Episodios
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Freshly back from the tangi of Kiingi Tuheitia and the coronation of Kuini Ngā Wai hono i te pō, Māmari Stephens weaves the parallels between the situations of Jews in Exile in Persia under the Emperor Xerxes, and the situation of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand today. In examining the story of Queen Esther, she ponders how God uses our soft power to work for the good of those who feel the need to hide their identity.
Readings:
extracts from the Book of Esther
Matthew 14.25-31
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Exile was totally disruptive of the life of God's people. The best and brightest were compelled to work for a foreign regime. But, rather than doing so grumpily, exiles like Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego throw themselves into life in Babylon, in line with Jeremiah's instructions in Jeremiah 29. They dig in to life in Babylon, but they also dig into life with God. And then, when they're asked to cross the line, they know when to say "No". In this sermon, Tim encourages us to do the same; to "dig in" to where God's call takes us,and to "dig in" to God.
Readings
from Daniel 1,
from Daniel 3
Luke 20.20-26
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In part 4 of our Civil Servants of Scripture series, Tim looks at some of the officials named in the reign of King David. You can't rule a kingdom without a lot of dedicated officials. But the rot starts at the top. What if power goes to the boss's head, and your boss is the king? Tim talks briefly about Joab, and more extensively, Uriah, to consider the place of officials when power is misused. How does God see this misuse of power? And how should we respond?
Readings:
2 Samuel 8.15-18
2 Samuel 11.1-27
Matthew 20.24-28
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This week, our Civil Servants of Scripture Series looks at Deborah. The story is sometimes seen as an indictment on male leadership, or perhaps as an exaltation of the preferability of female leadership. But what if we see it as an exploration in collaboration and co-operation? How might that help us to approach our work in the world with a spirit of service, calling, and co-operation? Rebecca leads us through these questions - and more - in this sermon!
Readings:
Judges 4 & 5
Matthew 26.6-13
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The story of Joseph is so big, he gets two sermons in this series on Civil Servants of the Bible. This week, Joseph has been installed as effective prime minister of Egypt. Matt outlines for us the qualities of a good servant, including the quality of "anticipation". How does Joseph's faith in God help him to anticipate the nation's needs, and to plan appropriately? And how does his faith help him to break the cycle of scapegoating that dogs the operations of government?
Readings:
extracts from Genesis 44 & 45
Acts 7.9-15
Luke 15.20-24
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This week's sermon starts a new series on the Civil Servants and Public Officials of the Bible. We live in a civil servant town. All our lives in Wellington are touched by personal connections to the civil service. Many of us work there. Many of us will work there. And even if we don't, all our lives are affected by the policy decisions and executive actions of civil servants. This series asks us how to navigate that life as Christians. How does the Bible help us to think through our multiple allegiances, to our employer, to the State, and above all to God?
In this first sermon, Ginni introduces us to Joseph, with the early part of his public career as an official in Potiphar's house. He's confronted early with the complexity of different loyalties. Can he stay true to YHWH, and be a good servant? And what about us? How do we maintain our faith in God when things seem to be falling apart around us in our workplaces?
Readings:
Genesis 39
Matthew 6.25-34
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The paradoxical climax of Jesus' ministry is his ascent up Mt Golgotha, to the cross. Why is this paradoxical moment so important? Why is it the way to life?
Matthew Bartlett explores these questions in this sermon.
Towards the end, he references a painting by Ioannis Moskos, which can be found here:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Crucifixion_by_I.Moskos_%281711%29.jpg
Readings:
Isaiah 53.4-12
2 Corinthians 5.14-the end
Luke 23.32-47
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The words of Jesus are good! From the vista of the Sermon on the Mount, we can see Jesus' vision for a good society, built on the wholehearted faith of those who open their lives to God. As the floodwaters of our time rise, we're called to remain faithful and generous and committed to others, trusting that God will make that generosity possible.
This sermon was a version preached at the 9am service, with a more informal rant about social media and the sermon on the mount preached at the 10.30 all age service.
Readings:
Matthew 5.1-12
Matthew 7.24-29
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In this sermon, Sam follows Jesus up the Mountain of Transfiguration. The beautiful truth revealed in this climb is that, in Jesus, God gives us the gift of Godself. Since Jesus has climbed the mountain, it's not all up to us: we have instead the privilege of following him.
Readings:
Exodus 32.31-34, 33.12-18
Psalm 8
Matthew 17.1-13
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"Zion" is among the most evocative names in Scripture, suggesting the union of heaven and earth in the Jerusalem Temple Mountain. In this sermon, Tim sketches the way "Zion" develops from a nationalistic symbol, via being a symbol of universal hope for the nations, to a place in the heart set aside for the worship of God "in spirit and in truth".
Since St Michael's is being called in this season to "deeper worship", what does it mean for us to erect Mt Zion in our hearts? Tim suggests is requires us (i) to keep up the habit of worship, (ii) to be honest, and to confess where we are struggling to surrender to God, (iii) to be wholehearted.
Readings:
Micah 4.1-5
Psalm 48 (cp. also Psalm 87)
Hebrews 12.18-29
John 4.19-25
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Mt Sinai is one of the most famous mountains of scripture, the mountain where the 10 Commandments are given. In this sermon, Matthew ponders those commandments, and explores the difference between obeying them as a matter of external obedience, and obeying them as a joyous offering from the heart. In the process, he calls us to lives of worship, and gives us a helpful side-helping on mimetic desire.
Readings:
Exodus 20.1-20
Jeremiah 31.31-34
Luke 22.14-20
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Mt Moriah is the mountain of sacrifice, the mountain where Abraham shows himself willing to give up everything for God. It's a troubling and mysterious story. In this sermon, Tim asks us to exercise our imagination for what would be possible for St Michael's if we let God have our all. On the way, he gets some help from Soren Kierkegaard, and some from Bishop Justin Duckworth, to ask, "what would it mean for St Michael's to lay everything at God's altar?". What Sacred Cows might need to be sacrificed on the way?
Readings:
Genesis 22.1-14
Romans 12.1-8
Mark 10.22-31
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At the Diocesan leadership camp in early 2024, a (sort of) anonymous prophetic message was shared with St Michael's, "Piki Mai!" "come on up [the mountain]". This series responds to that message, by exploring some mountains of scripture, exploring what it might mean for us to come higher up and higher in, in our life together with Jesus.
In this opening sermon, Jessie Thornton-Black gets us ready to climb by observing the preparations Elijah takes on the Mountains of Carmel & Horeb/Sinai in 1 Kings 18 & 19.
Readings:
1 Kings 18.41-46
1 Kings 19.11-17
Luke 14.25-33
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What does it mean to believe in Jesus? In this final part of our post-Easter series on 1 John, Ginni Shaw gives us a beautifully clear statement of what it means to believe in Jesus, and where to go to deepen that belief. the process, she helps revive our faith if it's at risk of going stale.
Readings: 1 John 5, especially vv. 1-12
Sermon preached at the 9am service, so the acoustic is a bit different from normal, and there is less heckling...! And there's a reference to Charles Taylor, just for Rayne!
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Tim continues our interrupted series on 1 John with some reflections on Chapter 4. Why is it good news that Jesus has come "in the flesh", as a human? How do we dwell in that truth?
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Bishop Justin brings the first of his two-part sermon on the Good News. This week: the good news of the cross.
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The lectionary sets readings from 1 John for the weeks after Easter. Before this sermon, Tim played the first few minutes of the Bible Project overview of 1 John, and then dives into 3 issues that arose for him from Chapters 1 & 2.
- who is this God John is passionate about?
- what does it mean to walk in the light?
- how do we get into the light?
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The Law is a massive theme across the whole bible. How do we understand it, from its place in the Torah's wilderness narratives, right through to Jesus, and Paul's apparent reevaluation of it.
These are the questions Rebecca guides us through in this helpful overview of the theme of Law.
Readings:
Exodus 19.3-6, Ex 20.1-17
Deuteronomy 4.5-14
Galatians 3.23-4.7
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