Just thinking…
You may have guessed that I'm journeying through advent using some devotions written by author and pastor, John Piper. Here's another of his reflections which are worth dwelling on!
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. —Matthew 2:3. Jesus is troubling to people who do not want to worship him, and he brings out opposition for those who do. This is probably not a main point in the mind of Matthew, but it is inescapable as the story goes on. In this story, there are two kinds of people who do not want to worship Jesus, the Messiah. The first kind is the people who simply do nothing about Jesus. He is a nonentity in their lives. This group is represented by the chief priests and scribes. Verse 4: “Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.” Well, they told him, and that was that: back to business as usual. The sheer silence and inactivity of the leaders is overwhelming in view of the magnitude of what was happening. And notice, verse 3 says, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” In other words, the rumor was going around that someone thought the Messiah was born. The inactivity on the part of chief priests is staggering—why not go with the magi? They are not interested. They do not want to worship the true God. The second kind of people who do not want to worship Jesus is the kind who is deeply threatened by him. That is Herod in this story. He is really afraid. So much so that he schemes and lies and then commits mass murder just to get rid of Jesus. So today these two kinds of opposition will come against Christ and his worshipers: indifference and hostility. Are you in one of those groups? Let this Christmas be the time when you reconsider the Messiah and ponder what it is to worship him. (John Piper, ˆGood News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent")
In Him,
Murray
This Sunday 13 December…
Celebration Service! : Join us as we pause to reflect on how our remarkable God has been at work in this remarkable year!
Kids Programmes This Sunday
Spark is our program for older preschool to year 2 kids,
Blaze is for kids in years 3-5,
Ignite is for young people in years 6 and above.
Christmas Angel Appeal
This year’s theme for the Christmas Angel appeal is Giving Thanks to God– Tuku whakawhetai ki te Atua. It’s a reminder that, for all the challenges of 2020, there are always things to be grateful for. NZBMS will be posting daily videos on their Facebook and Instagram pages for daily videos of what they are thankful for! You can also find more information about the appeal and donate here.
Christmas Morning Tea
We will be having a special Christmas morning tea following the service on Sunday 20 December. Please stay and celebrate with us!
Carols in the Carpark
Our famous Carols in the Carpark evening will be on Sunday 20 December from 6:30 - 7:30. This is a family-friendly time of carol-singing and creative-retelling of the Christmas story with fun content for kids. Bring your friends and bring a cushion, blanket or camp-chair to sit on. If it is wet, we will be inside the church.
Christmas Day Service
Join us for our Christmas Day Service on Friday 25 December from 9:30am - 10:30am
mainly music
mainly music for young children has now finished for the year and will begin again when school goes back in February.
Film Group
On Tuesday 15 December we will meet at the Lido Theatre Manukau Rd, at 5.30 pm for the 5.45pm screening of “Made in Italy”. Please contact the church office for reservations.
Office Hours
Please note that the office hours for next week will be Tuesday and Wednesday 8am-1pm.
Home Groups
Young Adults Home Group
Every Thursday evening at 7:30pm. Please email the church to be added to the Facebook page, and check Facebook for updates of what we have going on. We'd love for you to join us!
Revelation Bible Study
The Revelation Small Group Series are studies looking at Jesus’ messages to the seven churches and asking what they mean for us today. This follows on from the Revelation sermon series and starts on Wednesday 21 October, 7:30pm. There will be five studies: 21, 28 Oct, 18, 25 Nov, 2 Dec. Enquiries phone the church office.
Myth-busters Small Group
Myth-busters is a 5 week series exploring what the Bible actually says about some key topics rather than what we think it says. Please contact the office if you are interested.
SHAPE Small Group
Pastor Murray will be leading a SHAPE Small Group series, looking at how God has wired you for service. Please register your interest by contacting the office.
Wednesday Night Home Group
Home Group at the home of Paul and Ruth Ungemuth every second and fourth Wednesday at 7:30pm. Each week we share in supper, do a bible study and pray for each other. Will begin on Wednesday 13 February. Contact the office for more information.
Thursday Morning Home Group
Home Group in the church lounge on the third Thursday of the month at 10am. After morning tea we do a bible study and pray together. Contact the office for more information.
You can check out what’s happening from our Facebook page by clicking here.
You can check out all our Sunday services during the lock-down from our YouTube channel by clicking here.
You can find out what’s happening at RBC by joining our e-newsletter list. Please contact the office if you wish to be added to this.