Colourful Dreamer

A Ref lection for   3 rd   Sunday in Lent,  Year A  -  :  I wrote this reflection 6 years ago while at Gate Pa. In this reflection I tired to put the story of the Samaritan woman at the well back, back into the story arch of John's gospel, and back into the whole story arch of the Bible as I understand it. I used it for our bible study last night and thought it still worked, and so offer it again for this year.   Readings: Psalm                          Psalm: 95                                                        First Reading:    ...

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...

This sermon can be listened to here Gate Pa –  5th Sunday in Easter - Year A -2020 Readings: Psalm -            Psalm: 31:1-5,15-16    Page 229 NZPB   First Reading -   Acts 7:55-60   Second Reading - 1 Peter 2:2-10   Gospel -  John 14:1-14 What I want to say:   Reading John 14 as words of comfort and hope in the midst of pandemic lockdowns. We are invite into God being protector and provider, even in the midst of this dark time. How does Julian of Norwich help us do that?   What I want to happen:   People to reflect on how they have known God's protection and provision in this time.   The Sermon   1.       Introduction: Happy Mother’s Day. This year an odd Mother’s Day really. Many of us who still have mothers can’t be with them, and that might be hard.Many who are mothers can’t be with their families an...