Colourful Dreamer

We are still in Easter, a time to have our minds blown by, and have our imaginations run wild with, the possibilities of what the reign of God might look like. Hold that thought. This morning’s readings from both John’s letter and John’s gospel are all about love. On Tuesday I was asked what is love, or where do we find love defined. How would you answer that? For the gospel writers love is embodied by Jesus. Jesus teaches love, lives love, receives love, dies for love, and rises in love. It’s big! Mind blowingly big. And we are invited to let our imaginations run wild with the possibilities of that love. Mostly we want to define it and limit it and keep it manageable. The Spirit of God in Acts is having none of that, just like last week. Barriers are broken, all that separates is set aside, and new communities based on love are born. John says God is love. Not loving. Love! Jesus abides in this love. He invites us to remain in this love, branches of the love vine. Jesus continue...

Easter is a time to have our minds blown by and for our imaginations to run wild with the possibilities of what the reign of God might look like. I wonder what that means for us as we commemorate ANZAC Day and offer a place for our city to commemorate the Battle of Pukehinahina Gate Pa.   These dark and sad stories would seem to be the exact opposite of Easter. And yet amid the violence are moments of compassion that arose out of the deep wells of faith within people like Henare Wiremu Taratoa, Heni Te Kiri Karamu and Rawiri Puhirake. Mind blowing Easter shaped possibilities. Strangely in Easter we go back to John’s version of the last supper. In our gospel reading (John 15:1-8) Jesus comforts his shocked disciples with his last “I Am” statement – “I am the vine and you are the branches”. As they and we hear this we are invited to hear all the previous I Am statements like, bread of life, living water, light of the world. Look them up. And then Jesus says “You are”. The only time...

Last week’s gospel reading (John 14:1-14) invited us to live the way of Jesus – the way of compassion, generosity, justice and love. Or as one of the commentators puts it “The Way of Jesus is the embodiment of the dream and hope of God….We must be people of the way, being the dream and hope of God, as we participate in abundant life while here on earth together” [1] As we live the way of Jesus we will come to know the truth of God and God’s commitment or covenant to restore humanity and renew all creation. In this we are to find the life of God. This week we continue to read from John 14 as Jesus continues to be the good shepherd for his fearful and grieving disciples as their dreams come to an end. But it is not the end. Jesus has walked beside them, teaching them about God in the way he lived and how he saw and treated people. He is now sending another to accompany them, another advocate, The Spirit, to walk alongside and within each of them that Jesus’ way might continue, and t...

This sermon can be listened to here . Gate Pa – Year B   6 th Sunday of Easter, 2021 Readings: Psalm                          Psalm 98                                                                   First Reading:              Acts 10:44-48                     Second Reading:         1 John 5:1-6         ...