Colourful Dreamer

Because I am away during this year’s Season of Creation, I have decided to move our engagement with this time to July. And maybe that will encourage us to take part in the actual Season is some more active ways. This year’s theme, chosen by young people working with the International Steering Committee, is Let Justice and Peace Flow. The Prophet Amos cries out “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24). This year we are invited to join the river of justice and peace, to take up climate and ecological justice, and to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss of biodiversity.  We are invited in this week’s readings to reflect on what stops us joining this mighty river. In his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of how Christ breaks the power of sin that enslaves us. While there are many ways to understand sin, I wonder if in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss and life-threatening...

 You can listen to Bonnie's sermon here Bonnie Hebenton is preaching today on Matariki and harvest. S he writes As we come to this Harvest Festival Sunday, the opening line from Philippians 4 is perhaps what should be foremost in our minds: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." Harvest is a time of looking back over what has been, pausing to give thanks and resting before the work of the new season so that we can reap a harvest again in due course. In Aotearoa New Zealand we are fortunate to have the richness of Matariki (Māori New Year) celebrations interwoven into the traditional Harvest Festival season. During Matariki, across New Zealand, people come together to remember their ancestors, share food, sing, tell stories and play music.  The storehouses are full and there is time to reflect and celebrate. Today we will be exploring some of the parables w...

  Gate Pa –   11 th Sunday in Ordinary Time- Year A -2023 Readings: Psalm -                      Psalm 116:9-17                         First Reading -         Genesis 18:1-15         Second Reading -      Romans 5:1-8             Gospel   -                   Matthew 9:35-10:23                      What I want to say: I want to talk about some of the themes from Phoenix Then explore the importance of Matthew 10:5-8 for Franciscans and in light of that what is living simply   What I want to happen: We are today's “sent ones”/apostles. wonder what ...

We might describe Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter as opportunities to reflect on and be shaped by different aspects of the God revealed in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Ordinary Time is when we reflect on how we join the disciples living in response to this God in our context and time. This week we are given Matthew 9:35-10:25 – Jesus sending out the “sent ones” or apostles. We hear these words in the promise of Pentecost and John’s experience of the Spirit of Ascended Jesus being breathed into each of us, gifting us peace; inviting us to rejoice and forgive and live the gospel. We continue our walk in Ordinary Time by returning to Matthew and his version of Jesus sending out the apostles. For Franciscans this is a very important story. On hearing this gospel reading in 1208 on the Feast of Saint Matthias, Francis of Assisi heard his calling and with his brothers found the basis of the rule of life for his order. He, like those first...

I am away for the next two Sundays. So I am not preaching this Sunday - Trinity Sunday. Which is sad. I like trinity Sunday and wrestling with what difference the trinity makes. My deep suspicion is that most Christians are not Trinitarian, or even monotheisitic. We slide into being tritheisitc, believing in God, the Son and Holy Spirit.  Trinitarian theology is faith in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And it grew out of peoples shared experience of God,  and helped them both make sense of that experience and find ways to live in response to that shared experience. For me that means that in the gospels we meet the Eternal Word (Son) who comes among us in Jesus. In his life, teaching, death and resurrection we are shown God the Father. We meet the character of the Father - Source of All Being - a character of love, generosity,  and mercy. And just as the risen Jesus breathed the Spirit into his followers, so the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ breathes ...