Resources for faith and life |
Welcome to 'Conversations' ...
Worship, prayer, preaching, inspiration and song from Aotearoa New Zealand |
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Brought to you by Silvia Purdie from Christchurch, New Zealand Silvia is the Minister at Cashmere Presbyterian Church. Check out their website. |
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Poem: In The Holy Nativity Of Our Lord God: A Hymn Sung As By Shepherds
by Richard Crashaw
Come we shepherds, whose blest sight
Has met love’s noon in nature’s night;
To all the world of stolen joy
He slept; and dreamt of no such thing.
While we found Heaven’s fairest eye
And kissed the cradle of our King.
Gloomy night embraced the place
Where the noble Infant lay.
The Babe looked up and showed His face;
In spite of darkness, it was day.
We saw you in your balmy nest,
Young Dawn of our eternal day!
We saw your eyes break from their East
And chase the trembling shades away.
We saw you; and we blessed the sight,
We saw you by your own sweet light.
Welcome, all Wonders in one sight!
Eternity held in tiny span.
Summer to winter, day in night,
Heaven in earth, and God in man.
Great little One! Your all-embracing birth
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heaven to earth.
by Richard Crashaw
Come we shepherds, whose blest sight
Has met love’s noon in nature’s night;
To all the world of stolen joy
He slept; and dreamt of no such thing.
While we found Heaven’s fairest eye
And kissed the cradle of our King.
Gloomy night embraced the place
Where the noble Infant lay.
The Babe looked up and showed His face;
In spite of darkness, it was day.
We saw you in your balmy nest,
Young Dawn of our eternal day!
We saw your eyes break from their East
And chase the trembling shades away.
We saw you; and we blessed the sight,
We saw you by your own sweet light.
Welcome, all Wonders in one sight!
Eternity held in tiny span.
Summer to winter, day in night,
Heaven in earth, and God in man.
Great little One! Your all-embracing birth
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heaven to earth.
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Looking ahead ... to Lent 2020.
Here is a study for free download: 'Nurturing the life of the Holy Spirit' This is written for personal reflection, for small group discussion, and as the basis for a sermon series. Includes material from Eugene Peterson. Written to be easily printed as an A5 booklet. An invitation to you, from the the heart of God, in the breath of God, with the presence of God … As you walk towards Easter, you are invited to participate in this study: … to read at home the Bible readings that will also be used in Sunday worship (based on the Lectionary) … to take time to grow your relationship with God … to grapple with hard personal questions … to experiment with some things which may be new to you … to talk and share with others. It is the Spirit that brings life, and strength, healing and holiness. The invitation is to grow the life of the Spirit of Jesus in your own life. |
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Praise!
To praise another person is to call out their greatness
to catch a glimpse of how this person is seen by the One who made them
to look with God’s eyes, just for a moment.
To praise God is to grow a little larger as we reflect a little more of ultimate greatness
to catch an echo of the song of awe and wonder and gratitude
that is going all all around us all the time through all created things
and to sing along.
To praise another person is to call out their greatness
to catch a glimpse of how this person is seen by the One who made them
to look with God’s eyes, just for a moment.
To praise God is to grow a little larger as we reflect a little more of ultimate greatness
to catch an echo of the song of awe and wonder and gratitude
that is going all all around us all the time through all created things
and to sing along.
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In my filing I found a piece from Diana Butler Bass which I think is fabulous ...
"People no longer join, instead, they join in. And when we join in, our heart leads the way." |
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Announcing ... a new project: "Letters about plastic" is something I've been wanting to do for ages and have finally got going on. I'm writing to businesses that I personally use to challenge them on their plastic packaging. Many companies in NZ are actively working hard to reduce plastic, and as consumers we need to be congratulating them on achievements and pushing them to do more.
Look me up on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/lettersaboutplastic
I'm posting on the Facebook page the letters I write and the responses I receive.
Join me - post your own letters there.
Look me up on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/lettersaboutplastic
I'm posting on the Facebook page the letters I write and the responses I receive.
Join me - post your own letters there.
True that ?!
Scripture and science, ecology and theology
A study written for Middleton Grange School ‘Authentic Christian Teachers’ programme
June 2019
Five themes on what the Bible says about the world:
1) Does God love the world? Should we?
2) 'world', 'earth' and the Bible. What words does the Bible use and what do they mean?
3) Sin, transgression and iniquity in relation to climate change
4) Ecosystems and the Trinity
5) the knowability of things ... the value of scientific method
Scripture and science, ecology and theology
A study written for Middleton Grange School ‘Authentic Christian Teachers’ programme
June 2019
Five themes on what the Bible says about the world:
1) Does God love the world? Should we?
2) 'world', 'earth' and the Bible. What words does the Bible use and what do they mean?
3) Sin, transgression and iniquity in relation to climate change
4) Ecosystems and the Trinity
5) the knowability of things ... the value of scientific method
New Communion liturgy:
The Salvation Table: A Liturgy of Holy Communion
A full Communion liturgy, with congregational responses, and including Psalm 23
Welcome to this table, the feast of salvation
We come around, we stand ready
Jesus is our host, and Jesus is our food
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord
Come in the name of Christ, who declares all are welcome
The Salvation Table: A Liturgy of Holy Communion
A full Communion liturgy, with congregational responses, and including Psalm 23
Welcome to this table, the feast of salvation
We come around, we stand ready
Jesus is our host, and Jesus is our food
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord
Come in the name of Christ, who declares all are welcome
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The Psalms in a fresh voice for kids, families and worship
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Family Tree: Material about my family tree, ancestry, where my ancestors came from in England ...
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In 'Conversations.net.nz' you will find:
GOD ... resources for worship, especially 'Calls to worship' and confession - prayers and home-grown 'psalms' - sermons - Communion liturgies - all-age worship ideas & reflections for children's ministry PSALMS ... reflections on Biblical Psalms interpreted and reworked for prayer and for use in worship LOVE ... poetry, discussions on marriage & intimacy and dramatic explorations of Biblical love stories ... reflections on grief and death SONG ... original music, for worship and for kids ... and lots of lovely photos! 
Because I believe ... that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true! that growing to maturity in Christ takes work that courageous honesty of heart and soul is required that worship is wonderful that each person is a taonga, a treasure, no matter the age, assets or abilities that the local church is the hope of the world. |
In conversation ...
... chatting with friends over coffee ... finding words for the moments and movements of mind & body, my spirit alive with God-Spirit ... getting to know Jesus Christ, ever curious as to what he would say and do ... bringing every fibre and phrase into the eternal conversation of Father Spirit Son ... conversations with children and elders, with church as it is and as it might be ... with my people in my place and offered to everyplace ... with pain and with celebration, with beauty and with scars, with the sacred and the ordinary, with scripture, song and silence. All material here is copy-right free; you are free to copy and paste to your heart's content. I just ask that you acknowledge the source and help promote my website.
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