Warning: maybe don’t read this over breakfast. I was listening to a report by The Economist last week about an environmentally friendly solution to death care called Recompose. Here bodies are placed in an environment where they very quickly decompose and are turned into a small pile of nutrient rich soil which the family could use to plant a tree or rose.

While it’s a bit grizzly to talk about such things, the thought of a new tree growing out of the grief of death is a wonderful idea. And it’s also a fitting picture for Easter.

It’s hard to imagine just how horrific the crucifixion of Jesus was and the depths of grief experienced by his followers and family who looked on. Yet this was no ordinary death because the death of this One has opened up eternal life to the world (1 Cor 15:22). The death and burial of His body became the nutrients for new life. It’s why I love Andrea Muller’s design for our Easter graphic this year. The cross, though a symbol of death, has brought vibrant new life in relationship with God.

And yet it’s important that this doesn’t just become an object to remember Jesus but a pattern to follow Him. Many of us would know John 3:16 but how many of us know 1 John 3:16?”

“This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

As people who have been given new life, God calls us to give ourselves up for the sake of others in the way that we love, care for and sacrifice for the benefit of others. It’s like our lives are to be the pile of compost which exists to bring new life to others.

What is something you can do today that, though it costs you, brings life to someone else?

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

The Street Church partners with Christians Against Poverty to help people in Wellington get out of unmanageable debt, and also to share the life changing message of Jesus!

We are looking for more people to get involved! There are three main opportunities:

1. Debt Coach
   This is a voluntary role (approximate 8 hours per week) and full training is provided. A Debt Coach will visit a client and work with them through the process of their debt-free journey. It is not essential to be good with finances - CAP head office takes care of preparing the budget. People skills and a heart for those in difficult circumstances are most important.  

2. Support Friend
   A Support Friend will visit a client alongside the Debt Coach. Their role is simply to be a friend, take the client out for the occasional coffee, and just generally be there for them. The Support Friend is not involved at all with the financial side - so you don’t need any accounting skills! Being a friend could involve sharing your faith and/or discipleship.

3. Prayer and/or food donations
   There is also the opportunity to pray for the work we are doing, and we have people who bake and make meals for our clients.

If you have compassion for people and want to journey alongside someone who is in need of support, this is a ministry that is truly changing the lives of people in our city who are in desperate situations.

“After I signed up to receive help from CAP I learned how to relax. Knowing that I no longer have to deal with this on my own, I can now sleep at night.”

“Before CAP I felt mentally drained. Constant planning to try and provide for my wife and kids. Now for the first time I feel like there is a future for me."

If your are interested in finding out more about getting involved with CAP, please email Merrie: cap@thestreet.org.nz

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Split Apple Rock (or at least Googled it) but it’s a marvel. A giant sphere of granite perched on rocks in the sea and split almost precisely in two. It makes for good photos and a great spot to jump into the ocean. But it’s a reminder of a principle in prayer because of this quote.

"I look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it splits in two. I know it was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before." - Anon.

Jesus says something similar in a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow. He didn’t really care what she wanted but he gave in to her request because she bothered him again and again. Was it the first time she complained that worked or the final time? Or was it that she just kept going? Jesus taught the parable to show that God will bring about justice for people who cry out to him day and night (Luke 18:7).

I find this fascinating because Jesus assures us of answered prayer and at the same time he acknowledges that sometimes the answers take time. Our role is faithful persistence.

I give you this picture because we’re coming towards the end of a month of prayer. I’m amazed at the things we’re seeing God do from progress in outreach to healing to random things for which we’d never think to ask. I’m also hearing of people simply growing in their practice of prayer. But I’m also acknowledging that there are prayers we’ve prayed that still don’t seem to have been answered.

Can I encourage you that a no answer now doesn’t mean no forever. Can we take comfort in the fact that Jesus warned us this would happen and can we commit to keep praying even if nothing seems to change. Every prayer matters. Who knows when that 101st strike will come. You might even want to find a photo of Split Apple Rock and put it somewhere to remind you to not give up.

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

Sometimes you have to hear something several times before it actually sinks in. I had that experience a couple of weeks ago when the Harneys were with us. I heard Kevin and Sherry speak about seven times in different venues over that week. I heard them say something several times before it finally sunk in. “There’s more to discipleship than me and Jesus.”

I know this. I’ve known this for a long time. And yet I suddenly realised we have inadvertently fallen into the trap of ‘me and Jesus’ language. For example, I’ve encouraged people towards Life Group so many times by saying that it’s a great place to get connected and find an environment where you can grow. It all sounds so nice but it’s also deeply flawed.

Augustine spoke of sin as someone curved in on themselves. Jesus is the opposite. God so loved the world - not himself - that he gave his Son (John 3:16). When we follow Jesus we turn from serving self. We allow God to restore us towards the ultimate goal that we would love God with everything we are and love others as ourselves. This is surely what it means to be fully like Jesus.

As we grow to live more like this, we create the environment in which others can thrive. If we all approached church community in this way, we would inadvertently create the best environment for us to grow too - not by focusing inwards but through everyone focusing outwards. This aligns with the maturing church in Ephesians 4 where the body builds itself up in love as each part does its work (Eph 4:15-16).

So here’s the challenge today. Do you have someone who is helping you to grow in your love for God and for others? If not, who is further along than you who you could ask? But then, who are you helping to grow? As you step out in this endeavour, God will use it to grow you too.

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

The Massive is our High School age youth ministry at The Street Church. Here are a couple of ways that we as a church family can support them:

Prayer

Here are some things you can be praying for.

• That our youth would meet Jesus, grow in Jesus, go with Jesus

• That our youth would have a hunger for his word.

• That our youth would have a passion for prayer & worship.

• That our youth would have a burden for those who don’t know Jesus.

Financially

Any donations you give will go towards the following:

• Helping our youth and leaders get to Easter Camp.

• Helping our youth and leaders get to Camp Massive (September)

• Helping us provide events and activities where our youth meet Jesus, grow in Jesus and go with Jesus.

If you’d like to give financially:

Pay to: The Street Church
Account Number: 02 1269 00 16157 25
Reference: TheMassive

Thank you!

I’m not known for joy. Enthusiasm, yes. Passion, plenty. Positivity, sure. Joy? Um… not so much. I love Jesus and I do see spiritual growth. I just don’t see much joy.

In John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (disclaimer, I only went through the 5 day You Version reading plan rather than the actual book it’s based on), he shows how core fruits of the Spirit like love, joy and peace are incompatible with hurry and busyness.

Oh the moment of realisation. I wonder if you can relate. Could it really be that I don’t experience joy because I am just so busy?

I’m always looking ahead, looking forward to the next thing, planning for how to improve things. I also love history and the nostalgia of the past. But the past is gone and the things I hope for in the future may never happen. John Mark’s point is that if we never really engage in the present, we can’t actually experience joy because this moment right now is the only moment we can actually be present in.

While I’m not cured, I do have some tangible things I can do and if you’re struggling for joy maybe you can join me.

Firstly, I try to start each day writing 3 things that I am deeply grateful for. It forces me to stop and focus on the positive things. I realise that even on the darkest days, I can be grateful for something. If you try it, you’ll be amazed at the number of good things that you would have forgotten ever existed had you not taken the time to notice.

Secondly, I make time for small moments of silence. It can be as simple as setting the timer on my watch for 5 minutes and sitting in silence, inviting the Holy Spirit to come. It can also be actually stopping and enjoying a cup of coffee with no device or conversation. Just being present in the moment and appreciating it for what it is.

Maybe you can think of another way.

One thing is for sure, our culture is not going to help us slow down. Only we can make a choice to pull out and pause. Could it be that our busyness is more destructive to our spiritual growth than we’ve realised. I wonder what you can do today to allow God to work more joy into your life?

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

The tone of this post will be quite different to usual. It’s because there’s a burden on my heart that I want to invite you into. Recently, I was in a room of prayer when the Lord directed my attention to Psalm 24 and in particular, verse 8.

“Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up you ancient doors,
that the king of glory may come in.”
- Psalm 24:8

There’s debate over what exactly the Psalm was referring to for the original readers but there is little doubt as to its ultimate meaning. This Psalm foreshadows The King of Glory entering Jerusalem as Jesus did when he rode in on a donkey.

What the Psalm suggests to me is that a city can be closed to the presence of God. That it can close its gates to the entry of the true king. Certainly this was true of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day because within a week of that entry, they had crucified him. If the literal gates were open to his entry, the gates of their hearts were not.

If you haven’t noticed it, Wellington is a notoriously difficult place to share the message of Jesus. There is a spiritual darkness and resistance to the things of God. It’s like over the years, giant gates have been closed to Him  and they’ve been closed for so long that they’re stuck that way.

But as I was praying, there was a sense for me that we’re praying for these gates to be opened. We’re praying against the long term opposition to the things of God and the inauguration of a new season. A season where Jesus is welcomed in a way we’ve never seen.

Can I invite you again into the 24/7 prayer room or at least to bring a greater focus to prayer where you are. And as we do, to join in with the millions of prayers that have already been prayed over this city and pray that these ancient gates be lifted up so that the King of Glory may come in.

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

I have never seen a mountain jump into the sea. I also can’t imagine that such an event would go unnoticed, especially given the ensuing tsunami it would cause. But this causes a problem for faith.

In Mark 11, Jesus tells the disciples that if they believe and do not doubt, they can command mountains to throw themselves into the sea. The problem is that if this has never happened, either Jesus was wrong or people have never prayed with any faith.

But what if there’s a different way? What Jesus says turns on the ‘therefore’ that follows the word picture. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).

The word ‘therefore’ suggests that the mountain picture operates like a parable - a story that makes a point. Mountains are the most ancient and immovable objects. When Moses wanted to describe the eternity of God, he used mountains as the most ancient comparator he knew to show that God is even more everlasting (Psalm 90:2).

Could it be therefore that Jesus was never really interested in us praying for mountains? What if Jesus really wanted us to look at the most ancient and immovable problems in front of us and believe that God can and will throw them into the proverbial sea.

From 7 March, we begin a month of 24/7 prayer at a time when we face some mountains. We live in a culture that is proudly moving further from God, we all have people in our world stuck in unbelief, many in our city are bound up in addiction, violence, sickness, and poverty.

But what if we prayed like we meant it? Can I ask you to jump into this month of prayer. Let’s use this moment to come together. To cry out to the one who is able and command some mountains to throw themselves into the sea.

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

I recently had the opportunity to go to France. I love the people and the food, the architecture and the artwork. But there were also niggles too. People can tell you’re not a local just by looking at you. Your phone doesn’t work so well making it hard to find information. And my primitive French is distressing. While I’ve been using an app to learn for the first time since school, apparently ‘le cheval mange une pizza’ is not actually that helpful.

By contrast, there was something truly wonderful about being back in sunny Wellington and feeling deep down in my soul that I was home.

The challenge is that as followers of Jesus, we belong to a different kingdom. This world will never truly be home. The values of our culture mean that we carry a sense that we don’t really fit in.

The risk is that this discomfort can lead us to assume that something is wrong. We can strive to achieve and belong and measure up just like everyone else. We’ll do anything to feel at home even though it never fully satisfies.

In his paraphrase of Romans 12, Eugene Peterson writes, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.”

It’s so true isn’t it? We don’t need to try to fit in, we just do it without thinking.

But I wonder if there’s a way to repurpose the discomfort. To ask God to remind us in those moments that it’s actually ok? What if they became opportunities to look forward to the day when we’ll see Jesus? You see then and only then will your soul fully feel like it’s at home because it’s the place you were made to be. I pray that the wonder of that day may help us deal with the realities of this day.

Much love,
Simon

P.S. If you’re still wondering, it means ‘the horse is eating a pizza’!

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

Jenny and I had the privilege of a longer break this summer. It was a much needed break after last year and I hope and pray that you were able to get time to rest, reflect and replenish.

Since coming back, people keep asking me whether I feel rested and ready to crack into the year. It’s an obvious question but the answer I give is probably not. I feel really rested and I’m looking forward to the year but I don’t feel like charging out of the gate. I don’t feel like I’ve got all the energy in the world or have all the solutions to the challenges we face.

I wonder if you can relate. I’m hearing this sort of thing more and more and I wonder if it’s a bit of a Covid hangover. The last three years have taken their toll and perhaps the things that usually replenish and refresh us just aren’t cutting it anymore.

But with all this in mind, here’s why I’m not worried about the year ahead.

We can replenish here.
We have the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful and condensed cities in the world. It means that whether your thing is walking in the hills, being by the sea, eating good food, spending time with friends, those things are never too far away. The other day, I squeezed in a 10 minute swim in the ocean after work and I suddenly felt a million miles from challenges. I realise I can replenish here.

We know what to do.
Chances are you know the things that refresh you - the things that fill your tank. But when we’re in a particularly challenging season we need to double-down on some of those things. It’s always good to have a think about whether you’re making time for those things in the first place. I know worship fills my tank but I need to make time for sitting at the piano and singing. I also realise that friendship is something I’ve neglected and need to pay attention to. I wonder what you need to pay attention to or may have let slip?

We always need Him
The final reason I’m not worried is the most important. If I was hitting the year at full speed and feeling great, there’s a risk that I’d be struggling by Easter due to self-reliance. The truth is that what we need to accomplish is impossible in our own strength. It means I’m starting day one with an acute awareness that I am in desperate need for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. It means I’m prioritising time for prayer and encountering the Lord more than ever before. Whether long or short, how can you be prioritising time with the Lord as part of your rhythm to ensure we all continue to rely on Him?

Much love,
Simon

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This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Matt and Jo share about what some of the characteristics of love look like within church community, and how we can remind ourselves to be participating in showing love to those around us through our actions.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Lachlan remind us about how God loves the world - and that means you and me! How can we view the world today through that same lens of love that God has for us?

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Anna and Alastair share about how Jesus gave up his glory and lowered himself to our level to serve us in love.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Jo share about how God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before extending his love to us. His love is unfailing and filled with compassion.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Sally share about the greetings of grace and peace in the Bible to believers, how we can be confident we’ve received these gifts from God and inspired to invite others to receive them too.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.

Leading up to Christmas people from our church community will be sharing some thoughts on the themes of advent: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Listen to Melissa share about how at Christmas time we are reminded that Jesus came into the world to give us peace - not just from the worries of this life, but ultimately peace for our souls - reconciliation between us and God, and a secure knowledge of our eternity.

Follow the rest of the devotionals here.