Northcote Takapuna Methodist Parish
Welcome
If you are a new comer, please make yourself known. Morning tea will be served after worship and you are invited to share.
Parish Superintendent Rev Peter Norman
Phone 442 1945 Email: pete.norman@xtra.co.nz Mobile 027 378 7042 *Please note the minister has Friday off*
Parish Office
Phone/Fax 489 4590 Office Hours:
Takapuna Church
Corner Lake Road & Tennyson Avenue PO Box 331013, Takapuna, Auckland, 0740
Email: takapunamethodist@xtra.co.nz Monday to Thursday 9am – 12 noon
Sunday Worship, 10am Parish Stewards Richard Biddle Ashleen Theunisen
Phone 022 018 6968 Phone 479 7969
Email: richardbiddle@gmail.com Email: ashleen.j.t@gmail.com
Church Office Angela Garrett
Phone/Fax 489 4590 Office Hours:
Email: takapunamethodist@xtra.co.nz Monday to Thursday 9am – 12 noon
St Lukes Church
16-20 Greenslade Crescent, Northcote, Auckland, 0627
Sunday Worship, 9.30am Parish Stewards Etta Spence Pat Carroll
Phone 418 4288 Phone 480 8389
Email: ettaspence@xtra.co.nz Email: patcarroll17@icloud.com
Church Office/Room Bookings
Phone 489 4590
Email: takapunamethodist@xtra.co.nz
Pentecost 23
12 November 2017
Worship Leader: Rev JeongWhan Lee
Organist: Norman Firth
Church & Family Birthday Greetings to: Jenny Firth for Tuesday 14th November Suzy Biddle for Thursday 16th November Anniversary Congratulations to: David & Shirley Rowlands for Wednesday 15th November Today Sun 12 Nov Sunday Worship - Rev JeongWhan Lee
10.00am
This Week Tue 14 Nov Working Bee at TMC 4.00pm Sat 18 Nov Future TMC Complex Congregational Gathering at TMC 1.30pm Please add your name to the clipboard on round table if you are able to attend. Sun 19 Nov Sunday Worship - Rev Sylvia Miller-Hardie 10.00am Coming Events Tue 21 Nov TMC Nancy’s Afternoon - Last one for this year Property Meeting - TMC Lounge Thur 23 Nov Worship & Education Meeting - TMC Collins Room Sun 26 Nov Sunday Worship - Rev Mervyn Dine
2.00pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 10.00am
Notices Please put this date in your diary: Thursday 14th December at 7pm - TMC Choir, Christmas Rehearsal Minutes from the following meetings have been filed in the folder below the notice board for your information: Annual Congregational Meeting and October Parish Council Touchstone newsletters are now available - please take one TODAY DRAWS TO AN END LIVING WAGE WEEK FOR NEW ZEALAND What is Living Wage? The Living Wage has emerged as a response to growing poverty and inequality that continues to hold back so many Kiwi workers, their families and our economy. The Living Wage concept is very simple, yet such a powerful alternative – it’s the hourly wage a worker needs to pay for the necessities of life and participate as an active citizen in the community. It reflects the basic expenses of workers and their families such as food, transportation, housing and childcare, and is calculated independently each year by the New Zealand Family Centre Social Policy Unit. Last year our Leaders Meeting agreed that all our lay workers be paid at least the Living Wage.
Pentecost 23 Sunday, 12th November 2017
Worship Leader: Rev JeongWhan Lee Organist: Norman Firth Call to Worship People of God, open your ears! Come and celebrate the story of our God, a story of compassion and mercy, of redemption and love; a story passed down from generation to generation, so that God’s people never forget the wonderful things our God has done! Let’s praise God together! (Based on Psalm 78) HYMN God is love, let heaven adore him
Abbot’s Leigh
1. God is love, let heav’n adore him; God is love, let earth rejoice; let creation sing before him, and exalt him with one voice. He who laid the earth’s foundation, he who spread the heavens above, he who breathes through all creation he is love, eternal Love. 2. God is love, and, though with blindness sin afflicts our human hearts, God’s eternal loving kindness holding, guiding, grace imparts. Sin and death and hell shall never o’er us final triumph gain; God is love, so love for ever o’er the universe must reign.
Timothy Rees
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer HYMN Touch the earth lightly (Please see ‘Alleluia Aotearoa’ book located in each pew)
(AA 143)
Today’s Story
HYMN Sing a happy alleluia! (Please see ‘Alleluia Aotearoa’ book located in each pew) Reading Gospel Reading Matthew 25:1-13 Page 806
(AA 118) Vicky Salvador
Sermon Living Wage HYMN
Who’ll stand as Christ today
Diademata
1. Who’ll stand as Christ today against a world of strife? Who’ll heal and help and serve and love and give someone new life? Who’ll go out in his name like Peter, James and John? Who’ll give up worldly goods and time that Christ’s work may go on?
2. Who’ll touch the leper’s hand, and wash the beggars feet? Who’ll help the homeless find a bed, and with the lonely meet? Who’ll comfort the bereaved, and give the addict care? Who’ll fight for justice, truth and right, and witness everywhere? 3. Help me to be the one who’ll stand as Christ today: to put aside the earthly things and choose to walk his way. Help me to care and heal, to serve and love and give: to choose for Christ in all I do, to live as Christ would live. Offering Prayer of Intercession Church Family in Action
Jan Chamberlin
HYMN
Lord, the light of your love is shining
Shine Jesus Shine
1. Lord, the light of your love is shining in the midst of the darkness, shining; Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us, set us free by the truth you now bring usshine on me, shine on me. Refrain Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory; blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy; send forth your word, Lord, and let there be light. 2. As we gaze on your kingly brightness so our faces display your likeness, ever changing from glory to glory: mirrored here, may our lives tell your storyshine on me, shine on me. Graham Kendrick
Refrain
Blessings The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen Acknowledgements: Hymns printed by permission from CCL – Copyright Number 110126
TMC Roster for Next Sunday 19 November
Worship Leader: Rev Sylvia Miller-Hardie Reader: Seno Tuinukuafe
Organist: Ian Ayers Door Steward: Biddle Family
Sermon : Living Wage as the extra Oil to shine the Light
Contemporary Bible study methods have developed dramatically. For example, when the King James Bible Version translated, the word “Pim” interpreted as “a file”, but after recent archaeological discoveries and biblical research, the meaning of the word “Pim” changed and recognised as “value like money”. Social development and modern technology have changed our world rapidly. For example, AI (artificial intelligence) and robot technology have showed us a new world every day. Last year, AI defeated a human Go gamer. As we know, the Go game was invented several thousands of years ago and is much more complex and abstract than chess. Last year, the AI needed human help to learn how to win the game. However, after a year, the upgraded AI does not need humans help to learn the game. It can create new data and data models by itself. The AI needed only a year to learn and defeat several thousands human civilisation in a field of the most complex and abstract game area. Computer and internet technology and genetic manipulation are not far away science. We have smart phones in our hands and computers in all cars that we are driving now, even if we cannot recognise it. Genetic engineering has applications in medicine, research, industry, agriculture, etc. Our young generation is experiencing a new world every day that we cannot imagine by our knowledge and imagination. We are living at the changing historic moment beyond our wildest dreams. How are our neighbours? My next door neighbour was evacuated because of an Auckland development project. They cannot come back. The next one story house will be demolished and three two storied houses will be built there. Many of our neighbours cannot live in a place because they have no money to live there. It is sad for them and me that the poor family has been pulled out from their living place. Most of all, according to the Auckland council report, the number of homelessness is high, and is likely to increase recent years. This means that we are living in a high technology era and in a rapid developing society, but many of our neighbours are still poor in the structure of our modern society. Let us focus on today’s Bible Reading. We read “The Parable of the Ten Young Women”. There were two things to be prepared by them. One was oil lamps, and, the other was some extra oil for the lamps. I don’t know why the extra oil had to be needed, but it was needed because the waiting time was too long.
The foolish five took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them. However, the wise ones prepared the lamps, and also, took containers full of oil for their lamps. They could light their lamps during the night.
There was a problem that had to be solved. All of ten young women needed to light their lamps all through the night; not just a few minutes or hours. To solve their problem, the answer was so simple. Jesus concluded for them, “Keep awake!”. It means “Prepare some extra oil for your lamp.” In this parable, can we imagine what the extra oil was? I hope that the answer is in the final series of parables in the teaching of Jesus. This is reasonable if we could remember the Hebrew culture and the biblical writing structures. Jesus said to the disciples in the last parable this message. He said “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:45) In the context, it doesn’t matter whether the oil means “Singing to praise God” or “Praying always” or “Our devotion by help of the Holy Spirit”. We as Christians need to take care of the least fortunate among us in our family, church, society and communities. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus started his public ministry among the people who had all kinds of disease and sickness and who were suffering from all kinds of disorders. (Matthew 4:12-25) And then, he finished his teaching by telling about “The final Judgement”. Jesus taught clearly for us who the least important people are. They are the people who are hungry or thirsty among us. They are strangers or naked on the streets. They are sick or they are in prison in our communities. (Matthew 25:31-46) Conclusion and Blessings In our highly developed country, how can we prepare our future? How can we prepare the extra oil for all night for our future generation and for us? Jesus is calling us to keep awake. Therefore, keep awake to find the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick or the sinner who needs help. Keep awake to help the one of the least among us in our society. Let us keep our light and shine the light for all. May God bless us to keep awake to find the people who need help. May God bless all our neighbours to have their minimum living wage to keep their lives here in our society.
Readings for 19 November - Pentecost 24 Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 123 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30
NOTICES President and Vice President Elect Rev Prince Devanandan, as President of Conference, has declared that Rev Setaita Kinahoi Veikune be President, and Ms Nicola Grundy be Vice President, to be inducted at Conference 2018 in Christchurch.
Friday 1st December - 3.30pm at TMC
The Christmas craft workshop has been advertised at many local schools, churches, pre-schools etc. We would like as many volunteers as possible to help children create Christmas craft/ decorations.
We will set up 6-8 tables in the Lounge with different activities for children to make, and therefore will need approximately 2 adults per table for assistance. Helpers also required to assist with refreshments. If you are able to offer your valuable time and would like to be a part of the Christmas spirit at Takapuna Methodist Church, then please add your name to the clipboard on the round table.
Come along and enjoy the festive season together! Please contact Lizzy Biddle if you have any queries Phone: 021 064 1682 Email: lizzy@takapuna.methodist.org.nz
To mark 25 years of the GALS Choir (Gay And Lesbian Singers), they are bringing together a number of Auckland choirs – including the Street Choir – to perform a special, New Zealand premiere of “Street Requiem”. The Street Requiem was composed in Melbourne in 2014 by Kathleen McGuire, Andy Payne and Jonathon Welch. The work seeks to bring a sense of peace, remembrance and hope to communities around the world who are coming to terms with street violence, war and a loss of safety on the streets. For Tickets go to: www.lifewise.org.nz/event/gals-presents-street-requiem/