In our morning services recently, we’ve looked at the theme of discipleship inMatthew’s gospel, asking what we can learn from Matthew’s account of the good news that can help us to be followers of Jesus, and to be the Church of Jesus, here in Wellington in 2010.Today, we are going to continue with that theme, but “change books”.  In ourservices this morning, we’ll look at Mark’s gospel, and specifically at Mark’s account of Jesus calling the first disciples – again, asking what we can learn about following Him in our context.  Then, over the next few weeks, I want to look at some “discipleship basics” – Communion, believers’ baptism, and church membership/partnership.  These are things that are central aspects of our church life, and it’s good every once in a while to pause and reflect on their significance and importance. Following that, we’ll come back to Mark’s gospel again, and think some more about the practical challenges of living as disciples of Jesus.

Last Saturday’s MyServe event at Karori West Normal School was a great success – from a whole lot of standpoints.  I have to confess to not being all that enthusiastic about going!  Life is busy, the weather wasn’t great, there’s lots of stuff I could or should have been doing at home … you know how it is!  But once I got there, I was reminded of how enjoyable it is to be working with others – it’s that “doing life in community” thing – it’s what we were made for.  And we achieved a huge amount in a relatively short time.  The school was absolutely delighted; it was a powerful witness – the followers of Jesus caring for those around them; and the sausages and fresh baking were great! 
 
Thanks to everyone who participated.  And if you were unable to be involved, try and join in the next MyServe event – even if you don’t really feel like it!

As most of you will be aware, we’ve recently had five “focus groups” meeting,
looking at the subjects of Care and Community, Service, Evangelism, Discipleship, and Mission and Justice, and thinking about how we can grow in each of these areas as a church community.

One of the significant things that came up in the two groups I was involved in (Service, and Evangelism) was a realisation that there were lots of good things
happening in these areas, in and through individuals and small groups – but most of the time we don’t hear about these things. Probably the same is true in the other areas. And it would be really helpful and encouraging to hear some of these stories.

So … if you, or a group you’re part of, has a story of something that has happened through/with/for/in you relating to one of the above areas – or if you know of
someone else or some other group that has such a story – please let me know! It’s really important that we share the stories of what God is doing in and amongst and through us. It’s this that provides encouragement and inspiration for others. I want to facilitate more such “story-sharing” – but I need you to tell me of the stories there are to share.

Thanks.

At our 9am service last Sunday, Ruth Hughson read an extract from a book about the Lord’s Prayer, written by John Bluck.  It struck me quite powerfully, and I thought it was worth sharing with the whole KBC community …

Reflecting on the opening lines of the Lord’s Prayer -
‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name’ -
John Bluck writes:
“Before you act or ask for anything, take time to greet the source of all life and light.  Name this holy presence, say Good morning, give Him the first call in your life, the best seat at your table.
Just as a radio operator gives a call sign before sending messages, or a computer has to log in, say to God, “I recognise You and name You and trust You are in charge and getting on with changing the world and moving us toward some better place in ways I don’t understand and can barely imagine.”
The all-important first two lines of the (Lord’s) prayer do all of that, and only then do we move on to ask for anything.  So don’t begin by plunging into your needs and worries, don’t start delving into yourself until you have first put yourself into the bigger picture of the Creator and the creation, the wider world as it is and is becoming.”
I think this would be a good way to start not only each prayer we pray, but each day we live – putting ourselves into the bigger picture of the Creator and the creation, the wider world as it is and is becoming … renewing our trust that God is in charge and is getting on with changing the world and moving us toward some better place in ways we don’t understand and can barely imagine

MyServe is a chance for us to serve our community. Check out what we did for our first with four other churches.

I came across this    “Knots Prayer” recently …
Dear God,
Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, may nots, and might nots that find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart and my life all of the am nots that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough.
Amen.

The concept of God as trinity – one God, but three “persons” – is one of the trickiest doctrines of orthodox Christian faith to get your head around.  And it’s a doctrine that is often attacked as “unbiblical” – the word trinity does not occur in the Bible, and the doctrine is not explicitly spelt out in the Scriptures, and therefore it is claimed that this concept of God as trinity is a human construct.

However, belief in a trinitarian God flows inevitably out of belief in the resurrection of Jesus.  When the disciples encountered Jesus on Resurrection Day, and the days that followed, their immediate and spontaneous response was to worship Him – note the words of Thomas when he first met the risen Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)  This was a truly remarkable response when you remember that these people were Jews – the Jewish faith was and is fiercely monotheistic.  These disciples had been taught from their earliest days that there is only one God.  They knew this to be true; they also knew that the only right response to their risen Lord was worship.  A few weeks later, when the Holy Spirit came upon them in power on the Day of Pentecost, they knew this too was God – but experienced as they had not experienced Him before.

One God … yet known and experienced now as three distinct “persons”.  The concept of God as trinity flowed unavoidably from this insight.  And of course the only
reason human beings have a problem with this concept is that we tend to imagine that God should fit neatly into our human concepts and thinking.

Jesus is risen!  He is Lord and God!

Happy Easter!

This service will have something for everyone with a great opportunity to worship together as a church family.

A chance to join with other groups in Karori to serve our wider community

Meet with Andrew and Dawn to talk about new initiatives and ideas for Children’s and Youth Ministry this year. Please make this a priority.

Keep this weekend free for a time or fun, inspiration and fellowship. Our excellent guest speaker will be George Weiland who is Professor of New Testament at Carey College.