John Hebenton's Podcast

John uses the call of Isaiah and Peter, James and John,  to talk about “call” being about re imagining who we are and how we are and what we are called to doHe wonders how this  helps us engage with the ongoing work of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi as we build back in this pandemic?You can read the notes here

For some who follow the C of E calendar,  this coming Wednesday marks the end of the 40 days of the Christmas-Epiphany season. What is this season about?-          revelation who Jesus is-          response to that?John explores why he  stuck with readings for 4th Sunday rather than presentation readings-          really like Jeremiah – got smacked in mouth by coal and became prophet to kind of like how we have been smacked in the mouth by Covid                                  -> like Jeremiah we are called-          response of people who knew him to what Jesus has taught last week -          famous passage from 1 Cor 13 – about hard crunchy love – not a feeling but way to actSo what does all this offer us as we negotiate our way through REDThe notes for this sermon can be read here

A Christmas reflection using my poem "We Gather this Christmas" and "God Would Kneel Down", by Daniel Ladinsky.What does God hope for this Covid shaped Christmas?What do we hope for those we love?

John explores this wonderful intimate and somewhat radical moment in Luke between two women which results in the  “Magnificat”. He then uses Rachel Held Evans' work on the Shema and Love to explore what might life behind the Magnificat.Finally use Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase to ask in what way are we bursting with God-news and joining the dance to the song of God this Christmas?He finished by asking himself-         How does Mary’s song help me to see God’s hesed love at play today?-         What God-news might I be invited to burst with?-         How might we join the dance of the song of God?You can read the notes for this sermon here

How might we open ourselves to receive the gift of joy this Christmas?The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams, in “The Book of Joy - Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” offer these three ways of being joyful; the ability to reframe a situation positively; the ability to experience gratitude; and the voice to be kind or generous.John the Baptist invites us to go further – to offer the gift of hope, peace, joy and love this Christmas to others. How might we practically live generously and compassionately this Christmas?You can read the notes for this sermon here

John explores how advent helps us remember that Christmas is important, but it is not the point. Advent points to Christ in history, Christ in mystery and Christ in majesty. What does peace look like in all that? How is peace often described and enforced? What might true peace involve? What might be needed for us to find peace this advent?The notes for this sermon can be found here

Christ the King has a few issues. It’s history. How it is used today by various groups opposed to the government’s response to Covid.John uses the reading from John’s Gospel to explore some of that, and then quotes Liz Fitzmaurice's opinion piece in Stuff as an example of what the reign of Christ might look like today He asks-          What does the reign of God look like in a Covid world?-          What future do we imagine in Christ?-          What values shape that future?The notes for this sermon can be found here

John uses Mark to explore what we give our attention to and notes he gives a lot of attention to covid updates, vaccination numbers, traffic lights and vaccine mandates. He wonders in what ways he is like those disciples, amazed at the grandeur of Herod’s temple and freaked by Jesus apocalyptic utterances. This is also the end of our year in Mark, where we have been invited to have our minds blown by the ongoing story of the coming of God’s kingdom.What has blown our minds this year?As we approach Advent and Mary’ story, we are offered an important but small story, of Hannah. The kind of story we might overlook. A story of a woman in man’s world who cannot bear children, and who is mocked by the other wife. Her story of faith is recorded. God heard, and Samuel changed the course of history. Who are some other women who God used to change the story and inspire today?As we struggle with all that is happening in our world today·        What is it that we currently pay attention to?·        What are the stories w

John begins by talking about some of the commemorations  going on around this Sunday: and uses them as a way of helping us own our sense of anxiety and grief at where we are at with covid right nowHe looks at Ruth and what she offers us as an example of how to respond to our own grief, frustration, and questions, and in doing so honours and gives space to their grief, anger, and questions, and provides a model in how Naomi and Ruth cling to each other as they find their way through this.Take time to name your own grief, anxiety, and questions How are we making sense of what is happening, Who are we “clinging to” as we negotiate our way through this? The notes for this sermon can be found here

Bonnie uses the story of Ruth and Naomi to explore who our saints might be. She finishes by asking us to reflect on -Who are the saints in your life?What qualities of theirs do you give thanks for?In what ways do you honour their memory?

John continues to explore what God was up to with Jesus. One way of answering that is that Jesus is like God and God is like Jesus – what does that do to your thinking about the life of faith. Job invites us to hold lightly all that we think we know about God and to find comfort in the uncertainty. And then to live in hope.Reminds me of Mark 1:15 – let your mind be blownBartimaeus comes at end of central section turns the story towards Jerusalem and highlights disciples’ blindnessTheir minds have not been blown yet, they have not been re-oriented by Jesus and are still trying to use their old formulas to understand what is going onOn contrast Bartimaeus not only has his physical sight restored, but acts as true disciple, leaving all he had of any worth to follow Jesus up to Jerusalem and the cross-         What do these stories offer us in these uncertain and troubling times?-         In what ways are we like the disciples, or even Job’s unhelpful friends, locked into old ways of thinking and unable to see wh

John uses Mark 10 to explore how we use stories to make sense of life and God, and the invitation within the gospels to let them go, and embrace some new stories. The question Mark keeps asking, and we need to keep asking are what do you think God was up to in Jesus? what does this say about God? what does this mean for how we live in our own dark and troubled times? The notes can be found here 

Francis understood at a deep level God’s deep desire that all creation might thrive. He also understood that for that to happen relationships between people, and people and creation needed to be restored. This is the deep longing in scripture. It is what the covenants longed for. It is what Jesus came to complete. It is what he taught and lived. We see that in the story today – Deuteronomy allows divorce when woman displeases the husband. The central theme of this years Season of creation remind us that we are all interconnected Because relationships broken too often women, children, and other people, creation simply seen commodity to be traded and discarded. That is what Jesus was talking about. The result is climate change and biodiversity loss. The burden of which is falling mostly on people living in poverty – especially women and children.  The recent Save Children fund report on consequences makes that clear.Finish by talking about COP 26 – and inviting people to get informed, pray for and advocate for

In this Season of Creation to explore the need to imagination our relationship with and place in creation – our common home; and courage to live that out. Esther offers an example of what reimagining your place looks like, the risks and the rewards – a story still celebrated by Jews today at Purim. Esther also offers a chance to honestly reflect on where we are in our current plight.In this last reading from the letter from James we are reminded that the basis for living our faith is prayer – all kinds of prayer, from lament for this world, confession for our role in climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, pandemics and other diseases, war, violence, poverty, etc…Mark reminds us that God works though many people – even though who offer us a class of water. We are not alone in this work of reimagination. This week we are invited to both pray and act, for creation, for all who work to change our relationship, for all those working at the political and scientific level, for business leaders and farmers and

John reminds us about what the Season of Creation is about, and what the theme for this year is. And then explore the theme for this week Oikoumene, ecumenical –-          is also about all humanity sharing our common home with each other, and all life – even viruses. -          is about the kind of relationships that sustain our common life.-          About the whole church and its work living God’s love for and invitation to care for integrity of creationThe sermon concludes with a video production of the poem Midnight: Fighting for Our SurvivalThe notes for this sermon can be found here

John reminds us what the Season of Creation is about. And he explores this years theme “A home for all? Renewing the Oikos of God”,  and the central image of Sarah and Abraham's tent which is open on all sides  offering welcome, shelter, refuge, and safety to ALL in our common home - human and non human.He then offers an Earth Examen from the Season of Creation Resources to help people engage with their local ecology.The notes for this sermon and examen can be found here

John introduces this year’s theme for the season of creation, - A home for all? Renewing the Oikos of God – joining worldwide church in responding to God’s invitation to work together to renew our world as an interconnected and interdependent global beloved community.This week invite us to join in praying, using the Season of Creation Prayer Season of Creation 2021 Prayer Creator of All, We are grateful that from your communion of love you created our planet to be a home for all. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of living beings that filled the soil, water, and air. Each part of creation praises you in their being, and cares for one another from our place in the web of life. With the Psalmist, we sing your praise that in your house “even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.” We remember that you call human beings to keep your garden in ways that honour the dignity of each creature and conserve their place in the abundance o

It turns out in these Covid times that being kind is quite hard work. But Jacinda and James the Just are both pretty clear about how important it is to be kind, compassionate. John looks at the letter from James and Mark 7 and talks about Jesus teaching around paying attention to what is going on in the heart as a way of becoming kinder. And then he introduces the daily examen as a way of paying attention to the heart during lockdown and beyond.The notes for can be found here

As we start again in level four lockdown, John acknowledges the various responses to this lockdown. And he wonders how the readings from John 6 help us to respond as disciples to this situation, knowing that we are being fed by living God in all we do.He finishes by inviting us to prayer the alternative version of the Lord's Prayer in Night Prayer (in a New Zealand Prayer Book), suggesting that this prayer shows us what being fed the living bread is about He invites us to  pray this prayer each day  so that these words might  shape how we are disciples during this time.The notes for this sermon can be found here

John notes that last Friday was Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony– acknowledge brutality and cost of western war machineHe then talks about that in parts of Australia there have been antilockdown marches, many with an Antivaccine sentiment, particularly, Jesus in my vaccine. He wonders if a quick reading John 6 might support this?He goes on to look at John, starting by exploring what the exodus story offers in our understanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus is talking about in John?He notes that the Eucharist is always an enacted sign of the love and regard for community shown by Jesus, not a talisman for personal gain or benefit. Only in this sense, it is only like the vaccine in that it exists for the good of the whole community, not ourselves as individuals.He then invites people to talk about how else we are fed by the living bread, and what difference that makesYou can read the notes for this here. You can also see the images that I used here too.