願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在
Grace and peace to you from God
A Holy Week
We enter it with Jesus at the beginning … and afford him a royal welcome ... much the same as we are currently doing here in New Zealand with Prince William, Princess Kate ... and the real star, Prince George.
But what a contrast we observe between the welcome for Jesus and the welcome for the Cambridges.
Yes, there are crowds and flags and cheering for both. Both deserve acclamation and praise and the honour due their name and status.
One however comes deserving but not seeking the glory except the glory of the cross ... humbling himself unto death … giving up Divine status to take on our status … the status of sinner.
Maybe we'll only go so far ... to the cross and well leave him there … as some did that first Easter when it got too much for them.
Maybe we’ll only go so far … or will we?
Could it be that we will go the whole way … to some place beyond the cross?
That man on the cross, Jesus takes us the whole way, and you'll know it too come Easter morning when you find that you’ve arrived there.
One of my favourite and most touching (literally) liturgical actions is the asperges of Easter morning ... the sprinkling with baptismal water as we confess faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.
As cool water sprinkles over us from the font, we find ourselves wondering where we have felt that water before.
Maybe we think we’ll only go so far … stop at the cross with some of the others … go no further.
But your baptism and mine takes us the whole way with Jesus ... through death to resurrection … His and ours … from cross to empty grave … from death to life … and that cooling, refreshing, life-giving splash of water confirms this.
Your baptism and mine joins us to Jesus … Jesus, who though he was crucified, dead and buried, doesn’t stay crucified, dead and buried … Jesus, who on the third day rose again like wheat that springs up green.
Our baptism takes us the whole journey through with Jesus … and we spring up green as water and Word calls us back to life.
My song is love unknown, My Saviour’s love to me; Love to the loveless shown, That they might lovely be. O who am I, that for my sake My Lord should take frail flesh and die?Samuel Crossman 1624-1683 (LHS-62)
Here might I stay and sing, No story so divine; Never was love, dear King! Never was grief like Thine. This is my Friend, in whose sweet praise I all my days could gladly spend.
Ngā mihi o te Aranga; happy Easter.
Easter Worship Throughout the LCNZ
These are the service times that were forwarded to me by the time of publication:
Mountainside, Auckland
- Maundy Thursday, 7.30pm Passover Meal followed by Worship
- Good Friday, 10.00am Sights and Sounds of Good Friday
- Easter Sunday, 10.00am Worship
Hamilton
- Maundy Thursday, 7.30pm Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Good Friday, 10.00am Divine Service
- Easter Sunday, 10.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Good Friday, 3.00pm Divine Service with Holy Communion (at 53 Pelorus Street, Welcome Bay)
- Good Friday, 9.30am Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Easter Sunday, 9.30am Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Good Friday, 11.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Easter Sunday, 10.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
- Maundy Thursday, 7.00pm Seder Meal at St Francis, Clive
- Good Friday, 9.30am Holy Communion at Haumoana
- Easter Sunday, 9.30am Holy Communion at St Francis, Clive
- Maundy Thursday, 7.00pm Combined Parish Worship with Holy Communion at St Lukes
- Good Friday, 9.30am Combined Parish Worship with Holy Communion at St Lukes
- Good Friday, 12noon Pilgrimage of Faith
- Easter Sunday, 9.00am Holy Communion at Trinity, Feilding
- Easter Sunday, 10.30am Holy Communion at St Lukes, Palmerston North
- Maundy Thursday, 7.30pm
- Good Friday, 10.00am
- Easter Sunday, 10.00am
- Maundy Thursday, 7.30pm Service with Holy Communion
- Good Friday, 9.30am Good Friday Service
- Easter Sunday, 9.30am Easter Service with Holy Communion
- Easter Sunday, 11.15am Easter Service with Holy Communion
- Maundy Thursday, 7.30pm
- Good Friday, 9.30am
- Easter Sunday, 9.00am Preceded by Breakfast at 8.00am
Over 86% of those surveyed say that religion or spirituality is not a primary interest in their life.This Good Friday, CBA has New Zealand’s largest commercial radio audience for 12 hours and we're designing our programmes with these people in mind.
NewstalkZB: 6am-6pm Good Friday (and simulcast on Radio Sport).
Estimated combined audience of more than 300,000 [Research International]
Schedule
- 6am-8am | Breakfast with Ian Grant
- 8am-11am | Sam Bloore & Joy Reid
- 11-12noon | Petra Bagust
- 12noon - 3pm | Tim Sisarich
- 3pm - 6pm | Frank Ritchie, John Cooney & Julia Bloore
Pastor Jim Pietsch (St Pauls, Wellington) and Bishop Mark can be heard in two interviews to be broadcast on Spiritual Outlook, Radio New Zealand National on Sunday 20th April and Sunday 27th April at 5.00pm.
These interviews will also be available as podcast after the event at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/spiritualoutlook
Call to Prayer
Friends of Jesus, I invite you to call on him in prayer for the following people and circumstances –
- Assistant Bishop, John Davison’s parents are both quite unwell at the moment.
- Thanks for the rain that has fallen in most parts of the country. Pray also for those areas – especially Northland – that still needs rain.
- The people of Solomon Islands suffering from flooding and earthquakes.
- The people of Far North Queensland, especially the Lutheran Mission in Hope Vale who have suffered through Cyclone Ita.
Bishop Mark and Family on Leave
Friends, the time has come for me to have a little break with my family, so I will be on holiday for two weeks from Maundy Thursday 17th April through to Friday 2nd May. Some of our other pastors will also be taking some leave in the post-Easter period.
If you have an urgent pastoral need, please contact Robert at the National Office on 04 3852540.
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
