Shows
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times XI: The Law (Rebecca Packer)The Law is a massive theme across the whole bible. How do we understand it, from its place in the Torah's wilderness narratives, right through to Jesus, and Paul's apparent reevaluation of it.
These are the questions Rebecca guides us through in this helpful overview of the theme of Law.
Readings:
Exodus 19.3-6, Ex 20.1-17
Deuteronomy 4.5-14
Galatians 3.23-4.7
2023-10-1024 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times X: The Exodus (Dr. Philip Fountain)Who is God?
One Jewish answer to this question, repeated throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, is: "God is the God who liberated us from slavery in Egypt".
In this sermon, Dr Philip Fountain recounts the way that Jewish people recall the Exodus in ritual and story. He reminds us that this story has empowered liberation struggles throughout the world. And he closes by reaffirming that Jesus carries all those memories into the Last Supper, the meal he calls us to share every time we remember him
Readings: Psalm 114 | Psalm 136 | Luke 22.14-23
Music...2023-09-2924 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times VI: The Tower of Babel (Matthew Bartlett)Scripture starts in a garden and ends in a city. So what's the problem with building a tower as part of a city, as in the Tower of Babel?
In this sermon, Matthew traces all sorts of interesting clues in the Babel story that the people are critiqued for imposing an "anti-pattern" on reality; a pattern that looks attractive, but it ultimately too rigid and imperial for God's purposes. By contrast, the life-giving pattern Scripture describes is more receptive. It involves receiving a name from God, against the life-sucking anti-pattern of seeking to establish a name for...2023-08-2913 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times V: Cain, Abel & Mimetic Desire (Matt Packer)For those who heard the Genesis stories as Sunday School kids, it's easy to overlook how profound they are. In this sermon, Matt Packer explores one aspect of the very profound story of Cain & Abel - the role played by imitative desire. Beginning with a summary of the theory of Mimesis, Matt helps us to see that we are by nature creatures who imitate others, often out of jealousy and envy. That sheds helpful light on the killing of Abel, and challenges us each to ponder, "Who am I imitating?"\
Texts:
Genesis 42023-08-1530 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times III: The Fall (Jonathan Boston)Mostly, this series takes the scriptures at face value, without asking the historical or scientific questions. This sermon is an exception, as Jonathan Boston takes a theistic evolutionary perspective on the account in Genesis 3. He then asks how a committed Christian should understand the doctrine of the Fall, and how that should shape our life in today's world. Fittingly, the sermon was preached on Hiroshima Day 2023, a day when we remember the tragic ability of humanity to wreak destruction.
Texts: Genesis 3
Romans 8.18-272023-08-0829 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times II: Human Vocation in Genesis 2 (Tim McKenzie)Tim continues our series on the archetypal stories of the Old Testament with a look at human vocation in Genesis 2. What can we learn from taking seriously the patterns of life in The Garden of Eden for life today?
Texts:
Genesis 2
John 20.10-18
Note: Tim assumes people have watched the following Bible Project video : https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/priests-of-eden/2023-08-0823 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsAncient Patterns for Newfangled Times I: Creation (Matt Bartlett)In a world of perceived chaos and crisis, how do we find meaning and hope? This new series looks to the archetypal narratives of the Old Testament to find the repatterning to which St Paul calls us in Romans 12.1-2.
In this opening sermon, Matthew Bartlett explores the rich patterning of Genesis 1, and how it points us to the central place that humanity holds in God's creative intention. How can knowing this place, and living out of it, help us to live in a time when most people feel, as WB Yeats said, that "the centre cannot...2023-07-2317 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsThe Church VI: Giving (Sam Jackson)What does God call us to give to the life of the church? And why? In this sermon, Sam exhorts us to see all we have as gift from God, such that it's easier both to give and to receive. And might that not encourage us to give a whole lot more?
Readings
Numbers 3.40-51
2 Corinthians 8.1-15
John 12.1-82023-07-0921 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsStand, Sit, Kneel and ... Raise Hands? The Church's Worship (The Church V) (Tim McKenzie)If worship is about offering our whole lives to God (Romans 12.1-2), what's so special about worship services? Can't we just worship Monday to Friday, and get a sleep-in on Sunday?
Readings:
Revelation 4
Revelation 5
Mark 12.28-342023-07-0324 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsMega Church, Micro Church and Loving Church (The Church IV) (Tim McKenzie)In Episode IV of this series on The Church, Tim goes off lectionary to outline the kind of behaviour Paul expects of Christian communities. If a church is too big to tease the vicar, does it mean it's too big?
Readings
Romans 12.1-16
Matthew 12:46-502023-07-0319 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsBeing Church in Aotearoa New Zealand Given te Tiriti: A Sermon for Pouhere Sunday (The Church III) (Alan Cameron)Anglicans in Aotearoa & Polynesia celebrate Te Pouhere Sunday, the Sunday when we remember the unique 3-Tikanga Constitution of our Anglican Church. Alan Cameron today explores what being people of the Treaty of Waitangi might mean for the Christian church here. 2023-07-0320 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsThe Encouraging Doctrine of the Trinity (The Church II) (Tim McKenzie)The series on The Church continues, with this Trinity Sunday exploration of The Trinity & the Church. How does the doctrine of the Trinity empower and encourage us to live and witness as church?
Readings:
2 Corinthians 13.-11-14
Psalm 86.8-13
Matthew 28.16-20
2023-07-0321 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsPentecost: High Hopes for the Birthday of the Church (The Church I) (Jessie Black)This is the first sermon in a series on The Church, taking its cue from 3 Sundays in the New Zealand lectionary, with 3 bonus sermons on other aspects of Being the Church..
This week, Jessie Black discusses Pentecost as the Birthday of the Church, and probes how to retain hope when our hopes for God to do great things through the church are disappointed.
Readings
Acts 2.1-21
1 Corinthians 12.3-13
John 20.19-23
2023-07-0320 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsPaul in Athens: Building Bridges through the ArtsReadings for Sixth Sunday of Easter
1 Peter 3.13-22
Acts 17.22-31
John 14.15-21
In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Tim McKenzie follows Paul to Athens, and wonders how his preaching methodology here helps build bridges for the gospel into Athenian culture. Or does it? Tim notes that the people of Athens were a tough crowd; it's one of Paul's least successful preaching gigs in Acts. Might his invocation of Greek poetry and philosophy help us proclaim our faith in secular, 21st C Wellington (supposedly one of the most secular cities...2023-05-1721 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsJesus: the Peaceful Way, the Kindly Truth & the Generous Life (John 14.1-14)Tim preaches from the lectionary readings about Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, with some reference to the Coronation of Charles III along the way. How do we hold Jesus as the centre, without putting toll gates on the Way, setting exams for the Truth, and rationing out the Way?
Acts 7.55-60
John 14.1-142023-05-1018 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsLent Series: 7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians (Fasting, with Tim McKenzie)Fasting! The Lenten discipline we all want to avoid, or perhaps reduce to avoiding chocolate. But what is the logic behind this ancient discipline?
Tim guides us through fasting in this new series on the 7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians...
Readings
2 Samuel 12.15-23
Acts 13.1-3
Matthew 6.16-182023-04-0424 minSt Michael's talks & sermons7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians: Forgiveness (Rev. Dr. Deborah Wilson)Why do Christians prize forgiveness so highly? Is is even possible, when we've been sorely wronged? What would it mean to forgive others for God's sake? Deborah Wilson expounds the logic - and power - of Christian forgiveness.
Readings
Matthew 18.21-352023-04-0226 minSt Michael's talks & sermons7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians for Lent: Almsgiving (Prof Jonathan Boston)Professor Jonathan Boston continues the Lenten series on the Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians. This week - charitable giving, or as it used to be called, "almsgiving". How do we give intelligently and faithfully in a world so different from the world Jesus encountered in 1st C Palestine?
Readings
2 Corinthians 9.6-15
Matthew 6.1-42023-04-0225 minSt Michael's talks & sermons7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians: Study (Dr Geoff Troughton)Geoff Troughton unpacks the 6th Habit of Occasionally Effective Christians, the discipline of study. What does it mean to love God with all our minds, as well as our hearts and souls. And what does this have to do with Palm Sunday?
Readings
Psalm 118
Deuteronomy 4.6-9
Matthew 21.1-17 2023-04-0223 minSt Michael's talks & sermons7 Habits of Occasionally Effective Christians: Prayer as Encounter, Abiding and Attunement (Rebecca Packer)The texts for the day were Psalm 46, Ephesians 6.17-20 and Matthew 6.5-8.
Rebecca speaks about prayer as a way of dwelling in Christ and seeing God's presence everywhere, particularly in the wilderness times in our lives.
She mentions Tim Mackie's talk Paradise Now.2023-03-1229 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsGod's Invisible Ink: the Christmas Message (Tim McKenzie)In the telling of the Christmas story before the sermon, we read the recipe for Christmas. Ingredient 10 appeared to be missing, but it was written in invisible ink. When we heated it over the Christ candle, we discovered that the missing ingredient was God's love. Listen on...2022-12-2518 min
Our Changing WorldSunshine science: the power and peril of the sun’s raysSummer is on its way, and this week we're exploring both the power and the peril of the sun. First, we visit the Ultrafast Laser Lab to learn about efforts to create better solar panels. Then, we hear about one professor's quest to teach kids about sun safety using an ultraviolet dosimeter you can wear on your wrist like a watch.
The sun, our closest star, is an incandescent ball of plasma powered by nuclear fusion, flinging energy off into space. As Earth's tilted orbit brings the southern hemisphere more into the sun's direct glare (summer is...2022-11-0929 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsStorm Warning (Māmari Stephens)Jeremiah 31:27-34 • 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 • Luke 18:1-8
Māmari reflects on Colin McCahon's painting Storm Warning, karakia, and prayer/inoi.2022-10-1618 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsThe Cost - and Rewards - of Discipleship (Matthew Packer)We hear a lot about the cost of discipleship, and rightly so. Following Jesus is about taking up our crosses to follow. But, is it all about cost? In this sermon, Matthew reflects on both the costs and the treasure, the joy and the reward. And he notes that Pascal's Wager rather withers under the promise of eternal life.
Psalm 139
Jeremiah 18.1-11
Luke 14.25-332022-09-0618 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsThe Growth of the Kingdom: Hospitality (Tim McKenzie)Tim explores what the Kingdom looks like in the practice of hospitality. What is hospitality, and what isn't it? And what about hospitality is conducive to the spread of the good news?
Tim references a John Mark Comer sermon that explores some of these issues really well - see https://bridgetown.church/teaching/preaching-the-gospel/part-3-practice-hospitality/
Year C, Ordinary 22
Luke 7.1, 7-14
Hebrews 13.1-8, 16-16
Jeremiah 2.4-132022-08-3121 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsJesus the Warrior? Peace, Division and the Two-Edged SwordTim McKenzie ditches his weather forecasting career to ask what it means that Jesus came to bring division, not peace. The readings were the lectionary readings for the day:
Isaiah 5.1-7
Luke 12.49-562022-08-1819 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsGalatians 6: Are We Carrying Each Others' Burdens? (Sam Jackson)Galatians 6
Luke 12.32-40
Sam Jackson wraps up our Galatians series by asking us if we really are carrying one another's burdens, and encouraging us with the reminder that God specialises in using broken vessels.2022-08-0919 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsGalatians 4: St Paul Visits Love Island (sort of!) (Tim McKenzie)In Galatians 4, Paul explores the idea of captivity to the "elemental principles/powers of the world". For some, that's captivity to the Law. For others, it's captivity to "gods who are not gods". In either case, Paul urges the Galatian converts to stay free. What might that mean for 21st Century people?2022-07-2625 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWhy the Crucifixion of Jesus Changes Everything, Including Who Gets to Set the Rules in Church (Matthew Bartlett on Galatians 3)In our 3rd installment of the Galatians series, Matthew Bartlett explains why the cross is the way past cultural imperialism. And why Paul is therefore so adamant that converts to the Jesus movement aren't obliged to follow Torah. .
Galatians 3.1-14
Galatians 3.21-28
Luke 23.32-34, 44-47
With help from Fleming Rutledge and Lamin Sanneh.2022-07-1118 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsMāmari Stephens: Chewing our Fingers with Paul's Letter to the GalatiansGalatians 2, with Māmari Stephens2022-07-0517 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsHigh Stakes! Introducing Paul's (Loud!) Letter to the Galatians (Tim McKenzie)Galatians is Paul's loudest, fiercest, most polemical letter. Rev. Dr. Tim McKenzie gives us a short overview of the letter, and highlights three things to look out for as we read it.
Earlier in the service, we had watched the most excellent Bible Project overview of Galatians, and Tim refers to that a couple of times in the sermon. 2022-06-2821 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWhy Be a Christian in 2022? Part I: The Stories We Live ByTim McKenzie opens the Why Be a Christian series by sketching four stories that people live by, out of the many available. Why do these stories appeal to people? And how do they stack up against the Christian story, the truest story of all?
Note: this sermon was rerecorded after the fact, as the original recording failed
Romans 1.1-6
Luke 6.39-492022-06-2128 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsDr Bronwyn Wood: What Impact Has Covid Had on Children's Education?This is the final episode in our 2022 series, Faith, Crisis & Freedom. Bronwyn Wood, Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, takes us on a rich tour of the data around children's educational achievement, and what Covid has done to their learning. And she offers some thoughtful analysis of where we're going wrong in New Zealand particularly, and what we might do to get back on track. 2022-06-171h 14
St Michael's talks & sermonsAndrew Shepherd: The Start of the Anthropocene & the End of the WorldThis talk comes from the St Michael's Faith, Crisis & Freedom series (2022). Dr Andrew Shepherd, lecturer in Theology & Public Issues at Otago University, probes the Western cultural mood, as humanity stares down the barrel of environmental devastation. After summarising some of the "Cli-Fi" literature written in the past decades, he offers a close reading of Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, and asks where we can find resources of imagination to address the environmental crisis.
Note: the sound quality is not up to our usual standard on this episode. Our apologies for this.2022-06-171h 01St Michael's talks & sermonsTim McKenzie: Knowing God as TrinityHow do I know God? Why all this Trinity stuff? Christians often feel befuddled by the doctrine of the Trinity. Rev. Dr. Tim McKenzie suggests that our challenge is to know the God indicated by the doctrine, rather than focusing on knowing the doctrine for its own sake.
Psalm 8
Romans 5.1-5
John 16.12-152022-06-1429 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRebecca Packer: Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (Pentecost Sunday 2022)It's Pentecost Sunday! Rebecca Packer unpacks the rich biblical imagery for the Holy Spirit and asks, "what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit"?
2022-06-0822 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsDr Philip Fountain – The Political Theology of Covid GovernanceRemember the first lockdown? How did we get from teddy bears in people's windows to fiery protests at parliament? In this talk, Dr Philip Fountain considers the government's management of the Covid pandemic, and suggests that hidden religious themes in New Zealand political discourse can cast light on what happened. How do ideas of sovereignty, solidarity, sacrifice and the iconic enable a better understanding of our deeply contested national politics?2022-06-031h 04St Michael's talks & sermonsA Jaded Vicar Wonders: Should We Just Give Up on Christian Unity?Why on earth, since Jesus prayed for the church to be one, i it so divided? Is there any hope?
Rev. Dr. Tim McKenzie preaches on the lectionary readings for Easter 7, 2022.
Acts 16.16-34
Revelation 22.12-17, 20-21
John 17:20-262022-06-0131 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsRev. Jessie Black on Anticipation Without AnxietyHow are we to face the future? How can we do it with anticipation, but not anxiety? Jessie shares from these scriptures on that theme:
Acts 16.9-15
Revelation 21.10, 22-22.5
John 14.23-292022-05-3116 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsHirini Kaa: Beyond the Crisis of ColonisationThe Rev. Dr. Hirini Kaa kicks off the first session in the new St Michael's Autumn Series, Faith, Crisis & Freedom. Dr. Kaa is an Anglican priest and historian, who has recently published a definitive work on the history of Te Haahi Mihinare (the Māori Anglican church), in all its promise, travails, and hard-won new hopes. What might the experience of Te Haahi show us about Aotearoa and the road towards decolonisation? His address is in parts sobering, hilarious, and challenging in all directions. Kaa is introduced by the Rev. Māmari Stephens, Reader in the...2022-05-181h 25St Michael's talks & sermonsSinging the Lamb's Song, Come What MayEaster 3, Acts 9.1-6, Revelation 5.11-14, John 21.1-19
Listen carefully, and you'll hear the epistle reader introduce "Revelation Chapter 5" as "Revolution Chapter 5". Which is about right. Tim McKenzie preaches on Singing the Lamb's Song. The witness of history is that those who've been prepared to do this are truly revolutionaries.2022-05-0331 minSt Michael's talks & sermons03 April 2022 - How to be a Christian, or The Problem of Belief, with Dr. Philip Fountain. The Why Be a Christian in 2022 Series continuedProtestants often think of being a Christian as a question of believing things. But is that the right place to start? Jesus puts a frighteningly terrifying emphasis on doing things. In this sermon, Dr. Philip Fountain lets Jesus speak for himself, with devastating effect.
Scripture: excerpts from Matthew 5, 6, & 72022-04-0426 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWhy be a Christian in 2022: A More Compassionate God (Ruby Burgess)Ruby Burgess outlines the breathtaking vision of a God who isn't just loving and compassionate, but who is love and compassion.
Scripture Texts: Psalm 103, 1 Corinthians 13, and John 14.15-312022-04-0417 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWhy Be a Christian in 2022: Is the Christian Story True? (Matthew Bartlett)Another exciting episode in the series, "Why be a Christian in 2022?" Matthew gives his telling of the Christian story, invites you to give yours, and offers his top 10 reasons for thinking the Christian story is more than just a fairytale...2022-03-1116 min
St Michael's talks & sermonsGrief and Joy for ChristmasIs Christmas just about joy? Or is it about grief as well? How do those go together? And how does Angela Merkel's blessing to her successor, Olaf Scholz, help us approach the Christmas message in a world of trouble and joy?2022-03-1119 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWomen, power and God's action in the worldText: Luke 1:26–56
Cassandra Burton-Wood, lately chaplain at Victoria University of Wellington, delivers a final message about Mary the mother of Jesus, before leaving town for love and theological study. 2022-01-2720 min
39 Ways to Save the PlanetWindcatchersWind energy is vital in the battle against climate change, but can we make improvements to harness more from them?
Tom Heap visits Kelburn windfarm in North Ayrshire to discuss whether 'wakesteering' - reorientating the turbines could see them harness more power collectively. Meanwhile some potential sites are refused or restricted due to the damage caused to wildlife. Hubert Lagrange talks about his childhood obsession with bats which are often killed by the pressure around turbine blades.
He's worked to develop a system to sense bat and bird activity and allow the turbines to operate longer through a refined...2021-10-2514 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsDoubting Thomas and Doubting TimsTexts: Acts 4.32-35; 1 John 1.1-2.2; John 20.19-31
The Rev Dr Tim McKenzie explores faith, doubt and the resurrection (with a special appearance by Tim Overton)
Please forgive the mediocre audio quality in this episode!2021-04-1226 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsVocation, vocation, vocation!Genesis 41:41–49; 1 Corinthians 7:17–24; Luke 19:1–10.
What does 'vocation' mean for Christians? Is it about landing your dream job? Or becoming a priest? The second in a series on faith & work.2021-03-0728 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRev Mel McKenzie on prayer and 'letting go'Texts: Psalm 46, Romans 8.26-40 & Mark 1.35-39
Mel spoke on the four S's of contemplative prayer — silence, solitude, stillness and surrender.2021-01-3132 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRichard Deeble: Pray without ceasing – how God's goodness, generosity and sovereignty can encourage us to pray moreTexts: 2 Samuel 7:18–29, Ephesians 5:18–21; Luke 11:8–13
Richard begins our series on prayer.2021-01-2424 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsChrist the King: Dr Ben Thirkell-WhiteThe texts for the day were Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1.15-23 and Matthew 25.31-46
Dr Ben Thirkell-White, until recently Associate Professor of International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, now at the Reserve Bank, reflects on Christ the King Sunday and its political message for today. Christ the King is a recent feast — instituted by Pope Pius XI in the troubled period between the world wars. Ben draws comparisons with our contemporary situation, looking at the perhaps clashing models of kingship we find in the Bible.2020-11-2227 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsAll Saints: Rev Dr Tim McKenzie – Saints, All!The texts for the day were Revelation 7.9-17; 1 John 3.1-3; Matthew 5.1-132020-11-0226 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsLent 2: Matthew Bartlett on Climate Change: Lament, Repentance, Renewal, ActionThe texts for the day were Psalm 69; Isaiah 24:4–13; John 3:1–172020-03-0922 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsLent 1: Rev Dr Tim McKenzie on 'lament' in the Bible & in usPsalm 13; Lamentations 3; Matthew 4:1–11
Tim introduces the Biblical genre of lament as one pattern for our conversations with God. 2020-03-0121 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRev Dr Tim McKenzie on Salt, Light & the NZ housing crisisTim the vicar preached from Isaiah 58:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-202020-02-2021 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRev Dr Deborah Wilson on Jesus the TeacherRev. Dr. Deborah Wilson, chaplain at Queen Margaret College, introduces St Matthew's depiction of Jesus as teacher — a new Moses who would in his own self fulfil the law.
Texts: Isaiah 9:1–4, 1 Corinthians 1:10–18, Matthew 4:12–232020-01-2829 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRev Māmari Stephens on whakawhanaungatanga and the Massacre of the InnocentsMāmari refers to Léon Cogniet's (1794–1880) painting 'Le Massacre des Innocents':
2019-12-2920 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsRev Dr Tim McKenzie on God's judgment & Terry Malick's The Tree of LifeFor the fourth Sunday in Advent, Tim preaches from 2 Peter 3 and Matthew 1.18-252019-12-2221 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsWaiting for the Dawn: Rev Jenny Dawkins on acts of imagination and faithThe Rev Jenny Dawkins, from All Saints Peckham, South London, visits and preaches for the first Sunday in Advent.
The texts were Isaiah 2:1–5, 2 Peter 1:1-11, 19–21 and Matthew 24:36–44.2019-12-0128 minSt Michael's talks & sermonsEmily Hockly on abortion & the churchA sermon preached at St Michael's Anglican Church, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand, 24 November 2019.2019-11-2415 min