Live in concert - Pastor's Pen for 9th November 2025

'We Mavericks' at Kumeu Arts Centre

The musicians we went to see on Saturday night wove a tapestry of vocal harmony, guitar, mandolin, violin and cello, seasoned with spontaneous humour. They expressed gratitude to the live audience for showing up, urging us to encourage our friends to pull themselves away from Netflix and head out in search of live performances. I can only agree, it was a great night and for a very reasonable ticket price. With streaming services hoovering up music sales, it's a wonder lesser known artists make any living at all.

The experience got me thinking about how we do church, and how good it is to meet together as much as we are able. If you know me, you'll know that I have a deep dislike of canned music (backing tracks), far preferring even very average live music to that horror. My prayers are with those who have to rely on such a thing. In the Kumeu Arts Centre you can chat to the artists after, share a joke or ask about their music. It's a small venue. That's how I like to do church. Large enough to seem healthy, but small enough to be a family and even screw up a song intro or chorus without being judged. It might even be an opportunity for humour.

Western culture seems to gravitate to an individualistic, curated consumption of news, entertainment and knowledge. We need to be aware of this and recommit to the local expression of Christian community as a worshipful, hospitable, prayerful, biblical, musical live experience. We weave our own unique tapestry of life together.

"And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching." (Hebrews 10:25 NIRV)