John Hebenton's Podcast

John talks about the good shepherd tradition, and how the gospel writers and John in particular apply that to Jesus. This gives rise to 3 questions  what voices compete for our attention how do we take time hear and respond voice good shepherd?  in what ways do others see God the good shepherd at work in us? Notes for this sermon can be found here

John explores what the stories of the re-call of Peter and the call of Paul, offer us as we seek to live out Jesus' resurrection today 

What difference does Easter make for you in how you live your life? Does it make any difference at all? For me Easter is not so much about getting into heaven as it is an affirmation by God of all Jesus said and did; is a statement of God’s utter and profound commitment to this world and all who live in it; and an invitation to live in anticipation of completion of that. Importantly, Easter is not...

John used Chapter 32 in Brian McLaren's " We Make the Road by Walking " (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 2014) - Peace March Palm Sunday, to invite people into the story of Palm Sunday. There are a couple of monor changes in his text. John finishes with some of the questions Brian asks at the end of his chapter 1.   Engage. What one thought or idea from today’s lesson especially intri...

John explores some of the threads and echoes in this important story -          in every gospel in some form so tells something of “way” -          relationship with Luke 15 – scandalous love -          fragrance of death vs fragrance of life? -          echoes of Cana – giving Jesus courage to do what needs to be done -          poor are with us always – Deuteronomy 15 The notes for this sermon c...

John has a conversation  about how the names we apply to stories like “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” both help us understand it and blind us to what is happening in the story using a number of titles given this story. He finishes by asking "No matter what title/s we apply to this story, how do we finish it in our lives?" Notes on this sermon can be found at <https://colourfuldreame...

John  uses “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” by Mark Manson to explore repentance as re-visioning. He asks - What values do we use to ascribe success in our lives and what do we need to let go of? -  As we approach the parish AGM what values do we use to ascribe success in this parish and what do we need to repent of? - What new ways of seeing...

In light of the appalling events in Christchurch, John looks at the various versions of the covenant between Abram and God where the people of God are blessed to be a blessing. But what happens when we simply want to be blessed, special, better than others? What happens when we forget about being a blessing? Christchurch happens. To help us think about how we might respond, John explores Jesus&apo...

John was asked to talk at the ecumenical Ash Wednesday service about a Franciscan approach to Lent. He describes being Franciscan as being called to walk in the footsteps of St.’s Francis and Clare of Assisi as they walked in footsteps of Christ Using the life of Francis Johns offers several themes which help us ask questions of the nature of God and ourselves as we walk towards Good Friday and th...

John describes the story of Jesus in the wilderness as a story of a test of identity that asks who is Jesus as “son of God”? What kind of son of God will he be? Like the Roman Emperor, Adam, David? All carry the title “son of God”. We too are beloved children of God. How do we understand that and how is that identify tested? John then offers some thoughts on how to approach lent in light of all th...

John begins by reminding people that we read Luke through Luke 4 and the Magnificat. This week’s reading is the third set of wisdom sayings on how to live no in anticipation of that day when God’s will is done on earth as in heaven – what we pray for every time we pray the Lords prayer. He then leads a Lectio Divina process to help people prayerfully hear what Christ the Word might be saying to th...

John uses the stories of St. Francis of Assisi and his friend Tapu, who died this week, to explore how Luke 6:27-38 is a description of both how we live in response to realising that we are wrapped in love and where to look for the unfolding reign of God

John explores Luke’s important but rarely read in the lectionary version of the Beatitudes asking,  - why is it on a plain and not on a Mount;  - and what might Luke have thought “blessed” meant compared to what we too easily think it meant. In light of all that, where do I fit with all of this – I think I am numbered in the group being “woed” and warned.

Following on from the two lectures on the Battle of Gate Pā, the Anglican Parish of Gate Pā was very fortunate to have the Rev Dr David Williams FRSNZ give this talk on the Treaty of Waitangi. Last year David was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in recognition of his research, scholarship and the advancement of knowledge in the areas of constitutional law, colonial...

My plan was to explore how people respond to the call of God using the stories of Luke and Isaiah, suggesting that they are not as straightforward as we often read them. What are some other biblical stories about call that might give us hope – Jeremiah, Amos, Jonah?  I also talk about how, when we ask “What are we called to?”, we often answer with "working for Christ". In Luke Peter is c...

Exploring what is love using Paul's letter to the Corinthians; and who to love using the story of Jesus in Nazareth in Luke 4. It is all pretty challenging if we are honest. Who do we struggle to love and why?

John talks about how Luke 4: 14-21 is Jesus owning for himself everything he has been taught up to this point. It is how Jesus understood himself - how he answered: whose am I? who am I? and what is mine to do?  It is the way we are to interpret everything else that is in Luke What does that look like for us today?  Where do we see this happening?  What would it look like for this to be fulfilled...

John starts with some fun facts about John's gospel, and asks why has John started with this story? He retells the story as a story of abundant grace among people who only had an abundance of poverty  and then ask  -          Where we have tasted, seen, felt, heard, touched this kind of abundant grace?  -          How do we live in this grace?

How does Marys song help us understand and live out God’s relentlessly faithful and dangerous love

John  uses “The Book of Joy - Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”, by the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams to explore the nature of joy.  He suggests that joy is not happiness. Unlike happiness joy is a gift. It is planted deep down and there are things we can do to help nurture our joy. He uses the research done Sonja Lyubomirsky to explore 3 ways to be joyful. John the B...

John uses the recent controversy around the Maori Santa (Hana Koko) appearing in a Santa Parade in Nelson to explore how advent helps us remember that Christmas is important, but it is not the point. Advent points to Christ in history, Christ in mystery and Christ in majesty. What does hope look like in all that? He then uses the stories of Robben Island and Hanukkah to explore Jim Wallis’s descri...

John uses Elie Wiesel’s “Night” to explore our reading from Jeremiah as voice hope in time when even God is dying. Are we in such a time? Luke warns us to not be distracted by what goes on around us to the stand up and raise our heads. Again Elie Wiesel warns us what happens when we do not heed this warning. How do we stand up and raise our heads as we go through this time of madness to Christmas....

John uses Archbishop Welby's comments that God is neither male nor female to explore both the story of the first Bishop of Aotearoa and what the reign of Christ might look not like. He goes on to invite people to ask for themselves what the reign of Christ might look like. Where is it and how do we recognise it?

John explores how are faith gets colonised by large stones – large stone like making our churches great again, or keeping Britain great, or making Germany or America great again.  In light of that he asks "what captures our imagination?" He wonders what Mark’s Jesus is inviting us to let go of, and what might shape our imagination as we enter into another advent?

Graham Cameron uses the story of Ruth to help us explore real tribalism and how death reshapes whole communities. It is this that we commemorate on this All Saints - All Souls. We pause to remember those who have died, and what that has meant for their whanau/families, and for their communities.