Whether it’s a vacation or a stay-cation, taking time over the summer away from routines allows for reflection on the year that has been.

In Advent, we celebrate that God does not save us from afar but rather up close – he comes to dwell among humanity, standing next to us in our struggle and redeeming us by becoming one of us.

Jesus becoming human is not incidental to our salvation – as if he becomes human simply so that he can hurry to the cross, and the cross is all that counts.

If you want to know what God is like, we can’t look only at the resurrected and exalted Christ – we must also look at the manger, and the great love and humility of God which is shown there.

Philemon reminds us that the gospel must change our lives and attitudes. For leaders, this change will be seen in communication to others, view of others and partnership with others in the gospel.

"Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

I offer for reflection a poem penned by Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat, who teaches theology at Wycliffe College.

The first thing I felt God put on my heart when I was thinking about this job was what J.F. Kennedy had said to his people in 1962.

When I was younger I used to be excited at the number of things I accomplished in a day. As I get older, I’m realising that having too many things on the go means I don’t do any of them that well. 

I don’t believe in ecclesial superiority – but in the process of taking holy orders within the Anglican church, I have had to seriously wrestle with choosing a particular denomination.

In an age where few had access to the written word, the Nicene Creed was an easily memorised summary of Christian belief.

There's no one-stop-cookie-cutter worship session that you could plug and play in all differing church contexts. Yet there are some intergenerational principles that could help support a community of faith that believes we’re better together.

Congregational leaders successfully bring about church change when they lead with determination, flexibility, and empathy.

It’s one very human trait that we have the capacity to be stopped in our tracks by beauty and grace, and we get to decide whether or not we want to pay attention.

When Jesus is asked "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", it's a young child who he places in the midst of the competing disciples. Why? What is it about children and childhood that, for Jesus, is key to knowing God?

In Exodus 34 we come to a moment of hope and redemption after a monumental fall from grace.

One of the gifts Christ gives to the church is evangelists – certain people that just can’t help but proclaim Christ everywhere they go. But we are all called to be witnesses to the good news we have received.

In church tradition, from early days, St Michael was regarded as the angel to lead Christian armies against evil, and as a protector of individual Christians against the devil.

I feel like Jeremiah's words echo down through the ages. The church in New Zealand, perceived by many to be irrelevant and out of touch, has often seized upon exilic imagery.

Paying attention to the natural world is a form of worship as we read the "book of creation".

A life with Jesus requires regular pruning, as does any vine. We have seasons of fruit-bearing and seasons of rest and recuperation.

As “believers” we don’t go far down this theological chat about doubt without mentioning good ol’ Thomas – the Thomas with the bad rap. “Doubting Thomas”, said like it’s the biggest sin to doubt.

Pentecost isn’t over! The story that started so long ago and continued throughout the history of the early church is still being lived out by Christians today.

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you.

Many of us would love for our churches to be more intergenerational – but we can't achieve this through just a programme, an activity or a resource. So where do we begin?

"I didn't work out until my 30s that I was probably a gifted evangelist," says Julie-anne. "And the image that I'd had of what a gifted evangelist looked like was quite different. I was a bit more 'ordinary'."

About every three years some pundit in the media or politician raises the prospect of taxing the churches or decries their rates exemptions.

Invitation becomes a spiritual practice when we prayerfully invite unchurched people into some form of Christian community.

For those involved in Christian ministry, our sense of worth can easily become confused with our perceived “success” or output. Living with Chronic Fatigue unmasks this dangerous fallacy.

As we journey through the week leading up to Easter, I want to encourage us to think about how Easter opens the door for us in three ways. 

In the early church, Christians simply focused on living quiet Christian lives. Attendance at church services was tightly controlled with only those baptised admitted. So how did the church grow?

If people stop praying, the downstream implications are enormous on every single level – when it comes to mission, the kingdom of God, future leaders, serving the poor. It begins with a life of prayer. 

I’m more and more convinced that the heart of any Christian gathering is reflecting on the scriptures and breaking bread together. It's that simple.

In a culture of consumption, consumerism and immediate gratification, fasting serves as an antidote.

I’ve been drawn to the post-exilic books in the Old Testament for insight into the journey of revitalisation.

The blurring of boundaries between the virtual and the real increases the danger of substituting digital interaction for real participation in community.

The deliberate use of colour in Anglican liturgy is a way of participating through beauty and art in the seasons and celebrations of our faith. 

What if God is not just concerned about what we do with our spare time, but what we do most of the time?

God, in his love and mercy, is continuing to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is bringing the kingdom and calling people to respond and he will not be distracted from that mission, even as people fail to comprehend what he is saying.

From here peace is found, emanating from stone, reflected in rose glass.

A friend said she was amazed that no one she had given a Biblical Christmas story quiz had achieved 100%. My pride immediately set me up for a fall and I said I would do the quiz, thinking I would get 100% for sure! I know my Bible. 

John the Baptist identifies himself as the “voice”. But where we put the colon makes all the difference. 

Behind all the myths and legends about Santa Claus lies a kernel of truth – a real person of faith and courage who believed in Jesus.

The story of the wise men visiting young Jesus is one that many of us will be very familiar with, but do we understand just how significant this event actually was?

Our tradition is rich in sacraments, each one representing a beautiful part of God’s character and work in us.

Are we part of a multiverse? And is it a matter of choosing between believing in God and believing in the multiverse?

When we share our stories, we're not just recounting events – we're testifying to God's active presence in our lives.

I've had a few occasions recently to think about a Bible verse that says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth..."

In the coming decades the Aotearoa Church is going to undergo a seismic change which will be far bigger than any one conference or convention.

While leading any kind of change is challenging, churches are arguably the most difficult of all organisations to change. What makes this the case?

"We should not rush headlong," Saint Augustine says, "and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it."

I often say that we should wear a shirt that reads, "Be patient with me, God isn't finished with me yet".

Not only do we fail to acknowledge the gifts we’re showered with, and daily, but we take creation by the neck and demand more.

The story of Moses’ call reveals to us a God who calls out to us from within our world, from the very midst of our everyday lives.

Some have suggested that as science slowly explains our universe, it also slowly squeezes God out, as though God were just the bit we used to fill the gaps in our understanding.

We want our kids to be part of a church that is willing to lift them up, equip them and empower them. And sometimes that means we give up some of our power and preference to help them feel at home in our church whānau.

To become like Jesus is to serve and love others. I am able to do this by doing chaplaincy at a Nelson rest home care centre. 

At the very core, Anglican worship is an enactment or realisation of the Christian gospel. We remember through hearing and enacting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and we anticipate his return.

There are things formed in the harsh, hidden places of my being, built up around a central piece, something I’ve held tightly to. Things that lie deep, concealed from public view, and buried in the mudstone of my past.

If science and Scripture appear to disagree, it is a mistake to choose science over Scripture or Scripture over science. Instead, we hold onto both, and test our human interpretation.

As a young mum, my heart was crying out for the Lord to slow me down. It is only now, all those years later, that I am learning - or yielding - to trust God in this.

What could have been a shattering experience for my new friend Glenys was uplifting and reviving. I'm on a personal quest to be in control of my own knee-jerk reactions.

Out of Scripture comes three other core principles – or doctrines – that form the basis of Anglican identity, which we can summarise in one simple statement.

A growing body of research affirms intergenerational connections as key to sustainable, long-term faith formation and discipleship. 

Faith and science are both concerned with the search for truth. They focus on different dimensions of truth, but they share the common conviction that there is truth to be sought.

Te Pouhere, the constitution that formed us as the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, is who we are as we model our oneness in Christ.

It may come as no surprise that Scripture is at the heart of Anglican worship, rhythms, theology, and life. So, what do we mean by saying “Scripture alone” is a defining principle of what it means to be Anglican?

I can trace my spiritual whakapapa to my great grandfather – an Anglican minister. He was among the first people in my tribe in Kenya to receive the gospel!

We all have a responsibility to bring others to Jesus, and the easiest and best way to start that is to pray for them.

Gladness is generally a feeling of well-being and contentment, or being filled with joy. Is that your experience of the church today? Does your church know how to party as well as they know how to pray? 

Learn what Chinese heritage, Eurasian owls and a Kermit the Frog figurine mean to Michelle Urban.

Humans were made for connection with each other. We need the balancing factor of others in our lives. Deeper still, we have an innate need to connect with God, in whose image we are made.

While it was still dark, Mary headed to the tomb. I think we can learn a lot from the posture Mary adopts while it was still dark.

“Sometimes I feel like a voice crying out in the wilderness. But I will keep at it until the Lord tells me to stop, so more children will hear the gospel.”

I have been deeply challenged by the various ways people responded to Jesus in the days leading up to his death. Yet, he went to the cross for all of them.

God wants us to take seriously our calling as divine image-bearers, tasked with caring for the garden of creation - learning to live with, and not against, the grain.

I wrestle with God. "Lord, I didn’t sign up for this!" Gently, he whispers, "Oh, but my child, you did sign up for this. You signed up to love no matter what."

I was always eager to use my creative skills in some Christ-serving capacity, but I’m learning more and more about how much room there is for people like me in the Church.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any community, and the Church is no exception. From vestry members to tea and coffee brewers, each contributes their skills and time to serve our God.

I’m finding that being comfortable back home is uncomfortable, because I’ve seen over there. Their God is the same God that we have here… So why did theirs seem so much bigger?

What do we need to do today to ensure that the Gospel is still being proclaimed loudly in all corners of the Nelson Diocese in 2030 and beyond? The plan for the rest of this year is to answer this question.

By walking the same ground as Jesus walked, Christians are reminded that God is not just a distant figure from history, but a living and active God who is still working in the world today.

"Convergence" means a junction, a merging, different things joining and flowing together as a new whole - and that’s pretty much what happened.

When people are colonised – whether we’re talking about the Israelites, tangata whenua here in Aotearoa, or countless people groups throughout history – their minds are often colonised as well, creating a hostility towards their own culture.

I wonder how the Department of Conservation might describe the number of kids in our churches. Perhaps they’d say that our kids have become an endangered species: rare sightings, dwindling numbers, vulnerable and in need of recovery.

When we hear the story of Zacchaeus, how often do we pay attention to the tree he climbed? In Jesus’ day, the sycamore fig tree was considered a “sin-spreading tree” because of its wide canopy.

We came to Jesus to be healed, to be transformed... and yet, so often, that transformation seems like an elusive dream.

Did you know that there are different stages in the journey of faith? What works for us at one stage of life, often doesn’t work at a later stage.

We’re approaching the end of the Season of Creation. Many churches around the world celebrate Francis of Assisi day with a Blessing of the Animals service. At St. Peter’s in Kaikoura, it’s a highlight of the year.

This weekend felt like a journey into the attic of the Anglican Church, exploring the hidden treasures of silence, solitude, and contemplative prayer - which have been a part of our culture since its inception.

In the story of Babel, we often conclude that the scattering of people that results from the confusion of tongues is divine punishment. But is there a better way to read that passage?

Our expressions of worship only largely represent the dominant pakeha kiwi middle class culture. Does this sound like your church? Our churches can enjoy glorious worship enriched by different cultural expressions.

Faith-sharing isn’t an optional part of being a Christian. What is optional, though, are the ways we give those answers.