Poems, Sermons and Writings

It was 1977 and the first film of a new franchise was released.  While a triumphant musical fanfare played, words scrolled up the screen - words which have become iconic to the generation who first saw them and those who followed “ A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” and then followed a brief description of the context for the beginning of the film - a critical turning point in its story.  It is a period of civil war… (there is more detail finishing with) Princess Leia races home aboard her  starship, custodian of the stolen plans  that can save her people and restore  freedom to the galaxy....  Strangely this new franchise was entitled “Star Wars Episode 4 - a new hope”. You see it was starting in the middle of the story. Episodes 5&6 followed - then later we got the prequels - episodes 1-3.  Today’s gospel starts in the middle of the story - it is a story of a new hope but we need to go back to an earlier part of the story to understand the context and significance. The

In keeping with our winter theme, I found myself thinking of that wonderful children’s book from the land of Narnia, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C S Lewis. (fun fact: we remember C S Lewis in our church calendar on November 22). For those unfamiliar with the story it is set during WW2 and four children go through a magical wardrobe and find themselves in the land of Narnia. When they arrive, the land has for years been existing in a time which is “always winter, but never Christmas”.  Although we in the southern hemisphere celebrate Christmas in the summer, this evocative phrase still hits the mark. In this land it is dark and cold and most have lost hope because of the curse of the witch. There are small pockets of hope and rumours that one day the Lion, Aslan, will come.  There are times in our lives that can look bleak, when we struggle to find hope. Perhaps “the time of coronavirus” is a little like that. This virus we first heard about in the new year. Everyone thoug

Matthew 7:24-29 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Hearers and Doers “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”  Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes . I runga i te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu.  Āmine. In the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen Morena Ni sah yandra Malo e lele-i Good Morning These are greetings in the languages contained in “A New Zeala

The following essay was written for my public theology course. The question was "What challenges do movements like #MeToo and #ChurchToo raise for the churches and how should churches respond to these?" This is a dense and confronting subject. My full bibliography is appended if anyone wishes to pursue any of these sources. Gazing into the Mirror “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” [1]  This verse has been a comfort and an inspiration to me, however the picture is somewhat passive, we are just gazing and the Lord is doing all the transforming. When churches are confronted by movements such as #MeToo and #ChurchToo different mirrors are required and more active responses. We must look in the mirrors of the world, our sacred text, our history, our current situation and Christ. These mirrors