Archive for April, 2010

Demons and Deliverance

Friday, April 30th, 2010

When I counted up my demons saw there was one for every day
With the good ones on my shoulders I drove the other ones away
Coldplay – ‘Everything’s not Lost’

Have you ever wondered about the spirit world and how it affects our lives?

When the cult classic ‘The Exorcist’  graced our theatres for the first time, the world was reawakened to the
reality of the supernatural. It became an instant hit grossing $440m worldwide, and proved to have a profound effect on popular culture.
The movies inept presentation of the priesthood, is a strong reminder that we as believers, need to be vigilant and on our guard in the light of spiritual opposition.

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up.
1Peter 5:8

This weekend in Hamilton, the Link City Church is hosting a seminar with
Graham Powell who has first hand experience in this area.
Come join us at The Hub at Wintec, Gate 5 off Tristam St. Hamilton
Friday 7-9pm & Saturday 9-3pm.  Cost $40 single, $70 couple.

Growing Together… Let’s Do It!

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Autumn is the perfect time to start a vege garden or to plant out some crops so you can enjoy winter roast vege, soups, stews or even winter salads. I’m planning to put in some lemongrass, lettuces, cavelo nero (tuscan kale) and Italian sprouting broccoli this weekend. Then perhaps some purple carrots for extra randomness and colour. Why not grow stuff you can’t buy in the supermarket I say?! Winter vege may not be as sexy as the heirloom tomatoes and abundant bounty of summer, but there is still much to play with now.

As things get colder, growth inevitably slows down. Above you can see that Linda got creative with some old windows to give her wee seedlings some extra protection. Windows in the garden – what the? Well, it just so happens you will be able to check out her garden and DIY efforts for yourself.

On Saturday 8th May we are having a get-together at the Burson’s for morning tea, and a nosey at Linda’s garden. Whether you just have a dying pot plant, or are completely self-sufficient, we would love you to come along! Bring something to share for morning tea, along with some gardening tips or questions. So Ladies and Gents, hope to see you out in the glorious West at 10.30am! If its raining we will postpone until the same time on May 15th. Contact the office if you need the address, or just ask someone on Sunday who looks gardeny (yes I did just make up a new word).

What will I be remembered for?

Monday, April 26th, 2010

When we consider the contribution and the cost of those who have shaped society today, it is a reminder that we are the product of those who have gone before us. Their story provides the backdrop to the unfolding drama of life as we know it.

We love to celebrate achievement and we laud praise on those who have left a lasting impression on our lives. Even more so we long to follow in their footsteps and emulate their actions.

In Acts 10 the account of a Centurion from the Italian Regiment who lived a devout life and was generous to the poor caught the attention of God. He became an unlikely candidate for the writing of a new chapter in the gospel message. Angels and apostles visited his home to see first hand the one named Cornelius. His life was a memorial, a statement, a commemoration of all that is good in humanity. And now the Gentile world had an ambassador, the first of many who would to break into the elite world of Judaism.

Our lives matter to God. So do not underestimate the contribution you can make to the story of God.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Rom 12:1-2

Anzac Dawn Service

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Those who would like to meet at Edge at 5am to carpool to the Dawn Service.

Dawn Prayer Service

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

A poem on the occasion of the Dawn Prayer service, held at Meeting House, Waitangi treaty grounds, on Waitangi Day, 2010. The Prime Minister and other dignitaries attended, and Christian minister, John Komene took the service.

Underneath the black horizon
the Whare a beckon of majesty
and gathered the dignitaries,
and in dignity she lay.

Inside the meeting house,
the Maori Minister presided,
who I could not see,
but I imagined him,
Taiaha in one hand,
the Sword of the Spirit in the other.

Deep sonorous booms came forth,
the words of a man,
a man of his word,
a man of the Word,
like flames of gold,
pelting the night sky.

Restless warrior,
who attacked the village,
you crept up on them,
an ambush,
whilst they were asleep.

The red gold cirrus slowly emerges,
along the dreary horizon,
a fitting accompaniment,
the preacher man and rising sun.

Deep wells of inner resolve,
doing war in the trenches,
in the barracks of life,
breaking down walls and fences.

The citadel of my integrous
woven into the courage of your conviction.

A Prayer for Earth Day

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Today is Earth Day.

Take a moment to consider God’s creation and the ways you can care for it and join with God’s plan for healing and restoration.

Prayer of Compassion

(By St. Basil the Great, 330-379.)

O God, enlarge within us the sense of
fellowship with all living things,
our brothers the animals to whom thou
gavest the earth as their home in
common with us.

We remember with shame that in the past
we have exercised the high dominion
of man with ruthless cruelty
so that the voice of the earth,
which should have gone up to thee
in song, has been a groan of travail.

May we realize that they live not for
us alone but for themselves and for
thee, and that they love
the sweetness of life.

At Home in the Bible – Jesus is Lord

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

I have already posted two ‘At Home in the Bible’ posts about names (here and here) and since Christians are into 3s I thought I would round it off with a third (although in truth it is more a title than a name).

One phrase I find fascinating in the Bible is “Jesus is Lord”.  I find it fascinating because it is one of those phrases that has become so common in my Christian-eese language that when I read it I seldom stop to think about what it really means, but when I do, the depth of it blows me away.  The author who used this phrase more often than any other writer of the New Testament was Paul (who wrote Romans through to Philemon) – so what did he mean by it?

‘Lord’ is the Greek word kyrios (pronounced ku-ree-oss) which has a variety of connotations. It was often used simply in a polite sense, just as we might use the term ‘sir’ (it is used in this way many times in the gospels).  It also was used in terms of those who owned slaves (i.e. a master). However, research suggests that Paul had in mind two particular uses of the word ‘Lord’, especially when writing the phrase ‘Jesus is Lord’.

The first of these comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. This translation was made from the original Hebrew a couple of hundred years before Christ, and is known as the Septuagint (LXX for short). A part of Jewish culture was that you did not say or write God’s name (and in that way you would not accidentally take God’s name in vain).  Instead, they often used a substitute word, which is exactly what translators did when they wrote the LXX, translating the name Yahweh as Kyrios (Lord). (The English has followed this practice and you will notice that in the Old Testament, God is often referred to as LORD (written in capitals so you know it’s a translation of God’s name).  Almost all of those to whom Paul wrote would have been Greek speakers and would therefore have read/heard the Greek version of the Scriptures.  As one of the first readers of Paul’s letters it would therefore have been near impossible to read ‘Jesus is Lord’ without connecting this to the Old Testament statements about God…and it would have been glaringly obvious to them that Paul was in fact claiming that Jesus is God.

The other major use is the Greco-Roman use of ‘lord’ in reference to their deities (gods), and particularly their emperor (Caesar). As a good Roman citizen, you knew that ‘Caesar is lord’…which meant that you owed him your total allegiance.  To claim ‘Jesus is Lord’ was therefore a hugely controversial and counter cultural thing – to say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Caesar is not!  It is not Caesar to whom allegiance should be given, but to Jesus…it is not Caesar who is to be worshipped but Jesus!   It is not Caesar who is God, but Jesus!

Clearly we don’t have a Roman emperor demanding we call him Lord today…but we do have many things that our culture holds up for us as ‘lords’ – things/people we should give our allegiance to and worship.  These things are the lords of our world.  So when we read and when we proclaim that Jesus is Lord, it is much more than a piece of Christian jargon…it is a reminder that “for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Jesus is God and Jesus is Lord…and it is to this Lord God (and no other) that we owe our worship and our obedience.

School

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Well School’s out for the holidays, and the last 4 weeks have seen the Bible unpacked as a Narrative that we are invited to find ourselves in.
Eugene Petersen said, We are part of a holy community that for three thousand years and more has been formed inside and out by these words of God,words that have been heard, tasted, chewed, seen and walked. Reading Holy Scripture is totally physical…one of the early rabbis insisted that the primary body part for taking in the word of God is not the ears but the feet. “You learn God”, he said, “not through your ears but through your feet: follow the Rabbi”

Our engagement with the Bible is not limited to our ability to ‘read and understand’ but requires the whole of our sensory being.
It can be read as a History book, full of interesting facts and information, and it can be read as a Story for Formation, one that not only speaks ‘to us’ but also speaks ‘for us’.
In the words of a famous Church Father, ‘We start (read) with our Mind, and our mind descends to our Heart’
Don’t just Read the Bible, Eat it! (Revelation 10 v 9-10)

Easter

Thursday, April 1st, 2010


The Season of Lent is drawing to a close.
We are coming to the end of the journey that culminates in Passion Week, following the days that Jesus walked
from his entry into  Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his death on Good Friday and Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Many events surrounded that week.
Two of Jesus’ closest friends made radical choices, with huge consequences; Judas betraying Jesus,which led to his untimely death, and Peter who even though denying Jesus, made a choice to return to him in Hope.
Lent has been an opportunity for each of us to examine the way we have betrayed, or denied Jesus, as well as making a choice to continue walking and trusting him into the future.

So we remember, and we celebrate this great occasion in our Church History and Present.

Passover Meal (thursday night)
Jews and believers in Jesus embark on a personal journey from slavery to freedom & liberation in re-living the account of the passover story ( Haggadah), an opportunity to  engage with this story & find common links within your own stories during the night. (still time to rsvp….call the office now!)

Good Friday is a pivotal day in our easter festival, so take some time to consider the crucifixion of Christ, and if you can, visit one of the many churches that will be holding meetings and events on this day, or rest with family and friends on this holiday.

And on Sunday at Edge we will continue this Easter Festival – easter eggs out in full force (for those breaking Lent!),  a fish breakfast at 9am for the earlybirds, and two  community gatherings at 10am & 6pm, where we will remember and celebrate this great time, together.

Happy Easter Edge.