Grace and peace to you from God

Kia tau ki a koutou te atawhai me te rangimarie o te Atua

願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在

NOTE FOR LCNZ PASTORS, PARISH/CONGREGATIONAL SECRETARIES

LOCAL – LIVELY – LOVING

Yesterday Christians around the world celebrated the Festival of the Ascension. The Ascension of our Lord might, at first glance, seem to be something of a ‘removal’ of his presence from those of us still ‘down here’ on earth. Instead it is an event that reminds us of the intention of God to be even more fully present with us through his Holy Spirit.

In the First Reading for the Ascension Jesus tells his disciples to – wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:11).

And the gospel for the coming Sunday (Easter 7) says this – I made known to them your name and I will make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them (John 17:26).

The Ascension reminds us that Jesus intends to live within us. His Spirit, the fullest possible presence of Christ, the very love with which the Father loved Jesus, locates itself within us.

The noticeboard on the Anglican Church in our suburb reads – LOCAL-LIVELY-LOVING. It’s meant to describe who they are as a faith community … (1) a group of people who live and worship and minister in a particular location, (2) a group of people who love life and who live the new life of Christ within them, and (3) a people of God imbued with the love of God in Christ, enabling them to reach out with Divine love to their community.

I think that LOCAL-LIVELY-LOVING also describes what it is that’s happening at this Ascension time. Despite what appears to be a ‘removal’ of Jesus from us ‘down here’, the promise is that God through his Spirit will locate himself even more locally in us, infuse us with the resurrection life of Christ, and thrust us into the world even more intentionally to love others with the love of Christ.

• Lord God, by your Holy Spirit, locate yourself in us with the resurrection life of Christ, and by the power of this same Spirit, make your love come to life in us. Amen.

PRAYER IN PREPARATION FOR DISTRICT CONVENTION

Members and friends of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ) – especially those living near Marton – are invited to gather for a prayer time as the church prepares for District Convention. This prayer time is scheduled to take place while the Council of Synod (COS) are meeting in Wellington.

• 25th May 2013, from 10.00am to 2.00pm, with a short break for lunch.
• Specifically prayer will be offered for COS, LCNZ Convention, the nominations process etc.
• All LCNZ congregations close to Marton are invited to support this time of prayer.
• Congregations further afield are asked to pray on this day as well – in small groups or however.
• This prayer time will be led by Lutheran Support Ministries (LSM).

INSTALLATION OF PASTOR JIM

On Sunday the people of God from St Pauls Wellington and St Francis Mauriceville West gathered at St Pauls Wellington to welcome Pastor Jim Pietsch as their new pastor. I preached on words from the First Reading (Easter 6C) from Acts, where Paul was invited to come over here (Macedonia) and help us, and told Jim that we thank God that he heard the call to ‘come over here’ to Aotearoa to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus and that he said ‘yes.’

• Lord God, thank you for Pastor Jim. Through him make Jesus known to many. Amen.

THANK-OFFERING – ST JOHNS HALCOMBE – VILLAGE BANK CAMBODIA

As you know, St Johns Halcombe will close on Sunday 2nd June. The remaining members have asked that there be a special ‘Thank Offering’ during the closing service to (1) acknowledge the blessing of God through this congregation over many years, and (2) to make money available for a new ministry somewhere else.

Out of closure and ending, it is our hope that such an offering will help to bring renewal and new beginnings in another location.

The members of St Johns have contacted Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) and together with ALWS we are planning to support a Village Bank project in Cambodia through this Thank Offering. Chey Mattner from ALWS wrote –

• Our initial thinking is that funds which contribute to a Village Bank in Cambodia would be an appropriate project. These funds can be accessed by people in the community to start a “new life”; people who would otherwise not have the income or credit history to open up an account with a commercial bank. The loans are repaid, so the contribution keeps on giving, well beyond the closure of St Johns.

I am going to send all pastors and congregations of the LCNZ information on this project and invite each congregation to gather a special offering or to make a special thank offering ‘donation’ which will be given at the closing service of St Johns on the 2nd June.

SPECIFIC MINISTRY PASTORS (SMP) PREACHING WORKSHOP

Next week Pastor Phil Husband (Whanganui) and Pastor Tat Ming Tsui (Botany) will be in Adelaide at Australian Lutheran College (formerly the Seminary) attending a preaching workshop with other SMPs from around the LCA.

Our church is very intentional about providing on-going support and learning opportunities for our SMPs, and we’re glad that Phil and Tat can avail themselves of this opportunity next week. We wish them both every blessing as they travel, meet together, learn together, and especially as they come back to us encouraged, inspired and even more equipped to serve.

• Lord God, thank you for Phil and Tat and the specific ministries they are called to in Whanganui and in Botany. Bless them richly through their learning in Adelaide next week, that they may be even more of a blessing in your church here in Aotearoa. Amen.

VISIT OF RICK ERICKSON – CANTOR OF HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, NEW YORK

Next week, St Pauls Lutheran Church in Wellington will be blessed to host Rick Erickson who is the Cantor (Church Musician) of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York (read more about him in the paragraph below).

If you’re in Wellington during next week, or even if you’re not, there are ways that you can connect with his visit –

TUESDAY 14th

• Rick will be interviewed by David Morris on Radio New Zealand Concert. We don’t know the exact timing of this interview, but it may be sometime in the afternoon. 

WEDNESDAY 15th

• Rick will appear on ‘Up-Beat’ in a shorter, more conversational-type interview, also on Radio New Zealand Concert. This will probably be a ‘live’ interview at around 12.10pm.
• Rick will also conduct a lecture-recital called, The Organ as Preacher, at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul (5.30pm-6.30pm).

FRIDAY 17th

• Rick will play a lunchtime recital at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul (12.45pm-1.15pm).

SATURDAY 18th

• Rick will be Guest Cantor, directing the music for the Bach Cantata Vespers at St Pauls Lutheran Church, Wellington (5.00pm).

SUNDAY 19th

• Rick will be Guest Organist for worship at St Pauls (10.00am).

Rick has been Cantor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New York since 1992. In his role as Cantor he directs the Bach Vespers series and oversees the musical life of the parish. As organist Rick has appeared in the United States, Germany and Sweden as recitalist, hymn festival leader, and lecturer. He has performed for conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and the Pastoral Musicians Association, among others. A noted hymn improviser, Rick has recorded for Naxos, JVrecordings, and Augsburg Fortress. The New Yorker has hailed his playing as “exemplary Bach.” Holding degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Superior, and the Eastman School of Music, from which he also holds the Performer’s Certificate, his teachers have included Lucile Hammill Webb, Russell Saunders, David Craighead and Gerre Hancock in improvisation. Rick Erickson has recently been appointed Music Director of the Boulder Bach Festival in Colorado. This new undertaking complements his ongoing service at Holy Trinity.

COMING SOON

A Popular Report of Convention will be available here for viewing and download on or before Friday, 3 May. An 80-page full-colour Synod Edition of The Lutheran will be published by mid-May, for distribution to every Lutheran household in Australia and New Zealand in late May. Subscribers will receive their copy as usual, in their mailboxes. Non-subscribers may pick their copy up from their church.

LOOKING AHEAD

• 13th -19th May Visit of Cantor Rick Erickson to Wellington
• 2nd June Closing Service at St Johns Halcombe – Pastor Harry Wendt (USA) will be the guest preacher
• 8th – 9th June LCNZ District Convention, Botany Lutheran Church

Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou; the Lord be with you.

+MARK

Pastor Mark Whitfield BTh MSM

Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand / Pihopa o te Hāhi Rūtana o Aotearoa