Reflection 3 August – Rev. Luke Blackbeard
Ephesians 1:15-23 Growing up in Christ #3 We come to week three of Ephesians, our last in chapter one. We’re working through the letter over a total of 12 weeks, so after today, we’re a quarter of the way through. By the way, if you want to read through the whole...
Reflection 27 July – Growing Up in Christ – Rev. Luke Blackbeard
Ephesians 1:3-14 - Growing up in Christ #2 Last week, Josh introduced us to our series working through Ephesians with the video from Bible Project, which illustrated how we can divide Ephesians into two parts: the first half about the good news of Jesus and the second...
Reflection 13 July – Rev. Luke Blackbeard
We’ve heard two readings from scripture this morning, one of which may be quite unfamiliar. I will touch on both of them, but my sermon this morning isn’t based on either of those texts. The reading will come shortly, but I would first like to invite you on a little...
Reflection 22 June – Rev. Luke Blackbeard – Matariki
Matariki ma puanga 2025 - Becoming Faithful Convenant Partners A survey conducted last year delved into New Zealanders' understanding and relationship with Matariki, our youngest holiday. It found that 87% of New Zealanders had some knowledge or understanding of...
Reflection 8 June – Rev. Luke Blackbeard – Pentecost
Introduction It’s often said that the Spirit coming at Pentecost was the birth of the church. I think in many ways it is the beginning of the spread of this Jesus movement outward and around the world. But the beginning of this movement didn’t just happen out of the...
Reflection 1 June – Rev. Luke Blackbeard – Paul and Silas in prison
Acts 16:16-40 Introduction Last week we were introduced to Lydia and Paul and heard their stories of how faithfulness, prayer, and response to the Good News of Jesus. This week, we look at what happened next for them. I’d hoped that I would be able to find coverage of...
Reflection 18 May – Rev. Luke Blackbeard – Peter
Acts 1:1-18 - Peter explains what the Spirit did. Well, truth be told, I’m not giving the sermon this morning. It turns out we’ve got a special guest speaker. His name is Peter, and he’s offered to talk about his story with you this morning. So that reading we’ve just...
Reflection 11 May – Mother’s Day – Joy Kingsbury-Aitken
Reflection on Acts 9:36-43 by Joy Kingsbury-Aitken “Tabitha the tunic maker and Simon the tanner” In her book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez examines the five-decade-long...
Reflection 27 April – Rev. Luke Blackbeard – Jesus and Thomas
John 20:24-31: Jesus and Thomas - Christ’s resurrection restores us to wholeness. Introduction In our scripture today, Jesus appears to his disciples just after his resurrection, saying, “Peace be with you”. “Peace be with you”. Jesus has talked about Peace for the...
Reflection 13 April – Palm Sunday – by Linda Cowan
REFLECTION Linda Cowan Today is Palm Sunday, when we rejoice in the excitement of Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem. The people shouted, “Hosanna to the King.” Palm branches were pulled from the trees and waved in the air. Branches and clothing were...