Urban Vineyard

Jonathan speaks on the first of the Ten Words in Exodus 20 (And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.“You shall have no other gods before me). He makes the point that worship is not something we voluntarily opt into but instead is an innate and inescapable impulse of the human heart. Looking at Romans 1:18-25, he shows how our...

In this first talk of a new teaching series on the Ten Commandments, Jonathan frames the context of God's ten words. He shows how they are best seen as the words of a father to a son, spoken to a liminal people who had been freed from slavery, and freed for a new identity as a priestly nation and holy kingdom.

James teaches on Pentecost Sunday

In recognition of the special place Mother's Day holds in the Vineyard, Jonathan brought a message reflecting on the way in which motherhood has been central to the way God’s promise has makes its way through "the crooked course of history." Surveying the grand narrative of the Bible, Jonathan showed how at the great turning points in the drama of salvation, we find "a...

Following on from an earlier sermon given on the 21st of April, Pete helps us to see what Jesus is continuing to 'do and teach' (Acts 1:1), as the ascended anointed prophet, through us, his Spirit-filled prophetic people. Reflecting on the question of what it means to be prophetic, Pete shows how scripture reveals prophets expressing the heart of God,...

David MacGregor, National Director of Vineyard Aotearoa New Zealand, concludes our series on what it means to be a fruitful Vineyard church. In this sermon, Dave charges us to never stop being a people who remain alert to the reality that God is at work all around us. He also encourages us to continue seeking ways to partner with God by hearing his voice, speaki...

In this first of a two-part sermon, Pete highlights the way Jesus acted in the role of an anointed prophet during is earthly ministry and now, in his ascension, is continuing to guide us by revealing God's word and will to his Church.

This is the first sermon in our new teaching series exploring the implications of Jesus' ascension. The doctrine of the ascension has largely disappeared from view in the contemporary Church. This has left a void in our understanding of Christ's ongoing work in us and the world. Traditionally, the ascension of Jesus was understood as the crowning of Jesus' tripartite role on earth a...

In the final of our series on the Vineyard, Lloyd shares on the value of worship as touching God's heart. He reflects on the immediate responses to the resurrection by Jesus' disciples as a paradigm for our worship – bowing as a sign of reverence and clasping Jesus' feet as a sign of intimacy.

Jonathan shares on the centrality of Jesus' resurrection as the Truth that shapes all truth and the Meaning that shapes all meaning. He also reflects on the reality of living with the presence of death in life and the pain that it brings whilst we wait for the culmination of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. In the end, the encouragement is to learn how to weep with those who we...

To mark the beginning of Holy Week and Palm Sunday, Jonathan reads the story of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and explores what the event teaches us about the kind of king Jesus is, the king of kingdom he is bringing, and the kind of worship we can offer him.

In a timely one-off sermon, Peter speaks on the way God comes to us in our grief and walks with us.

In the third of our four part series exploring what it means to belong to the Vineyard tradition, Jonathan talks about our value for doing 'the stuff' of the kingdom of God, not to prove anything, but instead to become completely turned over to Jesus and his heart for the sick, the poor, the outcast – all those who find themselves at the advancing edge of God's expanding ki...

In this second message on our series on what it means to belong to the Vineyard Church tradition, Jonathan brings attention to our unique emphasis on pursuing the presence of God, showing how it connects to a robust theology of God's kingdom.

In this first of a four week series, Lloyd Rankin, former national director of the Association of Vineyard Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand, tells the story of the Vineyard in the context of global and local Church history. In doing so, he sets up the next three sermons which will reflect on questions like: what does it means to be 'Vineyard'? What does it mean to care for&n...

We were so blessed to have our dear friend Matthias Bühlmann share with us on the joyful and exhilarating 'world-adventure' of God. Reflecting on Colossians 1:13-27, Matthias reminded us of the magnitude of the Gospel, or what the Apostle Paul described as "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but now disclosed to the saints" (v26). For Paul, the gospe...

As part of a special Waitangi Day Sunday, Pete reminded us of the story, characters, and spirituality that shaped Te Tiriti and established the bi-cultural foundation of Aoteaora/New Zealand. He then provided space for us to reflect, as a church, on what it means to be followers of Jesus in a bi-cultural context. As Christians living in these islands, the story of te Tiriti sits within the nested...

In a continuation of the conversation on repentance/choosing life in 2024, Jonathan explores the significance and efficacy of baptism as a concrete sign and means of grace by which we choose life. For those who have been baptised, the invitation is to constantly remember the moment we crossed from death to life in the saving floodwaters, and for those who haven't been baptised, the invitation...

Jonathan shares an encouragement from Deuteronomy 30 to "choose life" by living in a continual state of openness before God, ourselves, and each other, returning again and again whenever we fail, and holding fast to the life that is always ours in the Lord.

Jonathan reflects on the difference between optimism and hope in the Biblical imagination by looking at Abraham and Paul's life experiences. He also tells some of his story about the perils of 'hoping' for an outcome that is never strong enough to carry the weight of our deepest hope. The episode ends with a benediction from Romans 15:13. Pray it over yourself and others this Advent...

– RE-RECORDING – We had some issues with the recording from Pete's sermon. The live version is still available in our podcast feed; this is the exact same message but re-recorded without the glitchy issues.