Once again, here are a couple of things I’ve read this week, which I thought I’d share with you … 

The Fight

One of the greatest risks in taking up arms against evil is to mistake the battle for something that must be fought on a human level, between opposing camps of ‘good’ people and ‘evil’ ones.  It is tempting to carry out the fight in others rather than in ourselves.                            (Johann Christoph Arnold)

Concrete Love

I find it difficult to conceive of a more concrete way to love than by praying for one’s enemies.  It makes you conscious of the hard fact that, in God’s eyes, you’re no more and no less worthy of being loved than any other person, and it creates an awareness of profound solidarity with all other human beings. … And you’ll be delighted to discover that you can no longer remain angry with people for whom you’ve really and truly prayed.                         (Henri J. M. Nouwen)

I thought I’d share with you a couple of things I read this week, both of which I felt were quite profound …

 The church is not going to be different until someone in it is different.  God waits for each of us to hear, “Behold, I do a new thing – through you!”  The question is always:  Can we open our lives so that the Holy Spirit may descend, and new power break forth, that we may be the kind of person around whom renewal begins?                                                                                                             Elizabeth O’Connor

 And …

 Apprehend God in all things,

for God is in all things.

Every single creature is full of God

and is a book about God.

Every creature is a word of God.

If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature–

even a caterpillar–

I would never have to prepare a sermon.

So full of God is every creature.                                           Meister Eckhart

I want to comment on two things this week.

 Firstly, as I sit in my office writing this (Friday morning), there’s a great hive of activity over in the church kitchen as Sue, Carolyn, Harriett, Ruth, Lyndsey and Paul prepare for our AGM Dinner. I want to express my very sincere thanks, on behalf of you all, to this team for all they’ve done to make our AGM a great night. It’s a wonderful thing to have a team of enthusiastic volunteers “champing at the bit” to get into a project and do the very best job they can – and that has been the case with this group. I’m sure we’re going to have a great night, and an outstanding dinner. (By the time you read this, you’ll know whether I’m right!) Special thanks too to Viv and Dawn who have put a lot of time and effort into AGM preparations.

 Secondly, we have another special event coming up in the life of KBC. It starts in a couple of weeks, and will be spread over a month. Chris Marshall is going to be doing a preaching series here entitled “Jesus Matters: Exploring What Mattered to Jesus and Why It Should Matter to Us” (see separate insert). Chris is the Head of the School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies at Victoria University, and previously was New Testament Lecturer at the Bible College of New Zealand in Auckland (now Laidlaw College). An outstanding Christian communicator and teacher, he will be speaking in our morning services on June 12^th, 19^th and 26^th, and July 3^rd and 10^th; please note that there will be just one morning service on these dates, starting at 10.30am.

We are greatly privileged to have Chris giving us his time and expertise for these five Sundays. I want to strongly urge you, young and old and everyone in between, to come to these services – and commit yourself to all five of them if you possibly can.

Today of course is Mother’s Day.

 Some churches make quite a big deal of this occasion.  However, to be honest, I always feel it’s not quite appropriate to put too much emphasis on Mother’s Day in our worship services.  Firstly, Mother’s Day is not a specifically Christian celebration. And secondly, I’m conscious that for some people, a day focussed on celebrating mothers can be a very difficult day, because of their own personal experiences and circumstances.

 However, it is appropriate, I think, to pause and reflect on the best features of the love of mothers which we have seen and/or experienced, and to acknowledge that this love has its source in God, and is a primary means by which we know and experience His love.  And we can give thanks for that today.

I read this the other day, and I liked it!  I thought I’d share it with you …

 Freed From Taking Ourselves Too Seriously

Those who live in grace are freed from the necessity of taking themselves, their circumstances, their morality and opinions, their piety and beliefs, too seriously. They are free to laugh and play as children of God. As important as repentance is, we are not saved by our much weeping, any more than we are saved by acts of penitence. And the expression of salvation freely given and received is not weeping but laughter, or at least a weeping become laughter. Laughter and light-heartedness, at their fullest and freest, are the gift of divine grace.                         (Conrad Hyers)

On the day of His resurrection, the Bible records that Jesus joined two of His followers as they walked from Jerusalem towards the nearby village of Emmaus. They didn’t recognise Him, and as they walked He chatted with them about the events of the last couple of days, and their response to the death of the one they had followed.

 The Message translation expresses the final part of this story like this …

They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if He were going on, but they pressed Him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So He went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, He blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognised Him. And then He disappeared. Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as He conversed with us on the road, as He opened up the Scriptures for us? (Luke 24:28-32)

 May we who know this story so well discover that the risen Jesus opens the Scriptures for us in a fresh way this Easter; may we too be wide-eyed with wonder at the events of Easter, and “on fire” as we encounter our living Lord, as we worship Him in spirit and in truth.

 Have a very blessed Easter!

I’ve been thinking a bit about baptism this week – primarily because one of the young women in our church, is going to be baptised here this evening.  She will get down into the pool at the front of the church, and be fully immersed in the water – because she wants to publicly proclaim that she has entrusted her life to Jesus, and is committed to being His follower. 

To be honest, I find what the Bible says about baptism somewhat mysterious – but it’s also profound, and powerful!  It says that when we are baptised, we are baptised “into” Christ Jesus – into His death, and burial, and resurrection life (Romans 6).  As I said, there’s mystery here – but it’s also a powerful statement, and a wonderful promise, something to continue to reflect on, and to grow in understanding and experience of.

 Is baptism just a “religious ritual”, merely an outward expression of an inward reality – and it’s the inward that matters?  I think it’s more than that – and this is where the mystery comes in.  “Baptised into Christ Jesus” – what a stunning statement!  If you are a follower of Jesus, but have never been baptised, I invite you to say to Jesus that you are willing to be baptised if this is what He wants you to do – and then invite Him to make it clear to you if He does.

Today is the first Sunday of LENT, the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter.  Lent is traditionally a time for serious reflection on what it means to follow Jesus, and of committing afresh to living as His disciple in the world.  Traditionally also, Lent is a sombre time, a time of fasting and self-denial, because it is a time of preparing to once again go through the events of Easter, and identify with Jesus in His suffering and death.

Have you given any thought to how you might make this Lenten period a significant and formative time for you?  Choosing to deny yourself of something and to make time for serious reflection and recommitment is a very helpful way to prepare yourself to celebrate Easter meaningfully – remembering that we are called to worship God by offering ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1).

I’m not sure who decides such things, but my diary says that today (March 6^th) is Children’s Day in New Zealand. Sadly, there are many children in our country who are not cared for and protected as they deserve to be. Let’s use today as anopportunity to recommit ourselves, as a church community, and as individualfamilies, to cherishing and loving the children entrusted to us by God – remembering they are extremely precious to Him.

I am also “reliably informed” that the last weekend of this month (March 26^th and 27^th) is officially Neighbours’ Weekend Aotearoa. (Check out the website, www.neighboursday.org.nz) The theme is “turning streets into neighbourhoods”. In view of recent events in Christchurch, this would be a great time to develop links with neighbours, and discuss how you would care for each other in an emergency, look at civil defence issues, etc. And of course, show the love of Jesus in the process. Wouldn’t it be great if KBCers became the catalysts for turning streets into neighbourhoods throughout our community?