John Hebenton's Podcast

John asks “Why does God send a messiah” How we answer that shapes how we read this story and what we are preparing for in Advent and what we are celebrating at Christmas.  We then explore identity and repentance in light of this. Take time at the end of each day to give thanks for ways God brought peace and hope into your day,  and to reflect on the roots that might help you to live peace. You can...

The Rev Debbie Garret talks about what the season of advent is about and uses the readings set for this Sunday:  Isaiah 2:1-5,  Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44  to explore what this all means for us. What are we preparing for? What do we hope for this Advent?

Where does Christ the King Sunday come from, and in light of that discuss ·       What images or words of Christ’s kingship come to mind? ·       What is unhelpful about Christ the King? ·       Where do we look in the bible for our images of Christ the King? ·       What does Christ the King offer us? Christ the King is complicated and contested. It means different things to different people and...

John begins by reminding ourselves that the questions we ask, what we look for and how we look, determines what we see, even when we read scripture. What questions are being brought to the gospel, and what might Jesus in Luke be inviting us to see? In light of that what does apocalyptic language like Luke 21 invite us to pay attention to. In a world with so much seemingly going wrong what does Isa...

As part of our service dedicated to remembering those who have died Andrea talks about the history of All Saints/All Souls, and Halloween. The price we pay for love is to grieve. May we love well and grieve well.

Using Amy-Jill Levine's book “Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi”  I want to retell the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus a couple of different ways to open up the option of more than one way of reading a these stories as parable. ·         How do we feel when we read this story?  ·         Do we read verse 8 in the future tense, as something he will do in resp...

Rev Deborah Garrett preaches about prayer using Luke 18: 9-14. She writes, ""Prayer is a prominent theme in Luke’s Gospel. Today’s Gospel lesson is about two men who go to the temple to pray.  It is easy to work out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy in the story.  Immediately the Pharisee is described as “standing by himself” as he prays, suggesting an aloofness from his unclean...

Luke 18:1-8  seems straight forward. It even says what it is about. But it turns out not so much. There is a lot going on here. Luke is asking how we encounter God – acting for justice in the world, or slow to act like the judge.   And I wonder what the invitation to pray incessantly for justice really invites us into:  a passive praying, an praying like the Negroes of Southern USA, or pestering a...

John uses Karoline Lewis’s framework from the story of the 10 lepers to talk about living gratitude. He then uses that to show how Francis made room for God and lived gratitude. We finished by listening to “All Creatures Lament” by The Porter's Gate (feat. Fernando Ortega & Molly Parden) reflecting on how we are called to live gratitude. What are we being invited to be attentive to, so th...

John uses the Lambeth Call on Environment and Sustainable Development to introduce this year’s Season of Creation. He explores the burning bush logo and introduce some thoughts around living simply. What is it we are invited to listen to at this time? To help with listening to the earth, here is a link to the Earth examen https://seasonofcreation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-SOC-Earth-Exame...

Clark Houltram talked on Sunday about the importance of shipping to our city and country, and the work of the United Mission to Seafarers. The Mission to Seafarers is an international mission of the Anglican Church that cares for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all nationalities and faiths . There are 230 Mission sites around the world. Tauranga is one of those site. 

A sermon looking at the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), approaching it as being about what takes us away from what is important, rather than listening to Jesus being more important that offering hospitality. What might be the real things for us, and what distracts us? You can read the notes for this sermon here

We live in a fractured and divided world with so many issues dividing us.  This is in stark contrast with what Jesus gathered around him, and the kinds of communities Paul created. I wonder in the sermon what Luke 10:1-11, 16-20     and Paul's letter to the Galatians might offer us as an alternative to the way we seem to be spiraling down into bitter conflict, What do we as followers of the p...

Rev. Debbie Garrett says "In the reading from 2 Kings Elijah is preparing Elisha for his death.  Elisha reiterates several times that he will never leave Elijah when Elijah is suddenly carried by a whirlwind into heaven.  In the reading from Luke 9 Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death and ascension as he resolutely sets out for Jerusalem.  On the journey three of his companions agre...

Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. One Sunday a year to think about the Trinity, and then put it back on the shelf for another year. One important aspect of the Trinity is the relationship between the three persons – a relationship of mutuality, care, generosity, of ubuntu. This is where we meet God, and are invited to live this out in our relationships. How then does this help us celebrate harvest f...

At its origins and at its best the doctrine of the Trinity is an invitation to join those early Christians reflecting both on our experience of God the Father in the Risen Son, made known in the Holy Spirit, and the story of Jesus and the whole of scripture and how that makes visible the ongoing presence of God in our midst and in our world. We are invited to respond with awe and humility to the i...

John explores how Pentecost invites us, not so much to remember and celebrate a past event, but to reflect on what the recurring gifting of the Spirit sets in motion today. How do we experience the work of the Spirit in our life? What is it setting in motion? You can read the notes for this sermon here.

John uses his experience of camel riding on the hill where the ascension took place as a way into – John 17 and Jesus' prayer, Easter and resurrection, the Ascension. All these stories are camel lurch moments and should make us rethink everything. In light of that how does resurrection/ascension change our present,  how does it shape how we live? how does it affect what we see as of utmost im...

Debbie Garret looks at the story of Lydia in Acts, and then Jesus teaching around love in John's Gospel. How does that help us when faced with the kinds of things happening in our world like in Ukraine. How are we to love each other, our neighbours, and our enemies. Debbie writes, "Today’s reading from Acts 16: 9-15 features Lydia, a “God fearing” woman who was lived in Thyatira which wa...

John explores the story of John 13 to see how crunchy “love each other” is. Jesus loved Judas, Peter and all those male disciples who were about to betray him, deny being his follower, run away and hide. He washed their feet and shared his food. Love each other can be hard. And he uses the stories of Henare Wiremu Taratoa and Heni Te Kiri Karamu as examples of the risk of loving as Christ loves. W...

John talks about the good shepherd tradition, and how the gospel writers in general and John in particular apply that to Jesus. This gives rise to 2 questions -          how do we pay attention to Jesus the good shepherd that we might follow his voice? -         how do we live out this tradition today? He then uses the story of Tabitha/Dorcas as an example of what it looks like to be a good shephe...

A reflection retelling the story of the meal on the lakeside that honours the back story and maybe offers a way for people into the story to hear Jesus words to them. The notes for this can be found here

We watched the movie on resurrection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRCFgDTqYbY ) What does it mean to be coloured in? Easter is about salvation. But what does that mean? John explores how the ancient church saw salvation as cleaving to God as those loved by God, as a child “cleaves” to her mother. How do we respond to that?  with where are we in this story? We then reaffirmed our baptismal vows...

John explores the power of our senses to hold memories alive, some of which can be such a gift of life. He uses that as a way into the gospel reading for the 5th Sunday in Lent, John 12:1-8. This is the story of someone found by love, who offers love. In contrast we have Judas. Sadly Jesus’ response  to Judas has been used down the centuries to justify continuing Judas’s cynical approach to the po...

Rev Debbie Garret explores the parable commonly entitled the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or the parable of the Loving Father. Debbie writes "In Monday morning’s prayer in the NZPB the Gospel reflection says: “Would any of you who are parents give your child a weta when asked for a fish?  Bad as you are, you know what to give your children.”  We want the best for our children, even when it is...