St Barnabas, Fendalton St Barnabas Anglican Church
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- Religion & Spirituality
Weekly church sermons from St Barnabas Anglican Church, Fendalton, Christchurch
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God's Body? - Rev Jenny Wilkens
The belief that Jesus rose from the dead with a physical body has been well debated over the years…
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Palm Sunday - Rev Jenny Wilkens
We decided the equivalent to Palm Sunday today would be a Santa parade…
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It's all Greek to me! - Rev Dr Andrew Butcher
Well, we have today two Greeks, or at least two people with Greek names, Philip and my namesake, Andrew. Philip has an encounter with ‘some Greeks’, who say "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
A slight but important tangent is that these are Greeks, and therefore signify that Jesus’ reign and rule, locally felt in Jerusalem as he rode in on his donkey, will be felt in the entire world.
Frustratingly, however, we do not get to read about them seeing Jesus. Philip tells Andrew and together they go to tell Jesus, but we are not told if the Greek-speaking enquirers saw Jesus in person. Instead, Jesus takes the occasion to speak about what is about to happen to him, and invites us to be a part of it. -
Harvest Festival - Rev Andrew Butcher
Here are some numbers for you.
438.
That was roughly the number of people I was talking to at Medbury School on Tuesday – all their students, most of their staff, where we celebrated their Harvest service. The boys and their families had provided non-perishable food, which was stacked neatly on the stage; the choristers sang a song in which they named many fruits and vegetables, and we were warm, and we were sheltered, especially important that day, as only a few hours earlier hail, thunder and lightning had passed its way through suburb of Fendalton.
438.
That’s also the number of people who have used the emergency housing provided by the City Mission in the last year. That is, people who otherwise had nowhere else to live, had no roof over their heads, had not shelter, had no protection from the elements or from those who would do them harm. There are many complex reasons why people need to access emergency accommodation, and it is not always by choice.
But 438 of them did. -
Harvest Festival - Rev Jenny Wilkens
Jesus offers bread, and the Bread of life.
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The Cleansing of the Temple - Rev Jo Cotton
An image of what is to come on the cross, and the restoration of a place of worship and prayer.