願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在
Grace and peace to you from God
Clothed in Christ; Our Shelter From the Stormy Blast
Many of you will have heard that Wellington was hit by a massive storm this last Thursday. We’re being told it was the equal, if not worse than the storm that contributed to the Wahine disaster in 1968 (The Wahine was an Interislander ferry travelling from Lyttleton in the South Island to Wellington in the North Island that hit rocks in the entrance to Wellington Harbour during Cyclone Giselle, resulting in the loss of 53 lives).
During the storm on Thursday, winds of 200km/h were recorded on Mt Kaukau, one of the highest peaks in the Wellington region. As the storm lashed the city, we were being encouraged to stay off the roads and to stay indoors.
But I had to go out. I needed to take one of our daughters to a piano lesson. The storm wasn’t yet at its worst, but it was still pretty rough. There were already broken branches and debris lying everywhere and rock falls on some of the hill roads around the city. The wind was picking up in intensity and the rain was almost horizontal! It wasn’t much fun being out in the storm.
So it was just absolutely wonderful to get home and to walk through the front door into a warm and dry house. It was lovely to be home and to be sheltered from the stormy blast.
This Sunday we will hear words from St Paul as he writes to the Galatians – All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27).
Your baptism is shelter from the storms; in particular the storm that was brewing from before you were even born; remember this – in sin my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5). This sin thing is a storm that keeps raging and battering away at us all the way through life.
You and I need shelter somewhere; a place we can call home … a place where we can come in from the storms of sin and whatever storms are battering us.
There is such a place, and that place my friends is Jesus. Here, by the grace of our baptism we can be wrapped, clothed, and sheltered in Christ. How wonderful that each day we can come home to him.
- Father God, continue to wrap us and clothe us in Jesus Christ by the grace of our baptism. Thank you for sheltering us from the storms of life and from the storm of sin. Welcome us home to the shelter and warmth of your love. Amen.
The second edition of the Halcombe Journal prepared by Anne Somerville will include photos of the closing service and a few extra stories. To order please send your name, address and telephone number to Anne at –
- P.O.Box 33318 Petone or • By emailing anne.somerville@xtra.co.nz by 1st August 2013
LCNZ District Convention of Synod
The Church gathered at Botany Lutheran Church on the weekend of the 8th and 9th of June under the theme, Where Love Comes to Life … Growing and Going. A synopsis of the Convention is on the LCNZ website, and the next issue of the Olive Tree will contain stories and reports from the Convention.
Orientation for the New Council of Synod
On Saturday 22nd June, the new Council of Synod (COS) met in Wellington for a handover / orientation meeting. We welcomed new members – Jill Hobden (St Matthew, Hamilton), Caroline Samsom and Ray Meharg (Mountainside, Auckland) – and were grateful that two retiring members were also able to be with us to assist with the orientation. It’s exciting to have a new look COS and a new look Lutheran Support Ministries (LSM) team; two groups of people dedicated to efficient oversight of the church in order that we may be focused on and effective in our witness for Christ. Please pray for the servant-leaders of the LCNZ.
Manawatu Call
This Sunday an exciting announcement will be made in the Manawatu Lutheran Parish – Pastor Rodger Russ has accepted the call of the parish to be their pastor. Pastor Rodger will leave his current parish (Woodville, Adelaide) and come to us in early October, with an installation date to be set for mid-late October.
Give thanks to God for his provision of a shepherd for the people of the Manawatu … and in near-record time!
- Lord God Heavenly Father, we thank you that your Holy Spirit has stirred in Pastor Rodger, leading him to accept our call to be pastor in the Manawatu Parish. Watch over him as he concludes his ministry in Adelaide and as he prepares to come to us. Amen.
Our sisters and brothers at Redeemer Lutheran in the Hawkes Bay would love to hear from some lay-readers in the lower central North Island who would be prepared to assist with one or two services in October and November. For more information, please contact me at the National Office or the chairperson of Redeemer, Bill Groves at wgroves@orcon.net.nz.
25th Anniversary – St Pauls Christchurch in the Suburb of Burwood
On the 6th and 7th July, St Pauls Lutheran Church Christchurch will celebrate 25 years of belonging and ministry in the suburb of Burwood. There are celebrations planned for the Saturday and Sunday, and I hope to present St Pauls with the bell from St Johns Halcombe during this weekend. We hope and pray that this gift of the bell will remind the members of St Pauls (and us all!) that we are called to invite the communities in which we live to worship … and to life in Christ.
LCA Meetings and Events
Over the next 3-4 weeks I will be traveling to Australia for various meetings and events –
- 30th June Farewell Service for Dr Michael Semmler, retiring President of the LCA in Tanunda
- 1st-3rd July College of Bishops meeting in Adelaide, including interviews with seminary graduates
- 14th July Installation Service for Bishop John Henderson in Hahndorf
- 21st-25th July Bishops’ Retreat in Brisbane
- 25th-26th July Mission Directors’ meeting in Brisbane
I will be taking two weeks annual leave from Monday 8th July to Saturday 20th July. During my leave you can contact the Assistant Bishop, John Davison (07 8395768) or the LCNZ Administrator, Robert Hagen (04 3852540).
Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou; the Lord be with you.
+MARK
Pastor Mark Whitfield BTh MSM
