Church of All Nations

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 21 August, 2011

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

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

This is a significant text in the history of biblical interpretation; indeed in the history of the church itself; perhaps even in the history of the world. It is the foundational text or reference for the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and for the pope, when read together with the next verse:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven , and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Indeed the emblem, shield, logo if you like,  for the Vatican, involves a crossed set of keys.

Now as a good Protestant, I respectfully say “but, it isn’t as simple as that.” And you of course would expect that. Indeed it is interesting reading the commentary on this text by Brendan Byrne, the Jesuit scholar who teaches at the United Faculty of Theology up the hill. He puts on a brave ecumenical face saying, of course, you …

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 7 August, 2011

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33

We continue with the great foundational stories of the Jewish people. Today’s is the story of Jospeh, Jacob’s son to Rachel. In this amazingly dysfunctional family, you may recall Jacob, who we now know as Israel, has children by his two wives, and also their two maids. It is not surprising that there is some sibling rivalry. Joseph it would seem was Israel’s favourite. He was after all the first child of his favourite wife Rachel. Joseph was spoilt. He received what I am sure you would have grown up thinking was his coat of many colours or you might have known it as Joseph’s technicolour dream coat – in the musical of that name. Well it seems the poor old King James Version of the bible got this bit of translation wrong those 400 years ago. It was actually a fine linen – long sleeved coat, not the multicoloured variety. But whatever sort of coat it was, Joseph was resented by his brothers.

To make matters worse Joseph also had dreams – and he could remember them, and actually told his brothers about them! They were dreams which …

Delivered Sunday 17 July, 2011
By Rev Dr John Evans

Genesis 28:10-19a
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

As I get older – possibly wiser – this often maligned parable of the wheat and the weeds becomes more and more significant, for me personally – and I think for our increasingly diverse and complex world.

It is a parable that has the simple message – hey, calm down – have a cold shower. Careful! Go steady. Passion and zeal and good – but sometimes softly, softly. There are good and bad mixed in together – don’t go in self righteously, like a bull in a china shop. Take a deep breath and wait – wait for some difficult, time consuming and probably painful sorting through at the end of the day. If you don’t you are going to do more harm that good! And is it your job anyway to act like God and judge!

Religiously this parable is counter intuitive. For many good and wonderful folk  – it is a scandal. How dare you suggest the pure be corrupted by the impure. Are we not meant to be holy? But then one cannot deny, the parable is true  – it accurately describes this world of ours. It describes the common mess of our lives; and what we can do about …

The University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa/NZ

delivered by Rev. Dr John Evans
Sunday 10 July 2011

Genesis 12:1-9
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Well it is great being back.

And what a privilege I have had for having the chance to do something completely different: to stop, reflect, read and write – about my own faith, about the life of the church today, and about our life as the Church of All Nations. I have also come back “refreshed”. . . despite the lingering signs of a cold.

Thank you.

In the next little while some of the fruit of all that will be available. There is a daily journal – which is a little different to that self promoting Jean who has her own blog – with pictures (!), and there is also quite a long reflection on the challenges of our ministry here in Carlton.  And there other some pieces as well. This all comes from being able to listen to, and be a part of a sister church, in this instance the Presbyterian Church of Aoeteroa New Zealand (although there was also a fair bit of Methodist Church there as well). I was able to hear of their struggles and questions, and …