Peace.
Lifestreams @ Medbury: News and Roster
Dear Lifestreamers,Thank you for the way each of you serve through reading, welcoming, assisting, praying, hospitality and of course through participating in Lifestream's worship! I am ever mindful of the ministries that each of you offer during our times of worship and of the care and attentiveness with which these ministries are offered. To assist you in these ministries we would like to offer the opportunity for further training. Within the next few weeks Alister and I will start to offer training in the key areas of reading, assisting at communion, preparing prayers for worship and hospitality, as well as writing and delivering confessions and personal testimonies. Given the busy nature of our lives, particularly family sports and other activities on Saturday, it seems to me that the best time to offer such training will after worship on Sunday during the morning tea. Please let me know if there are any particular things you would like to know more about in relation to each of these worship roles so I can respond appropriately to questions during the training sessions. I will send further information regarding these training sessions soon.
As always your thoughts, reflections and insights on Lifestreams' worship (including talks) are most welcome.
A FEW WORDS
"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law."- Paul to the Galatians
Last Sunday we explored the apostle Paul's conviction that faith in Christ, rather than the Law of Moses, enables us to live fully in relationship with God. Trusting Jesus rather than fastidious rule keeping leads to life. That's the foundation of authentic Christian spirituality. Of course that raises the question of whether there is any real moral teaching to be found in Christianity or whether we can all just do want we want. Well, that's a hard question to adequately respond to within the space of a sentence or two. However it seems to me that Paul expected the Spirit of God to be at work within all those who surrender in trust and obedience to the living Christ. Just as water travels through the capillaries of a tree, so the Spirit flows through our body and mind to produce fruit in the form of good works. Notice, importantly, that faith and Spirit come first. Good works are the fruits not the roots of true Christian discipleship.
All of this has moral consequences for how we conduct ourselves, especially how we treat one another. And that is what Paul always finishes his letters by talking about, personal and community morality. How we conduct our lives is, for Paul, the litmus test of the degree to which the Spirit of God is at work in our lives.
As we prepare to worship together this Sunday I invite you to read this passage below from Galatians chapter 5.
Have you experienced the Spirit of God as an influencing factor in your life? If not would you like to?
Consider what it means for you to be "guided by the Spirit".
If you could have a conversation with the apostle Paul, what questions would you like to ask him about this letter?
What prayer are you prompted to pray as you reflect on this passage?
MEANWHILE, THIS SUNDAY:
Readings
First reading: Stephanie Sturge
Galatians 5:1,13-25
1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Gospel Reading: Peter Moore
Luke 9:51-62
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Welcoming: Moka Ritchie, Claire Campbell
Prayers: Steve Wakefield
Ministry of Healing: Mary Cropp, Kathleen Laycock
Sidespeople: Peter Moore
Assistants: Angela Moore, Sheena Maxwell
Kidzone
Bubbles: Cheryl Earl, Penny Corbett
Splash/Xstream: Harriet English, Anna Webster, Anthony Fokkens
Grid: Monica Coulson
Morning Tea: Linda Adams, Leonie Stapleton
Thanks again to all of you. As always I can be contacted either by email andrew@stbarnabas.org.nz or phone at the office 351 7064. My cell phone is 021 201 4798 and home 351 7392.
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ be with each and all of you this week!
Andrew McDonald