Vicar's Letter - 14 October 2022

Kia ora All Saints,
​
We are about to begin the 3rd week of our SENT series where we journey through the book of Acts and wonder together what being disciples and sharing Jesus with the world looks like today.

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to share on Acts chapters 2-7. This part of Luke’s book talks about the contrast of the two different temples referenced in the bible - the physical temple that God’s people built to hold God’s powerful presence, and the new temple of God’s messianic kingdom which is the people of God.

Understanding God’s people as temples of God is a beautiful image of church and one that we at All Saints want to be emulating more and more. This is the divine plan for filling the earth with God’s presence so that he can reign over all creation.

For some reason, over the centuries since Luke’s writing of the book of Acts, we have found ourselves once again with the dominant image of church being a place of worship – a building. But this is not the image given to us in scripture. The image given to us in scripture is of church being God’s people, spreading out throughout the earth sharing the good news.

I showed a video last Sunday that I want to offer you again here in case you missed it or just want to watch it again. In this video there are beautiful visual depictions of these concepts that I think can help us understand things more deeply. (Link below)

Bible Project - Temple

On Sunday, I also challenged us all to have discussions with one another about what this vision of church looks like today, in our time and space. I wanted to use this opportunity to bring this up again because of how important I think it is.

Who in our church family have you talked to about what this looks like at All Saints?

How have you brought God out into the world this week?

What might God be challenging you to push out into?

You are all such important parts of God’s church and I pray you are all strengthened daily in your walk with Jesus so that you can bring his light into the world.

Blessings upon you all,
Summer

“You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up to be a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus.”
-1 Peter 2:5