Do we practice what we preach or are we like the Pharisees, pious followers of law and ritual? Matthew 23 1-30 Matthew’s Gospel is my favourite. I am one of his true fans, a Matthew groupie if you like. He was a caring pastor, a clear and simple preacher and a trustworthy friend. He cared deeply about the mission of the church and so the stories of Jesus he told reflected this; helping others to share their faith often in practical ways. Matthew was concerned about being faithful to what Jesus did, honouring Jesus more deeply in life itself. He has a sharp emphasis on righteousness and is filled with practical teaching, about the turning of a life into the pattern Jesus set out in the Sermon on the mount. This righteousness was to even exceed the standards of the scribes and the Pharisees. But it must also be a natural goodness, part of every day life not a paraded piety. And so it is no coincidence that we hear of stories of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel having a go at the Pharisees, at their sense of self importance, of their phylacteries (boxes worn on arm bands with scripture inside), their love of their garments, and their privileged position in life. This growth in outward signs of piety by the Pharisees is directly linked to the destruction of the temple in 70ce. It was at this time that the emerging rabbinic leadership emphasized these external signs of piety as markers of a holy people in a now much more pluralistic society. They were concerned that Judaism would become diluted into the surrounding world after the destruction of the national shrine, so their outwardly signs of their faith became a lot more visual and in your face. And the Matthian Church was tempted to conform to these practices with pressure from the leadership of the synagogues. The message in Matthews Gospel is not just a warning to all followers or the Pharisees but a clear message or warning to the leaders of Matthews church not to follow these practices. But not only did the Pharisees love their place in the world they extolled laws and rituals that they expected others to follow , expecting all to carry heavy loads but not often prepared to carry them themselves. The Pharisees encouraged all people to live out their vocation as a priestly nation, applying their priestly laws to the people as a whole. Matthew understood their efforts as replacing God’s law with human tradition, in his mind, an intolerable and misdirected burden for ordinary people. The word hypocrites is mentioned around half a dozen times in chapter 23! In his telling of the story Matthew was not denouncing God or people’s faith. What he was doing was trying to clear the fog of religious practices so people could see God more clearly. He still paints a picture of a very devout and Godly Jesus but tries to separate the preaching and the practice. In that I mean he was showing that we must practice what we preach and just saying we belong, or that we help through giving at a distance is not good enough, we must also get our hands dirty and muck in with what needs to be done, and not just for the church but for others around us. When Matthew condemns the scribes and the Pharisees he did not condemn their teaching, for this was still following God’s law but he was condemning their practices. For it was the Pharisees who opposed such hypocrisy and practice must correspond to teaching. Something that the Pharisees were seen to fail at rather miserably. And so as a priest in this church and as a passionate follower of Matthew’s beliefs this may help people to understand where I come from the direction I and others belief the church now needs to follow in worship, in outreach and mission, in following Christ on a daily basis by helping those in need without denouncing our faith, just unwrapping some of the external wrappings and expressions in religion that others see as being hypocritical in our faith. And so it this reason that I sometimes chose not to sit in a higher seat, up front in robes and being put on a pedestal and prefer to allow others to be part of what we do and are. Matthew in the gospel tells of Jesus denouncing titles as teacher, rabbi expecting all to be equal, a more team leadership style approach. I was brought up in a very strong Anglican family. I attended church regularly and had a good understanding of God; along side this our family was deeply committed to sharing our life, love and skills with others. Our home was a haven for many, including foster children, meals were prepared for people, and there was always food for anyone that walked in the door. My first work experience was devoted to the care of children in need of life’s basics including love and compassion coming from troubled families struggling to meet basic needs. Even my role as a police officer was centred round helping others. I was often asked why I spent so much time with accident victims by hierarchy. It was because I could not leave people on the side of the road and would often take them home to ensure they were safe and cared for in a dignified manner. It is this understanding that means I would prefer to welcome people into our home for a meal rather than give money to the city mission, to visit people and be with them and offer support when needed rather than sit back and make people come to our temple for prayer. I am not suggesting that we stop doing any of these things as they are important rituals within our church and part of our being as well, what I am trying to explain is where I come from and the importance of doing as part of my being and faith rather than my faith including a bit of doing so that I am seen to be doing the right thing. Through this understanding of Matthew’s, I and others believe will help to strengthen and grow our church. When we focus our life on a daily basis to the service of others on God’s behalf and this comes from our hearts then we will truly be following what Christ wanted us all to do and be. And when people see and experience this then they will no longer call our church or us hypocritical but know our church and us as a community that cares, shares it faith, that practices what it preaches. A community and people that are partners in service, God’s service to others. Leander, E. Keck. The New Interpreters Bible – Matthew, Abingdon Press: 1995. Proctor, John. Matthew’s Jesus, Grove Books: 2004.

Money: Giving to the Church. One of the trickiest subjects anyone preaches on. What angle do we take, how do we discuss without offending and especially in this economic climate is it a path we should go down at all? Last year we reflected on the theology of giving and the importance of good stewardship. My sermon was biblically based and focussed on giving to the church from the heart at a level that suited everyone. Bruce our treasurer also spoke about our finances and encouraged people to become regular in their giving to make budgeting that much easier. The result was a few more people became regular givers resulting in small increase but not that significant. The reality we are now in, even after extra income from the purchase of Apollo House is that we are facing a significant deficit budget for 2009, approximately 20–25,000 in the red. If our income does not increase to at least this level then within a few years, we as a mission district will be in the situation of having to return to part time ministry as the funds that were saved to appoint a full time priest will have run dry. With this in mind I have looked at the mission district giving in relationship to other ministry units and the diocese. This first chart shows the average giving per person per ministry unit throughout the entire Auckland Diocese. Average giving is 445(4) our average is 302(3). It also shows the maximum(2) and minimum(1) average giving in parishes. The second chart shows our giving relative to other similar sized parishes or ministry units. Our giving is 302(3). And interestingly enough our attendance numbers have increased by 15-20% over the last few years so it is not a problem in numbers of people able to give. So a simple truth is that giving at AGAMD is on average less than others give but not the worst and is in real terms declining. Points: People have expressed concern that their giving is going towards the completion of Hoy Cross. This is incorrect as no personal giving is going towards this project. This is money was from the sale of the land to North Shore City Council when the road was widened and we have no choice but to use it for capital works – the interior of Holy Cross. We have as said, purchased the show home which meant spending money but has doubled our income from the commercial lease now in place. We lease land to telecom in Greenhithe, we hire out the hall and look to allow Holy Cross to be used by the wider community as well. These bring in a considerable amount but the church still requires and relies on giving by its members. We are expected to be completely self sufficient as a district and receive no income from the diocese. In fact we get a discount from the diocese being a mission district and therefore do not pay our full amount to the diocese. Many people have said that I give time and talents, and yes these are important but the fact is that a church like ours cannot survive in full time ministry without monetary giving as well. So where to next, what does the bible tell us about money and giving? Jesus had many ways of confronting us with God’s demands but the most characteristic was to speak in parables. The parable of the rich farmer in (Luke 12:13) is a classic. A bumper crop what should I do next? If we had won last night’s lotto jackpot what would we have done? Built a big barn for it or placed it in a bank barn. The farmer’s decision is based on a misconception of how life and possessions are related. Let’s look at a triangle that has within it everything we have and are. Material goods are the least important and go at the bottom. Note these mentally, cars, houses other things we must have. God the most important goes at the top. What goes in between? Water, friendship, comfort, peace, salvation, hope, bread, health, popularity, respect? Few people believe things are the most important but many are persuaded that they will, in themselves bring a higher good. You are not just buying an item, you are making a statement about your identity, winning certain appreciation from those you love, or even buying the hope that a coconut bar will give you a taste of paradise! The farmer in the parable was foolish. He believed that his soul, his being could be housed for many years in the store barns. He had not separated the things he had from his soul and believed his soul laid in the possessions he had. But his soul was not his and in the end was required by God. Often we are very similar, we spend a life time storing up money and things for our retirement and then so many times I hear of people that have never stopped gathering and die before enjoying anything. So gathering up possessions for ourselves alone in years to come is counter to what Jesus was suggesting. He did not say to the farmer give it all away but questioned the importance the farmer placed on his possessions and could they be used to better Gods kingdom. Following on Jesus gives us another parable about those that enjoy the fruits of their labours without sharing, the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man (Luke 16:19). In this craftily created parable we see the division that having things, wealth, and money can bring. A rich man, so called successful, has it all and more, yet when someone in need is at his feet he keeps it all to himself. In our own society we have similar divides, some more obvious than other but they exist. Kiwi vs. Asian, Maori non Maori, and yes rich vs. poor. Some would even go as far as saying the shore vs. west. I went to a market research focus group once for Botany Downs where they presented new advertisements for the centre to locals and others. The local people thought that the person on the ads was taking the mickey out of east Auckland, which he was, and asked the makers of the add, “why put us down when we go to this place and spend money?” The writers replied that they were trying to entice people from west Auckland over there and the ads are aimed at them. To which the locals replied, “We don’t want then in our shopping centre and if you play these adds we wont come here shopping.” To this day I have never seen one of the ads played. Division of east V’s west. So the Rich man ends up in Hades while the poor man sits beside Abraham. We all think this is just but as we gather more stuff for ourselves often miss that this parable is aimed at us as well. Now I am not suggesting that we give everything away. What we should recognise though is that in the kingdom of God we become aware that there is a higher value than Me and Mine and that our wealth can be put to the service of a more lasting good. Wealth is not something to be shunned but shared to break down the walls that divide us all, the east’s v’s the west’s. Jesus did not suggest the farmer burn his crop or the rich man bury his wealth but in both cases share it for the better of God’s kingdom. Zacchaeus (19: 1-10) a man who had clawed his way up to the top, is called by Jesus to share a meal and in so doing his heart changes and he wishes to give back much of what he had taken. Not all, as we are not all called to become poor. In an earlier story (18:18-26) Jesus asks this of a rich ruler yet this man is unable to separate himself from that which he has and becomes sad. Jesus says it is harder for camel to go through the eye of a needle that is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The rich man in his heart cannot let go of what he has, unlike Lazarus who has no trouble letting go and wants to ensure he repays anyone he has defrauded. Christian giving is found on renunciation of self and not wealth, of thinking of the better good, of God’s good for others. In each of these stories the rich person was only interested in their own selves and their possessions. Only Lazarus realised that Gods kingdom was more important and that ensuring he shared the wealth he had with others was the only way he going to find true salvation. In this respect his giving was flowing from a changed heart and this giving was unconditional. He did not expect anything in return. He didn’t say “What do I get in return,: or “What’s in it for me?” or “I expect better service from whom I give,” but found he had much more in return, a changed heart and a stronger love for God. As long as someone worships wealth that person will always find it hard to be generous and will always want to know “What do I get out of it?” The story of the Poor widow (21:1-4) shows an example of giving from the heart. She never once thought about herself but considered others first. She needed no encouragement to be generous. Her heart was set on giving all that she had to the temple treasury. Wealth was not part of her life. She acted with one heart and mind. Jesus we remember has told us that we cannot serve God and wealth. (16:13) In this story the widow gives that which represents her life to Gods work through the temple treasury and Lazarus gave that which represented himself back to those that needed it more. So what is a suitable amount for us to give to the church for the continuation of God’s work through the ministry that is developing in this mission district? It is very much an individual thing as we have differing wealth. And so a modern day parabel Susan handed her minister a check for $50 and asked if it was satisfactory. The minister replied if it represents you! Susan took back the cheque and thought, does $50 really represent me? She returned next week with a cheque for $500 asking is this enough and the minister replied again does this represent you. Again the cheque was taken although with a bit of resentment. A deep sense of distress occurred with in Susan as she really had to ask herself for once what value she put on herself, and the teachings of Christ that she believed she followed and the ministry she wished her church to carry out. She returned the next week with another cheque for $5000 saying that this really does represent me and I am happy to give you this amount. The minister asked her to reconsider. Each time the minister was not asking her to consider the monetary amount but get her to seek that much deeper sense of integrity. Was her giving representing the importance of her life, her faith, her beliefs and the work of the mission of the church? She had journeyed like the widow and Zacchaeus and had found a much deeper sense of discipleship because of it. Chapter 18:30 Jesus promises that those that learn to be generous will receive a greater reward. Generosity gives a disciple a new identity a sense of a shareholder in the kingdom of God. Some times the reward is great but we may flinch at the cost as money gives us a sense of personal power. Without it we can have less options to chooses but the only choice we are asked to make is one that follows God. At this point I ask everyone how important is this place in your lives. Is it at the top or bottom of the triangle and does your giving reflect the importance of the church community and faith? How important is the mission of the district to you and does your giving allow this work to continue? Are you committed to God’s work within the mission district through regular monetary giving? So please take out to pray for our district, to pray for your selves and ask yourself what am I worth, and how important is the work of AGAMD to you, am I a widow, a Zacchaeus or am I a rich Man or a rich ruler. How would I like to be remembered by God and how can I better God’s kingdom while her on earth.

Theme Praiseworthy living Before we focus on this morning’s Gospel reading let us recap the events that lead up to Matthew’s parable The Great Supper Jesus has entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey which has created a great stir in the city. He causes a big commotion by ejecting the money leader from the temple courtyard. The blind and the lame are healed by him and children shout Hosanna to the Son of David Chief priests and elders of the people come to him in the Temple Courts and ask him by whose authority is he doing these things. Jesus asked them a question “John’s baptism where did it come from? Was it from heaven or from men”? If they will answer him Jesus will tell them the source of his Authority. But they are evasive and reply “we don’t know” so Jesus refuses to tell them by who’s Authority he was doing these things instead Jesus narrates to them three allegorical parables. Two Sons 21:28-32 The Lord’s Vineyard Given To Others 21:33-46 The Great Supper 22:1-14 In these allegorical writings Jesus is responding to the Pharisees, chief priests and elders’ who are refusing to accept that Jesus has a special relationship between himself and God. He doesn’t directly confront them in an accusing confrontational way but uses the parables as a way of communicating the message by including in the parables questions/answers/pronouncement. In the Gospel story we heard this morning:- The King prepared a banquet for his Son. He sends his servants to those who have been invited to tell them to come. But they refuse to attend. More servants are sent one guest goes off to his field another to his business and the others kill the servants. Enraged the King sends his army to destroy the murderers and their city. The King sends more servants out into the streets to find all the people they could find so that the wedding hall would be filled with guests. The King spots a guest without wedding clothes and questions the guest about the lack of dress, the guest has no answer to the question. Attendants are called they tie the guest up and throw him out of the banquet into the darkness. Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited but few are chosen. The parable portrays God as the King, Jesus as the Son, the first and second group of servants are the prophets, and the third group of servants are the Christian missionaries. The invitation presupposes the two stage custom of rabbinic literature, first the invitation is sent and accepted then a courtesy reminder is made on the day of the banquet. This invitation was first given by God and accepted by the Israelites through the Covenant and later the invitation is extended to the Gentiles both the good and the bad. The referring to the wedding clothes is not viewed as a literal meaning but identified in the conversion of Christians as the donning of a new set of clothes the giving up of the old ways and the putting on the new Christian identity. Many are invited but few are chosen. The last Judgement is the nitty gritty part of the parable it’s an aspect of Christian teaching that has become less prominent in the Church’s dogma. Perhaps you have had the opportunity while travelling in Europe or the Middle East to see the graphic pictorial messages of heaven and hell shown in the art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. Protestant influence moved the message away from the visual message to the oral presentation where the preachers of those days had no reservation in pointing the finger at the congregation and warning them that they could be on their way to the fires of Hell. For many through the consequences of the industrial age and the slave trade found Hell here on Earth they didn’t have to wait for the future, they lived their lives seeking out God’s Kingdom on Earth with the promised hope that one day they would find their way to the Heavenly Kingdom. For us here in this tranquil setting it is hard to comprehend the true ramifications of the expression “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, it doesn’t sit very well with the theological image of a caring loving God whose Son Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins, yet we can not ignore the reasons behind the message of the parable. Perhaps the message is not about us dwelling on what might happen in the future but concentrating on the present. We certainly can thank God for the beauty of our country and the resources we have been given, it’s so easy to take it all for granted. But the reality is that not everybody is so blessed; people in other parts of the world and in New Zealand are living in a hell on earth situation. We only have to look at the drug scene to see destructive forces at work, jealousy, greed, anger and many other examples of evil that easily come to our minds. There is an alternative pathway we can take, through the grace of God both good and bad are invited to the banquet, but it isn’t just a question of turning up to the feast for the food that will sustain us we have to dress ourselves in the wedding garments of Christ’s teachings. We need through prayer to enact those teachings in our daily lives, so that we can speak out against injustice, be supportive to those that are in need, and proclaim the Gospel’s message of hope. We shouldn’t take a negative passive approach we should reflect the positive vibrant message of Christ that opens the gates to a life that is centred in God’s all invigorating kingdom here on earth. Let us show to those around us the great joy of God’s love in our lives. Lord we pray that we can be messengers of Jesus’ Good News that you love and care for each one of us your children. Amen.

Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20. When and where do we find wisdom for the way? The first time most of us believe we may have found it is when we are two. We recognise the world is much bigger than just ourselves, that we can explore, that we have control over our own bodies. For the first time we assert this and it is often described by many parents as the terrible twos! It soon dawns on us though that we are not fully in command of our own destiny, that there are greater powers, normally parents that have a greater say in the direction our lives take and so often the terrible two’s subsides, lies in waiting as we recognise there is more to learn. In that respect we recognise quite early a sense of wisdom that others might know some things are better for us. Later in the teenage years we again get the sense of having wisdom, we spread our wings and push boundaries again, having learnt things at school and maybe university we can know it all and off we go into the big wide world! We soon realise sometimes that out there we mightn’t have a complete handle on things, that yet again there are stronger powers at play often the boss, the bank other people that think differently from us and that we can’t just always do our own thing if we want to continue to be in harmony with others. Again wisdom learnt. And then in middle age people can go through a crisis where they question everything they have learned, ask what is the meaning of life and often through this time find out they know very little and seek out something different. More wisdom is sought Finally, when I talk to others just before they die there is often a sense of I wish I knew what I know now when I was younger, and a realisation that in fact they know so little. Again more wisdom is gained or an understanding that they have very little. So what is this wisdom that we think we have at times in our lives and then so often find out we have so little yet we still continue to seek right up to our death? `Wisdom is; the reasoned search for specific ways to ensure personal well being in every day life, to make sense of extreme adversity and vexing anomalies, and to transmit this hard earned knowledge so that successive generation will embody it. Basically it is knowledge that helps us to live in our world, something that is worth passing on. Wisdom is very much part of our Christian story and in the Old Testament the goal of wisdom was for the formation of character. Instruction often took place in a family setting, it was focussed on individuals rather than community. The advise was traditional, conservative yet very positive. Part of that wisdom that was passed down from generation to generation and is still part of our culture today is the ten commandments. They are seen by many as a traditional and positive way of ensuring personal well being in every day life. As a Christian community they are held as part of our upbringing and are very much still part of our story. Yet as we know when we pass wisdom on from one generation to the next questions are asked as to how relevant that wisdom still is? Often I find that the wisdom does not change but the way it is expressed has, This is very true within our biblical context for it was Jesus who was given the wisdom of the ten commandments through Moses but for his generation and beyond re wrote them into one single commandment, to love one another as I have loved you. It was never to replace the previous commandments but to make sense of them in a way in which had meaning for him and his mission for the world. And as the wisdom is passed down it is sometimes questioned as next generations see the hypocrisy or in equalities within the wisdom passed down or as Jesus did wish to make meaning of the wisdom for themselves. A good example is the sixth commandment “do not kill” To understand this we need to look at the Hebrew word used in the bible. The word rtsh (ratsoah) means kill. Yet the commandment we now have uses the word murder instead, why is this? In the oxford dictionary the word murder means ‘the unlawful killing of a human being without malice or afterthought.’ Over time the understanding of the sixth commandment has moved from one of no killing at all to no unlawful killing. Does it then recognise that some killings are justified? As we follow the story of the Israelites further we see that in fact after receiving the instruction from God to not kill at Sinai we see God giving instructions to Joshua to destroy Jericho and Ai and all their inhabitants. So are some killings justifiable in God’s eyes? I often think of the story of two chaplains at war in opposing sides. Both praying to God, the same God asking for their deliverance and over powering of their enemy, of God’s will prevailing and that God will kill all their enemies. Which one is justified and will win? God has been used many a time to justify the killing of many people. The present crisis in the Middle East is no different. We have a one side lead by a very devout person believing he has the authority from God to continue his crusade against the axis of evil and yet we have another group of people who are just as devout claiming the same thing. Both sides seem to hold onto the idea of justifiable killing, the do not murder rather than the do not kill. So recognising that sometimes our wisdom passed on down may not be as clear as we would like, attempts are made to clarify them for the present day audience just as Jesus did for his context. And younger generations will continue to question adult wisdom and form their own understandings and set of codes that they can work with as they see past generations not sticking too their own wisdom. My boys are a constant reminder to me of the sating be a good role model rather an do as I say not as I do. Our own legal system in Aotearoa New Zealand is a good example of how things change through generations. We have moved away from the death penalty that was present right up until quite recently. They were classed as justifiable deaths. Our society on the whole no longer finds this acceptable, it is no longer justifiable. After a period of time we now believe this not to be what is ‘good wisdom.’ We are now living up to the original interpretation of thou shall not kill rather than shall not commit murder. In a roundabout way the wisdom has actually been passed down very successfully and re worked to ensure that it is adhered to even more so than previous generations. It is quite remarkable really that our society now accepts that killing is not justifiable regardless of circumstances. In my eyes we are adhering the original interpretation and meaning of the sixth commandment. The recent conviction of a person who assisted their mother end her life is an example of this. I am sure that as time goes on this and other commandments will be tested. But as we have found out with number six I believe they will stand up to any challenge no matter how much time has passed or tweaking people may made. After all if we are to love one another as Jesus loved us then thou shall not kill is far more acceptable in any ones eyes and in so accepting this as part of our society we have found true wisdom, wisdom for the way, wisdom handed down from God at Mt Sinai. Bailey, Wilma Ann – You shall not kill or you shall not murder? Liturgical Press, 2005. Crenshaw, James L. – Old Testament Wisdom Westminster Knox Press, 1998. Spong, John Shelby – Beyond Moralism Harper and Row Publishers, 1986.  The New Interpreters Bible – Exodus Abingdon Press, 1994.

St Michael's Day God of the visible and the invisible we thank you today for your creation and all that surrounds us, be with us all as we celebrate St Michael today. Amen When we look around us we see the beauty of creation, the grass, the trees, the mountains, the sky and we marvel at a God who can create such uniqueness. Human beings continue to explore space, planets and solar systems, and we cannot help but be astounded at how far creation extends. There is however, much of creation that we have not seen, yet through others experiences throughout history, human beings have had encounters that have been quite extraordinary. I am referring to encounters with angels. The Scriptures reveal that God created orders of angels: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Choirs, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Angels and Archangels. It is amazing to let ones imagination loose and visualise all these beings in the heavens, some with wings, others without and then to allow your mind to focus on the General of them all -Michael the Archangel, who is thought to be a Seraphim, carrying his sword ,and ready for battle.  Today we celebrate St Michael’s Day or “Michaelmas” which originated in the sixth century. It is a particularly special day in that most of the Saints which are celebrated in our Christian calendar are human beings, who have in some way been significant in the building up of the church or they have died martyrs deaths for their belief in Jesus Christ. St Michael, Michael the Archangel, or The Guardian Angel which he is known as, however is not human but is depicted as a celestial being, created on a different realm from human beings. The bible shows us that he is intelligent and free willed, personable and immortal. Michael is a servant and messenger of God and basically lives in the invisible realm of Gods creation and yet appears on earth among us, to do Gods bidding. Michael is one of seven Archangels. There is Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and there is some debate about others being included in this list such as Ariel etc and of course we cannot forget the fallen Lucifer whose name means “Light”, who is also known as the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, and Belial. .  The Angels names describe their virtue, Michael’s name means “like unto God” “or “Who is like unto God? - as a question” Gabriel’s means “strength of God” and Raphael means “Medicine of God” or “God has healed”. Michael’s name is the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy of God and his followers. Four times his name is recorded in the scriptures. Firstly in Daniel 10:13 where Gabriel says to Daniel, when he asks God to permit the Jews to return to Jerusalem: “The Angel of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me…..and, behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me… and none is my helper in all these things, but Michael your prince”; Again in Daniel 12, when the Angel speaking of the end of the world and the Antichrist says: “At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who stands for the children of your people”. In the Catholic books of the bible called the Apocrypha, the Epistle of St Jude records: That Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, and that Michael conceals the tomb of Moses. And finally in the book of Revelation 12:7 “ And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon (the devil).” St John speaks of the great conflict at the end of time, which reflects also the battle in heaven at the beginning of time. The image of the battle motif depicts Michael as a formidable foe!! Therefore, Michael is claimed as the patron Saint of paratroopers, police officers, mariners, grocers,( why grocers who knows), he is also the saint of the sick, paramedics and the German people. He is often portrayed as carrying a banner, scales and a sword But what does this all mean to us in our lives today. Can we be convinced of angels and Archangels coming and going from Gods presence to our own world - intervening in our lives? How vulnerable are we to angelic beings choices? The story of Lucifer, being a good example, fallen through pride and arrogance and making choices which influenced human lives. Do we believe that the angels protect us from the evil which is evident in our world and if so, it provokes the questions of why then did angels not protect all those on the Titanic, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in ww2, the twin towers and the other disasters which happen around our world today? I was discussing this with my daughter while preparing this sermon and she asked why God does not save us. I replied he already has saved us But we also must learn about consequences of our actions. Like you, I have heard many stories of angels coming to visit individuals in the nick of time intervening in someway practically, or with messages reassuring Christians of Gods’ plans. So it is hard to dismiss the existence of angels. But one would suppose that the thought of angels would bring us comfort, hope and security in a God who interacts in our world and who charges others to watch over us. So on this St Michaels Day, What do you think of our patron saint - people of the church of St Michael’s, what do you really think?.

Today’s theme is Tensions in the Wilderness Readings : Exodus 16: 2-15 The main focal points that surface from our reading this morning are God’s Covenant and Grace. Exodus records in the Bible the story about a group of people who were directed by God to seek a new way of life, they must move from the slave conditions in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. We are told about the quick dramatic escape from Egypt the skipping across the border while the authorities are distracted and the decision not to take the direct trading route along the coast line but journey through the Wilderness of Sin, an area we now call the Sinai Desert. It’s a journey of rediscovery a coming to terms with the dream of one day returning home to the promised land of their patriarch Abraham. They will return the bones of their ancestors Jacob and Joseph to the land of their birth fulfilling a promise made hundreds of years ago. More importantly the journey is about reconnecting with God a reminder that God hadn’t forgotten to honour the Covenant first pledged with Abraham. The move from the rich fertile region of the Nile Valley to the uncertainty of the barren forbidding wilderness would have been daunting a real test of the depth of their faith. Things quickly deteriorated and their faith evaporated in the heat of the desert sun, and like so many immigrants they looked back and remembered only the good things and they wondered why they are making the journey. Human nature being what it is they complained to Moses and questioned him about whether God was still with them, how little did they understand that God wasn’t looking backwards but was looking to the future. As the food supplies ran out God provided meat in the form of Quail, Moses was directed to a place where water could be extracted from the dry land and bread was provided in the form of Manna. God’s plan wasn’t completed in the solving of the physical needs of the Israelites something far greater had to be achieved, they had to develop a greater spiritual and social awareness. God gifts the Manna each day and the people can only accept the quantity that will be required to take care of their daily needs too much and it is taken away, too little and more is given and it only lasts for a limited time. On the sixth day they are allowed to gather a double supply to provide for the Sabbath day as no Manna would be found on this day. The way that God provides the Manna highlights to the Israelites their dependence on God’s grace for their ability to survive in the desert. Here we see the contrast between the old and the new, Egyptian society was structured in a way that supported the upward movement of the wealth that was produced, through the levels of society to the all powerful Pharaohs, wealth represented status power and authority. The new way requires the Israelites to break with the past and use the freedom they have been given in establishing a just society based on the loving care that God expresses in the covenant. Unfortunately they were unable to achieve this goal so God provided them with the Ten Commandments, a set of rules which they were expected to follow in their daily living; these rules are the bench mark for our own social justice. There is a parallel between the Israelites slavery in Egypt and the materialistic slavery of the present. The Israelites had over the centuries become conditioned into accepting a life style of slavery, they couldn’t see a way out of their predicament it took God’s intervention through the action of Moses to break the shackles of their confinement. This story also has a powerful message for us; we also have been shackled by confinements of beliefs:- Belief that Government should provide for our every need irrespective of the costs The belief that individuals have a right to take what ever they can without any regard to the well being of others. Humanity like the Israelites has difficulty in seeing a new vision of World; the view is blocked by materialism the ego of self-importance of self-righteousness we are left with the daunting images of TV and news paper reports of avoidable tragic events both here in New Zealand and other parts of the world, when we look head at a world financially falling apart the view we see looks like the bleak Wilderness. We shouldn’t be surprised at this situation through out scripture we are constantly reminded about the people of Israel seeking independence from God’s ways and then having to contend with the consequences of their action before again turning back to God. God has always had a vision for the world that requires changes of direction from that bound by the shackles of the secular world with its demands of conformity to the invasive drive for prosperity and power. We have to move from “what can the world give me” to “what can I give the world” the covenant is still binding us to God and it requires us to move in an alternative direction, where loving, caring and helping each other is the top priority. Are these grand dreams and visions that seem marvellous when viewed in respect to the world stage, but not many of us have the ability to dramatically change world events, so how can we help in changing the world? Perhaps we should look closer to home to see how we can help in projecting God’s love to those around us, praying for guidance in how we use resources given to us conscious that we are custodians not owners of those resources. Through God’s grace we have all been given the ability to influence things in small ways and through those small actions something larger can emerge. We can start by looking to see how we can effectively utilize our own individual resources whether that is monetary or human skills and we can also look at how collectively we utilize the resources of the Mission District in furthering God’s will in our community. We do have choices we can be shackled by the demands of the world or we can follow the pathway of God’s freedom. Lord God We are no different to the Israelites in Egypt we need your help in our daily lives and as you provided Manna in the desert we also pray as Jesus has taught us give us this day our daily bread Amen.

Exodus 3 1-15 Perhaps it was a Wednesday afternoon, as the sun burned hot in the sky over the desert of Midian. It was just another day, one of many tedious, boring days, that had been spent wandering through the wilderness in search of answers. Walking along, standing watch over the sheep, or sitting upon the rocks that littered the landscape as the flock took its fill of water at the wells of his father-in-law, Moses was alone with his thoughts and mostly silent as he contemplated his life and all that had transpired. In the shadows of his memory were thoughts of a life that had long since passed into the sands of time. It seemed that they were of another world, or another lifetime. He was no longer a “Prince in Egypt”, but a poor shepherd on the backside of the desert, making an existence in the land where he had finally chosen to settle down. At least here was some peace. Moses really didn’t miss the regalia of Egypt. The power, prestige, honour and glory of Egypt was nothing more than a dream that had faded into oblivion, because Moses knew, that somehow, he was where he needed to be. But where would he go from here? What plan for his life did God have in mind? Was this all there was? Would he simply live out the rest of his life tending sheep and living the life of a nomad in the desert country? I’m sure that Moses had many questions, and not a whole lot of answers. All he knew to do was to take the next step, live the next day and wait for God to make the next move. On this day, in the heat of the day, as the sun shone high in the sky, God was about to make a move and Moses’ life would be forever changed. Have you ever wondered why God has you where you are right now? Has there been a time, and maybe even now, when you question God’s ways? What next God? Is there anything more for me? Have you forgotten me? Moses lived on the backside of the desert for 40 long years while he waited for God to answer, and for the next phase of his life to begin. Sometimes it seems that it takes God a long time to move on our behalf. And so often we wonder and give up. We are people who don’t have much patience and like things now, we are people who want our answers and we want them now. “God, if you have something for me to do, then show me and let me get going right now.” We are also people that like things our way. We get comfortable in our routines and ways of being and doing and when God calls us for change or to move on we become very reluctant to do so as we have become quite comfortable where we are, we become grounded in place and being, rather than grounded in faith. And so when God calls us into action we may often think that cant be right, it doesn’t fit with what I think is right or with what I am and what I would like. My call into ordained ministry was very much like that. I was comfortable in my life and faith, work and family. Yet whamo! the burning bush was lit in front of me and set me on a new path, a new journey. It would have been much easier to say no thanks and stay put. But because I was grounded in faith rather than place we left all we knew to take a journey in new directions. And as Moses was pondering, waiting, suddenly, unexpectedly, God appeared in a burning bush on the side of Mt. Horeb. Here Moses received his call. A call that radically changed his life. And although he was reluctant at first he followed that call, a call that led him to free a people from slavery and restore the Israelites into a faithful people once more. Maybe you have received such a call, seen your burning bush, maybe you are still waiting, but one day, when you are going about your daily business, just being faithful to what God has called you to do for the time being, you just might see a “Burning Bush”, and then another and another for God may call us to many things in our lives and ask us to make many changes. And these calls will come in different forms for each of us. It might be seeing the needs of others and moved with compassion, it could be a small quiet voice within, or it could be something that comes from deep within our heart. Burning bushes come along more often than we think, sometimes we are so wrapped up in our own things we miss them, we are tuned out. So tune in, be aware of what is happening around us and look beyond our own needs and remember no matter how long it may take to see a burning bush, God leave us or abandon us. For God walks with us, God is always there.

Genesis 45: 1-15 Poor, poor Joseph what you going to do? Words from the song from Joseph and his techno-colour dream coat. After all that has happened to him one wonders exactly what he was going on to do. Take revenge, get even or show pity? Let us look at it from a film perspective. We have a star studded cast, a multi coloured character, a dysfunctional family, a murder plot, plenty of excitement, sex and deception. The story is of course based on the life of one man, Joseph. Scene 1: A loving father, Jacob, and a favoured son, Joseph, leads to jealousy within other family members. Scene 2: Being thrown down a well and rescued only to be saved and sold as a slave to the Egyptians. Scene 3: Upon arriving in Egypt making it to the position of manager of the Captain of the Guard, Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. In this role he oversaw all of Potiphars possessions, became a confidante living in prosperity. Scene 4: Attempted seduction by the Captains wife results in him fleeing her bedroom stark naked. She cries rape, he loses his job and ends up in prison. Scene 5: After interpreting a couple of dreams of fellow inmates Joseph is remembered at a critical time when the Pharaoh wants similar interpretations, he is summonsed to help the Pharaoh. The interpretation of his dream pleases the Pharaoh as Joseph through God is able to avert famine and ensure all of the Pharaohs people will have food during an upcoming 7 year downturn in the farming community. Because of this Joseph is entrusted with the Job of overseeing the stock piling of crops and authority over all of Egypt. And when the famine occurs, Egypt is well poised to provide for not only their own people but also for the people of other lands. Joseph becomes a very wealthy and powerful man. Scene 6: Josephs brothers come to Egypt to buy food. They do not recognise him although Joseph recognises them. They wish to buy food but in the process try to cover up their past transgressions. Joseph here has mixed emotions, on one hand he is grateful to see them but also shows anger at them and accuses them of spying. He none the less lets them go except Simeon, under the understanding that they return with the youngest brother. He also lets them return without having to pay for their grain, showing the compassion he still had for his brothers after all this time. Scene 7: The brothers return yet again with Benjamin who is accused of stealing. They all return back to Joseph and he reveals who he is to them, no longer able to control his own emotions forgiving them for their past digressions ands welcoming them into his own family household where they would live in prosperity. The brothers of course now fear for themselves, as they are now in the court of a very powerful man and they await his decision on their fate. The movie ends, everyone applauses, and expectantly await the sequel. All through Joseph's life he sees good rather than bad. He always has a positive outlook believing that God is in control and that in the end will return Joseph and his family back together. He had ample opportunity to take revenge and at one point, steps in that direction, accusing his brothers of spying and stealing even though this is not true. Yet his love for his family overcomes all this and he breaks down with relief. Forgiveness does not seem to be part of the story at all. He never mutters the words once. It appears as if it is not necessary even. So what is forgiveness all about and how does reconciliation fit in? Bishop Joseph Butler wrote a sermon on forgiveness in 1726 saying that 'forgiveness is a moral virtue (a virtue of character), it is essentially a matter of the heart, the inner self and involves a change in inner feelings more than a change of external action. The change in feeling is this, the overcoming, on moral grounds of the intense negative reactive attitudes that are quite naturally occasioned when one has been wronged by another, mainly passions of resentment, anger hatred and a desire for revenge. A person who has truly forgiven someone has overcome those vindictive attitudes and has overcome them for a morally creditable motive, e.g. being moved by the repentance on the part of the person who has wronged. What interests me is that what Bishop Butler is suggesting is that by saying I forgive you to someone really has no meaning unless there is an internal change of heart that goes with it. If there is still resentment or a feeling that I have still been wronged then forgiveness has not occurred and lip service is being made of it. So forgiveness is that inner change of heart when we no longer to seek to put others down even in a small way be it a cutting remark or leaving others of an invitation list as even these are petty acts of revenge as they are the simple tit for tat scorekeeping that make revenge. Forgiveness is not to be mixed up with other responses, such as showing mercy or being excused. These are quite different as they do not require an inner change of heart. Mercy shows there is compassion on someone's situation, and being excused for doing wrong still does not require an inner change. Also reconciliation is separate from forgiveness as they can too sit happily with out each other. If someone was beaten and raped by another, all these responses may or may not occur. The offender can be shown mercy during sentencing and be excused for their actions because of their background when younger. The victim may even have an inner change and have no negative feelings towards the offender showing genuine forgiveness, but because of what occurred, reconciliation, especially if both were in a relationship together, reuniting, returning to live together may not be a possibility, in fact be down right detrimental. Joseph with all that he went through at one point seems to take on some of these negative inner feelings when he uses the power he has to his advantage against his brothers. He locks one up, accuses another of theft and others of spying. Yet in the end his inner emotions take over and the build up of love for his family pours out. He has an inner change of heart that removes any ill feeling towards his family, he weeps with them and in this case reconciliation occurs as well. So if we take Bishop Butlers understanding and we look at differences of opinion that we may have with others in our own lives and people say or do, things that offend us, we are asked to forgive. Unless that forgiveness involves a change of heart and no negative feelings are present, no anger, or wanting to get even then forgiveness has not occurred. A verbal 'I forgive you' may be part of this process but does not constitute true forgiveness. In Josephs case there was true forgiveness but no one said it, any negative inner feelings were gone and he was set free to love his family once more. So God asks the same from us all to let go of inner negative feelings, to set ourselves free from the burden of anger, and resentment and to have a change within. A change that is far more likely to affect change externally and create an atmosphere where reconciliation may occur, where God's love can rise above all and we are blessed because of it. In our liturgy we seek forgiveness and God offers this to us unconditionally. God never questions because God has no negative feelings no matter what we have done only unconditional love. Sometimes forgiving is very quite difficult and there may be cases where it may not be possible as feelings may have been held for some time, even Joseph slipped and used his position against his brothers, but we are asked to try, and with God's help anything is possible, sometimes like a good cheese it just takes time.

Sermon 10th August 2008- Gospel Reading Matthew 14: 22-33 News Head Lines A guy called Jesus walks on water Do you believe this story? Before we answer this question lets look at the gospel story that tells us about Jesus walking on the water. Our story starts on the banks of the Sea of Galilee the miracle of the five loaves and two fish has provided the evening meal for the great crowd. After the clean up Jesus instructs his disciples to go by boat to the other side, he then disperses the crowd and on his own he goes up onto the mountainside, taking time-out, a quiet moment, a time to become absorbed into the presence of God. Refreshed and stimulated Jesus comes back to the realities of the world; it's about three or four o'clock in the morning a storm is blowing and the disciple's boat is being driven off shore. The disciples are starting to panic they know the danger they face with the wind intensifying, then through the dim morning light and sea spray they see a figure coming towards them across the water They are terrified and believe they are seeing a ghost (which is not surprising), Jesus speaks reassuring them that they are not seeing a ghost that it is him and they shouldn't be afraid. Peter shouts back "if it is you Lord tell me to come over to you on the water". Jesus just says "come". Hearing this Peter gets out of the boat and starts to walk across the water, the adrenaline rush is over and he realises that the only thing supporting him is water and he loses his nerve and starts to sink, he cries out for help Jesus stretches out his hand and helps Peter and asks him why he doubted and had such little faith. After they get into the boat the wind stopped blowing and all is calm. There are two schools of thought in interpreting this story, one is that God gave Jesus supernatural power to walk across the water obviously well within the scope of a God who created the universe and the second focuses on Jesus seen as the human face of God in human form, combating (in a human way) the elements and dealing with the weaknesses of humankind, empowered by his complete faith and reliance on God the provider. Either way lets look more closely at the story. "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds." Why would Jesus send the disciple on ahead while he had to contend with the crowds? The answer is explained in John 6: 15 "When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king he withdrew again to the mountain by himself". The crowds had seen the great miracles and works that Jesus had performed and associated these wonders with the powers that a Messiah would posses; they saw him as an earthly King who would physically challenge the might of the Roman oppressors. Jesus was aware that his disciples had sympathy with these feelings of the crowd and were likely to react in a way that would heighten the tension that was rising in the crowd; so Jesus sends the disciples away and defuses the potentially explosive situation by dismissing the crowd. If we are looking for a Jesus that will intervene so that we are never confronted by any problems then we need to look again, what Jesus has promised is that he will always be there to help and support us as we tackle life's difficulties. "He went up the mountain by himself". Here we have a glimpse of how Jesus reacts when the pressures of the world start to squeeze in on him; he takes time-out to be with God. No external force is allowed to interfere with this moment of peace with God a time of prayer a time of spiritual refreshment that fortifies him to tackling the difficulties he's about to encounter. What wonderful promise God has given us that when the burdens of life start to drag us down God is waiting for us to take time-out, so that we can be embraced and uplifted by the peace of God. Refreshed Jesus comes back to the reality of the world, a storm is blowing the disciples boat out to sea and they are in great danger (Do you remember that great spiritual gospel song 'sit down sit down your rocking the boat? it reminds me of how easy it is to capsize life's boat when we panic spiritually) the disciples were panicking as they battled the forces of the storm. Jesus reassures them that he is there to help them through their difficulties it is Peter in his impulsive way that throws out the question "Lord if it is you command me to come to you on water". Jesus said "come". When Peter gets into trouble Jesus is there to reach out his hand to save him and bring him back to the safety of the boat and the storm abates. How often do we go our own way only to get into trouble and then cry out to Jesus for help and the great Saviour stretches out his ever open hand so that when we grasp that hand the storm subsides and calmness prevails Do you believe this story do you have complete faith in God or are you like Peter who had to test the water first; his faith was not strong enough to accept Jesus' words that "they should not be afraid". So the question Jesus asked him was why he didn't have sufficient faith to stay in the boat. Jesus asks us that same question is our faith strong enough to believe that God has provided us with a safe boat to transport us through the storms of life? Lord Jesus we pray in faith that when life's boat starts rocking in the storm you will stretch out your hand to us and strengthen us so that we can embrace your calming love. Amen

A tactical withdrawal; a moment when one recognises the overwhelming forces against you and you seek solace before making a new game plan and moving forward again. It is not a defeat but a moment of pause and reflection, a time to reassess.

Jesus when he heard what happened withdrew by boat to a solitary place. What was it that mad him take such action? There are two suggestions given, one is that he heard of the death of John the Baptist and sought some time out in his ministry for personal mourning and contemplation. This seems quite plausible as our scripture story today follows straight after the story of Johns beheading. But it is quite possible that this is a flash back as the death occurred some months prior to the current context. Jesus withdrawal is more likely to be in response to Herod Atipas’s reaction to Jesus’ ministry. Galilee had been up till now the primary place of Jesus work, however the opposition from Herod Antipas, the gathering hostility of religious leaders and the fact that Jesus intention was to have a show down in Jerusalem required him to leave Galilee and this seemed a most likely time to move on. So time was set aside to plot his next move.

It was a positive response to a difficult situation, a reaction that would have been counter to what would have been expected. Instead of making a stand for what he thought was meant to be, Jesus recognised the time was not right and stepped back to reflect. He jumped in a boat and sets of to a deserted place.

Here we see similarities with this story and the exodus story. The people aware of a possible dire outcome in Egypt, withdrawal under the guidance of Moses and flee into the desert. The people find themselves in a precarious position and ask God for food and this is given in the form of manna from heaven.

And as Jesus left Galilee he too was followed by people. Word that he was on the move spread and the people from surrounding towns followed him by foot and when he lands there is a large crowd gathered to meet him.  Although the crowd is a fickle lot he has pity on them, heals and speaks to them. After a long day the disciples approach Jesus with a logistics problem of feeding the people. A meal is provided from heaven for them all just as it was for the people travelling through the Sinai desert.

The wilderness of the setting is no coincidence. We see this theme throughout scriptures with people seeking time out to reflect and be challenged and to help to listen as to where to go next. Although Moses went into the desert with the Israelites they took the longest route possible. It was no easy fix. Moses recognised that heading straight for the Promised Land would have been suicidal as the people were not ready; they needed time out, to rest and accept the change that had occurred, to prepare them for what lay ahead and to reconnect with God to ensure that what they were doing was Gods will and not theirs.
Jesus did the same when he was led into the wilderness for 40 days and nights. It was a time of preparation and reflection of where his life was going. It would have been much easier to give into temptation, have a normal life with all that it brought, but Jesus was committed to making a difference for others and his destiny was in other directions.

So again we have Jesus making a tactical withdrawal to reflect rather than to stay and defend. He withdrew to a place of quiet to rethink where he was heading before taking the next step.

Going into the wilderness can be a physical space but it can be a spiritual one as well. A place where we can go to reflect with God on our own lives and what ministry and direction God wishes for each one of us  in even the smallest of situations that may face us.. Too often some people make a stand for what they think is right or wrong and can end up in a worse mess as anger and other negative feelings take control. The first reaction is to jump and attack. So when boxed in a corner what is your first response to any situation. Is it to lash out to fight, is it to condemn to lay blame on others or is it a defensive wall raised up to protect? Sometimes we all can fall in to these ways of responding to a situation. But Christ offers us a new way and we see many examples throughout the gospels of his response in tough times, that is, to make a place in the wilderness, to make a tactical withdrawal and spend time with God to reflect on the situation before returning back and moving forward. It often allows us time to reflect in Gods presence and share the struggles we may be facing with God. And I find often when I do this spending time in the desert new opportunities arise and a new way forward is offered.

Now the danger of course can be to hide in the wilderness and this becomes a place of solitude instead of self examination. It is not a time to give up but just time out to reflect before moving forward once again.

While working during the school holidays in the police one day I ended up out on patrol borrowing a front line car as mine was not appropriate for the job. On returning after a few hours I was met by a senior officer who tore strips off me for taking one of his vehicles without permission. I had in fact gained this from the day supervisor in charge of vehicles. I could have made a stand but the end result would have been worse. Once he finished berating me, I withdrew to the sanctity of my office to reflect on what had happened and how to move forward again seeking Gods help and guidance. Once I had gained strength I was able to see things clearer and a way forward was given to me. I went and approached the senior sergeant and offered my apologies and asked him for his help so a similar confrontation would not occur again. He was quite stunned and after hearing my side and reason apologised letting me know that he had just left his wife and really I copped the brunt of it. Not only had God steered me into a new direction but also into someone that needed some help as well and put my faith into action as I was able to be that listening ear in a time of need and I was rewarded with a deeper relationship, more than I could have hoped for. I myself was fed.

Jesus when he left Galilee to go to the other side of the lake was intent on a bit of soul searching before moving on. And Gods response was to deliver him a whole crowd of people, people in need, a reminder that he was there for them, his ministry was deeply rooted with the people he came to save and that ministry, must continue for their sake so that all would have a fulfilling life. In response to the time we spend with God and the resulting actions taken, often we are provided with all that we need. Just like Jesus when he rested and made a tactical withdrawal, he spent time with God and with faith all that was need was given, in this case the needs of his people were met.

So when times get tough or change is upon us in our life, sometimes a tactical withdrawal is quite effective. It gives us a chance to take stock and reflect with God on a way forward.  Not only will new possibilities come forward but also there is a great chance of a miraculous result, an opportunity to take some positive action and as a result we may be fed by God with more than we could have ever dreamt.

Journeying as people of God The Exodus of Egypt (Book of Exodus) Journeying has and will continue to be part of our Christian tradition. Not only physical movements but movements of self, community and Church. Sometimes these interconnect and work well together at other times they seem to be at conflict. I would like to look at the journey of Moses and see how that fits with us as we journey as Church and community at Albany Greenhithe. In other words how we as a faith community journey within the context in which we live. Moses and the Israelites of Egypt undertook one of the largest of all journeys in our faith tradition. Not only was it a long distance by foot but it also took considerable time spanning several generations. God had promised the people something new and it required not only a physical movement but a spiritual one as well. A physical movement from Egypt and a spiritual movement from the comfort of their life to something different. As a community of faithful people the Israelites left Egypt not knowing truly where they were heading. They knew there was a promised Land that God had set aside for them, but for many it would have been a great trust in faith, leaping into the unknown, following Moses who was in turn following God even if rather reluctantly in the first place. As they travelled over time there were many stops along the way including some major resting places. The exact route is unknown and there are several possible routes. It is clear that the people did not follow the traditional trade route by the coast, but took a more southern path through the Sinai Peninsula. Along the way they stopped at Etham, Pi-hahiroth, Migdol, and Baalzephon before crossing the Yam Suph sometimes translated as the Red sea but more properly translates as the sea of reeds. This most probably was the salty marshes that form part of the Sinai Peninsula. After the parting of the sea story Moses led the people for three days into the wilderness of Shuir. It is a very arid desolate land very different from the land of Egypt. It was here that the people raised a cry for water which God answered at Marah. Most scholars agreed that the journey continued in a southern direction which was the traditional way slaves escaped from Egypt. As they travelled the land became very mountainous with canyon like terrain takin three months to reach Mt Sinai where a major encampment was set up. Tradition has identified Jebel Katerin as Mt Sinai but there are other possibilities, no one is 100% sure historically. Jebel Katerin would have been a little more hospitibal as springs still supply water for Bedouin flock and monks alike. After a one year stay at Mt Sinai the Israelites commenced their journey again travelling north east towards Kadesh Barnea some 150 miles through the wilderness of Paran. At this point some of the people complained about their leadership especially about their food and at one point Moses' leadership was challenged by Aaron. After an indeterminate time they arrived at Kadesh Barnea on the border of Cannan. Here they stayed for some thirty eight years. From here it is that Moses sent out spies to investigate the Promised Land. The outlook was grim and there were many who wished to return back to Egypt to the safety of what they knew. Moses intervened and the journey continued. From here they moved to Moab where numerous wars developed as the Israelites tried to make the Promised Land their own. Moses delivered his final address to Israel in the plains of Moab. He never got to the Promised Land only viewing it from the height of nearby Mount Nebo, yet Israel now under Joshua was poised to take the land as their own. It was an epic journey, not only a physical one but a test of their resolve mentally and spiritually. The people would have had to adapt very quickly to their surroundings. Although they took with them many animals and other belongings they still would have had to have traded along the route for food, material, water etc. Certainly as they set up camp at various places they would have adapted their lifestyle to the surrounding context in which they lived. Because of the time frame the food they ate the material they nneded for clothing would have changed over time, as it was dependant on what they could trade at various places but also to be suitable for the climatic changes as well. Even the tents they had would have over the years deteriorated being replaced with something new. The temple as described at Mt Sinai was new yet then dismantled to progress further on their journey. And as they worshipped God together, they would have had to have made do with what they had. People's expressions of God would have changed. The richness of Egypt and colour of oasis which would have been seen as an expression of Gods abundance would have had to have changed to an expression of the might of God when travelling through the high peeks of southern Sinai. In short, their life would have changed with the influence of the culture and contexts of the places they set up camp. And these new expressions of life, of faith for many would have become new traditions, different from previous generations but not what future generations would grow to know either. It must have been tiring, this continual change, of uprooting of tents and then setting up camp over and over. It is no wonder that the people came despondent and thought about mutiny and returning to the security of what was known, Egypt. And each time they uprooted themselves they would have repacked leaving some things behind and taking new things with them, both physical things and spiritual beliefs and acts as well. Churches in many ways undergo similar journeys and I would like to see how we as a mission district have, and are, in our life. There have been times of uprooting the tent, times of rest and a sense of spiritual homeliness and then times of great movement towards a new land when we sometimes feel God is no longer with us.  Over the last 18 months there has been a time of movement. The tent pegs have been pulled up and we have moved in new directions, including encouraging young families through the full involvement of young people in our worship, buying the house next door, the building programme at Holy Cross and Mainly Music at Greenhithe. Now it is a time of pitching the tent, a time to rest to reassess where we are going, to take stock. And while we pitch our tent we can look at what we are doing. One thing Michele and I have been looking at is the way we worship. We have had changes and now it is time to reassess. We have been listening to others and we are re pitching tent before we move on again. I have valued peoples honesty and willingness to express their views and I would love to hear from others as well. One thing that seems to have happened along the way with the Israelites was that they stuck together as a group of people, with their differences in skills, ages, understandings, and of which direction they should go, even when the going got tough they followed a leader who had a direction and vision one from God. So where do we go as Church, what is our vision? The vision I encourage for this place is being a community of faithful people of God who share that faith outwardly and express their faith in a way that is contextual within the community that we live and connect with. This is reflected in the mission statement developed by people here that we gather for worship and scatter for service. Through all of this there is something even greater that stays with us and remains constant, God's guiding presence. No matter where we go and what we do, God is always there. Sometimes like the Israelites it may be difficult to see. There will be times where God is very visible, on the top of a mountain. There will be times when we may feel hungry for food both physically and spiritually as the food we are offered is different from what we are use to. And sometimes we may feel as we are starved like the Israelites, and sometimes this will be met like when the Israelites gasped for water, and sometimes we may go thirsty.  The trick is to keep focussed on the long term goal and the bigger picture and greater destination that God has promised. Moses followed God no matter what, not getting stuck in the sea of reeds. So let us journey together. Let us be pilgrims to a promised land, a land that as promised is flowing with milk and honey and we are rewarded by God with a cup that overflows. What are traditional priestly garments and how did we get them? Exodus 28 #1 - 43 We can trace their Jewish origins right back to their inception when Aaron and the Levites were given the task of leading worship and sacrifices to God in the ministry of the priesthood early on in the exodus from Egypt. As described in Exodus and again in ecclesiastics they were designed to be simple garments yet adorned with gold bells and pomegranates, a turban was worn as well and all was laced with purple and crimson yarns. One reason given for the bells is so the High Priest could be heard moving about in the Tabernacle or Temple. The tinkling of the bells may have been heard when he entered and left the holy place before God. Jewish tradition also teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds, which allegedly corresponds with the 613 commandments of the Torah. So we have an original priestly garment designed most probably with material that was available at the time and adorned with symbols that symbolised certain traditions. Now we jump into the present day and look at the robes of priests today and their history as Christian garments. In the early church there was no special dress. The first Christians were waiting for the second coming, which they expected in their lifetime and so made littler attempt to formalise religion and had no desire to adapt or create specifically Christian clothing as apart from the traditional Jewish robes. In fact with the executions of Peter and Paul in Rome in 64 it would have been almost suicidal to have stood out from the crowd by wearing something different. The early Christian church had to blend into the Roman community to survive. Because of this much of our clerical dress has origins in secular roman dress. A good example is in the writings of Clement, Bishop of Rome in 90-100 when he said 'my dress is what you see, tunic with a pallium.' This form of dress would have been worn by the middle and upper classes throughout the Roman Empire. The tunic or shirt was the indoor garment of the Roman. Most common was the short tunic. The simplest being pinned on the left shoulder and draped around with a girdle holding it in place to prevent it opening, not everyone wore knickers back then! A decree by Sylvester, Bishop of Rome 314 - 336 said the adapted tunica talaris which had longer sleeves and covered both shoulders should be worn. This was still the normal dress of the people and as yet had no significance in church ritual. In 400 we see the first use of the alb in ecclesiastical connections. It may be the first regulation to govern vestments. The word vestment itself derives from the Latin word meaning 'articles of ordinary clothing.' The canon was instigated on account of the tendency for priests to wear their church clothes in the streets and therefore they would not be clean for the service. So the first difference was to ensure a garment was clean and pure, and the majority of tunics at this stage were white supporting this notion and the order ensured that those leading worship were looking that way and not covered in dirt from wearing their garments outside. In the third century trousers made their presence in the east. Normally the clothes of foreigners they became common in Rome and are the precursor of our clothes today. This eliminated the tunic from roman fashion and as we have heard the church through a canon in 400 made the tunic a costume of the church thus retaining the common clothing of the people as clothing of the church. So for the first 400 years of our church those leading worship wore what any other person would have worn although most probably had a clean set just for worship. There was no formal church attire just the Sunday best, a tunic normally white which has developed and changed into the alb we wear today! Another garment that has a long history is the cassock. The origins can be found as the costume of the Gauls, barbarians of North West Europe and were introduced into Rome around the same time as the trousers. This too became fashionable amongst clergy while the laity wore a similar robe that was much shorter. It is still worn by some clergy often with a surplice. The surplus is a modification of the alb which is seen no earlier than the 11th century, the first mention in a canon of 1050. The original was full length and the shorter version only appeared some 2 - 3 centuries later. Again we see an introduction of normal every day dress adopted by the church and retained as garments for clergy. The cassock in particular has had a short life in our church here in NZ. At the latest gathering of clergy at Easter out of all the clergy present some 100 within our diocese there was only one present in cassock and surplice. The Anglican church of NZ very rarely uses this form of dress now. The other main piece of clothing that clergy wear today is the stole. This is the only piece of garment that is required to be worn when presiding at the Eucharist and dates to the sudarium, orarium a long piece of cloth worn over the left shoulder or around the neck. This was basically a handkerchief worn by everyday people to wipe the face and nose. When used in the Eucharist this was developed to wipe the vessels for bread and wine. Note the left side now is reserved just for deacons who would have performed this task. It was only introduced as a formal vestment in the 2nd council of Bracara in 572. Again more recently we wear this vestment differently. It has up until recently been crossed over in front and held by the girdle but now is left to wear straight down. We no longer use it to blow our noses with you will be please to know! On top of all this is the chasuble. Known in the Greek world as the paenula it was a calf length cloak of coarse cloth or skin with sometimes a hood. It was adopted by the Romans and in common use by all classes and genders as a travelling garment. They are first mentioned by St Augustus of Hippo in 354 when writing he talks about them as garments for outdoor use by working men which anyone in his congregation might possess. Again as clothing developed it was retained by the upper classes. And again the church retained this as a vestment for outdoor use by clergy but then changed in the 5th century to a vestment of the church. There are many other vestments of the church that have origins from the ordinary clothing of a certain period. The Mitre a development of ordinary headgear adopted by the pope by the 8th century; some say to keep an aging and balding mans head warm but also to show his leadership similar to the crowning of monarchs. The cope some describe as a development of the chasuble but was an article of clothing worn by the upper classes of Rome. It is also linked with the three magi who wore a similar tunic with hood. As it was adopted by the church it was always referred to as an expensive item pretiosi birri - costly cloaks and has a secular character. Many developments of this occurred and we see long flowing copes with trains like a wedding dress some with servers carrying the train! More developments occurred later as well. Although there was prescribed liturgical clothing many clergy earned so little they could not afford to buy the garments and wore the basic surplice and stole for worship. Right up to the 19th century the every day dress of a parson was ordinary clothing, though a little conservative. The development of the clergy collar occurred in the Oxford movement in the 1830s to distinguish clergy apart from others. It originates from the stiff upper collar worn as normal clothing of the higher classes and it was adopted by some to increase their status in the community. The collar has changed form a one piece full surround to a simple short piece of plastic. Many clergy make these out of ice cream containers today! So we have everyday dress of the Roman period from the 1st century through until about the 7th century and collars of the 19th century being retained by the church often with connections to the upper class, power and authority to separate them from the masses. Even within the last 50 years there have been modifications made to the way these items are worn and have been adapted to climatic conditions as the church spread around the world. A cassock, surplus or alb and chasuble worn in the colder northern hemisphere was not really designed for the warmth of other places and needed to be adapted for contexts in which they have been worn. Some churches also see a negative connection between the robes and the wealthy upper classes preferring to return to the traditions of the early church and wear that which the people wear all be it still, Sunday best. Some televangelists have adopted the use of white suits to retain the understanding of cleanliness and purity while still wearing the dress of everyday people. Some clergy have turned away from robes and some from collars as they sensed a barrier forming between the people they were there to serve and themselves. So our clerical dress has roots in every day clothing, we have a history of different attire and these have developed over different time frames in response to changes in the dress of the day and contexts as well. They have become part of our church but are not a liturgical requirement. With that in mind if we returned to the tradition of the priest wearing every day clothes within the context of the place they work what would a priest wear today as they went about their every day work in Albany Greenhithe? If I look around what people are wearing today I see mostly smart casual. We wear clothes that are comfortable. No one wears ties and suits to church and the hats or headwear for women that were required to be worn in worship (Corinthians) have gone as well. The normal attire of people has changed and become more relaxed. Sticking to the tradition of clergy wearing the attire of ordinary people on a daily basis what is sensible then for a priest to wear when out and about today?

Before we begin, I want to ask all the children to listen very carefully to the story that I am going to tell you this morning and see if you can recognise the 13 NZ fish that are woven into the story of Jesus and his disciples. If you know the name of the fish, stand up and wave your hand at me. I have a bag of chocolate fish and I will give you one if you get the fish right. Well this biblical story is told at the time when Jesus is travelling around and was becoming popular. In fact, Jesus is so popular that the crowd is pressing him to the edge of the lake of Gennesaret which is best known to us as the Sea of Galilee. The crowd really wanted to hear the message which Jesus would bring as he spoke with a lot of influence Well... Jesus looks out and sees two boats on the shore. The fishermen had gone out in them and had returned and were washing their nets. One of the owners of the boats was Simon and the others were John Dory and John Mackerel. He asked Simon if he could borrow him and his boat and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. He was lucky as it wasn't roughy out there on the sea but relatively smooth - so he sat down in the boat and taught the crowds. The bible doesn't tell us what Jesus taught them but he must have had a voice like a trumpeter as the water would have carried his voice to the shore.  Something special was just about to happen. When he had finished talking to the crowd, he told Simon to row out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. Simon was a bit of a snapper and moaned that they had been out all night trying to catch fish and had caught not a jolly blue or red cod. But if he said so, they would try again. When they had thrown their nets over the side they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to bulge. Well you could have hit Simon over the head with a Grey mullet, because he had to signal over to his partners in the other boat to come and help them. And blow the Bass if both boats nearly sank with all the Kahawai and Parore and Yellowtail kingfish on board. This miracle had such an effect on Simon, whose second name was Peter, that he dropped to the ground like a Sprat at Jesus feet and said "Go away from me Lord , for I am a sinful man," because he recognised Jesus as being really special. He and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken;  Jesus said to Simon, "do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people" When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. I'm sure that people who were part of the crowd just snapped up all those left over fish like a school of gurnard, but hey it is a fishy story. What a story! What are the some of the important things that the writer wants us to understand about this story. Let us start with fish. Fish was one of the staple diets in the first century Palestine, more fish was eaten than any other meat. Fish was eaten fresh, processed, salted, dried or pickled for Trade. The fish of the Sea of Galilee are of three main varieties: St. Peter's fish, which is a pan fried fish. My husband Andrew had one of these fish when we were in a Kibbutz, not far from the Sea of Galilee, which looked awful as it still had its eyes in and all its scales on too. Yuk. He said it was delicious. The two other types of fish were the carp and the catfish. The Jews did not eat the catfish, because it did not have any fins or scales. Fish was very important for every day life. Jesus would become to the disciples like the fish, a daily food. The next important thing to notice was the amazing catch, which filled the boats to the brim. Jesus does his first mighty work that was not a healing or an exorcism, but commands that the fisherman do what is the most natural thing to them - fish, and at his word there were so many fish that the fishermen nearly sank both the boats and the fact that the nets didn't break with so many fish was just a miracle. Jesus is a man of miracles. It was so amazing to Simon Peter and the other fisherman that it explains why they were all so willing to leave everything behind and become Jesus' disciples. Instead of catching fish, instantly they would now be fishing for people for this Jesus - a kind of super hero figure who performs miracles. What they saw with their own eyes helped them to believe and because they believed they were also ready to take risks.. Many of us are like this aren't we, We are like the disciple Thomas, who said show me and I will believe. We want proof or to see for ourselves. The fishermen in this story are a bit like fish too really, they are caught in an invisible net by Jesus and given a new job to do. They become Jesus' agents gathering men and women for God's kingdom - sharing God with others through the example of Jesus life. The world is the net and the people are the fish. And we are now the new fisher people. This story is told in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, but in my study of this story I found that in the book of John there is a different account of the calling of the first disciples that might interest you. In John Chapter 1 verses 35 - 51 John the Baptist, calls the first disciples in Judea not Galilee. The first four disciples are Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael, not Peter, Andrew, James and John. Yet despite this apparent difference, the call to discipleship is the same .. Meeting with a representative of God, and actively following Gods example and sharing this life with others.. If you are anything like me, you would rather not go and tell a stranger about God, nor a family member. But if we stay open to opportunities in our everyday daily lives ( it probably will not be fishing), then maybe we can share about how Jesus changed our lives and how his example could change the people we come into relationship with.. Maybe you are at school as a student, or a school teacher, bank teller lecturer, accounts clerk or IT person and come across people who are in difficulty or searching for comfort in their lives. Maybe it is in these situations you can reach out practically, or offer God as a comforter or friend on their journey. It's hard I know, but that is what the writers of the Gospels are telling us we must do. A challenge to all of us today is without having to beat people over the head with Jesus, how can we share a God who meets us all, everyday, with another human being. How can we be fishers of people?. How can you share God with others? Children's Prayers Dear God, please help us to look after our world, to keep it clean and care for the fish, birds and animals who live here. God hear our prayer Dear God, please look after all those people who are sick, sad, or stressed. God hear our prayer Dear God, we pray for all those people who have died. We trust you to care for them all. God hear our prayer Dear God, help us to be brave and share our faith with others. God hear our prayer Dear God, we pray for our church. Help us to sing, share your stories and love you with all of our hearts. We are all different but have you in common, help us to love each other. Help us to care about those people outside of this church so they can get to know you too. Amen.

Richard enters dressed as a gym instructor to the song YMCA by Village People asking everyone to stand and enter the spirit of a jazzercise class. During this song Richard asks people to buy intro a new gym class to be run at Holy Cross Church to help people keep fit. Someone within the congregation asks the question, how much will it cost? The music is stopped and the sermon continues with Richard offering a tongue in cheek look at the cost of belonging to a new club. Club Jesus! How come we all want to know how much? When Jesus set up his new venture he set out in a new direction of fitness. Keeping fit at this club would mean long workouts. Those that joined would be expected to have commitment. A loyalty to his way of personal training, members would be expected to give 100%. Like the fitness club, there would have been those that would have questioned why anyone would want to follow him. Join his club. There had been clubs before him. The John Baptist swim club was one. Why should his be any different? Anyway, what we have done to keep ourselves fit before has worked for years. Why would we want to change now? Club Temple gives us all that we need; it is a well respected club. It even has V.I.P. members, it has status. It was not going to be an easy road to set this new club up. Jesus had the determination, in spite of all the ridicule that there was. He pressed on. But what he needed was other personal trainers to teach new members. The so called best were already snapped up by other clubs. Anyway they were not the sort of people he wanted. He was after ordinary people. Not those that had already made it to the top of the physical ladder. New members seeing the perfect body might see straight through the muscle for what it really was. Jesus wanted trainers who would keep others fit ready for anything life might throw at them. But more importantly he wanted anyone to be able to join. No matter what their background, male, female, young, old, gay, straight, black, white. This was not a club for a select few, but all. Finding people was not going to be easy but new trainers came forth. A Fishing Company director, the owner of a debt collection agency; not your typical fitness experts but ones that new hard work. So he had the staff now he needed members. But what about the cost? Membership to the other clubs like Club Temple was about 1 burnt dove a month. Occasionally they would have a yearly membership special of 1 burnt sheep, it was a very good deal. It covered entry and paid any fines, how could he match that? It was indeed a time for a radical rethink; a much broader marketing campaign was needed. He would take to the streets and spread the word. As his staff improved their own technique they would be sent out in two's to do the same. Jesus needed a Mission statement. It may have read something like this, "To provide that which is necessary for the wholeness of all" Services would include: Cleansing pools, physical healing experts, nutrition experts who out catered for large groups and spiritual guidance teams. This place was looking after the whole person not just their physical or spiritual state. Yet for many it still came down to cost. How much was it going to cost for members to join. Although there were no up front charges there must be some payment. A venture of this size cannot just run on good will alone? Or can it? And this is where his whole strategy was different. There was to be no set membership fees. This new club was not so much a club to join but a way of life, a vocation. It meant complete commitment. It was time to do away with the rules and regulations of the old clubs, no more minimum training gear standards, no more flashy gym suits, there was no VIP section in this club, no special joining fees, all were treated equally. So membership did and still does require a personal sacrifice. We are expected to give ourselves completely to the training we receive form our personal trainer, Christ. We are to be completely committed and as we learn from our trainer we are to impart our new found benefits to others and invite them into our club as well. So let's have a look at our club some 2000 years on. We still offer the same value for money, our member ship fees are nil, although we ask for donations to keep up with overheads, we offer free coffee and refreshments after each training session, we still provide generous health benefits from having Christ as our trainer, our business is well established and we have the backing of a strong franchise organisation, provision is also made for younger members, and we offer free parking amongst many other benefits! Yet some find it difficult to make a commitment and then, following on from this, ask others to come along. Why is this?  I know for me it was/is fear, fear of being rejected by family, friends, strangers, fear that others may think I am a bit strange and divisions are created. Matthew was well aware of this and acknowledged this as the true cost of belonging. But he promised even with such opposition members can trust in Jesus' promise that they have a new life with God and that being a member brings greater benefits. But it does require us to be daring, to be courageous, to be committed and offer our life to others. And part of that commitment is regular training sessions, being here regularly so we become fitter for our task and enjoy the club facilities and get to know other club members and share our lives with them. And secondly to be daring in our discipleship. To take risks, speaking to people about our faith, our club, at work, at home and inviting others to come and see what we have to offer. So the question I asked a couple of weeks ago is one we should ask ourselves as daring disciples every so often to keep us mindful of what Jesus asked of his disciples and of us. Have I asked any one new to come along to Church recently and to share in what we as a community of followers have to offer? Sure there will be rejections but there are also many people out there just waiting to be asked. So take a risk, be daring, knowing that God is always with us guiding and encouraging us in all that we do. 

Matthew 9:35-10:8 In our Service sheet today we have a number of headings, which I hope will help us focus on today's theme. Headings: ?Jesus has Compassion ?Apostles ?Dead relic an impossible ideal ?Gifts provided by God ?Communicating the message of God's love Let us start by asking ourselves this question Do you think God has named you for a purpose? Let's see if today's Gospel helps us answer the question. Draw an imaginary line, to the left is the time when Jesus lived on Earth and to the right is today's world; let us see if the message of the Gospel is relevant to the realities of our world. Jesus had Compassion "When Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion for them. They were like lost sheep without a shepherd." God speaks to every body in our world today but so many people are unable to hear or recognise God at work in their lives. They are looking for the right direction but they get lost in worldly pursuits, it is so easy to lose sight of the right way if God is not there to guide us along life's pathway. Jesus recognised this on going crisis in people's lives and told the Apostles that the harvest is great but the labours are few. Apostles Those that were sent as messengers/ envoys. Jesus instructed the Apostles to: ?proclaim the good news of the kingdom ?cure disease and sickness ?raise the dead ?cleanse the leper ?cast out demons Quite a daunting task by any body's standard. So is this passage of scripture a dead relic an impossible ideal? Dead relic an impossible ideal Some people believe that the miracles performed by Jesus and the Apostles were executed to show God's greatness and once that task was completed there was no longer a need for miracles. I don't believe that is the case, miracles happen every day the problem is that we find it difficult to understand the mystery of why God chooses to perform miracles. Gifts provided by God If we tried through our own devices to accomplish all of the five instructions we would find it impossible to achieve, so what is the message behind this Gospel passage? God doesn't ask us to do anything that we are not capable of achieving, our own ego might encourage us to try some thing that's beyond our ability but God never pushes us beyond our resources. It is God that provides us with the gifts that we need to complete our God given purpose. Let's go back and look at the instructions again; ? proclaiming the good news of the kingdom The world has not changed from Jesus' time we still need to hear the good news of God's love for us and all of creation. ? curing disease and sickness Disease and sickness has not disappeared over the centuries but the way we cure people has, we may seek cure by visiting the doctor or a faith healer or a surgeon may operate but they will all need assistance. The doctor will need the pharmacist the faith healer the Holy Spirit and if there is nobody to clean the hospital the surgeons work will be for nought. ? cleanse the leper In Jesus' day the leper was an outcast of society and very few people would have anything to do with them, Jesus instructed the Apostles to go and help these people the same thing is happening every day at the Auckland City Mission, people helping those who are seen by some as outcasts of society. ? cast out demons Jesus didn't have to be concerned about being PC when it came to talking about demons it was recognised that there were forces at work that the people had no way of controlling other than by divine intervention. Demon is not an in word in our vocabulary but never the less the reality is that people are possessed by demons. We may provide a number of descriptions for them and have an array of ways of casting them out, with new therapies and drugs, but we should never underestimate God's vital role in the work of helping people who are afflicted. Instead of being daunted by the magnitude of the instructions we should look at the list and say what can I do to help in this work? Perhaps we should start by asking God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit "ask and you shall receive". Communicating the message of God's love There is a real need for God's message of healing love in today's world so how does that message get communicated. It could be by divine intervention such as Paul's trip to Damascus a flash of light, blindness, recovery of sight and most important of all Paul's realisation of what purpose God had for him, there are people today who experience such dramatic conversions. Others who are searching pick up a bible and the message of God's love comes jumping out from the pages. Perhaps they are lead to Jesus through the action of other Christians the friendly smile a helping hand a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear. Let's go back as ask our original question again, Do you think God has named you for a purpose? The answer is yes God has a purpose for each one of us if we want to find out what the purpose is then ask God through prayer for direction. Lord God we pray that the Holy Spirit directs us towards the designated purpose you have for us as your servants. We ask this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen

Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26. A couple of weeks ago we looked at our relationships with our neighbours. Do we know them well and I asked you to note down things that would help. For many of you this was not too difficult as having lived in an area for a while you get to know neighbours to some extent. It is the same with any community we belong to or wish to participate in. Because we are part of it, it is in our best interests to get to know the people we share our life with. And on the whole like minded people tend to form communities or often congregate in the same areas forming communities of people that have something in common. The Northern and Eastern Bays of the shore are a prime example. Many people from South Africa and England are settling here. When I ask many why, they say for the lifestyle and that many like minded people and people from their country of origin settle here so we feel more comfortable here than other places. The same can be said for the central parts of Auckland where people from other races and country's gather to form their own communities within the greater area of the Auckland Region. Most of the time things work out ok. There is an unwritten understanding of where people live and how we express ourselves within a community. Now imagine someone coming along and expecting you to change the way you live and interact with others. Let's say for example you were asked to uproot and move on to work with those that needed your skills. Or maybe others who do not fit into our local community moved in and started changing the way we do things. For one thing it upsets what we perceive to be a balanced life. Our community lives like this and we do not need others coming and changing it thank you very much! Even within our own Church community many would prefer no change to take place and to keep on being the community we have always been. There is a reason for this, as it gives us a sense of security, stability and comfort in those things that surround us constantly. One thing that can happen though is that such communities can become very insular. In this I mean that because we become settled and secure, communities can end up believing that because what they do works that it is the right way and anything else is not right! Wars have been started for nothing less! At the time Jesus came along the Jewish community was quite tight knit. They, as community, had things pretty well sorted and had made rules and religious laws that ensured that their way of doing things dominated and kept things stable, secure and comfortable mostly for the leaders benefit. Laws were made to ensure outsiders found it difficult to belong. And people that were ill or unworthy were deemed unclean and abandoned by society. The three people in our stories from Matthew today are three people condemned by the community as not acceptable in their eyes and therefore not worthy of being part of it, or even being valued by the members of the community. A tax collector, who was seen as a traitor among the patriotic Jews, the ill women who would have been seen as ritually unclean and the young girl who would have had little value in the society of the day all would have faced separation from community, people and any form of worship. In short all three would have been shunned by society ignored and treated as the lowest of low. None would have experienced much love from humankind. As the stories continue we learn of God's compassion through Jesus as he makes contact with these people in different ways and restores them back into the community that would not accept them. Firstly the tax collector is given a role as a leader in the church. A new connection is made between the community and those it thought were unworthy. Imagine how Matthew would have felt being accepted as an equal after years of persecution from the community in which he lived and worked. And I wonder how the community struggled to accept the change he brought with him. Secondly the woman who was part of the community but due to her ill health had been exiled and separated. When the aids virus first came to light in New Zealand we did exactly the same. Most people through misunderstanding and lack of knowledge or wrong knowledge treated many aids sufferers the same as the lady in our story. Many people still prefer to leave the care of these people to others and keep their distance. And thirdly the young girl whose life hung in the balance was not seen as someone worth saving, the funeral was well underway. Like may people even in our society today she was seen as little value and as she was dying would be deemed as unclean to even touch. And in walks Jesus. He reaches out to all three of them offering God's love, offering a human hand restoring the love back to those people that probably hadn't felt any for a long time. He offered a sense of hope and sense that some one cared but above all in their eyes he accepted them back into the community they came. They were accepted and treated as someone worthy and gave them a sense of belonging once more. In these few actions and words Jesus speaks of invitation and enacts restoration. Matthew finds new life in the community of disciples, the woman is restored to wholeness and the possibility of returning to her community and the young girl is restored back into her family. So back to our own communities; do we offer the same level of acceptance, the same level of love and compassion to everyone we meet, or are we selective in those we mix with. Have we chosen a safe place to be a community that reflects our own wishes and in so doing may be locking out others who surround us? If we are truly to follow the path of Christ then we are to accept all people, offer restoring love, love that will offer a sense of hope and belonging that we all desire and encourage all to be part of what we have. Remember the boxes I asked us to fill in? The larger outside box, God's box? Filling this box by helping the complete stranger is an essential part of who we are as Christians, it is not something to talk about but in this case it is action that is required. We are required to get up and touch those that no one else is prepared to, to welcome them into our community as one of us and offer God's love in abundance. It requires a dual action, to get up and touch and to offer an invitation to belong? How many people have you touched lately and invited into our community?

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours! Romans13: 8 - 10 Who is a neighbour? Let's start with a secular dictionary meaning - the person that lives nearby and ask our selves, are we a good neighbour? Here's a simple test. On a piece of paper, draw a nougats and crosses board. In the centre square draw your house. The surrounding squares are your immediate neighbours, be they over a fence or over the road. Place a tick in each neighbour square if you know; How many people live there You know all their names You know what they do for work etc Give each box 2 ticks if they have been to your place for dinner Give each box 5 ticks if you know their pets names if any know you could ask them for a cup of sugar How many squares have full ticks, how many are empty? A successful community is based on strong relationships between its members. It's similar to those desperate neighbours in Wisteria Lane on a Monday night, although they seem a bit in each others pockets, underneath there is a deeper love for each other, and each person knows that they can rely on one another when they really need to. However this is too easy! As believers of Christ we are asked to do more. We are asked to love thy neighbour as thyself. And when asked who neighbours are Jesus responded with the story of the good Samaritan The neighbour in this case was the unexpected person, the outsider, the one who does not belong to our own community or even our own faith. In this story both participants are strangers, one helps the other is the helper. And it is the stranger in this case that the Christian is to love. And conversely, a neighbour/stranger can also be the one that goes out of their way to show compassion, who can go out of their way to help others. That is how a follower of Jesus is to act, the way they would like to be treated by loving thy neighbour, the stranger. So practically we often don't see dying people in the street but how else can we help those in need. As I though about this during the week I asked for and thought about examples and several literally fell in front of me. I was filling up my car at the petrol station and in front of me at the checkout were two young people trying to buy some rubbish bags. They did not have enough and were a bit embarrassed, angry and left frustrated. What is our normal reaction at a checkout when someone holds up the queue with not enough change? Do we move checkouts, do we think "would you hurry up!" or do even question why the person was buying stuff they couldn't afford? Are we like the Good Samaritan here or those that walked on by? In my case bought the bags and gave them to the young people and simply asked that if they are ever in the same situation to respond as I just did. The smiles that were returned to me were enough payment in kind. And the other day at work I found a young chap fast asleep in the sun amongst the pillows at Holy Cross while I was outside working. He had slipped in and found a place to rest and sleep in the sun. We could chase him out but as church we are asked to respond so drinks were offered conversations were had and time was given to someone who just needed someone that would listen to them. But again if we see someone asleep in the park do we condemn them, do we check to see if they are ok? In both of these situations isn't this how we would like to be treated? So now back to the noughts and crossed board. Outside of this board is open space, let's call it the God square, or the strangers place. Now place a tick outside this square if you have helped a stranger today? Maybe his week? How about this month? We as Christians are asked to fill this box with ticks. And it is not something we should go hunting for but when opportunities arise we are asked to respond in a loving and caring way just as we would like to be treated if the boot was in the other foot.

Languages and the language of Church! Acts 2: 1-21 Preached by Richard While I was training at St Johns College I had the chance to be present in several services taken by people of differing cultures. This occurred mostly with the people of the Solomon's. Although I had a brief knowledge of pigeon English I was not able to understand word for word what they said. Many of their rituals were different from what we would expect in an Anglican service as they incorporated some of their own cultural traditions, but as I sat there with the people and enjoyed being part of their community I began to understand. What does this mean and what do the scriptures mean when they say when the gathered community could understand each other and speak in different languages? When Acts was written some time after the life of Jesus around 70 - 100 C.E. there were numerous languages and dialects in use, including Mishnaic Hebrew, Qumran Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek with vernacular Hebrew dialects continuing to evolve as well. As the followers of Christ spread the good news out in the surrounding world it would have been inevitable that the stories of his life and life after his death was shared in various dialects and languages as people gathered to hear and believe. The interpreting of the stories into different languages for different people has always been part of the way the church has spread. And this continues today. When the first missionaries came to NZ the bible was quickly translated to Maori, when the Melanesians were trained here at Mission Bay they set up printing presses to translate the stories into their own languages, the bible society continues this work through their efforts to translate the bible into many languages and locally there is the work of Jan Lee from St johns Anglican Church in Campbell's bay who has been working with the people of Waskia in Papa New Guinea, to translate the bible into their own local languages as well. And when this is done the prevalent culture of the place expresses this faith and their belief using their own traditions and expresses this in new ways. The Korean Church that meets at Holy Cross is a good example. The service is very different and their worship obviously incorporates different traditions from their culture, yet they are Christian just expressing it their own way. Even by the end of the first century many of the stories of the past would have been in many different dialects and languages and would quite possibly been expressed in a variety of ways through differing cultures. And now as we look around churches just on the North Shore we see a plethora of churches, all Christian all following the same believes but expressing their faith differently. And here with in our own faith community and within the Anglican Church we have a variety of ways of understanding God and expressing this as well. Although a liberal and a fundamental Christian use different languages to express themselves there is more than often, more understandings and beliefs that unite them than separate them. It is I believe because the spirit of God dwells with in each of us and can unite us as one that we accept and understand each other. For a moment the same language is spoken. So as the community gathered in Acts -there would have been different languages and dialects There would have been different understandings and expressions of faith through various cultures. Yet as they came together as one, they were united and understood each other. This would have been a revelation, a moment of, By God I've got it. In that moment the Holy Spirit poured out upon them all