaster.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples share in that enthusiasm. “When will it all happen?“ they ask eagerly. The reply from Jesus is slightly flattening for those who believed then that the end of the world was just around the corner. ‘There’s going to be earthquakes and famines and tsunamis and volcanoes and wars and rumours of wars, nations rising against nations and kingdom against kingdom….but this is all just the beginning of the beginning, ‘the beginning of birth pains’.

‘Oh, that‘s disappointing,‘ we can hear the disciples saying. ‘So the world’s going to go on like this for quite a long time.” Yes, says Jesus, who the gospel writer then reports as giving more detailed accounts of other difficulties to be expected, including persecution of Christians and civic and family conflict over their faith.

For the disciples, for early Christians, for ourselves, what should our view be of all this? I think the answer lies in the final verses of chapter 13, where Jesus concludes his words on ’end-times’ by saying we are asked to be one thing only in our lives – and that is faithful in faith. The chapter ends with Jesus saying it’s like a man going away, who puts his servants in charge, each with an assigned task. Make sure you’re doing that task when the master returns, which will be at an unexpected time, says Jesus.

What is the ‘assigned task’ for each of us? I suggest it is the simplest of tasks, that of ‘faithfulness in faith‘, being disciplined, as disciples are required, in prayer, scripture, participation in corporate worship, in feeding our faith through lifelong learning, in loving service. Did I say the ‘simplest of tasks’? Why is it then that so many find these building blocks of the Christian life so hard to put into practice. Do we hear the warning of Jesus that those who neglect to build this kind of foundation experience their own apocalypse when storm and tempest and earthquake and illness strike?

Mort Davies, whom many know and love, says the Gospel warns us that ‘the horribles’ can happen to any of us, and not to take it personally when it happens, but to be prepared. Mort had a terrible car crash some years ago, in which he nearly lost both legs, and in discussing today’s readings with the parish preaching team, he said that it was his spiritual training which was by far the best preparation for all the horrible stuff that happened then and in the years that followed. Engage with the basics of life in Christ, says Mort – because today is our day to practice for the ‘horribles‘. By being faithful now we are in fact preparing for the future, he says.

In the Old Testament reading, we heard of the trauma experienced by Hannah, who could not conceive a child. Then, and in many societies today, being unable to bear a child is a calamity, as it can lead to divorce and economic catastrophe. Driven by taunts and abuse from the other wife, Hannah goes to prayer, and pours out her grief and disappointment to God. Mort asked us the question: ’What are you going to do with the pain?” In faith, Hannah used her pain to deepen her relationship with God, which in turn led to new life.

For myself, when Claire’s life so frequently hung in the balance last year, I found that the simple act of regularly receiving Holy Communion, with the family of faith, a ‘holy habit’ for much of my life, was a place where I could take pain and fear and find strength and comfort. A simple task indeed, but the only act of worship that met my deepest needs at that time. Little had I known for so many years, that I was in fact preparing myself for that time.

In the same discussion this last week, Judy spoke of the value of regular reading of scripture. “It is surprising,” she said, “how often God uses verses we have read and memorised to speak to us, often years later. A verse suddenly becomes relevant.” She’s right – I think many of us have experienced that too. A verse we have not thought about for a long time suddenly pops into our minds and we have that wonderful sense that this is the Holy Spirit speaking to us.

Spending time listening to God, spending time allowing scripture to speak to us, spending time in corporate worship. Did you notice what the writer to the Hebrews says towards the end of today’s Epistle? Yes, that’s right, ‘draw near to God…hold unswervingly to the faith we profess….spur each other on…encourage each other…and do not give up meeting together!”

In my bible, that passage is headlined “A Call to Persevere”, and gathering together in worship is so very important in encouraging our own perseverance and the perseverance of others. By meeting with others Sunday by Sunday, orWednesday by Wednesday, you are encouraging others, all of us, In our faith journey, you are helping others engage in putting together the building blocks of faith, you are helping Christ build strong faith foundations for others. Ever seen before how necessary you are to the Kingdom of God? Being surrounded by others gives us all a weekly boost to faith, lifts our hearts, spurs us on in faith.

If you have ever wondered what your ‘ministry’ is, perhaps it is the simple act of being in All Saints as often as possible, to be committed in gathering together. Your presence here this morning encourages us all, encourages us all in our faith, spurs us on. Without you, we are weaker. With you, we can be fully all that God calls us to be in Christ.

At the time of greatest storm and tempest for Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, his greatest need was for his friends to stand by him, to pray with him and for him. And they didn’t.

Perhaps it is time to renew ourselves in commitment to each other, to love God…and our neighbours…..as by our example and presence we encourage the Body of Christ to ‘hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.”

We read from the epistle that God is faithful to each of us – are we called to faithfulness to each other? I believe we are, not just for the tough times, the times that seem like the end, but also in the good times and in the inbetween times. The epistle ends by linking meeting together with encouragement, for the Day, whatever that may mean for each of us, and whenever it comes.

‘Faithfulness in faith’ then need not be difficult – we can do the assigned tasks expected of us as Christians.

in the good times, keeping those ‘assigned tasks’, is giving us a solid foundation for life, in the good times and to quote Mort, in the ‘horribles‘.

A former Vicar of Holy Trinity, David Winfield, says this: When the time of testing comes it is too late to make our preparations. Soon no doubt many will be singing again those familiar words of the popular Christmas carol ‘O little town of Bethlehem. Well, the author of those words, Philip Brooks, has also used the analogy of a sailing ship at sea, fighting a gale. The winds howl and the waves roll. Will the ship hold together?

‘You might say it is a terrific struggle. But really, the battle was fought long before, in the forests where the timber grew; in the shipyards when the nails were pounded in, the planks laid and the seams caulked. The battle was fought in the care given to the ship through the years in guarding against dry rot and broken ribs and loose fittings. The storm is merely the test, the battle was fought, and either won or lost before. So it will be for us! And just as the storm may come upon the vessel without warning, so our final test may come at any time.

‘It is abundantly clear that Jesus is an example of preparedness. Often we read of him taking himself off alone to be in prayer waiting before God. Perhaps in our day and age we are inclined to consider such behaviour a bit of a waste of time. But, if we just try it then we will find it to be one of the most constructive activities we could possibly practice. Waiting before God; so that his power, his energy, may find its channel in our lives. So that when we turn again to our work we move with a new force and surer direction. For then we do not work alone, but God works in us and through us.’

The ‘horribles’ may or may not come upon us – but now is the time to build those foundations, to grow in relationship with God through Jesus in the intimacy of the Holy Spirit, to prepare now for the future, because our final future is not fantasy and doom, destruction and terror, but a new heaven and a new earth, where we live in love and delight in the presence of the Beloved.

The real Apocalypse , the real ‘unveiling’ or ‘revealing‘, which is the literal translation of the Greek word that we translate as Revelation…speaks in chapter 21 of God in these words: “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

So let us draw nearer to the One who is trustworthy and true, because today is the day the Lord has made for us to hold ‘unswervingly to the hope we profess‘, to quote today‘s epistle. Why? For as we draw near to him, he draws near to us, reminds James in his letter. He who promised is indeed faithful, and will hold us close to his heart now and for all eternity.

And primarily we draw near not out of fear but because of sheer delight; we make time in our busy lives to curl up with God not because it is some form of insurance against hard times, but because it is the most wonderful and special place to be; not because we have to but because we want to, because to quote Paul to Timothy, there we find ‘the life that is truly life‘, not a fictional and frightening Hollywood version of life but a Christ life that is deep and rich and hope and joy-filled, now and for all eternity.

Amen.

Feast of Christ in All Creation – November 8 2009

Wynston Cooper

In the name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life. Amen

It is one of the ironies of this age that humans, so hard on their own kind, So ready to wipe out their own works and marvels, have constantly grown more sympathetic to animals. During the last hundred years or so, years that contained the Somme, Auschwitz, the 100 megaton bomb, the Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Dafur, we established many game sanctuaries, national parks and other protected areas throughout the world and, as we continue to do today, tirelessly strove to save diminishing animal species.

Consideration for animals is a singularly modern phenomenon. In earlier centuries a knight might love his charger, or a medieval lady pamper her hound, but the general run of humanity thought animals to be dumb, expendable, and outside the fold of compassion. Only the Christian saints behaved differently – walking, as saints always do, ahead of their times. Long before national parks and the SPCA were dreamed of, holy people were being tender in a less self-conscious way than we, to everything that stirred in forests or jungles or the air.

For almost two millennia, and from long before it was fashionable, saints have been making friends of animals. It is one of the most tender chapters in Christianity, and not well-enough remembered. Indeed, Saint Francis of Assisi sometimes seems to be the only saint that people everywhere readily recognise and accept, if often for the wrong reasons.

The real Francis, stern to himself, a preacher, an organiser, and above all a reformer, is quite a different person from the meek little dreamer of legend. But, as myths always are, part of the legendary Francis is real. For Francis, like his Master, so loved the world that the least inhabitant in it, a leper, called upon his pity.

Some of the stories about Francis may be apocryphal; like the tale of the grasshopper that on a winter midnight came to help him sing his office, leaving its tiny tracks in the snow to shame those monks who had been too slothful to assist. But his heart did truly brim over with such affection that it scattered like rain onto animals as well as people. He particularly loved the crested lark, dressed like a good religious in a brown habit and hood; and the story goes that, on the evening of his death, a cloud of larks wheeled over his house and grievingly sang their farewells.

The flight of Francis’ larks may have been coincidence, yet they mourned with reason, for they were losing a great friend. Francis felt so strongly for the mistreated animals of the day that he went to burghers and governors begging for a law against their abuse. He demanded that farmers be forced to treat their cattle humanely, and give them a treat on Christmas Day. He wanted towns to take time off from levying taxes and scatter crumbs, instead, on the frozen roads. Like his plan to stop the Crusades by a personal interview with the Sultan, these schemes also came to little. Although in Assisi they did, until about a decade ago, feed the pigeons each day.

Francis had a relationship to everything: to people, beasts of the fields and forests, birds, fish, trees, flowers, the sun, the moon, the wind and the stars, fire and water, rain and snow, storms, the earth, summer, winter, and the tender elegy of spring. With all these he dealt courteously, and admitted them to the circle of his immediate family. For a person who believes in, and loves their Creator with all their heart, must also dignify and love all of His creations.
John Muir, the Scottish-born naturalist, and one of North America’s greatest conservationists, had a similar gift. He believed that “Every natural object is a conductor of divinity”, and his love for nature was intensified by his ability to forget himself completely, totally immersing himself in the beauty of his surroundings. So much so, that he would be barely conscious of the passage of time.

As the modern scientific age has unfolded, people have come to believe more and more that humans have a pivotal place in the created order. A view reinforced by the secular humanism that today dominates most economic and political thinking. As a result people are now more inclined to admire a new manufactured product or technological development than the fresh image of seasonal change, or have a totally negative view of nature. Take us Southlanders for example: we are renowned for commenting on the weather, but our attitudes are nearly always negative. We equate ‘sun’ with ‘beautiful’ , and ‘damp’ with ‘miserable’, failing to relish the fact that it is the rain that gives the province its lush green grass and the magnificently scenic bush, lakes, and rivers, that provide so much of its wealth.

Viewing nature with wonder and awe has gone by the wayside, and we now tend to focus on how nature can be used. We interpret God’s creation as a world made for humans, forgetting that it is God’s creation, and that God is not solely concerned for us.

I believe that if nature is to be valued properly, we need to relearn the importance of actively contemplating the world around us. Such a process of contemplation would also lead to greater self-awareness. As the Eastern Orthodox Bishop (the late) Kallistos Ware put it, “Becoming sensitive to God’s world around myself, I grow more conscious also of God’s world within myself.”

Jesus’ life showed a profound sense of harmony and involvement with nature. He preached many of his sermons in the open air, and he drew close to God in the wilderness and lonely places.

In like manner, as we contemplate nature we could imagine Jesus’ presence around us, as described in the poem by Joseph Mary Plunkett:
”I see his blood upon the rose
and in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.
I see his face in every flower.
The thunder, and the singing of the birds
are but his voice – and carven by his power,
rocks are his written word.
All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.”

Just as Christ healed our relationship with God by entering into the weakness and wounds of the world, if we become more sensitive to the workings in nature, we will have more compassion for the world and all its creatures – perhaps even coming to ‘make friends with nature’; just as St Francis of Assisi thought of animals and birds as his relatives.

Let us pray:
O God, we thank you for Earth, our home;
for the wide sky and the blessed sun,
for the ocean and streams,
for the towering hills and whispering wind,
for the trees and green grass.
We thank you for our senses by which
we hear the songs of birds,
see the splendour of windblown tussocks,
taste the fruits of the garden,
rejoice in the feel of soft rain,
and smell the breath of spring flowers.
Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty;
and save us from being so blind
that we pass without seeing
that even the thorniest bush
is aflame with your glory. Amen

All Saints Day, November 1 2009.

Revd Richard Johnson

1 Peter 2:4-7a, Luke 6:46-49.

There has recently been some discussion about the location of the foundation stone, the cornerstone, of All Saints – the bulk of the evidence would indicate it is somewhere under the church tower, which is where the north-east corner of the church originally was. The foundation stone of any building is the most important part of the structure – all other construction takes its reference from the corner stone – which needs to be straight and true.

But we look around All Saints this morning, and we know that the foundation stone of this church is most definitely there, as this beautiful church was built upon it. And we have the evidence in the stories of the placing and blessing of the foundation stone, chosen and prepared well before any work on this church began, and we know it was laid true and straight.

There is a greater foundation stone, upon which we all stand, and that is the ‘church’s one foundation, Jesus Christ our Lord‘.. as we will sing in a few minutes time. The epistle reminds us that this one foundation stone was chosen by God, chosen, prepared and crafted for us before time began, before the creation of the world, upon which a kingdom is being built, as Peter tells us today, a building that tells of the love and glory of God, built with living stones, you, me, all the saints of God over all generations and all time. “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’

Or as the Message translation puts it: ‘Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honour. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:
Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honour.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.’

Many delight in this church, in its 131 years of mission and ministry here at this pivotal position in Invercargill, the church by the bridge with its open door. And I too get great pleasure out of seeing All Saints, standing strong by the river, sometimes reflected in calm water, in sun and rain, hail or snow, sometimes the wind howling up the river and battering the church, the flag being torn to shreds! But always here, solid, strong, highly visible, well-cared for, a presence in the community that speaks day in day out of faith and the presence of Emmanuel, God With Us, Jesus, God’s cornerstone for faith and life.

And what of this spiritual house built by the Spirit of living stone, this spiritual sanctuary vibrant with life, with people described a little later in the Epistle as a royal priesthood? That’s all of us, today and in the past, each of us is needed – in fact, not just needed – but indispensable to God as this living temple is built stone by stone, person by person, on the cornerstone of Christ.
We read in the history of the names of people who have gifted faith and building to us today, but we do not read of the thousands of unnamed people who have also given of themselves in faith in this place, and who still give in faith today

Who have prayed, worshiped, laughed, cried, fellowshipped here, learned new hymns and songs, been baptised, confirmed, married, been farewelled from this church, who have raised money, cleaned, led prayers, built, gardened, preached, read, served tea, glorified God through flowers, embroidered line, mowed the lawns, sung, polished the brass, set up the church, and packed it away again, played the organ, piano, other instruments, served on vestry, argued points, disagreed with the vicar (not this one), adjusted to new ways of worship and new types of services, served as sacristans, collected people for church and took them home, mowed the lawns, taught Sunday School, counted money, prayed for the sick, visited homes and hospitals, organised parish dinners, welcomed people at the door, and attended this church in season and out of season, supported the work of God in this place with tithes and offerings, given money for mission and relief often in faraway countries,

climbed up inside the tower to replace the aforementioned shredded flag (and the view from the top is outstanding), who put together rosters and organise people for each Sunday, who pray at home steadfastly and often, go to retirement and care homes with gospel and sacrament….what and whom have I forgotten?

I have deliberately mixed up all the gifts from so many that makes up this outpost of heaven, this part of the Kingdom of God, because as Paul points out, no one part of the body is more than the other – each bit is vital for its overall health and functioning. I look around this church and I know more than anyone else who does what, sometimes up front, often unseen, and that’s the way it is. But without you, yes, you, each of you, we cannot be the people God has in mind for us to be, we cannot express the life of Christ.

You are a living stone, and as a stone mason knows, each stone fits perfectly somewhere in the building, almost as if that stone was always meant to go in just one special place – and without it, the wall is weakened, incomplete, not doing what it should do, shonky, in fact, to use a wonderful Kiwi word.

So your shape of stone may be that of a preacher or you may be meant to be totally faithful in regular worship here, and so encourage all of us by your faithfulness – without you, we cannot be All Saints as she is meant to be.

But don’t be surprised if the day comes when you to your surprise and eventual joy find you are not the shape you thought you were! You may find yourself fulfilling a ministry that God had planned for you from before time began – it sometimes takes a while for these things to happen! The sweetest music in our ears is when someone says words like: “I never thought I be doing this~!”

To return to the cornerstone, the foundation stone. Without Christ as the rock, the source of our life and faith and inspiration, our wall will be very shaky. A cornerstone for a building is vital – but how more vital for our lives is a cornerstone that will hold us firm for now and all eternity.

The Gospel reading this morning urges us to get our foundation true and firm, to set a cornerstone that will last, that rejoice with us in good times and keep us standing in stormy times. Get the foundation right and the rest will hold up, say builders. Prayer, worship, service, witness, are among the stones we can build into our lives, firmly set on faith and trust in Christ, the church’s one foundation and our one foundation.

Each gift of loving service, worship and prayer mentioned earlier is an act of praise and worship, but not to be overlooked is that each action is an act of mission, pointing to the gift of Emmanuel, God With Us, our chosen and precious cornerstone Jesus, upon which God builds a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which there are no regrets – only praise and thanksgiving, life and love.

October 25 2009

Revd Richard Johnson

Mark 10:46-52

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

The story of Bartimaeus receiving his sight has hidden depths, and could challenge us more than we might expect. On one level, it is a heartwarming story about Jesus responding to human need. But at deeper levels, we may find ourselves identifying with Bartimaeus and with the crowd as we reflect on the call and healing of Bartimaeus.

The first question to ask is: What did Bartimaeus initially want when he appealed to Jesus, when he called out to the Son of David to have mercy on him. Did he hope that Jesus, as a holy man, might be particularly generous in his almsgiving? Bartimaeus does not initially call for healing, and this kind of appeal for mercy was probably heard every hour, every day from one such as Bartimaeus, totally dependent on the generosity of others for food, for life itself.

I have been accosted by beggars in Africa and India, blind or crippled, who launched an appeal to my better nature, who called me ‘boss’, ‘chief’ or ‘master’ (Africa) or ‘Sahib’ (India), making the point that someone recognised as being of some standing in society is expected to be compassionate and generous to those in distress. This approach has a reasonable success rate!

Does Bartimaeus know that this Jesus is the ‘Son of David’ of prophecy or is he using a well-known phrase to flatter the honoured one, to suggest that he is of such good and noble character that he is a true ‘Son of David’, with the intent of extracting a few coins!

The townspeople of Jericho appear to have no doubts. Embarrassed by this treatment of their honoured guest, whom they are now formally escorting out of their town, they move quickly to shut him up. I have experienced this in India – when in the company of Indian friends. Beggars would frequently see us, European, presumably wealthy, and move in quickly, appealing for mercy. Ashamed by such treatment of their guest, the Indian friends generally sent the offending beggar packing, with much said that was probably not generous and merciful, and then apologising effusively for such embarrassment for us, their guests. It is worth mentioning that Bar Timaeus translates as ‘Son of Filth’ – living on the edges of society, outside town, condemned to a life of begging.

Bartimaeus, continuing this ancient tradition, had probably discovered through others that a singularly important person was being given a civic farewell, and decided this opportunity for alms could not be overlooked. Surely, it would be right for such a person to extend generosity in return for the generosity he had received from the people of Jericho? Perhaps that is why he refuses to keep quiet! Perhaps if he keeps up the calls for mercy, he will be given a few coins just to keep him quiet! I knew shopkeepers in Harare, Zimbabwe, who, driven to distraction by the raucous singing of blind beggars outside their shop doors, would give them money just to make them go away!

Kenneth Bailey, in his superb book ‘Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes’ points out that in traditional Middle Eastern peasant society (which has changed little since the time of Jesus) beggars enable people to gain a reputation as honourable, compassionate and pious through their giving of alms. “When a beggar receives money (whatever the amount) he usually stands up and in a loud voice proclaims the giver to be the most noble person he has ever met and invokes God’s grace and blessing on the giver, his family, his friends and associates, his going out and coming in, and many other good things. Such public praise is surely worth the small sum given the beggar’.

Jesus stops, and says: “Call him”. No doubt expecting a few coins to be poured into his cupped hands, Bartimaeus makes his eager way to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” asks Jesus. Now to us today, that may seem a strange question. “To give me sight,” would probably be our stating-the-blindingly-obvious reply. But Bailey points out that this is a simplification of the situation. In such a society, a blind man was virtually guaranteed success, he writes. A blind beggar like Bartimaeus had no education, training, employment record or marketable skills – all he had was his blindness. ‘If healed, self-support will be extremely difficult. Indeed, is it not in his interests to remain blind?’

To quote Bailey further: ‘The grace of God, mediated through Jesus, is free but not cheap, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer has affirmed. Is this blind man ready to accept the new responsibilities and challenges that will come upon him if he is healed? Jesus presses this stark question upon him.’

There’s a nice touch here. The crowd, originally hostile to Bartimaeus, now seems eager to bring him to Jesus. And note too, how Jesus does not go to Bartimaeus – he calls Bartimaeus to himself. And in the calling and the response, Bartimaeus will have been largely dependent on the ‘crowd’ to take him to Jesus. Most of us will have been ‘taken’ to Jesus by someone else – parents, friends, spouse, other believers, an author of a book, the producers of a film or play, perhaps the Holy Spirit directly, through scripture, worship, beauty, even tragedy. Are we willing to take others to Christ? Are we, as the ‘crowd’ with Jesus, eager to help someone else meet Jesus? Or are we irritated by their need?

One wonders about all that raced through the mind of Bartimaeus as he was brought to Jesus. What did he want? A few coins, or something more difficult, more challenging, even frightening….’Rabbi, I want to see” he finally stutters out. We are reminded of someone else who may have found himself stumbling on truth. When Peter, probably to his own surprise, suddenly ‘sees’ that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ (Mt 16:16), Jesus points out that the revelation was a gift of God. Have you ever been surprised by a sudden insight, a flash of revelation, a surge of unexpected faith and joy? You’re blessed too.

“I want to see’. And it happens. The miracle, the unexpected, the almost unbelievable. Would Bartimaeus have said Psalm 126? “…we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

What happens next? To the stunned, joyous, laughing, awed former blind beggar, Jesus says ‘go, your faith has healed you’. What particular aspect of faith, one might ask. Faith that Jesus had the power of God to heal? Faith that through Jesus God shows compassion for the poor? Faith that Jesus is indeed ‘Lord’? (as indicated in the Luke 18 account of the healing).

Perhaps an even deeper ‘faith’ is involved – a faith that a risky ‘step of faith’ could indeed be taken, a step into sightedness but also uncertainty and considerable disruption to settled patterns of life. A step into light that would demand the letting go of the only life he had known and embracing a new life following Jesus. This rings true. Many have accepted Christ into their lives, knowing that life will change, yet also knowing that in acceptance of God’s purposes for us, we find, to quote 1 Timothy 6:19, the ‘life that is truly life’. Bartimaeus did not get what he may have originally wanted – but he was given what he needed.

The moving experience of faith attributed to a soldier in the American Civil War perhaps echoes the experience of Bartimaeus – and many since then.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked God for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for
- but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among men, most richly blessed.

One wonders whether Bartimaeus was surprised by the request that came out of his lips – did the Holy Spirit move him to make this surprising request? It would have been safer to ask for money – how many blind people had been healed by passing Rabbis? The possibility was that he would have been left still blind and with no money. But we rejoice that the Holy Spirit is able to lead us into all truth (Jn 16:13), including our real needs.

In Romans 8:26, Paul writes that we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs and groans that words cannot express. Did Bartimaeus express his desire with a sigh, a heartfelt groan? Deep indeed.

So the question has to be – what do you want Jesus do for you? Because he is calling you. Think. And think and pray again. And allow the Holy Spirit to work deep within, to bring those deep, hidden, un-uttered groans and sighs to the surface.

If it’s for sight, do we want to see? Remember Bailey’s suggestion that for Bartimaeus, it may have been in his interests to stay blind, as a new life with sight could have been very difficult. It’s an honest question. Do we really want to be fully sighted spiritually, with all the implications for each of us! To quote Bailey again: “Is this blind man ready to accept the new responsibilities and challenges that will come upon him if he is healed? Jesus presses this stark question upon him.” And upon each one of us.

I think we can trust the Risen Christ in our healing. Let us then bravely tell the Lord: “We want to see. More than anything else, we want to have our eyes opened in faith, by faith, for faith.”

Hear the Lord, who calls us to him. “What do you want me to do for you?”

************

Preacher Revd Dr Pauline Stewart, Feast of St Luke the Evangelist.

October 18th 2009 Luke 10 : 1-9

In today’s gospel reading we hear of Jesus sending 70 disciples (some texts say 72) ahead of him to prepare the people for his coming and to give the message of God’s power and love.

Through this mission I personally discovered many things about mission and about myself as a disciple of Jesus. Today I only have time to mention a very few of those discoveries.

My biggest discovery, however, was that my trust in God, my absolute trust, through the good times and the sad times, my trust that God knows the plan he has for me, is so well founded.

And I am reminded of the words of Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”.

The church exists by mission just as a fire exists by burning. It is simply not enough to just be nourished spiritually by others, and to call it a day, or a Sunday, at that point.

Jesus said “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves”.

And isn’t it just like that today?

What is it you need to do today? What have you put off doing because it seemed too simple, too small, too silly to do or too overwhelming? Or perhaps you felt you would not be well received.

What act of humble obedience do you need to do so that you might claim what God is offering to you, and through you …to your family, your neighbours, to people you don’t yet know?

Blessed be God, day by day, as we grow in his loving care for ourselves and others.
AMEN.

All Saints Anglican ~ Invercargill

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