John Hebenton's Podcast

Our lives have been turned upside down. We are having to rethink how we live our lives. We are in a strange new land for the next few weeks at least. How are we feeling after a few days of lockdown? How are we feeling with Covid-19 around us? Ezekiel was given a vision for those whose lives had been turned upside down, who were having to rethink how they lived their lives. They were in a strange new land.Martha and Mary, with the death of their brother Lazarus, had their lives turned upside down and were faced with having to rethink how they lived their lives. They were in a strange new land.Some questionsWhat is it like in this foreign land living in our homes? In what ways do we feel like dried up bones?  How do these words of Ezekiel speak to us? Some suggestionsTake time each day to prayTake time each day to give thanks for this timeBe kind to and look after yourselfBe kind to and care for those in your bubble.Stay safe. Stay calm. Wash your hands.

In this uncertain time what does this the story of the Blind Man being healed offer. What light is being planted in our eyes? Who are we invited to see at this time? In what ways are we being invited to hear and see, to deepen our relationship with Jesus.We also explore some of the issues around translations, and how if we can the meaning of a couple of words to other equally acceptable meanings, and move a full stop, we get a very different reading. This is not about who to blame, but how we do the works of God.A conversation around some of these issues with those who came to church on our last Sunday together for some time. How do we continue to be church now that we cannot gather?The notes can be found here

How does this story add to the story we explored last week, a story that begins with greed, violence, and division; finds Abram and Sarai being invited into the impossible dream of being the first ancestor of a new people – unlike any other – through whom God will renew creation and restore humanity; an impossible dream tenuously held in the Israelite people; and fulfilled in Jesus. How does this story shape his interaction with Nicodemus and with the Samaritan woman?The script for this can be found here

This is a reflection more than a sermon. It is based on Abram and Sarai being called away from everything they know, everything that shaped who they are, everything that gives safety and security to be the means through which God might restore the human and non-human creation and be able to live in harmony with God’s original intention for the world.John (like Paul) presents Jesus as the means by which this promise, this hope, this covenant is fulfilled. And Nicodemus is invited to leave all that he knew, all that shaped who he was and gave him safety and security to join in this work.You can find the text of this reflection here

Jesus time in the wilderness ( Matthew 4: 1-11) was less about being tempted to act in certain ways, and more about being tested in his sense of who he was and how he might live that out. Lent too is about who we are as beloved children of God, how we forget that, and how we might live that out.I want to suggest that our collective issue might be “climate change”Invite people to reflect on what their Lenten disciplines might be considering that, and what “our” Lenten discipline might be.The notes for this sermon can be found hereThe quote from the Lenten Study comes from "Life in the Garden: A Study for Lent" by Tom and Dorothy Innes The eight studies survey the place of the garden and gardening in Scripture. The studies come out of many years of experience in the garden and of life on the land. They offer a practical theology of the garden for our times, and they encourage readers to take up this sacred activity and to join with God in the renewal of the earth and its people.You can sample the firs

We continue our journey into the sermon on the Mount, holding the beatitudes as our map and key, exploring how Jesus explicated the intention of the law and the prophets. That intention is the creation of a community which mirrors the love of God, in which all flourish, that gathers around all, where the common good is held as paramount, all are treated with honour and respect, and all are given what they need to thrive. When we act out of this we are perfect – whole, complete, devoted to the way of God and the other.So how does that apply to people we dislike or who wronged us, or who we might describe as our enemy. And how do we act in the face of such people in a way that honours ALL that God invites us to.The notes can be found here

On Thursday 6th February we in Aotearao-New Zealand commemorated the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Events were held at Waitangi and around Aotearoa-New Zealand. So what are we commemorating: A piece of legal history of no consequence today? A tool for the British to steal Maori land? A device that allowed Maori to enjoy the benefits of being part of the British Empire and access to European technology and knowledge? A document that set out the parameters of future race relations? What does the Treaty as our founding document have to offer us today 180 years after it was signed?On Sunday 9th February Buddy Mikaere helped us look afresh at the place of the Treaty for us in Tauranga, and in New Zealand 180 years on. The first 35 minutes are his presentation and the rest is the conversation that followed between Buddy and members of the audience.Buddy Mikaere is a professional historian by qualification and specialises in Maori consultation and associated activities working on his own account. For the past f

What does it mean for Jesus to fulfil the law? This week we are given examples of how Jesus reads the law. It is to create a community where all can thrive, not just the rich and the powerful. Where the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn etc… are able to be all God desires for them. This happens when we see and treat each person as our sister and brother, and when we take responsibility for our reactions to each person.The use the reaction to the Super Bowl half time show as an example of both how this does not happen, and how it might happen.The notes for this sermon can be found here

Using Matthew  5:13-20 John exploresWhat does it mean for Jesus to fulfill the law? What does it mean for how I am salt and light? Last week we were given a list of kinds of people who we might aspire to be in the beatitudes. They are salt and light. Who is salt and light for me? The notes for this sermon can be found here

St. Georges Anglican Church, Gate Pa, sits on the site of the Battle of Gate Pā-Pukehinahina. Each year we offer free lectures to help people understand our history and how it shapes our present. This year we are offering two lectures on the evenings of February 2nd and February 9th at 7pm. Each talk will last about 2 hours. The first talk will be given by Archbishop Sir David Moxon on The Anglican Apology given in 2018 for the Disposal of the Mission Lands in Tauranga in 1867. Copies of the PowerPoint and the wording of the actual apology can be found on the parish websiteIn December 2018 the Anglican Church apologized to ngā iwi o Tauranga Moana, and Ngāi Tamarāwaho and Ngāti Tapu in particular, for the yielding of the Te Papa Mission Block to the New Zealand Government in 1867. This allowed the establishment of the Tauranga military settlement and covers all the land of the CBD up to Gate Pā. In the text of the apology it is acknowledged that in gifting the land, the Anglican church had ultimately failed i

John explores this week’s gospel readings, of both the presentation of Jesus in the temple (Luke 2: 22-40 ) and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-12 ). What do these stories reveal about Christ, and what do they reveal about how we are to live our response.The theme can be read here, and the sermon notes can be found here

Adrienne Malcomson, an assistant priest in the parish, writes of her theme:"We make choices everyday – God chooses us. Through God`s grace and love we are chosen just as we are. What are we chosen to do?These answers, maybe, are in today`s sermon.  

What is Epiphany and what does it offer us?This is a  sermon using Matthew 4:12-25 to explore Epiphany as time of intentionally seeing the world differently (repentance) and living that out (call).

John explores the story of Ahaz who acted out of fear and refused the sign of a young woman giving birth to a son named Emmanuel. He could not see the sign of this child being less than two when all he feared was eradicated. But others remembered and retold that story, in exile, on their return, and then at the birth of a new baby named Jesus.God with us invites us to not act out of fear, despair, and longing for all that was. God with us invites us to live in hope in whatever situation we find ourselves. Some questions to reflect on:What does “God with us” look like in Jesus?What does “God with us” mean for us today?The notes for this sermon can be found here

What brings me joy?What bring God joy?What is joy and how do we pay attention to it and nurture it?Where do we find joy in our gospel reading this morning?What does joy mean this advent?We finish by looking at the promotional video for the CWS Christmas appeal Notes for this sermon can be found here

John introduces Advent and baptism as time to be immersed into the values and practices of the way of God - living out God’s will being done on earth as in heaven. We use the video Advent Conspiracy John uses the story of the battle of Gate Pa to explore what baptism is, and what those values and ways might look like, and what we might hope for Charlotte as she is baptised todayNotes for this sermon can be found at here

John uses Advent as preparing for Christ in history, mystery and majesty to read Matthew 24, rather than a “left behind” approach. What does it mean then to live in Christ of mystery while preparing for Christ in majesty, while celebrating Christ in history? Maybe Jewish understanding of Tikkun Olam( (תיקון עולם) as one way of approaching this using video - “Tikkun Olam” with Rabbi Arthur Green Source: <www.youtube.com/watch?v=UotvOtZOYuY>How does “Tikkun Olam” help us engage with advent this year?The notes for this can be found here

John has a conversation around four questionsWhat is kingship?What images or words of Christ’s kingship come to mind?What is unhelpful about Christ the King?What does Christ the King offer us?Christ the King Sunday reminds us that our primary allegiance is to Christ, not the church; not to our country; not to our tikanga. And yet Christ the king too often has been used as a support to our real primary allegiance – one or all of the above.If Christ’s kingship was first, what would that look like?How does Christ the king help us respond to some of the big issues of our time, including climate change, nationalism and white supremacy?Notes for this sermon can be found here

John applies the idea that  “The questions we ask, what we look for and how we look determines what we see” to the gospel reading for the day - Luke 21:1-19 . He explores how the questions we ask shape what we read, using the examples of the widow, the end of time, and what Jesus said.He starts and finishes by asking "What stood out, what did you hear and see, and so what?"The notes for this sermon can be read here

John invites a conversation about what “resurrection of the dead” means for us, and how that affects how we live our lives.Some points made in this conversation includeJesus describes God as the “God of the Living”. How does that help or confuse?Emerson Powery[i] talks about embodied resurrection – what is that?How does any of this help us face issues of day-          Parihaka-          End WWI-          End of Life Choice Bill-          Climate change-          Demise of ChurchNotes on this can be found here[i] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4274