Viewpoint
To Ponder… by Natalie Donald, Youth Pastor and Communications Coordinator, St Aidan’s Anglican Church 1st May 2011
I have been reminded this week just how exposed and vulnerable you are on a scooter! Exposed in the sense that you’re truly at the mercy of the skies! I’ve experienced this in full force this wet week where despite my best efforts I’ve been soaked through on several occasions! You’re also exposed to people on a scooter… The other day I had a bit of a smile whilst on Suzi (my scooter), I saw a young man driving the exact same scooter as me (maybe his is called Stevie??) as we exchanged glances we did a little head nod and had a laugh. And then moments later as I stopped at the lights I saw a young women walking along with her big ear phones clearly enjoying her music (I appreciated this as 
I’ve been known to almost break out in dance when jogging to my i-pod) aware that I was staring at this person I smiled at her. She smiled and waved back. I don’t know about you but for some reason exchanging smiles with strangers gives me a bit of a buzz… Something you don’t get in a car so much, you have a protective shell around you, you don’t let the world in and the world will very rarely interact with you also. People feel free to stare and be rude and make all sorts of gestures that they wouldn’t usually do due to the protection of a car…
My reflections on scooters vs. cars reminded me of a verse I read recently….”You’re here to be a light, bringing out the God colours in the world….Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16) There is something about being open, real and maybe even vulnerable with others that people respond to. And we’re called to live in such a ‘generous’ way that we are literally inviting others in, to come with us and check out what all this God stuff is about. Cool eh? So who are you going to resemble today…Open Suzi? Or the closed car?
Be Blessed, Be Generous, Nat—Youth Pastor
God in the rubble of Christchurch – Archbishop David Moxon
“is this an act of God?” a TV3 reporter asked as we stood amid the carnage of the February 22 earthquake. It was a genuine question, posed by many in the aftermath of disaster.
The answer, of course, is no. “Act of God” doesn’t even stand up as a legal definition these days. God doesn’t create earth tremors that kill hundreds of people. God is love, creative freedom, righteousness, and justice. And God doesn’t remove grace from any part of the world that God has created. No way.
So how do we understand a natural disaster such as the Christchurch earthquake?
Good biblical theology accepts that the devastation wrought by plate tectonics is a result of freedom —yes, freedom – in the world that God has created. God’s creation unfolds and develops, from
the smallest atom to the movement of vast continents and mountain ranges, according to God-given principles of relative freedom. God contains this freedom within the creative energy and purpose of divine grace, as a new creation is prepared and anticipated, but God doesn’t manipulate events the way a puppeteer does. God suffers with creation as it groans in travail like a woman in labour, as St Paul reflected. That’s to say, God takes on the pain and death of the world on the cross and offers back resurrection, in Christ. God in Christ overcomes the powers of sin and death, with a victory of grace and love. God knows, this can be so painful. But this is the way God overcomes, and this is the way we’re called to live in a still-imperfect and unpredictable world — as an Easter people.
But let’s go back to the Christchurch quake …
In talking with Christchurch people this week I noticed a deep interest in the place and meaning of the Christian church, especially the church as represented by Christchurch Cathedral. This extraordinary and iconic sacred space at the centre of Christchurch has become the embodiment of the very heart of this city — albeit a broken heart at this time. The Bishop, the Dean and other clergy connected to the cathedral, as well as priests throughout the stricken urban area, have touched some spiritual taproots which in some cases were deeply buried. One of the many signs of solidarity and hope has been the sight of the clergy collar. We all know it’s just a strip of plastic but it singles out someone who lives with trauma and shock like anyone else, and yet is there for others in the name of God. And that strikes a deep chord.
Something equally profound became clear to me in the midst of the crisis. A tragic event restores Kiwi community, in a time when many of us have retreated into private cyberspace, possessions, or the medication of drugs and alcohol. These diversions can become symptoms of escape from the true realities and challenges of our city and our world. But then calamity strikes, shaking the very basis of our life together — and people discover that they actually need each other. Neighbourliness and mutual compassion come alive again, re-creating community bonds that have shrivelled in the past 50 years. Which is why I saw free water bottles thrust into the hands of thirsty drivers and pedestrians … ice creams handed out willy-nilly from passing vehicles … and homemade meals served up with practical help.
The image of God in everyone — however tarnished, fallen or unrecognised — can be glimpsed in the good that we have become capable of. Which goes to prove, once again, that wherever there is goodness, there is God.
David Moxon is an Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
St. Aidan’s Church, Remuera Sunday 27th February 2011
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Theme Handling anxiety
Sentence I wait for you Lord with all my soul:
and in your word is my hope. Psalm 130, v. 5
Collect Lord God, you call on your disciples to trust in your power, and to act as good stewards;
take away our anxieties, so that we can use your gifts and work for your kingdom, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen
Epistle 1 Corinthians Ch.4, vv 1-5
Servants of Christ and Stewards of God’s mysteries
Gospel St. Matthew’s Gospel Ch.6, vv 25-34 Dealing with anxiety
Sermon Handling anxiety so as to be more effect stewards
Handling Anxiety – A Sermon on Matthew’s Gospel 6,25-34
Did you know that even preachers can get anxious about the ministry they ai to fulfill? There is a good side and a bad side to that anxiety. The good side is that yo anxiety makes you aware of the responsibility placed on the preacher to exp words of Scripture in such a way that they resonate with the listeners and be channel for God’s message to each individual in their circumstances. You se preaching is not lecturing or entertaining – that is when listeners are treated as spectators. Preaching is about listener participation because all of us are in situations and will hear God’s word to us in our own circumstances. So the p should be anxious about their responsibilities to reveal the word of God to al morning I am anxious to help you receive God’s word for you today.
On the other hand my anxiety should not get in the way of good communica my anxiety freezes my brain or stutters my lips then I have to get rid of my fi this by prayer and practice – and ultimately by complete trust that God’s wor own power to reach us all as we respond to the words of Scripture. So let’s first look at the GOSPEL. Some people label this passage from Ma1 record of Christ’s sermon on the Mount as protraying ‘birds and lilies theolology’. Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather intc and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Consider the lilies of the fields, how they grow; they neither toil nor s even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. That sort of understanding of God may invite us to do nothing for ourselves leave everything to God to do for us – find a job, provide the money for livin( our problems and bless us with perfection. Other people dismiss all of that but find in this passage the depth of Christ’s message: put aside your anxieties and trust in God to give you the power t( life to serve the kingdom of God.
I consider the words in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel to be both SENSITIVE and SENSIBLE.
First they are sensitive to the way life often is – and maybe is for you this morning. His words show that Christ is aware how stressful life can be. In the tough job market and the tight financial situation Jesus knows we have worries – life is indeed uncertain. In such times the message to us is that God cares; God strengthens; God guides. We can rely on God to help. We can and do lean on God. In times like these there are words of scripture to comfort us. I love to read one of the sdhortest Psalms in the old testament, Psalm 131:
Oh Lord my heart is not proud; my eyes are not raised too high.
That is I am not putting myself on a pedestal and expecting the impossible.
And I do not occupy myself with matters too great for me, or marvels that are beyond me.
But I have stilled and made quiet my soul,
like a weaned child nestling to its mother:
so like a child, my soul is quieted within me.
O trust in the Lord: from this time forth and for ever. Indeed there are words of Scripture to bring us comfort and allay our anxietie
But if you are uncomfortable with too much emotion these words from Matthew’s Gospel are also sensible.as any psychologist will tell you. Worry is both futile solves nothing- and damaging – it stops you tackling the issues. Jesus is right, worrying cannot add a single hour to your span of life.
So what does the Scripture tell us to do when we are anxious: Strive first for the Kingdom of God where God’s servants work to bring healing, justice, truth and care to all. If we do that anxiety is replaced by God’s energy to recreate the world our bodies and work- in harmony with God’s rules. We will replace anxiety with prayers of trust, and then prayers for guidance and strength. Anxiety is replaced by trust, and trust in God is the foundation of our prayers for God’s guidance an strength. When we rise from prayer we are ready for action to work for the solution to our challenges. Somewhere in the words of Scripture and among my words you will have heard God’s word for you today. Hear them as Jesus’s words for your situation and ask God to help you put them into action. When you do that you are not only helping yourself, you are also becoming good servants of Christ, and revealing to others what it means to be stewards of God’s mysteries as the EPISTLE says we should. This is what Paul writes to the church at Corinth.
It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
God has given you the gift of how to deal with anxiety. You have a duty, says Paul to help others discover that gift and to use it. You know that you can TRUST God to help you. Can God TRUST you to help others to handle their anxiety? Yes, I am sure you will strive to play your part in the coming of God’s kingdom but we need reminding that we are not only receivers of the message but proclaimers of that message to others. If we do that Paul promises from his experience of God that:
Each one will receive commendation from God.
May God bless you and empower you to apply God’s own message to you this morning.
© Peter Atkins, Auckland, 21/2/2011
There’s probably no God.
Now stop worrying and enjoy your life…
by the Reverend Jo Kelly-Moore, Vicar
Back in December I was invited by our Anglican media officer, Lloyd Ashton, to appear on a Friday night edition of Close Up to comment on the proposed bus campaign by the Humanist Society to see signs on the side of as many buses as possible saying There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. The campaign is a copy of one run in Britain , which stemmed from Richard Dawkin’s book The God Delusion.
Mike Hosking, who was hosting the Friday Close Up on which I appeared, asked me if I was offended by the proposed campaign. My response was no – and that Christians embrace the ability to engage in discussion about whether there is a God or not. In fact that is a big part of why we exist as the Church– to demonstrate to the world that ‘God is’. When considering the slogan I was reminded of a phrase that my mother used about my Grandfather’s passion for horse racing – that he always had ‘a bob each way’! It certainly seemed to me that this was not necessarily an Atheist campaign, but rather had an inherent insurance policy ‘There’s probably no God’. I suggested to Mike Hosking that while this sounded like ‘a dollar each way’, Christians would confidently say that ‘God is’ – no probably about it.
I also commented on the fact that there is no need to worry about God – that the campaign is based on an erroneous understanding of God as ‘a bloke in the sky pointing his finger at earth in anger’. Rather, I suggested, Christians enjoy a life of faith in relationship with a God who is love.
That proposed ad campaign has come back into the media in recent days as the bus company has refused to run it. This has provoked debate around the country. Some still maintain that it should not run, while others support the invitation to discussion. What do you think?
Bishop Richard Randerson has written to the Dominion Post this week commenting the bus company’s refusal. The text of his letter follows. Jo
Dominion Post, 1 March 2010
ATHEIST BUS ADS COULD SPARK USEFUL DEBATE
Religion has nothing to fear from open and healthy discussion,
writes Richard Randerson
In a free and democratic society it is surprising that there are those who want to close down robust debate about religion and atheism. Responding to complaints from the public and staff, NZ Bus has declined to run pro-atheism advertisements on its buses.
The wording of the ads is a good basis for debate: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The use of the word ‘probably’ suggests a subtle hedging of bets: with a degree of uncertainty introduced, ‘agnostic’ might be a better descriptor than ‘atheist’ for the ads.
And what sort of God probably does not exist? Probably the same kind of God as Oxford don Richard Dawkins likes to contest. Soon to visit this country as part of festival events, Dawkins, in his 2006 book The God Delusion, chooses as his target a God who is no more than a caricature. He cites Bertrand Russell’s facile analogy of a “china teapot revolving around the sun in an elliptical orbit” as a parallel to believing in God. Russell argues that one could not say definitively there was not such a teapot, any more than one could say there was certainly no God, but applying the common sense test one would have to say that probably no such entity existed. Is a similar concept of God the basis of the atheist bus ads?
Professor Dawkins is a good scientist but a poor theologian. His book quotes exclusively the views of fundamentalist preachers, many from the USA . He ignores the significant range of alternative theological perspectives that understand God not in terms of “old man in the sky” caricatures but in such concepts as spirit, life, love, and mystery, concepts which themselves have an ancient pedigree, being found, for example, in Celtic expressions of religion, and many others.
For an academic to ignore the views of other, and more contemporary, theologians is a serious lapse on the part of one supposedly committed to objective research. It is not that Dawkins is unaware of non-fundamentalist theological thinkers: he refers to them on occasions but never quotes their views. In fact he works with them when it suits in opposing fundamentalist perspectives.
As an example, Dawkins tells of how he and “my friend”, Richard Harries, the previous Bishop of Oxford, arranged for a group a eight bishops and nine scientists to write a joint letter to Tony Blair protesting against a proposal to introduce creationism into a secondary school science curriculum. The letter was drafted, Dawkins notes, by the Bishop of Oxford, but the bishop’s views on God appear nowhere in The God Delusion because they would derail Dawkins’ thesis .
The proposed atheist bus ad goes on to say that in the probable absence of God we can all now stop worrying and enjoy our lives. This would appear to be a response to another caricature of a God of fire and brimstone who visits vengeance and wrath upon a hapless people, leaving them in a state of perpetual fear and anxiety. Such imagery is to be found in the Bible. It arose in a time of intense persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor, and is a graphic way of assuring the persecuted of the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
While there are those who proclaim such texts today in literal fashion, the majority of Christians live much more by their experience of God as a God of love who enhances all of life and relationships.
The many different perspectives on religion and atheism are central to people’s lives and deserve free and open debate. Religion has no need of special protection to defend itself. Any truth, religious or otherwise, that cannot withstand scrutiny in the marketplace is not worth protecting.
In 2007 the NZ Human Rights Commission and Victoria University of Wellington produced a statement on religious diversity. The statement was endorsed by a national interfaith forum in Hamilton that year. Its opening paragraph states: “ New Zealand is a country of many faiths with a significant minority who profess no religion. Increasing religious diversity is a significant feature of public life”.
To debate that diversity in a robust and transparent manner enhances our understanding of others and our relationships with them. And with all the pithy pieces of wisdom one sees on church notice-boards around the country, there is no shortage of statements Christians could put on a few buses themselves.
Richard Randerson is the former Anglican Dean and Assistant Bishop of Auckland randersonjr@paradise.net.nz