John Hebenton's Podcast

Reign of Christ

John explores what the idea of the reign of Christ has to say to the events in Europe and the Middle East over the last few weeks/moths/years. Where might be the reign of Christ in all this? He then invites people to be signs of the reign of Christ in Tauranga Moana and in the world

Hope

Using Mark and in light of the terrorist attacks on Beirut and Paris, Wendy explores the nature of our hope

Mission to Seafarers 2015

Rev. Marie Gilpin, one of the Chaplains at the Port of Tauranga talks about the United Mission to Seafarers in Tauranga, what it involves and how we might support this ministry. The video at the beginning of the sermon has been edited out. More information about the mission can be found at

Glimpsing the New Earth

Using the reading from Revelation John explores All Saints and asks how do we glimpse the Kingdom come in the lives of the Saints, and how do they inspire us to look for the new heaven and new earth in the here and now. On the back of that, how did we see glimpses of the new heaven and new earth in our loved ones and how might we honour their memory in how we live our lives now?

Seeing the Person

How easy it is to read the stories Of Job and the blind Bartimaeus and not see the people involved. But Jesus does see the person, the blind Bartimaeus, and asks him what he wants. How do we not see people? How are we ourselves not seen? What

Questions

John explores the importance of asking questions, and how the questions asked in both Job 23:1-9, 16-17and Mark 10:17-31are our questions and reveal something of who we are .

Our Mission

Iri Mato talks about his and Kate's time in Tanzania and Etheopia over the last 10 years and what he has learnt from this experience.

What is MAF?

Ryan Cameron talks about MAF and how he came to be joining them in Australia and PNG

Getting off the Fence

John explores where we stand when we read scripture shapes what we understand it to be saying. He uses the passages from Proverbs 31:10-31 and Mark 9:30-37 to illustrate his point. Is the reading about the capable wife really that sexist, or pointing to a counter cultural understanding of the role of a wife? Why is it we cannot hear Jesus say that when we welcome a child we welcome God?

Culture, Christ and Refugees

John talks about how as Christians we are to be both within our culture and outside it so that we can offer a vision of another way. And this is not easy, as we can see from all our readings. The pull back is strong, and often “The Church” is shaped by the values, fears, prejudices of our surrounding culture the same as every other institution. A case in point is how do we respond to the refugee crisis?

Wrestling with Bread

John explores John 6:56-69 and suggests that when we eat and drink God meets our deepest dears and we learn to live in, abide in life of God

What Song.mp3

My Hearts Desire

John suggests one way to understand what is going on in John 6 is the confusion between our desires and what really lies behind those desires - our hearts desire. We do not pay enough attention to our hearts desire and are motivated too much by our desires. In light of that, John asks: So what is it we long for? What is our hearts desire? What is it we give our soul to? And what is it God longs for us, for this place, for this world?

Why we use Te Reo Maori in our services

John explores some of his reasons for using te reo Maori in our services, and finishes with He Tikanga Whakapono.

Abundant Generosity

Hebrew Scripture: 2 Samuel 11: 1-15 Psalm: 14 Epistle: Ephesians 3: 14-21 Gospel: John 6: 1-21 What I want to say: Explore Social Service Sunday Love is to be the basis our understanding who we are We are invited to open our eyes wide to the reality God’s generous love in our lives 1. where do we see God’s abundant, generous love? 2. where do we need to have our eyes opened? 3. what does it mean to be planted in God’s love?

ANZAC Reflections

Cliff Simons reflects on his recent time at ANZAC Cove for the commemorations of the landings at Gallipoli, and then his time in Scotland and Coventry and what they have to offer us in our ministry

Harvest Festival

John explores what harvest festival is about, and links that with Jesus offering of hope and life to both people in today’s reading. He invites to reflect on what it is they are giving thanks for, and to be inspired to generously offer more of themselves

Heroes with Feet of Clay

John explores the nature of our heroes and suggest that for them to inspire us we need to see them as real people. This includes great heroes of faith, including Paul and disciples. In light of that he explores the story of the calming of storm. We are disciples of today. Where are we in this story? What storms rock our world?

With what can we compare the Kingdom of God?

John suggests that we bring the same kind of assumptions to this phrase, "the Kingdom of God", as Jesus hearers did. Are we able to engage with his answer? What does it do to our understanding of who we are and what is ours to do?

Triune Mystery

John explores the doctrine of the trinity as something that leads us to God as multidimensional, ultimately mysterious, who invites us through the relationship within the Trinity to live by different principles

Hearing a New Way - Pentecost 2015

John explores the wonder of the languages, and how that might shape our understanding of the radical activity of God in Pentecost

What’s up with the Ascension

John explores what the Ascension of Jesus might offer us beyond Jesus goes to heaven.

Images of Love on Mothers Day

John talks about how mothers day is not so great for all people. He also wonder how we might need to let go of some of our understanding of love so that we might be alternative primary images of love to those around us.

Tomatoes

John uses his tomatoes to explore the “I am the vine” saying, focussing on the words – prune, abide and love. He finishes by inviting the people to ask what needs pruning so that they might abide in God’s love and invite others through their lives to abide in that love as well.

The Good Shepherd

Using Kenneth Bailey's work in "The Good Shepherd " John tries to enter into the world of a shepherd, and see how “David” uses this to describe his trust in God, noting that we need to be careful not to romanticise it. Then he notes how that tradition was used and expanded by the prophetic tradition and finally by Jesus. And then he wonders what all this offers us on this centenary anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli and as we remember the Battle of Gate Pa

Loving God and Neighbour

John explores how our understanding the words “sin” and “righteousness” shape our understanding of what Jesus was on about

Loving God and Neighbour

John explores how our understanding the words “sin” and “righteousness” shape our understanding of what Jesus was on about

Easter Afresh

John offers an imagination exercise to help people enter into the Easter story, to experience it afresh, and to wonder where they meet the resurrected Christ today.

Aiming for “He Iti Kahurangi”

John uses the whakatauki "Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei" to suggest that we keep aiming too small, too low. He then uses John's gospel reading to suggest we need to go bigger. The cross exposes our smallness of thought – thought about God, and the world, and who we are in all that. The cross exposes our preoccupation with ourselves and our own desires, dreams, hopes and aspirations. In the cross they are shown to be so petty. We are invited instead to have our im...

The Community of the Cross of Nails

The Very Revd John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral, tells the story of the Community of the Cross of Nails, and invites us to be part of that story

Introducing Cursillo in Waiapu

Gail Spence, the Diocesan Lay Director for Cursillo in the Anglican Diocese of Waiapu talks about what Cursillo is and what it offers us.

Taking up our cross, and our name

John explores the importance of names, and suggest that our name be based on the character of God, and asks what name God might be inviting us into. He then explores Jesus saying that those who follow him are to pick up their cross and follow him. How does this change who we are? What I want to happen: People to reflect on what they might be invited to let go of this lent.

Slowing Down to Listen

Lent is a time to slow down, embrace being still and silent, so that we might listen more deeply. It is a time to pay attention to the three questions that shape us: Whose are we. who are we, what is ours to do? In particular it is a time to reflect on who we understand God to be, and to hear the invitation to deepen that understanding, to let go of some images and embrace new images.. John uses Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15 to explore this further.

Unconditional Love

Sam Held uses Mark 1:40-45 - the story of Jesus healing a leper to explore uncondional love He writes,"The willingness to give freely is a positive characteristic in a person, and we might add, a necessity for a follower of Christ. There is a lot to be said for giving, it is normally a source of pleasure and thankfulness for the receiver, which in turn can make us feel good too. If the gift is not well-received, then we may allow ourselves just a little righteous indignation about the lack o...

Liberation

John briefly explores Candlemas, finishing with the importance of Christ the light - how does light Christ enable us to see ourselves and the world we live in.. Then he uses the article The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think by Johann Hari to refelct on Mark 1:21-28 and what it is that Jesus might be liberating those in the story and those hearing the story from He finishes by inviting people to reflect on what cages Christ is both liberating us fro...

Our Call

John uses the reading from Jonah (3:1-5, 10) and the Gospel (Mark 1:14-20) to reflect on our calls and to ask what we might be invited to this year.

The Problem of Mary

John explores the role Mary plays in helping us enter into the mystery of Christmas, and living out God’s faith, hope, peace and hope for all people the rest of the year. Question to reflect on Who is Mary for me? How does she help or hinder my life in Christ?

Perfect Joy

John asks what gives us joy as we approach Christmas, and then uses the readings from Isaiah and John to explore what gives God joy.

Coming Ready Or Not

Using Isaiah and Mark John suggests that God did come and is coming ready or not. So what does that mean for us preparing and waiting through this time of Advent? What does that mean for us as people about to celebrate 200 years since Gospel and Anglicanism came to this land?

A Time to See the Clouds

John explores Advent as a time to hear the invitation to see the world through God’s eyes, to long for all God longs for, and to be part of the coming in to being, and invites people to approach Advent slowly, out of the normal rush, taking care to be part of God’s ongoing work of salvation

Talented Talents

John explores three ways Matthew 25:14-30 or the Parable of the Talents can be understood and invites people to reflect on which help them live in the presence of God now.

Staying Awake

John explores the gospel reading (Matthew 25:1-13) to suggest that we need to build lives of resilient faith that will continue to keep us in the long haul. He then invites people to think about the practices that sustain their faith, and wonders how they relate to the events around this time - Parihaka Day, and Remeberance Day.

Staying Awake

John explores the gospel reading (Matthew 25:1-13) to suggest that we need to build lives of resilient faith that will continue to keep us in the long haul. He then invites people to think about the practices that sustain their faith, and wonders how they relate to the events around this time - Parihaka Day, and Remeberance Day.

Seeing the Back of God

John uses the Exodus reading (Exodus 33:12-23) to ask, "what does the back of God look like?" Moses was most concerned about how to be a distinctive people. How does our seeing the back of God help us be distinctive? And using the gospel reading,(Matthew 22: 15-22) how to we as people who are shaped by the back of God live in such a way that all creation and all that is in it is honoured and treated as God’s?

Bearing Fruit

This sermon builds on last weeks sermon. This gospel reading needs to be read both in context of the gospel, where it comes in the story and what comes before and after it, and in the context of the time. When read in this way I wonder that the chief priests and elders, the Jerusalem leadership heard as Jesus told this parable, until Jesus makes it very clear what he thinks of them. And I wonder where we now stand in the story, and what proper care of the vineyard looks like for us, and what ...

A Grave Responsibility

John explores the question posed to Jesus by the Jerusalem leadership about his authority using material from Rob Bell’s “Velvet Elvis”. In doing so he suggests that not only was Jesus acting as a revisionist Rabbi (You have heard it said, but I say to you….) but in giving the early church the power to bind and loose, gave the early church and its successors the authority and the responsibility to continue to re-read the meaning for scripture so that we might continue to determine what it mea...

Aiming Past the Target

In this sermon John explores the notion of missional community – being a community that by the way we live for each other and the people of our local community, especially the least, we shout of God’s presence in the world. He then uses Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks by August Turak to think about what are the targets we aim for and how they limit us and prevent us being such a missional community. First Reading: Exodus 12:1-14 Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14 Gospel: ...

Aiming Past the Target

In this sermon John explores the notion of missional community – being a community that by the way we live for each other and the people of our local community, especially the least, we shout of God’s presence in the world. He then uses Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks by August Turak to think about what are the targets we aim for and how they limit us and prevent us being such a missional community. First Reading: Exodus 12:1-14 Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14 Gospel: ...

Imagine That

John uses the three readings to explore the big question – who are we? From there he asks 3 questions – what seismic shifts are we invited into ourselves? What is our vocation in this place? What is my role in that vocation?

Dogs and Such

John explores three different ways of reading the gosple for this day (Matthew 15: (10-20) 21-28). The first is that Jesus is just rude. The second that here we see both Jesus and the early Christian community struggling with the universal implications for what Jesus was teaching and living out. To read it in this way people need to keep in mind some information about how the New Testament came to be. Thirdly I want to place this story with the what Jesus is talking about before it, and to ...