Category: News

Jesus Christ our Redeemer!

Readings:
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9,12-20
Psalm 19: 
Philippians 3: 4-14
Matthew 21: 33-46

Sentence: 
“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 13-14

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

Jesus said, “Listen to another parable”. He could have just said, “Looks like I’m gonna have another dispute with those Pharisees.” Regardless of what we think about the Pharisees you’ve gotta give them some credit today because they got it. They understood this parable. They realised Jesus was talking about them. He told them the truth but they didn’t like it and wanted to shut him up so they thought, let’s have Jesus arrested. This is not Jesus’ first confrontation with the Pharisees nor would it be his last. 

For some of us, we tend to avoid conflict and confrontation. But not Jesus. He just keeps on offending and confronting the Pharisees. Eating with the wrong people, won’t answer their questions, taunting them by breaking the law and healing on the Sabbath. He calls them hypocrites and escapes their traps, leaves them speechless and compares them to a disobedient son who won’t work in the vineyard. Jesus just never lets up!

So what’s going on? Why can’t Jesus just let go of them? And what does that have to do with us? You see, Jesus is unwilling to give up on the Pharisees or anyone else, including you and I. He just keeps on coming. Challenging and redeeming everything we believe. That’s the good news, hope and joy in today’s parable. This is not so much a parable of exclusion or condemnation as it is a parable of Jesus’ unwillingness to give up. His unwillingness to give up on us often confronts us with the truth about our lives that is almost always difficult to hear and accept. We might hear his words but do we realise he is talking too and about us?

The confrontation this parable provokes is like holding a mirror in front of us so that we can see and recognise in ourselves what Jesus sees. This is not to condemn us but to recover us from the places of our self-exclusion, to call us back to life and to lead us home. Jesus doesn’t exclude us or anyone else from the kingdom of God. He doesn’t have too. We do it to ourselves and we’re pretty good at it. That’s what the Pharisees have done. The Pharisees have excluded themselves.

“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you,” Jesus says to them. This is not so much a punishment for failing to produce fruit for the kingdom. It’s rather, the recognition of what already exists. They were given the vineyard and failed to produce and share the fruits of the kingdom. Jesus is just naming the reality and telling the truth. They have excluded themselves. In the same way, the kingdom of God will be given to those who are already producing kingdom fruits. This is not a reward but a recognition of what already exists. Where the fruit is, there also is the kingdom.

As I’ve always said, if you want to know what the fruits of the kingdom look like then look at the life of God revealed in Jesus Christ. What do you see? Love, mercy and forgiveness, justice, generosity, compassion, presence, wisdom, truth, healing, reconciliation, self-surrender and sacrifice, joy, thanksgiving, peace, obedience and humility. I’m not talking about these things as abstract ideas, things to just ponder on, but as lived out realities in the vineyards of our lives.

You see, we’ve all been given vineyards. They are the people, relationships, circumstances and events of our lives that God has entrusted to our care. That means our spouses, partners, children and family, our work, our church, our daily decisions and choices, our hopes, dreams, and concerns are the vineyards in which we are to reveal the presence and life of God, to produce the fruits of the kingdom. The vineyards, our work in those vineyards, and the fruit produced come together to show us to be sharers in God’s kingdom; or not. In other words, if we are not producing kingdom fruits we have excluded ourselves from and rejected our share in the kingdom. We are living neither as the people God knows us to be nor as the people we truly want to be. In some way we have stepped outside of ourselves and sidestepped our own life. That’s the truth with which Jesus confronted the Pharisees. 

It’s the same truth that Jesus confronts us with. Do you ever struggle with perfectionism, self-condemnation and the question of whether you’re good enough? Maybe that’s self-exclusion. Do you ever feel like you have to be in control, be right and have all the answers? Are you carrying grudges, anger and resentment? Maybe that’s self-exclusion. Do you look at others and begin making judgments about their belief, choices or lifestyle? Are there people in your life that you have chosen to let go of rather than do the work of reconciliation and heal the relationship? Do you go through life just going through the motions but never really being present and never showing up? Maybe that’s self-exclusion. In your life is there more criticism than thanksgiving and celebration? Are you hanging onto some old guilt that you believe could not be forgiven? Maybe that’s self-exclusion.

As Christians, we don’t have to go anywhere to realise how important self-examination is and to address our own self-exclusion from God’s kingdom, not anyone else’s, which begins with first recognising our own self-exclusion. That means we must look at the vineyards of our lives. So, how’s your garden growing? What do you see? Is there fruit? Is there life? And are you sharing in God’s kingdom? Allowing Jesus Christ to redeem our lives allows God’s kingdom to grow in the small but vital vineyards you and I have been given.  Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
Loving God, yours is the vineyard and the harvest. Help us to recognise the one you send and to follow him. Make us willing workers in your vineyard, so that we may offer you an abundant harvest. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

Jesus Christ our Authority!

Readings:
Exodus 17: 1-7
Psalm 78: 1-4, 12-16
Philippians 2: 1-13
Matthew 21: 23-32

Sentence: 
“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2: 12-13

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

Have you ever known anyone with authority issues? A big question to ask first thing on a Sunday morning. But I am sure most of us do. We only need to look in the mirror and realise we all have authority issues. In today’s gospel from Matthew, authority is the main theme. The chief priests and elders take issue with Jesus’ authority and the two sons challenge their father’s authority. In our usual understanding of authority the obvious question in today’s gospel is whether we recognise and submit to the authority of Jesus and God the Father. However, that question is so obvious that it’s probably not the question at the heart of today’s gospel because we can quickly respond with a yes or no answer. Therefore, my critical mind asks, there has to be something more going on. To assume that question is the only question to be answered only reveals our misunderstanding of what true authority is.

More often than not we are confused about authority. We misunderstand it because we have been taught that it’s based on credentials, expertise, a great cv, years of education, accomplishments, status, reputation or the higher position held in relationship to someone else. We assume that authority comes from outside a person and that it’s given to them by their circumstances. In this understanding some have authority and others don’t. “Who do you think you are?” “What gives you the right to tell me what to do?” Or, “Who died and made you God!” That represents our usual way of understanding authority. We don’t like someone else teaching us, correcting us, or telling us what to do. We hear that in the challenge of the chief priests and elders to Jesus, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” We see it in the refusal of the two sons to go to the vineyard. There is, however, another authority issue at play in today’s gospel. That issue is our failure and sometimes our refusal to recognise, claim and exercise the authority within us; to go to the vineyard. That’s the authority issue the gospel is holding before us today.

Every day God authorises us to enter and sends us into the vineyard, to act in this world with God’s authority and through the gifts that God has bestowed upon each one of us. In other words, true authority always comes from within. It’s an interior God-given quality not an exterior circumstance or phenomenon. That’s what the chief priests and elders failed to understand. That’s why Jesus was always so angry and aggravated with the religious leaders. They chose to exchange their God-given authority for human power. That’s what’s happening in much of our world today. In the absence of true authority there will always be power struggles. Look at our political systems. Look at the wars and unrest throughout the world. And look at the conflicts we encounter in our own relationships. They are all about power not authority. Most of our leaders exercise power but very few exercise authority. In the exercise of power we look to our own interests but in the exercise of authority we look to the interests of others, the people.

Think about the people who hold authority for you. They are not concerned about themselves. They don’t dominate or control you. They inspire you, well, I hope I do. They are to call forth from you faith, hope, and trust. They expand your world, open new possibilities, and bring forth life and gifts in yourself that you never knew were there. They cause you to re-evaluate your life, change your mind and live differently. That sounds an awful lot like Jesus and it’s very different from those who exercise power. That’s what disciples of Jesus are supposed to do. There are people in our church who have no leadership position, title, or theological credentials and yet they have great authority. I see it in their compassion and gentleness towards others. I see it in their love for our church building, I hear it in the way they pray. I feel it in their love for me, my whanau and others. They continue too show me the way to the vineyard of life. That’s what authorities do. But it’s not about them. It doesn’t come from them. All authority originates in God, but it’s not exclusive to God. God shares that authority with us. The authority God shares with us is nothing less than God’s own divine attributes. It’s the expression and manifestation of God’s life in and through our own lives.

That shared authority exists in us and is revealed by us as the many and varied charisma’s, the gifts, God has imparted on each of our lives. That means every one of us has authority. As your priest I don’t seriously have more authority than you. I certainly don’t have better authority than you. I just have a different authority. God gives each of us gifts and authority unique to our lives. God is generous with the gifts and authority. Therefore, we all have God-given gifts and authority. There is no one without authority. The difference isn’t that some have authority and others don’t. The difference is that some recognise and exercise their authority and others don’t. Regardless, God knows and sees the authority given to us and waits for us to see it, get it and know it too. And when we do, we change our mind and go to the vineyard, out to the world.

So today, something for all of you to ponder on, what is the authority God has given to you? What gifts and divine attributes has God bestowed upon you? Are you living from that authority and sharing those gifts? Have you gone to the vineyard or are you simply mouthing the answers you think God wants to hear? Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
God of all authority, enable us to hear your call and do what you ask of us. Forgive us for judging others, help us to embrace the outcast and the downtrodden. Transform our lives so that everything we do may proclaim your generous love. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

This year we are now holding our AGM Meeting on Sunday the 18th October at 1pm by Zoom. Our Agenda will be advised shortly. Due to Covid -19 we are mindful of the additional work being done to make our AGM possible

Nga Mihi

Patricia Karipa

Christ is Grace!

Readings:
Exodus 16: 2-15
Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45
Philippians 1: 21-30
Matthew 20: 1-16

Sentence: 
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1: 27

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

Last week’s kauwhau was all about forgiveness. “How often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered Peter, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Today it’s about Grace. And Jesus tells the parable about the labourers and the owner of the vineyard. 

I am sure we could all give our own version on this parable. We probably even know people who, from our humble perspective anyway, neither earned nor deserved what they got; a job, a promotion, a pay raise, recognition, success even happiness. Even though we worked longer and harder it doesn’t seem to make any difference. More often than not we view the world, ourselves, and others through the lens of fairness rather than grace, the exact opposite of how God views the world and our lives.

We’ve been taught that fairness matters. When we were kids we had to share everything; food, clothes, money etc. If you tried to do something sneaky like grab more food, someone would quickly say, “Hey, what you doing?” Then, sometimes you would see someone get more than you and you would think, “That’s not fair!” But you wouldn’t say anything because you got a whack! So the concept of fairness is ingrained within us one way or the other. Too often, however, fairness rather than love, acceptance, mercy, forgiveness or generosity is the measure by which we act and judge another person or life circumstances. We like fairness because it give us some assurance of order, predictability, control and power; even if it’s a false assurance. Fairness is based on what you deserve, how hard you work, what you achieve and the way in which you behave. Sometimes it’s fair to give a reward and at other times a punishment. You see, we live in and promote a wage based society in which you earn what you get. You deserve the consequences, good or bad, of your actions.

But, what happens when divine goodness overwhelms human fairness? You get today’s parable. The parable suggests wages and grace stand in opposition to each other. They are two opposing world views. The parable strikes us as unfair because our life and world view is wage based. A wage based world view allows little room for grace in our own lives or the lives of others. Therefore, Grace is dangerous to this world view as it reverses the business as usual. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” That’s not how a wage based society works. The world says the last are last and the first are first because they deserve it. It’s what is fair. Our understanding of fairness, however, doesn’t seem to have priority in the kingdom of heaven where grace is the rule not the exception. Grace looks beyond our productivity, our appearance, our dress, our race or ethnicity, our gender, our accomplishments and our failures. Grace recognises there is more to you and who you are than what you have done or left undone.

Grace reveals the goodness of God. Wages reveal human effort. Grace seeks unity and inclusion. Wages make distinctions and separate. Grace just happens. Wages are based on merit. The only precondition of grace is that we show up and open ourselves to receive what God is giving. When we do, we begin to see our lives, the world, our neighbours differently. Grace reminds us that we are not nearly as self-sufficient, deserving, or independent as a wage based society would like us to believe. Neither is our worth determined by our productivity or usefulness to another. Grace doesn’t justify or excuse discrimination, unfairness or oppression. To the contrary it holds before us the truth that each person is more than their behaviour, their looks, their accomplishments or their failures.

The tragedy of a wage based life is that it blinds us to the presence of grace, the life of God, in our own life. It can make us resentful of grace, goodness and beauty in the life of another. It separates and isolates us from others. Eventually we set up standards and expectations not only for ourselves and others but for God. That’s what happened to the first ones hired in today’s parable. They saw themselves as different from and more deserving than the ones hired later. They grumbled against the landowner saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us.” The truth is they’re not that different from each other. Neither group owned the vineyard. Both groups needed a job and both groups were chosen, invited in, by no effort of their own doing. However, there’s something that distinguishes the first ones hired and the ones hired later.

The distinction is not what time they showed up to work. The real distinction between the two is the terms under which they entered the vineyard. The first hired entered the vineyard only after agreeing to the usual daily wage. They settled for too little. They shortchanged themselves. That’s often what happens in a wage based society. Apparently the landowner is willing to pay more than the usual daily wage. A full day’s wage for less than a full day’s work. “That’s not fair,” we might say. No, it’s not. That’s grace.

The first hired got what they bargained for. The later hired workers, those who come at 9:00 a.m., noon, 3:00 p.m., even 5:00 p.m., did not, however, negotiate for the usual daily wage. They entered the vineyard trusting they would be paid “whatever is right.” Whatever is right is not determined by the first hired or by a wage based society but by the goodness of the landowner. These later hired workers received more than they earned, more than they deserved, more than they had a right to ask or hope for. That’s just what God does. “Whatever is right” isn’t about fairness but about grace. Why settle for the usual daily wage when God wants to give you “whatever is right” for your life, your needs, your salvation? “Whatever is right” will always be more than fair, more than we could ask or imagine. Yet we trust a wage based life more than we trust grace. In so doing we deny ourselves and others the life God wants to give. 

So how might we begin to move from a wage based life to the vineyard of grace? Stop comparing yourself and your life to others and you will create room for grace to emerge. Refuse to compete in such a way that someone must lose for you to win. Trust that in God’s world there is enough for everyone. Let go of expectations based on what you think you or others deserve. Give God the freedom to pay whatever is right knowing that God’s ways are not your ways. Make no judgments of yourself or others. That’s the way of grace, the way of God. Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
God of grace, you are kind to all people, good beyond our understanding. Help us to be grateful for what we have been given and merciful and generous with our sisters and brothers. Teach us the ways of your kingdom where the last will be first and the first will be last. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

Christ is Forgiveness!

Readings:
Exodus 14: 19-31
Psalm 114
Romans 14: 1-12
Matthew 18: 21-35

Sentence: “For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.” Romans 14: 10

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

“How often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered Peter, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

Forgiveness, it sounds so easy to do, at least in principle. But “Every one,” according to C.S. Lewis, “says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until there is something to forgive”. What do we do then? What do we do when there is something to forgive? Does that mean forgive the drunk driver? The murderer? The rapist? The bully? The abusive parent? The greedy corporation? The racist? And as Christians, the answer to these questions is YES. 

Then all of a sudden, forgiveness isn’t so easy.

You see, forgiveness, for Jesus, is not something you can measure. It’s a quality; a way of being, a way of living, a way of loving, a way of relating and a way of thinking and seeing. It’s nothing less than the way of Christ. If we are to follow Christ then his way must become our way as well. “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. Look at your own lives and you will find broken promises, hurt feelings, betrayals, harsh words and physical and emotional wounds. Every one of us could tell stories of being hurt, traumatised or victimised by another. Beneath the pain, the wounds and the memories will always be the question of forgiveness.

When we don’t forgive, some will strike back seeking revenge. Some will run away from life and their relationships. Some will even let themselves be consumed by darkness. I don’t say that out of criticism or judgment of someone else but out of my own experience. I’ve done them all. I know how hard forgiveness can be. Like you, I too struggle with it and often avoid it. I also know that none of those answers are the way of Christ. All of them leave us stuck in the past, tied to the evil of someone else, and deprived of the future God wants to give us.

Forgiveness is the only way forward. That doesn’t mean we forget, condone, or approve of what was done. It doesn’t mean we ignore or excuse cruelty or injustice. It means we are released from them. We let go of the thoughts and fantasies of revenge, which I know is hard to do. But we look to the future rather than the past. We try to see and love as God sees and loves. Forgiveness is a way in which we align our life with God’s life. To withhold forgiveness is to put ourselves in the place of God, the ultimate judge to whom all are accountable (Rom. 14:10, 12).

God’s forgiveness and human forgiveness are inte-related. That is apparent in today’s parable. The king forgives his slave an extraordinary amount. Ten thousand talents is about 3000 years of work at the ordinary daily wage. It seems there is no debt too large to be forgiven. This man was forgiven. That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like. That’s how God is. This slave, however, refused to forgive his fellow slave 100 denarii, about three months of work at the ordinary daily wage. Too often that’s what our world is like. Frequently, that’s how we are. In that refusal the forgiven slave lost his own forgiveness. So do we. But this shouldn’t be news to us. We know it well. We acknowledge and pray it every Sunday and for most of us we pray it everyday. “Forgive us our trespasses (sins) as we forgive those who trespass (sin) against us.” We pray those words with ease and familiarity but do we live our prayer? Do our actions support our request? “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

That’s a lot of forgiveness but the pain of the world, this country, our homeland and individuals is massive. We need to forgive as much, maybe even more, for ourselves as for the one we forgive. Forgiving those who sin against us is the source and power that begins to heal our wounds. It may not change the one who hurt you but your life will be more alive, more grace-filled, more whole and more God-like for having forgiven someone. Forgiveness creates space for new life. Forgiveness is an act of hopefulness and resurrection for the one who forgives. It’s the healing of our soul and our life. Forgiveness takes us out of the darkness and into light, from death to life. It releases us from the evil of another. It is the refusal to let our future be determined by the past. It’s the letting go of the thoughts, the hatred and the fear that fill us so that we might live and love again.

There is no easy road to forgiveness. Don’t let anyone tell you, “Just give it up to God. Forgive and forget.” That’s a simplistic answer that only demean those who suffer and scratches at the wound. Forgiving another takes time and work. It’s something we must practice every day. It begins with recognition and thanksgiving that we have been forgiven. We are the beneficiaries of the crucified one. Hanging between two thieves Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Lk. 23:34). That is the cry of infinite forgiveness, a cry we are to echo in our own lives, in our families, our work places, our church and in our day to day lives.

Forgiveness doesn’t originate in us. It begins with God. That’s what the slave who refused to forgive didn’t understand. It wasn’t about him. It’s always about God. We don’t choose to forgive. We only choose to share the forgiveness we have already received. Then we choose again, and then again, and then yet again. For most of us forgiveness is a process that we live into. However, sometimes,we just can’t. The pain is too much, the wounds are too raw and the memories too real. On those days we choose not to forgive. Somedays we choose to want to forgive. Then there are those days that all we can do is choose to want forgive again and again. But we choose because that’s the choice Christ made.

How many times must we choose to forgive? How many times have you been hurt and suffered by the actions or words of another? How many times has anger or fear controlled you? How many times has the thought of revenge filled you? How many times have you shuddered at the sight, the name, or the memory of another? How many times have you replayed in your head the argument with another? That’s how many times you choose. With each choosing we move a step closer to forgiveness. A step closer to God. Then one day, God willing, we will meet in Paradise free from all forgiveness and sin.  Jesus said, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
Compassionate God, your forgiveness is more than we can imagine. Enable us to take hold of the forgiveness you offer and to have the grace to forgive others as we are forgiven. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

Jesus Christ our Reconciliation!

Readings:
Exodus 12: 1-14
Psalm 149
Romans 13: 8-14
Matthew 18: 15-20

Sentence:
‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.’ Romans 13: 8

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

In last week’s gospel, we saw how Jesus told his disciples that to follow him was to take up a cross: to live lives of sacrifice and service to others—to live good lives but not easy lives.

Today, Jesus tells them what they should do when conflict arises in the community. Not just conflict concerning disagreements—but wrongs. Not because he anticipates his church will be a troubled group of people, but because he knows they will simply be a group of people. Jesus knows that even while the church will point to something beyond itself—something greater—it’s still made up of humans. And so it will be bound to the same limitations of any other human institution: there will be conflict. Mistakes will be made and there will be some serious mistakes. There will be huge disagreement, unrest and fractures, ill-will towards each other that inflicts deep hurtful pain. Jesus knew this and the rest of the New Testament writers knew it too. The book of Acts is filled with stories of conflict within the early church. A vast majority of Paul’s letters deal directly with conflict within churches—sometimes the typical, petty “he said, she said”, but at times conflict that would make you think, “Seriously, is this church?” Conflict has been present in the church ever since there’s been a church and even before that. Each of the gospels record infighting between the disciples: right there, sitting at the feet of Jesus and they couldn’t get on.

Christ knows there will be conflict, even in his church. But he tells them how to deal with conflict. Don’t ignore it or sweep it under the carpet, where it can fester or spread. It’s got to be addressed head on. Jesus gives clear and practical instructions on what to do.  Direct communication with the offending party—always face to face. No gossip or back stabbing. One on one to begin with, but if that doesn’t work, then you take someone else with you. And if that doesn’t work, then it comes before the whole church. And if the offending party still won’t budge, only then are they removed from the community. This may sound cold and even a bit harsh—at least for Jesus. Especially when Jesus gathers the children around him; reaches out to the lost and brings everyone into the fold. And yet, even Jesus highlights the importance of accountability in relationships and in community. But each step in this process is focused on restoration for the offender not revenge for the offended. The point is to try and keep that one in the fold so the community remains intact and in harmony but not necessarily at peace.

However, if reconciliation can’t be reached, it doesn’t mean the offending party is simply written off—this is not what Jesus is implying when he says they’ll become like a “Gentile or a tax collector.” Remember, Jesus ate with tax collectors and reached out to Gentiles. They were simply outside the community but always invited in. Exclusion here isn’t the last word. The hope is always that the lost sheep will return. Reconciliation, restoration is always the hope. And this is so different from the world outside the church—where justice not reconciliation is the goal.

I know today’s gospel is tough. It’s a reminder that the church is not some high-minded exclusive thought process. It’s real, practical and hard. Community is hard. Relationships are hard—they are messy, painful and above all fragile—relationships are fragile, maybe even more so in the church. When the church is working as it should, where we are bound together by the deepest bonds there are: the bonds of faith, hope, love and a shared vision for what’s good and right. But this makes it all the more painful when church relationships fall apart. Jesus is clear about this delicate balance within the church, the balance of fragility and power. On the one hand it’s as fragile as human relationships, with our egos and insecurities, but on the other, it’s as powerful as the presence of God in the world. It’s fragile enough that it’s health must be vigorously defended, fragile enough that one offender left unchecked can throw the whole system out of whack, but powerful enough that Christ promises to be present within it wherever two or three are gathered.

But the great mystery of the church, which is the incarnation—that God would take on our human frailty and weakness—our brokenness, that in the end, that can be our strength. Because only people who know they are broken can be healed. What sets the church apart in the world is not that we are holier than everyone else or less likely to fall short or mess things up—God knows that isn’t true as well as we do. The church is set apart because we are aware of our brokenness. When we know how broken we all are, it is then, that we find ourselves ready to be healed. And with our own wounds still mending, we find ourselves ready to wait for, work for and pray for the healing of others. We can’t write anyone else off because we haven’t been written off. And it’s to that extent that we commit ourselves to this kind of healing work within our own walls, our own relationships, that the church—through our very being—proclaims the good news we’ve been given.

The good news Jesus offers isn’t some abstract notion of salvation when we die: it’s the promise of living resurrected lives in the here and now. Lives of redemption and wholeness. Lives once broken that through the power of the Holy Spirit working through a community are repaired. Relationships once torn apart that are restored. Hope once thought to be lost that’s rekindled through acts of grace and mercy and forgiveness—this is the good news; that this kind of resurrected living can happen now among us and in us. Even in you. Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
Gracious God, when two or three are gathered in your name you are there. Ever present with your family, the church. Give us grace and maturity when we are in conflict. Help us to listen, to forgive and to live together in mutual love. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

Cost of Discipleship!

Readings:
Exodus 3: 1-15
Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26, 45c
Romans 12: 9-218
Matthew 16: 21-28

Sentence:
‘Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.’ Romans 12:9

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

I hope you have taken the time this morning whanau, to read the bible readings set down for today before reading my kauwhau. By doing so, scripture or the word, will enable you to reflect and be better equipped to understand what is needed in terms of discipleship.

In saying that, our gospel today from Matthew continues on from last week when Jesus took his disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi. Where Jesus engaged them in a conversation concerning who people thought he was. After the disciples gave their responses, Jesus asked them directly: But “Who do you say I am?” In that context we heard Peter’s bold response, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus immediately commends him for his insightful response and then makes the bold promise that, upon the solid rock of Peter’s strong confession of faith, Jesus would build his Church.

So the story continues today. Imagine this: Jesus, not wanting the disciples to be unprepared, tells them what will happen next ~ When I get to Jerusalem, the authorities will have me arrested and they will not rest until I am put to death. But on the third day I will be raised. Peter is shocked by these words and he can’t accept this outcome. So he pulls Jesus aside and shouts: The Saviour of the world to suffer? No way! God will not let this happen to you Lord. In that moment, Peter starts the tradition of Jesus’ followers thinking that they are smarter than Jesus. Of course, this kind of thinking is not unfamiliar: Adam and Eve thought they were smarter than God when it came to what they could or could not eat in the Garden of Eden, Joseph’s brothers thought they had a better idea and they sold their brother into slavery, David thought he had a clearer sense of who should be Bathsheba’s husband and so he arranged for the death of her husband Uriah so he could marry her. And I am sure, there are times when we all think we are smarter than God and Jesus.

Matthew tells us that Jesus’ response to Peter was fierce and angry: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Perhaps Peter touched Jesus at a point of vulnerability. Ouch! We know that Satan had tried to break Jesus down when he was weakened by hunger after forty days in the wilderness. Whatever the reason, Jesus was brutal in his response to Peter. One minute Peter was the rock on whom Christ would build his Church; the next minute he is Satan, Jesus’ sworn enemy. Instantly Peter is transformed from hero to zero. But the critical factor in today’s gospel is the reality that in this moment, Peter is convinced that he is smarter than Jesus. However, we shouldn’t be too hard on Peter for we too are always looking for a pain-free, ouch-less form of Christianity ~ a form that by-passes Jerusalem. But Jesus wants us to know that the cross and the crown of glory belong together. No glory, Jesus says, without the pain and agony. 

Jesus challenges our perceptions against God’s intentions. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me:” This is not what we want to hear; we would prefer: Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest… Or God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. These are words that bring us comfort and peace. But deny yourself and take up your cross … this isn’t what we want to hear. Many preachers don’t like to talk about Jerusalem: the pain, sacrifice, self-denial, and servanthood. They want to focus on success, prosperity and blessings.

But today’s Gospel cannot be watered down. When Peter claimed to be smarter than Jesus, trying to stop the Lord from going to Jerusalem, he was strongly rebuked. We all must struggle to avoid acting like we are smarter than Jesus. Like Peter, we, too, would rather focus on our personal concerns and play down God’s intentions for our lives, justifying and explaining away:

Why it is that we don’t do more or be more active in God’s kingdom;

Why we need to hold onto 95% or 98% of what we receive from the Lord for our own purposes, instead of being more generous stewards we know we should be;

Why it’s so hard for us to come regularly to karakia and to assume tasks and ministries that will bless others, especially new comers, reflecting and sharing how much we have been blessed by God and Jesus Christ. More people want to come to church now that it’s closed rather than when it was open.

So whanau, let us resist the danger and temptation of thinking we are smarter than Jesus. We have been called to follow Jesus Christ, to be his disciples, living lives that matter … to deny ourselves for the sake of God’s kingdom. Let us not be so smart that we abandon our Lord and Saviour for a life of pleasure and self-satisfaction. I don’t think that’s very smart at all.

Lord God, you have called us, your servants, to journeys of which we can’t see the ending, by paths we are yet to walk and through challenges and dangers that are unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
Eternal and everliving God, our beginning and our end, you give us strength in the face of suffering and death. Set our minds on divine, not worldly things. Give us courage to take up our cross and follow you. Help us to trust and live in the power of the resurrection of Jesus. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au

esus Christ our Messiah!

Readings:
Exodus 1: 8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12: 1-8
Matthew 16: 13-20

Sentence:
‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ Romans 12:2

Tena koutou katoa e te whanau o Te Wairua Tapu.

“But who do you say that I am?” That is the question Jesus asks us today.

And here are a couple of answers I’ve heard. He’s my personal Lord and Saviour. He’s my life, my everything. He’s my friend and brother. He’s my rock, comforter and teacher. He’s the Son of God and the Son of Man. God incarnate. The list could go on. At some point we have all probably been told who Jesus is. Maybe you heard it from priests, religious instructors, teachers, parents, friends, whanau or in bible and prayer groups. Maybe you read about him in books or from Sunday school lessons or seen his name on bumper stickers. Maybe you saw him mentioned on social media or on the internet, or heard his name in a song. Some of the answers may have been helpful to you. Some were not. Some answers were just plain silly and some even hurtful and destructive. Regardless, the question remains.

By now, most of you will know that I won’t answer that question for you. I can’t. Each of us must answer it for ourselves. It’s not a theology or Bible exam. It’s more of an examination of our own lives. I don’t think Jesus is asking us to just parrot back the answers we’ve heard or read. That’s probably why he pushes the disciples to move from what they are hearing around them – John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets – to what they are hearing within themselves. “But who do you say that I am?” This is not an easy question. And that is why I always challenge you not to settle for “Sunday Jesus” answers. You know, the easy, not to hard, feel good and sentimental anwers. Because you and I know, that life isn’t always easy, feel good, or sentimental. Life get’s tough. Some of you are experiencing that already. It’s one thing to say who Jesus is at Te Wairua Tapu on a Sunday morning. But it’s a very different thing to say who he is outside of that context. The question is never just for the brain or it’s just an idea. It always has a context. 

This is what I mean. Who do we say Jesus is as Covid-19 continues to spread, as detainees and refugees cry out in need, as people in Sydney are homeless, go to bed hungry, live with domestic violence, or have no work and can’t support their families? Who do we say Jesus is when a loved one dies or the doctor gives us news we didn’t want to hear, or our life seems to be falling apart? Who do we say Jesus is when we are faced with tough decisions that have no easy answers, when the storms of life overwhelm us, when faithfulness means risking it all and taking a stand against louder and seemingly more powerful voices? Using the context of these few examples, what does it mean to say Jesus is my personal Lord and Saviour, my rock or my brother and friend? What does it mean to say Jesus is my life or my teacher?

In other words, who we say Jesus is has everything to do with who and how we are and how we will be. In some ways our answer says as much or more about us than Jesus. It reveals how we live and what we stand up for. It guides our decisions, and determines the actions we take and the words we speak. It describes the expectations and demands we place on Jesus. It reveals the depth of our motivation for and commitment to following him. Jesus’ question isn’t so much about getting the right answer as it is about witnessing and testifying to God’s life, love, and presence in our lives and the world. It’s less about our brain and more about our heart. It’s grounded in love more than understanding. It moves us from simply knowing about Jesus to knowing him.

In some sense there is no once and for all, final and forever answer. We are always living into the question. Who Jesus was when we were children is different from who he was when we were in and 30s or who he is for us today. Hopefully, who Jesus is for us next year will be different from who he is today because 2020 has and continues to be a huge challenge for all creation. It’s not that Jesus has changed. We have. We are constantly engaging with his question and in so doing, we not only discover more about Jesus but we discover more about ourselves.

Sometimes we discover a disconnect between the “Sunday Jesus” whom we sing and talk about for 1 hour and the life we live the other 167 hours of our week. And that’s scary. Our words and actions don’t line up. I don’t say that as a judgment about anyone but to acknowledge just how hard it can be to recognise and live the truth that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Don’t dispair, there have been more than once that I’ve fallen into the gap between my “Sunday Jesus” kind of answers and the circumstances of my life and the world. Sometimes my answers were too simple, too small and too easy. They were no match for the complexities of life and the pain of the world. Other times my life has not reflected what I said about who Jesus is. Sometimes I kept quiet when I should have spoken up. Other times I’ve been passive when I should’ve acted. Whenever I’ve fallen into that gap or trap, it has usually been because I was trying to stay in my comfort zone or play it safe. That almost never works.

There is nothing safe about the question Jesus poses. “But who do you say that I am?” How could there be? There is nothing safe about Jesus or the life to which He calls us. Jesus’ life and presence among us call into question everything about our lives, our world, the status quo, and business as usual. That’s why we ought not answer his question too quickly, too easily or with too much certainty. It’s not a question to be figured out as much as it’s a question to be lived out. Like Peter, can you and I answer with conviction, ‘Yes Lord,’ ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Amen.

Archdeacon Kaio Karipa

Collect:
Living God, you sent your Son Jesus to your people. Embolden your church to proclaim Jesus as Messiah, and to trust in him. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

The Venerable Kaio Karipa
Chaplain
Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu
www.tewairuatapu.com.au