Resources for faith and life |
Welcome to 'Conversations' ...
Worship, prayer, preaching, inspiration and song from Aotearoa New Zealand |
|
Brought to you by Silvia Purdie from Christchurch, New Zealand Silvia is the Minister at Cashmere Presbyterian Church. Check out their website. |
|
We are now entering a Season of Creation
At Cashmere we are hosting a seminar on Sustainability and Faith, in partnership with A Rocha NZ and local churches.
For more information on 'Rich Living' weekend click HERE
At Cashmere we are hosting a seminar on Sustainability and Faith, in partnership with A Rocha NZ and local churches.
For more information on 'Rich Living' weekend click HERE
|
For worship resources with a strong Creation theme visit this wonderful UK website:
Operation Noah, Liturgy resources |
|
|
Dramatic reading: Jesus walked on water John 6:16-21
The Bible is full of amazing stories about Jesus. One of the most amazing is this story; it was so amazing the disciples could hardly believe it themselves, even while it was happening. This story happens in the dead of night, in the darkest hour. This story happens on a lake. It is a dark, wet story. This drama needs no rehearsal. You need someone to act out being Jesus, a long piece of blue fabric for the lake & a couple of people to hold it, and a table on its side for the boat. It worked out far better than I expected, and created lots of laughter, especially if Jesus hams it up a bit! HERE: With a Message asking the question: Did Jesus really walk on the lake in the storm?? and if so, why?! |
|
New material ...
STRESSFUL SITUATIONS in ministry A word of advice for newbies and old hands in ministry on dealing with crises. Sooner or later in your ministry, things will get ugly. Shit happens. People get hurt. People get mad. And the underbelly of your coping strategies gets dragged out into the light. When that happens, how you respond as a church leader will make a huge impact on the outcomes. Wedding Resources Updated material on weddings, and some work-in-progress about the Commitments of marriage. The blessing of God be upon you and go with you
The authority of God be over you and around you The grace of God be in you and freely given by you The peace of God be yours, this day and every day. Amen |
|
Fresh work on the Psalms ...
Looking for ideas about how to use Psalms more in a worship service? New page in my Psalms section: HERE
Enriching Worship with Psalms
(a workshop for the Canterbury Lay Preachers Association)
How does the Revised Common Lectionary use Psalms?
I've been right through the 3 year cycle of the Lectionary and drawn up an index of which Psalms are used for which seasons in which years. This has highlighted for me how the Lectionary chooses Psalms and verses within Psalms. I find the results troubling. If you use the Lectionary, check out my new pages & analysis HERE.
Looking for ideas about how to use Psalms more in a worship service? New page in my Psalms section: HERE
Enriching Worship with Psalms
(a workshop for the Canterbury Lay Preachers Association)
How does the Revised Common Lectionary use Psalms?
I've been right through the 3 year cycle of the Lectionary and drawn up an index of which Psalms are used for which seasons in which years. This has highlighted for me how the Lectionary chooses Psalms and verses within Psalms. I find the results troubling. If you use the Lectionary, check out my new pages & analysis HERE.
|
Dedication of the offering (please stand)
We stand to give you the honour, Lord of all, in our lives and in your world. We give what we can spare knowing that so many have so little. We entrust our anxieties to you, all the troubles of the world trusting only in your great mercy and grace. In the sharing is the blessing In our love may your Kingdom come |
|
Sermon: Jacob's Well and what it means to me
The story of my visit to the well, and three kinds of 'realness':
the realness of place
Through 4, 5, 6 millenia that water has continued to bubble up, and the deep well has provided safe drinking water, for those with a bucket and a long enough rope! The tangible things and the actual physical places, these are the ground on which metaphor and story and meaning stand, and in our super-spiritual individual world today we need to know that there really is a well in Israel. The story really is true. It really happened.
the realness of history
and the realness of Jesus
Jesus is the one who gives us living water, the Holy Spirit, which becomes a spring welling up for everlasting life – not there in Nablus but here in Milson, inside of you as a congregation and inside of you as individuals. That well of sweet clear refreshing water you carry around within you when you go to work or hospital or home.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus be our well today.
Bring us into your presence, draw us close, sit us down to talk with you.
Give us a bucket, give us rope, that we might draw water, for we are thirsty, thirsty for you.
Give us every day the water that never runs dry,
the spring of life within us, bubbling up for eternal life,
that we might be a source of life and hope, love and grace, for each and every person we meet.
And may all we say and do be for your glory
living Lord, Messiah, who will reveal all things
to the glory of God. Amen.
with Powerpoint of photos:
For Milson: Powerpoint of Jacob's Well
The story of my visit to the well, and three kinds of 'realness':
the realness of place
Through 4, 5, 6 millenia that water has continued to bubble up, and the deep well has provided safe drinking water, for those with a bucket and a long enough rope! The tangible things and the actual physical places, these are the ground on which metaphor and story and meaning stand, and in our super-spiritual individual world today we need to know that there really is a well in Israel. The story really is true. It really happened.
the realness of history
and the realness of Jesus
Jesus is the one who gives us living water, the Holy Spirit, which becomes a spring welling up for everlasting life – not there in Nablus but here in Milson, inside of you as a congregation and inside of you as individuals. That well of sweet clear refreshing water you carry around within you when you go to work or hospital or home.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus be our well today.
Bring us into your presence, draw us close, sit us down to talk with you.
Give us a bucket, give us rope, that we might draw water, for we are thirsty, thirsty for you.
Give us every day the water that never runs dry,
the spring of life within us, bubbling up for eternal life,
that we might be a source of life and hope, love and grace, for each and every person we meet.
And may all we say and do be for your glory
living Lord, Messiah, who will reveal all things
to the glory of God. Amen.
with Powerpoint of photos:
For Milson: Powerpoint of Jacob's Well
Family Tree: Material about my family tree, ancestry, where my ancestors came from in England ...
|
|
|
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.
|