Last week we looked at Extravagant Worship in 2 Samuel 6 where David danced before the Lord with all his might. Now if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered… what’s the deal with the ephod? Is David dancing in his undies? Is this an outfit more suited to Dancing with the Stars?

David would usually have been wearing the robes of a king but in this instance he’s wearing an ephod - a garment worn by priests. Priests didn’t rule but they were a connection between the people and God. To understand this you have to remember what is going on. David is bringing the ark of the covenant into the capital city where he is king. The ark symbolises both the presence of God and the throne of God among the people.

For David to take off his royal robes suggests there’s a message in his attire. God is king and I am not. Don’t just look to my rule, look to God’s.

If you think about it, all worship is like this. In the fall, we rejected God’s rule and chose to do what we wanted. Worship is the opposite. We remind ourselves that we’re not on the throne. God is the true king in our lives.

Perhaps this is why worship is so freeing. Heavy hangs the head that wears the crown. Our desire to rule brings the weight of ruling we were never meant to carry. And in worship, we continually take off the crown and put the burden back on him. Let us daily come in humble worship before King Jesus.

Much love,
Simon

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

One of the things that marks our culture is the rise of the influencer. YouTube and other platforms are full of people promising 5 keys to success, 15 things you should have in your wardrobe and 3 secrets to a long and happy life. I find myself getting sucked into these really easily and looking for keys to help me thrive in life.

It’s against this backdrop that I found this verse: “This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve of their sayings” (Ps 49:13). The fate in question is death and the fact that we take nothing material with us from this world. I’m not discrediting everything influencers say. It’s not that what they espouse is necessarily not good, it’s just that it’s rarely great. Success in this world is one thing, an eternal perspective is another.

This is contrasted by the writer of Hebrews: “Consider your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7). It means to look at the way they finished their lives. Look for people who are still loving Jesus and following Jesus on their last day. How did they live? What did they prioritise? What did they value? Those are the great influencers. Imitate them.

Who are the older people in your life who followed Jesus to the end. For me, I think about Jim Chew. When his body was riddled with cancer, his email updates were rich with Bible verses and truths he was clinging to in his final days. He loved Jesus till the end and then stepped into a new beginning in the presence of his Saviour. He is a man I am challenged to be influenced by today. How about you?

Much love,
Simon

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

What comes to mind when you think about worship? Is it a genre of music on your device?  Is it the way we live every day of our lives? Is it just a bunch of songs we sing on Sunday? The truth is that worship is far deeper and more important than we could imagine. In God, we find the one who is truly worthy of worship. He’s the one our souls truly crave. And He’s the one around whom the whole of heaven gathers in unceasing adoration. We become like what we worship, so our worship of Jesus has a huge bearing on whether we’re becoming more like Him. So can I encourage you to make this series a priority as we go on a journey together in worship - extravagant, powerful, reverent worship?

God is jealous (Deut 4:24). I find this statement staggering because, typically, it’s an ugly characteristic. In fact, this is the only use of the word I know of that is not negative. So how can God be jealous?

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare, “and all the men and women are merely players.” Let me rephrase this a little for our purposes.

All the world’s a temple, and all the men and women worshippers.

The world is a contested space for worship. There are so many things that clamour for our affections, our desires, our loves. The enemies of God are incessantly seeking to pull your desire away from God and onto lesser things to love.

The problem is that worship is also deeply formational. We become like what we worship. When Israel bowed down to worthless idols, they became worthless themselves (2 Kings 17:15).

So what of the kneeling at the feet of money pretending that the next purchase or investment will deliver the prosperity we crave? What of the kneeling at the altar of success trusting that our next certificate or promotion will complete us? What of the sacrificing to the gods of brand and celebrity trusting that our worth is found in the applause of others?

What do the things we adore and celebrate say about who we are becoming?

God is the one who made us in His image with inherent and infinite value. In Him alone are found the completeness and contentment that our souls crave. And so He is jealous for our affection, not for His sake but for our own.

Can I encourage us to be brave and vulnerable in prayer this week and ask God to reveal to us our misdirected affections. Pray also for our series on Worship in May and ask that He would redirect our affections towards Himself. May Jesus alone be the one we are becoming more like.

Much love,
Simon

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

In addition to the pastors and other staff, The Street has an eldership board that carries out a combination of governance and shepherding for our church.

Elders are volunteers who provide spiritual oversight for the overall church, as well as being available at our local services to support the local leaders and be available to the congregation.

Now that we are meeting in multiple locations, we want to have more of a local eldership presence at our locations, and we will be looking to bring more elders on board over the next few months.

Today we want to propose Matt Bate as a potential elder, to give the congregation three weeks to pray and provide any feedback before the elders make a final decision about whether Matt will join the eldership.

Matt is based at our Hutt location, and prior to the Hutt service being established, was at our Mt Vic location.

If you have any feedback to provide, please contact elders.chair@thestreet.org.nz - your email will go to the chair of our eldership board, Matt Conway.

Our friends at Miramar Salvation Army are hosting a Parenting Place seminar on Thursday 11 May. Here’s what they say about it:

Join us for an evening of learning and upskilling together. If juggling parenting, isolation, work responsibilities and the intensity of life in general has left you feeling overwhelmed or in need of some fresh ideas, then this is the talk for you. Kind, Firm, Calm opens the lid on common parenting struggles and provides proven strategies and insights that cut to the heart of daily challenges.

Whether you have the world’s strongest-willed toddler or a young person who just won’t do what they are asked, practical advice and heartfelt encouragement will restore hope to your parenting.

Join us from 7pm for tea, coffee and nibbles for a 7.15pm start.

Tickets are $5 per person. (Miramar Salvation Army are covering all other costs not covered by entry fees). This session is being led by the Parenting Place (https://parentingplace.nz)

We'd love to see you there!

For more info and tickets, head to: https://parentingmiramar.eventbrite.co.nz

If you missed it last week, our 24/7 prayer room is now a permanent feature. It is always so powerful to set aside devoted time to pray, and sometimes it helps to get outside of our usual routines and environments.  The prayer room is a great resource for you to use. Make it part of your regular weekly rhythms and see what the Lord might do. Book your slots here.

How are you at managing your money? Do you have a good budgeting system that is helping you achieve your financial goals? If not, the CAP Money course could be just what you need. 

CAP Money is a FREE budgeting course that is helpful for anyone who wants some advice about building a budget and being able to stick with it no matter your current financial situation.

Our next CAP Money course starts on Thursday, May 4 at 6.30 PM at Hania Street and runs for three weeks. This is a course for everyone – not just Christians so the course is an ideal event to invite people to

You can sign up for our course through the CAP Money website here, and if you need any more info, you can email capmoney@thestreet.org.nz

It’s hard to avoid the news at the moment that the cost of living is going up. Even if you haven’t been reading news about inflation, interest rates and the impact of natural disasters in New Zealand, it’s obvious that groceries budgets aren’t stretching as far as they did last year. The temptation of worry is clearly a challenge.

Enter Jesus with his usual dose of turning things upside down…

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25).

Our lives are the biggest thing we know. They are the bubbles within which every moment and experience sits. Jesus’ logic is that if you lack the capability to change the length of your life, why worry about anything else within it.

Worry won’t earn you one more dollar. Worry won’t reduce house prices or take 0.01% off interest rates. Worry won’t stop your pants wearing out and it doesn’t put food on the table. So why worry?

It makes me wonder whether Jesus’ point is about control. We love to be in control. We love it when the solution is in our hands. We love to be self-sufficient. But this is never God’s agenda for us. It’s even been said that self-sufficiency is the greatest curse for a Christian because it leads us to a life without God.

Instead Jesus invites us to a simple trust. He reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what we need and as we seek Him, He is able to provide all that we need as well. What if this season of incredible financial challenge is actually a way for God to reveal to us all that He knows our needs and is able to provide out of nothing.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have budgets or shop smart. It just means that worry doesn’t need to characterise our lives. Instead today is a day to come again to the simple truth that God knows what we need and will never let us down.

Much love,
Simon

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

Click here to watch a message from Jerram with the exciting news that our 24/7 prayer room is remaining open for the foreseeable future.  It has been incredible to have a space set aside for prayer and I know many of you have had powerful times of prayer in there. You can book your slots at this link

In addition to the pastors and other staff, The Street has an eldership board that carries out a combination of governance and shepherding for our church.

Elders are volunteers who provide spiritual oversight for the overall church, as well as being available at our local services to support the local leaders and be available to the congregation.

Now that we are meeting in multiple locations, we want to have more of a local eldership presence at our locations, and we will be looking to bring more elders on board over the next few months.

Today we want to propose Matt Bate as a potential elder, to give the congregation three weeks to pray and provide any feedback before the elders make a final decision about whether Matt will join the eldership.

Matt is based at our Hutt location, and prior to the Hutt service being established, was at our Mt Vic location.

If you have any feedback to provide, please contact elders.chair@thestreet.org.nz - your email will go to the chair of our eldership board, Matt Conway.

Jesus is just different. It’s no surprise in some ways because this is what it means to be holy - set apart, uncommon, different from everything else. In fact, his holiness is the lens through which we need to see every other aspect of his character. His love is a holy love. His kindness is a holy kindness. His mercy is a holy mercy. He is just different.

Therefore, when we realise that he calls and enables us to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), we can be sure that it is a calling to be different. It means the barometer of how we’re doing is not an earthly measure. It means the things our culture celebrates are not necessarily the things we should strive for. It means that even in the church, our ultimate comparator cannot even be another Christian. We’re to be holy as he is holy.

Recently we talked about generosity in the early church that meant there were no needy people. The risk is that we feel good about how generous we are in comparison to others. But remember, our only true comparator is him.

Jesus told his disciples to love their enemies, pray for them and be generous with them (Luke 6:35-36). Have you ever contemplated being generous with the boss who despises you, the neighbour that annoys you or the bus driver who was rude to you? I think if we took generosity to those lengths, it would feel really weird and unnatural. It would stand out to others as something really uncommon. It would be different. And that sounds a lot like Jesus.

May we be people who stand out for generosity of a different kind so we become a people who truly reflect him. What is a different step of generosity Jesus may be leading you in today?

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:

Debt Coach

This is a voluntary role (approximately 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.  

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. 

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

The Street’s youth are up in Feilding this weekend for Central Easter Camp. This camp is so often a milestone moment in the lives of our young people. Let’s be praying that this year would be no different and that the young people who go would encounter the Lord powerfully and would come back filled up and inspired to follow Jesus with their whole lives.

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

Easter Sunday is next Sunday! If you’re in Wellington, why not invite a friend who doesn’t usually come to church that you’ve been praying for? We’ll have hot cross buns for morning tea and a wonderful service to celebrate that Jesus is ALIVE!

Also a reminder about the Sonrise service being hosted By The Street in conjunction with the Council of Wellington Churches. 6.30am up at Mt Vic lookout. What a special way to start Easter Sunday.

What an incredible time it’s been in the 24/7 prayer room. We’d love to hear your stories of how it has been for you and can make space in a service for you to share your experience. There is still time to get in there. You can book your slot here

As the whole church gathers together on 21 May, every location will be pulling together to make everything run smoothly. As this will be a regular event (2 or 3 times a year), the kids' programmes will be run by different locations each time - this time it will be the Mt Vic and Hutt kids teams.

From East, we need to provide 5 people to help direct cars in the car park! If this is something you think you could do, please get in touch. Just email east@thestreet.org.nz Thanks!

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 >>