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James teaches on Pentecost Sunday

In recognition of the special place Mother's Day holds in the Vineyard, Jonathan brought a message reflecting on the way in which motherhood has been central to the way God’s promise has makes its way through "the crooked course of history." Surveying the grand narrative of the Bible, Jonathan showed how at the great turning points in the drama of salvation, we find "a woman pregnant and an infant child bring brought into the world by the powerful promise of God" (Myers) God values mothers. Indeed, he himself was pleased to be nourished and sustained by a woman and to cast himself completely into the care of Mary. This clearly shows God’s value for pregnancy and motherhood. At the same time, Jonathan points out that we can also over-inflate the importance of motherhood and treat it as a kind of idol, as the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar potently illustrates.To those who are mothers, we hope the day brought encouragement. To those who are not or can not be mothers, we hope the day brought a reminder that you belong to God's strong and eternal family and have inherited sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters too numerous to count. And to those who have lost their mother, we hope the day gave you space to remember. 

Following on from an earlier sermon given on the 21st of April, Pete helps us to see what Jesus is continuing to 'do and teach' (Acts 1:1), as the ascended anointed prophet, through us, his Spirit-filled prophetic people.Reflecting on the question of what it means to be prophetic, Pete shows how scripture reveals prophets expressing the heart of God, confronting the ways of humankind, and bringing hope. He points out how for us, in today's era of mercy that Jesus' ascension heralded, being prophetic means being his hands and feet – demonstrating the love of the one who is full of grace and truth. 

David MacGregor, National Director of Vineyard Aotearoa New Zealand, concludes our series on what it means to be a fruitful Vineyard church. In this sermon, Dave charges us to never stop being a people who remain alert to the reality that God is at work all around us. He also encourages us to continue seeking ways to partner with God by hearing his voice, speaking his words, and inviting his kingdom to come so we might see lives transformed in a way that far exceed our human abilities. In conclusion, he reminds us that we are not called to become "powerful people", but on the contrary, to recognise that our frailty and weakness can be the site where God works most powerfully through us.

In this first of a two-part sermon, Pete highlights the way Jesus acted in the role of an anointed prophet during is earthly ministry and now, in his ascension, is continuing to guide us by revealing God's word and will to his Church.

This is the first sermon in our new teaching series exploring the implications of Jesus' ascension. The doctrine of the ascension has largely disappeared from view in the contemporary Church. This has left a void in our understanding of Christ's ongoing work in us and the world. Traditionally, the ascension of Jesus was understood as the crowning of Jesus' tripartite role on earth as prophet, priest, and king. A deeper understanding of three roles or ministries helps us to understand where Jesus is now and what he is doing.In this sermon, Jonathan explores how the ascension crowns and extends Jesus' ministry as our great priest. In the end, the invitation is to simply allow Jesus to minister to us; washing us of all the muck that get's stuck in our soul and bringing us home to the Father.