20 December 2013

LCNZ Update 20 December 2013

Kia tau ki a koutou te atawhai me te rangimarie o te Atua
願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在
Grace and peace to you from God

Metrosideros Excelsa … in the Highest
As I drove along the Kāpiti Coast just north of Wellington a few days ago, I noticed that nature itself, in the form of the New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pōhutukawa, is getting ready to greet the birth of Christ again. Brilliant red, sparking blooms are emerging from the deep green foliage … in much the same way that the blooming rose comes as a little flower in midst of coldest winter (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, Lutheran Hymnal 622).

The One that we have called for to come … Saviour, Messiah, the One that will rescue us from the lonely exile of sin and the gloomy clouds of night … is blooming and blossoming right before us and in us, as we pray –
  • O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin, and enter in; be born (bloom / blossom / flower / grow) in us today.
Charles Wesley wrote that Jesus was pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. I find the idea that Jesus would lay aside his divine privileges for any reason – especially for me; for you – is nothing short of incredible, but he did so in order that we might bloom and blossom again, that his incarnate love might come to life in us … and that we would no longer die –
  • Mild He lays His glory by, born that we no more may die, Born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
He flowered that we might flower again. What a great reason for singing glory to God in the highest; glory to the new-born King.

I reckon the botanists knew what they were doing when they gave Pōhutukawa its botanical name, excelsa from the Latin, excelsus … sublime, the highest. I’d like to think that they wanted our native Christmas tree to be a reminder to us of the song the angels sang when God came to earth … Gloria in excelsis Deo … glory to our sublime and beautiful God who comes to be born in us that we might flower again in his love.

Wherever you are throughout Aotearoa this Christmas – the Coromandel Peninsula, out east at Te Araroa or up north, or even at the Basin Reserve – I encourage you to look for Pōhutukawa – Metrosideros excelsa … and sing glory to God in the highest.
  • Because a tree had brought us doom, was Jesus born of Mary’s womb, To blossom high on Calvary’s tree the crimson bloom that makes us free. (Pōhutukawa Carol, Douglas Mews)
To you all – Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete; wishing you all joy and peace at Christmas. Me te aroha nui atu o mātou katoa; lots of love from us all here in the Whitfield family … Leanne, Mark, Chelsea, Brittany and Charlotte.

Christmas Worship Throughout the LCNZ

Mountainside, Auckland
  • Christmas Eve, 6.00pm
  • Christmas Eve – Carols and Readings, 11.00pm
  • Christmas Day, 10.00am
North Shore
  • 22nd December – Carols and Readings, 5.00pm
Botany
  • 25th December, 10.00am
Hawkes Bay – Redeemer Lutheran / St Francis Cooperating Parish, Clive
  • 22nd December, Special Young Peoples Service at Clive, 9.30am
  • 22nd December, Community Carol Singing Service at Farndon House Clive, 7.00pm
  • 24th December, Welcome Christmas Service at Haumoana, 11.30pm
  • 25th December, Christmas Day Service at Clive, 9.30am
  • 29th December at Clive, 9.30am
  • 5th January 2014 at Haumoana, 9.30am
  • 12th January 2014 at Clive, 9.30am
  • 19th January 2014 at Haumoana, 9.30am
  • 26th January 2014 at Clive, 9.30am
Whanganui
  • 22nd December – Carols on the lawn, 6.00pm
  • 25th December – Worship, 9.00am
Marton
  • 25th December – Worship, 9.30am
Manawatu
  • 24th December – Parish Service of Carols and Readings, 7.00pm
  • 25th December – Feilding (9.00am) and St Luke’s Palmerston North (10.00am)
  • 29th December – Feilding (9.00am) and St Luke’s (combined at 10.30)
  • 5th January – Feilding (9.00am) and St Luke’s (combined at 10.30)
Wellington
  • 24th December – Family Service, 7.00pm
  • 25th December – Festival Service, 10.00am
Upper Moutere / Hope
  • 24th December – Family Service, 7.00pm
  • 24th December – Christmas Eve Reflective Service, 11:15pm
  • 25th December – Christmas Day Service, 10.00am
Christchurch
  • 24th December – Christmas Readings, Carols and Holy Communion, 7:30pm
  • 25th December – Jesus’ Birthday Party, Carols & Birthday Cake for all!, 9.30am
Blessed Are the Peacemaker Seminars - February 2014
A reminder that during the month of February next year, the Director of Reconciliation in the LCA / LCNZ, Pastor Bruce Zagel and his wife Kathy will be conducting Blessed are the Peacemaker seminars throughout the LCNZ. Look out for seminar and registration details in the next issue of the Olive Tree, due out now.

National Office Closed During Christmas – New Year
The National Office of the LCNZ will be closed from Monday 23rd December to Tuesday 7th January 2014. However, during that time, Robert and I will pop in from time to time to check for phone messages and important emails.

Brief News Items
Children's Christmas Websitewww.redboots.com.au is a Christmas website where you can watch a movie, read a story, play games and music, send e-cards, or find recipes to cook yummy Christmas food.

Happyland Online Advent Calendar – back by popular demand, our Happyland Online Advent Calendar is here again with a new look this year! We are putting together so much fun and inspiration in the lead up to Christmas, remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season! Go to www.happyland.com.au.

Happyland Stories DVDs Have Arrived! You can purchase Lutheran Media’s 'Happyland Stories' DVD for only $10. Contact them by filling in your details your details here. Stories include Master Chef, Life Saver, Forgiven, It's Possible and You are Special. T hey come with printable colouring-in pages and are the perfect gift this Christmas!!

Face to Face – you can tune into www.facetoface.org.au for your Christmas message on Blue Christmas, What is Christmas?, and Three Wise Men and a Baby.

Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou; the Lord be with you.

+MARK
Pastor Mark Whitfield BTh MSM
Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand / Pihopa o te Hāhi Rūtana o Aotearoa

07 December 2013

LCNZ Update 7 December 2013

Kia tau ki a koutou te atawhai me te rangimarie o te Atua
願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在
Grace and peace to you from God

O Come, O Come Immanuel
As I write these words to you, the world has just heard that Nelson Mandela – anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, philanthropist and one-time President of South Africa – has died at the age of 95.

An English newspaper wrote this –
  • Nelson Mandela saved his country. Mandela, the prisoner for 27 years; Mandela, the masterly politician; Mandela, the healer and conciliator; Mandela, the tough negotiator, prepared to go to the brink – this Mandela was the man who rose to the level of events and guided South Africa’s miraculous rebirth. (The Telegraph, Saturday 7th December 2013)
Mandela was seen by many – especially those oppressed by years of apartheid – as something of a saviour; a messiah. His people had waited for him … and waited some more … and eventually he came as healer and conciliator; as peacemaker.

O come, O come … we waiting people cry in these days; not just in Advent, but throughout the earthly sojourn … O come, Immanuel and ransom captive Israel … come and be God with us … come and heal and make peace … come and save us from the apartheid (segregation) that embeds itself in our beings in the form of sin, and that has cut us off and isolated us from you, O God … and from each other.

The same newspaper that I quoted from above also said this –
  • Nelson Mandela, in a moment of supreme crisis, saved his country. He did so by generosity and indomitable will. He was the kind of man who comes upon this earth but rarely. (The Telegraph)
You and I are waiting in these days for one who comes to save his people from the supreme crisis of sin and death. We are waiting for one who is generous in love; for one who comes by the Divine indomitable will and intention of the Father God, to love us back through manger and cross to himself.
  • Thank you, coming Lord Jesus, for the gracious and servant ministry of Nelson Mandela to his people; to your people. O come, O come Immanuel; serve us with your grac and save us. Amen.
LCA / LCNZ Ordination Sunday
Tomorrow (Sunday 8th December), five men will be ordained as pastors in the Lutheran Church of Australia, including the LCNZ at a Service to be held at St Pauls Lutheran Church, Blair Athol in Adelaide. The names of the men together with their first call are –
  • Levi Graham – Rainbow, Victoria
  • Joshua Muller – Eudunda South Australia
  • Michael Rudolph – Newcastle, New South Wales (LifeWay Lutheran Church)
  • Stephen Cronau – Central Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
  • Andrew Dockerill – Wodonga, Victoria
They will receive this admonition as they are ordained –
  • Since you have this ministry by the mercy of God, care for God's people, bear their burdens, and do not betray their confidence. Give and receive comfort as you serve within the church. So discipline yourself in life and teaching that you give no offence. And be confident, for God has called you, and your labour in the Lord will not be in vain.
It will be a privilege for me as Bishop to lay hands on the ordinands as we pray for them –
  • Heavenly Father, bless these men in their ministry of the gospel. Make them faithful pastors, patient teachers, and wise counsellors, so that your people may be gathered for praise and strengthened for service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
College of Bishops
The Ordination Service comes at the end of the final round of meetings for Bishops in Adelaide. It’s been a busy year – General Pastors’ Conference, General Synod, the retirement of President Michael Semmler, the election and installation of Bishop John Henderson, together with the regular meetings, both face-to-face here in Adelaide and the monthly teleconferences.

I believe by the grace of God, I am continuing to grow into the role of Bishop of the LCNZ and into finding my place within the College. I acknowledge here the love and support of the other Bishops of the Church, including once again, the pastoral manner with which retired President Mike Semmler cared for me in the early stages.

Here’s something to look forward to (well, I hope you’re going to look forward to it) … the Bishops are coming to New Zealand! That’s right; next year in June the College of Bishops plans to hold its annual retreat in New Zealand. It is also my plan to give opportunity for each of the Bishops to preach in a congregation of the LCNZ on the Sunday before the retreat starts.

Board for Local Mission
Sharolyn Mollet represented the LCNZ at the first meeting of this new board recently (21st-23rd November) in Adelaide. This board was established by General Synod in April this year to focus on and support local (local = Australia and New Zealand) ministry opportunities and initiatives. I also intended being at this meeting, but due to other matters that needed my attention, I was unable to go. I haven’t had an opportunity to sit and talk much with Sharolyn about how things went, but I gather it was a good start to this new board. We pray that it will be a real blessing to the church and to us in our local contexts as we are given opportunities to share the gospel of the Coming One.

Olive Tree
The final issue of The Olive Tree is due out in the next week or two. Included in this issue will be more information on the follow-up to the Acts 15:36 Tour, plus lots of other good stuff. During the year we established an editorial team for The Olive Tree to work with Dan – Jill Hagen, Alison Preston, Jacinth Gutla, and Leanne Whitfield. We thank God for your willingness to serve in this way.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Seminars in the LCNZ
During the month of February next year, the Director of Reconciliation in the LCA / LCNZ, Pastor Bruce Zagel and his wife Kathy will be conducting Blessed are the Peacemakers seminars throughout the LCNZ. Pastor Bruce writes –
  • Blessed Are the Peacemakers is a Bible study seminar on reconciling relationships and resolving conflict. In this engaging presentation, you see how God’s ministry of reconciliation can be lived out in daily life. You learn practical ways to apply your Christian faith in family, business, church, and even business and legal conflicts. Since all children of God are called to be peacemakers, this seminar is appropriate for every Christian. Church leaders with responsibilities for teaching and assisting others in their conflicts will find the seminar especially helpful for assisting others in responding to conflict in a biblically faithful manner.
  • As Christians living in a sinful world, we often respond to conflict in worldly ways. Although we may know better, we often respond to conflict by trying to escape or by attacking others. When we do, relationships are damaged and the witness of the church is weakened.
  • In Blessed Are the Peacemakers, participants learn how to change this problem. You study key Bible passages and acquire tools for applying the basic principles in everyday conflicts. You will be challenged to live, proclaim, and cultivate lifestyles of reconciliation in the family, workplace, and church.
  • As people practice new ways of addressing conflict, conflict does not disappear. In fact, initially you may have to deal with more conflict. As people become more sensitive to God’s call for peace, they stop covering up the conflict that already exists. They begin to discuss and resolve their differences more honestly and constructively, and old unresolved issues are brought to light and dealt with. They likely will need guidance from church leaders as they struggle to use new skills. These requests for help become opportunities for discipleship. As a result, time and energy wasted on escaping from conflict or attacking others is redirected to glorifying God, serving others, and growing more like Christ, giving a living witness to the unbelieving world. 
  • Blessed Are the Peacemakers covers the following topics – (1) understanding conflict from a biblical viewpoint, (2) identifying worldly and godly responses to conflict, (3) describing three opportunities for Christians in conflict, (4) how to confess your faults without justification, (5) how to forgive others as God forgave you, and (6) how to achieve genuine reconciliation.
The schedule is as follows –
  • Saturday 1st February, 8.30am-3.30pm – St Pauls Christchurch
  • Monday 3rd February, 6.00pm-10.00pm – St Pauls Wellington
  • Monday 10th February, 6.00pm-10.00pm – St Lukes Palmerston North
  • Monday 17th February, 6.00pm-10.00pm – Botany Lutheran Church Auckland
Information on how to register will be included the next issue of The Olive Tree.

Visit of Pastor Michael Steicke to the LCNZ
Pastor Michael Steicke, son of Pastor Lance Steicke has returned to the land of his childhood for a few weeks. Mike and his wife, Leanne are here as part of their Rest and Refreshment leave. During their visit Mike is preaching in various places –
  • Sunday 22nd December, 9.00am and 10.30am – St Lukes Palmerston North
  • Sunday 5th January, 9.30am – Whakatane
  • Sunday 12th January, 10.00am – Mountainside Auckland
  • Sunday 19th January, 10.00am – St Matthew Hamilton
Nau mai; haere mai Mike and Leanne; it’s lovely to have you back in NZ! Enjoy your time of rest and refreshment, and thanks so much for preaching on those four Sundays as well.

25th Anniversary of Ordination
Together with Pastor Mike Steicke and a few others, I am about to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my ordination. I invite you to thank God … not for me, but for his faithfulness to me and for his provision to the church of pastors and prophets and shepherds and teachers and musicians and flower arrangers and coffee serves and cleaners etc.

Brief News Items
The Council of Synod (COS) met last weekend. A large part of our meeting was spent doing more work on developing a sense of direction and vision out of the Acts 15:36 Tour. Members of COS ate together at a nice restaurant in Khandallah on the Friday evening and then enjoyed coffee, dessert and relaxed conversation in the Whitfield home.

Cantor, Rick Erickson (Holy Trinity Lutheran New York City), who visited Wellington in May this year, informs me that his choir will be singing two Christmas carols by New Zealand composers during their Christmas services this year.

Children's Christmas Websitewww.redboots.com.au is a Christmas website where you can watch a movie, read a story, play games and music, send e-cards, or find recipes to cook yummy Christmas food.

Happyland Online Advent Calendar – back by popular demand, our Happyland Online Advent Calendar is here again with a new look this year! We are putting together so much fun and inspiration in the lead up to Christmas, remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season! Go to www.happyland.com.au.

Happyland Stories DVDs Have Arrived! You can purchase Lutheran Media’s 'Happyland Stories' DVD for only $10. Contact them by filling in your details your details here. Stories include Master Chef, Life Saver, Forgiven, It's Possible and You are Special. T hey come with printable colouring-in pages and are the perfect gift this Christmas!!

Face to Face – you can tune into www.facetoface.org.au for your Christmas message on Blue Christmas, What is Christmas?, and Three Wise Men and a Baby.

Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou; the Lord be with you.

+MARK
Pastor Mark Whitfield BTh MSM
Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand / Pihopa o te Hāhi Rūtana o Aotearoa