John Hebenton's Podcast

http://www.stgeorgesgatepa.org.nz/ John Hebenton

Sunday sermons preached at St. George's Anglican Church, Gate Pa, Tauranga. These are mostly based on the RCL Lectionary readings for that Sunday, with a few variations for our own lectionary in this Province, and special events here at Gate Pa.

February 14, 2019
Rev Dr David Williams FRSNZ

My Ongoing Journey in Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi - The Treaty of Waitangi

Following on from the two lectures on the Battle of Gate Pā, the Anglican Parish of Gate Pā was very fortunate to have the Rev Dr David Williams FRSNZ give this talk on the Trea...
February 11, 2019
John Hebenton

Here I am Lord, Send The Other Guy!

My plan was to explore how people respond to the call of God using the stories of Luke and Isaiah, suggesting that they are not as straightforward as we often read them. What ar...
February 06, 2019
John Hebenton

Hard Love

Exploring what is love using Paul's letter to the Corinthians; and who to love using the story of Jesus in Nazareth in Luke 4. It is all pretty challenging if we are honest. Who...
January 28, 2019
John Hebenton

Hearing the Way

John talks about how Luke 4: 14-21 is Jesus owning for himself everything he has been taught up to this point.It is how Jesus understood himself - how he answered: whose am I? w...
January 23, 2019
John Hebenton

Abundance

John starts with some fun facts about John's gospel, and asks why has John started with this story? He retells the story as a story of abundant grace among people who only had a...
December 22, 2018
John Hebenton

Dangerous Love

How does Marys song help us understand and live out God’s relentlessly faithful and dangerous love
December 17, 2018
John Hebenton

Joy to the Word and Such

John uses “The Book of Joy - Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”, by the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams to explore the nature of joy. He suggests tha...
December 10, 2018
John Hebenton

A Santa Claus to Hope In

John uses the recent controversy around the Maori Santa (Hana Koko) appearing in a Santa Parade in Nelson to explore how advent helps us remember that Christmas is important, bu...
December 03, 2018
John Hebenton

Happy Advent?

John uses Elie Wiesel’s “Night” to explore our reading from Jeremiah as voice hope in time when even God is dying. Are we in such a time? Luke warns us to not be distracted by w...
November 26, 2018
John Hebenton

Christ the King?

John uses Archbishop Welby's comments that God is neither male nor female to explore both the story of the first Bishop of Aotearoa and what the reign of Christ might look not l...
November 19, 2018
John Hebenton

Large Stones in our Shoes

John explores how are faith gets colonised by large stones – large stone like making our churches great again, or keeping Britain great, or making Germany or America great again...
November 13, 2018
Graham Cameron

Tribalism, Ruth and the cost of All Saints

Graham Cameron uses the story of Ruth to help us explore real tribalism and how death reshapes whole communities. It is this that we commemorate on this All Saints - All Souls. ...
November 13, 2018
Cliff Simons

Marking the Centenary of the End of the War to End All Wars

Lieutenant Colonel Cliff Simons offers some reflections on how to approach the commemoration of the end of WWI. As we mark this important date in our nations history, what exact...
October 29, 2018
John Hebenton

Being Blind

John explores how our images of God blind us to God and to each other. How did Job end up with that happy ending, and is it that happy really? Why did Job's friends not join him...
October 22, 2018
John Hebenton

SPCA, Francis of Assisi, and the Wolf of Gubbio

John tells the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio to introduce St. Francis and his invitation for us to see all of creation and all who live in creation as our brothers...
October 22, 2018
John Hebenton

God, free me of god

John explores the invitation from Job (Job 38:1-7, 34-41) to pray Meister Ekhart’s prayer – “God free me of god” and asks what ideas about God do we need to be freed of?
September 17, 2018
John Hebenton

Who do you say I am?

John uses the questions Jesus asked of his disciples to have a conversation exploring our responses, and what those responses reveal about who God is for us and what it means fo...
September 10, 2018
John Hebenton

Bad Jesus or Voices on the Edge

John explores the story of the Syrophonecian woman as a story about Jesus coming face to face with the ramifications of what he had been teaching; that the reign of God plays by...
September 03, 2018
John Hebenton

Seeing into the Heart of Things

John tries to build on last week’s sermon by Bonnie Hebenton about the line by using Mark 7 to explore the themes of the place of law and how to read law and scripture. Introduc...
August 27, 2018
Bonnie Hebenton

The Line

Bonnie Hebenton explores the 5th and last reading from John 6; this time verses 56-71. In this reading John invites us into a space of confidence and doubt, faith and abandonmen...
August 16, 2018
Gillian Buckley, Barbara Ollerton and Mihi Reid

Cursillo in Waiapu

Gillian, Barbara and Mihi talk about Cursillo and their own expereince of going on a weekend event. Cursillo is - An opportunity to grow in faith and in spirituality ...
August 07, 2018
John Hebenton

Bread of Life

John explores how this series of readings on Jesus being the Bread of Life help us into the Eucharist
July 23, 2018
Chancy Rattanong

Christains Against Poverty

Chancy Rattanong from CAP, Christians Against Poverty, talks about why they are passionate about working with local churches to release Kiwis from a life sentence of debt, pover...
July 16, 2018
John Hebenton

Depraved Banquets, Beheading John the Baptizer, and Being LGBTIQ+ in Church

Mark 6:14-29 is such a yuk story if we read it on its own. This story has echoes with previous stories and reminds us of the ongoing stories, including the stories in Tauranga M...
July 09, 2018
John Hebenton

Being a People of the Edge

John explores how the ways of God are not what is expected, and in light of that offers some of his reflections on things noticed while away; particularly the gift of our prayer...
July 03, 2018
Graham Cameron

Open the Doors

Graham Cameron invites us to consider leaving the doors of our church open all the time
June 12, 2018
John Hebenton

Sufficient Success

John looks at what we think sufficient success on earth is and compare that to what it might have looked like for Jesus. In his story it meant being accused of being possessed b...
June 04, 2018
John Hebenton

Racist as bro or Taika Waititi, Te Pouhere and Mark

John looks at Taika Waititi’s comments about how New Zealand is “racist as ****” and explores how our structures can either deprive people of life or they can help people thrive...
May 28, 2018
John Hebenton

Nicodemus and the Dance of Trinity

John uses the story of Nicodemus to suggest that rather than trying to understand God as Trinity, we might instead start with the relationship with the Trinity. Using the ancien...
May 21, 2018
John Hebenton

The Work of the Holy Spirit at General Synod

John briefly explores what that first Pentecost was all about - turning frightened an confused people inside out and sending them out to live the good news of hope found in Jesu...
May 14, 2018
Bonnie Hebenton

Nothing Can Trouble

Bonnie Hebenton uses her experiences growing up in New Plymouth and now as a teacher using Play Centred Learning to explore the gospel for this Sunday after Ascension - John 17...
May 07, 2018
John Hebenton

Families and Jesus

As we prepare for Mother’s Day next week John invites people to talk about  how would you describe a family?  what is the role of mothers in families?  what do families off...
April 09, 2018
John Hebenton

Resurrecting Thomas

Lets stop calling Thomas “Doubting Thomas”. It distracts us from what is going on in this story. The resurrection is God’s Big Yes to the way of the cross. In the way of the cr...
April 02, 2018
John Hebenton

Telling our Easter Story

John suggests that the reasons why Marks version of the resurrection is so short is that he wanted his readers to know that Jesus had gone ahead to "Rome" and to tell their stor...
March 25, 2018
John Hebenton

Palm Sunday Rethought

This year I explored how John’s version of the Palm Sunday story has a different feel to the other three gospels and ask What do we hope for in this Jesus? What do we need t...
March 19, 2018
John Hebenton

Keeping an Eye on the Big Picture

What is it all about? What is life about? What is a life of faith about? What is it we are aiming for? And what does Jesus suggest it might be about?
March 15, 2018
Graham Cameron

Born in the Spirit

Graham Cameron explores different models of conversion and applies that to Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus. What does being born in the Spirit mean for us? What hinders and ...
March 05, 2018
John Hebenton

Being Disciples of the Living God

John uses the Exodus version of the 10 words or 10 Commandments, and John’s story of Jesus clearing the temple to explore what it means to be disciples of the living God. The n...
February 27, 2018
John Hebenton

A Crisis

John explores changes in our sense of who we are using the story of Abram and Sarai, and Marks Gospel and Peter. So who are we invited to be if we stand where Peter stood? You ...
February 19, 2018
John Hebenton

Lent and Such

John explores Lent – it’s origins and what it is about, and then looks at whey we might get into Lent – to what end do we pray, fast and give – using the three questions - whose...
February 12, 2018
John Hebenton

Jesus – God Incarnate – say what?

John explores what words we might use to describe what Jesus does when he heals the leper, and what those words teach us about the nature and character of God. (using David Lose...
February 06, 2018
John Hebenton

A Bigger Understanding

John looks at how we might miss the point with some of these readings when we think it is about quick fixes for individuals. He then offers some bigger pictures of what these pa...
January 31, 2018
John Hebenton

Epiphanies for Us

John explores what Mark and Candlemass offer as we begin a new year. The first half is the sermon and the second half is a conversation after they had some time to talk to each ...
December 23, 2017
John Hebenton

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary - maybe

John explores Advent 4 as an opportunity to reflect on how Mary helps us into the mystery of the incarnation and our place in that mystery
December 18, 2017
John Hebenton

Who are you as a person of joy?

John uses the alternative psalm (Mary's song) and the gospel reading from John 1 to explore how John and Mary answer the question – Who are you? He then asks - In light of all ...
December 12, 2017
John Hebenton

Advent 2 - The Beginning of Good News - Coming Ready or Not
December 04, 2017
John Hebenton

Advent 1 - Hope and Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women

Advent is a time to take stock of: - what is we hope for - what ways is God seeking to offer us joy - where do we see peace breaking out in our lives and in our world - how...
November 26, 2017
John Hebenton

Christ the King for the Community of Little Ones

John explores some of the history of Christ the King, and reflects on what it might mean using Matthews last block of teaching on sheep and goats. He finishes by showing hwat he...
November 20, 2017
John Hebenton

Stewardship at St. George's Anglican Church Gate Pa

Cliff and Clark, the two Wardens, offer some thoughts about our need for more people to be involved in our ministry and how our finances are going. John finishes by offering a r...
November 20, 2017
John Hebenton

Being Franciscan and the story of the 10 Bridesmaids - Responding to God's love

This is part of a larger sermon offered for people to thing about how they are stewards of all God has given them and their response in terms of time and money. In this reflecti...