Another long weekend ahead. In light of the fact that holidays are a foreign concept to most people in the world, we are spoilt this year by having a few more days off and being a leap year, we also get to tuck an additional day under our belts.
Waitangi Day often seems charged with either passion or indifference. For some, they are passionate about getting a day off to sleep in, head for the hills or just not be at jobs that we loath. Passion ignites in those that find significance in this day, and the journey we as a nation have been on since 1840 and the unique cultural identity we have developed over the past 172 years and the need to celebrate it. By contrast I see indifference, just another holiday commemorating something that is difficult to find relevance to our lives or any value for those who don’t find themselves in the story of 1840 New Zealand.
For me it’s a great occasion to appreciate and be thankful for all that we are and have. There are so many negative aspects about the past that are often aired at this time but as carriers of love, peace and hope it is a great opportunity for us to get together to share our stories, promote the goodness of our culture and community and discuss an alternative future.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden’. Jesus was referring to us. While I often feel this charge can be overwhelming and something I can’t live up to, boiled right down I think there is something powerful in a simple conversation, the sharing of our stories that can bring clarity and revelation to each other. Our most common thread is this nation we live in and love, so Waitangi Day does seem to be a great opportunity to capitalize on that thread, share a meal together, and tell our tales.
Whatever you are planning to do this weekend – enjoy it with someone! If you are at a loose end on Monday then head out to the hangi we are having together (10am-3pm, at 5 Armour Road, Parau).

The new year has well begun and I know we often tend to wonder what this year will hold and how it may differ from 2011.
Like Greg, I read 2 books over the break that helped shape my approach to the 12 months ahead.

The first was a random book I discovered on the bookshelf at the batch we were staying; The Voyages of Captain Cook. The book was written in journal form, detailing the 3 voyages of James Cook. What inspired me most about this book (not surprising I guess considering one of my favourite movies is Master and Commander) was that a ship of 84 men set sail for the unknown fully appreciating that there was a high likelihood of failure or death (2 previous voyages of similar intent by other captains failed in their attempts). Each day brought with it new experiences and discoveries that challenged their character, wisdom and fortitude. They didn’t know what to expect on any given day; who they would meet, what they would encounter and how these interactions with land and their inhabitants would fair. Such courage and adventure.

The second book I read was the History of New Zealand by Michael King. In truth I had been laboring through it for the last 12 months but was determined to get it finished by the end of the holidays. One of things that struck me most as I read through it was how the leaders of the our national seemed to genuinely do their best to make the right decisions for the the country as a whole (albeit from their point of view) with the best knowledge, wisdom and view point that they had at the time. With the mistakes there were some wonderful successes and (at the time) pioneering approaches to life and how a society can be. Even what may be considered ‘mistakes’ found understanding in the context of the time. By appreciating the journey, I got a better sense and a richer view of who we are and why we are.

Building on from this theme, I ran out to the Nihotupu Dam in the Waitakere Ranges over the weekend. It was built in 1923 and standing on it, looking out over the valley below, I felt a deep sense of appreciation for what my life has been built on. We follow in the tracks of people that have prepared the way, laid the foundations, the often transparent sign posts and working monuments to these unknown faces and names that echo on every street and from the top of every hill.

So this year I simply want to add a line or two to that history and do my best to build well upon what has gone before in both the legacy of faith and culture in this great country. A lot about this year is unknown, but whatever awaits, my hope is that I will do well with what I know, respond well with the unexpected that awaits me and find adventure in it, shaping something worthwhile along the way for others to build on.

One of my favourite songs we sing repeats the line, “When we sing, we are singing to You.” I love what these simple words conjure with the weaving, the intermingling of harmony and melody, as we sing together. Singing is necessary. A song in the soul is like an ozone layer for the heart: it generates atmosphere. And God enthused songs (not just Christian ones) generate atmospheric fellowship with the Divine. Often, the knowledge of God’s glory ‘covering the sea’, comes to us via song. The knowing is received in song.

Money-minders and weather-watches are suggesting that 2012 will be more unpredictable than 2011: oh dear Lord! If in 2011 ithurt, yet we may not have really believed it (replace ‘it’ with whatever you choose); then 2012 may just hurt until we accept it: we’re in tough times, and everything is changing. I think for many of us, our family and friends and colleagues, life is going to continue to unravel, because so much of what we’ve taken for granted, like stable land for instance, is just not complying to our idea of a rebuild.

For followers of Jesus, this is why singing is necessary. I do think, like never before, our amalgamated voices need to rise with “Oh Jesus, would You walk with me in the garden.” In the garden of our isolated rationalistic heads, that can’t figure it all out, in the garden of our messy-weedy hearts that are bent for self-preservation instead of other-realisation. For some reason the power seeded in a song to God, whether it be a lofty praise number, or a soul-bluesy dirge, brings equilibrium to our inner world, amidst outermisty frequencies. Song centres us. It reminds us that “Here’s my home”, with our feet riding a discombobulating world with the Father who is present, and not absent as if He’s in some heavenly china cabinet.

Whether it’s on TV, the radio, or at church on Sunday, we ‘re a bunch of believers with eyes and ears for the phony and fake. Oh how we cringe at music that is corporate driven and not believable. When we look to gather for the next fifty-one weeks of this year, lets not be what we profess to despise: unbelievable. Instead, let us meet with real and raw hearts that praise, or mourn, and are prepared to throw off restraint in devotion to Jesus, not because the music is palatable, but because God is exceptional.

Jay

Our next Sunday Service is on 8th Jan 2012, both at 10am and 6pm. We’ll miss you until then. In the mean time, enjoy the next few weeks with friends and family somewhere within this beautiful country of ours.

The offices will be open again on Monday 9th Jan 2012.

…….and go on, have one more Mince Tart. You’ll have to wait another 12 months to get another unless you buy them at the Boxing Day sale and freeze them for a ready supply.

Some amazing insights shared by Greg and Mike on Sunday. It has been so valuable scratching below the service of a story that is very familiar to us, humanizing it once again.
One thing that has stuck so vividly with me this week has been the idea that God, being born as a baby chose to make himself completely dependent on his own creation. That is our God. Selah

One of the great things about music is it’s ability to articulate emotion and feeling in a way that help us to easily connect with it. Songs can have the knack of recalling memories or producing an emotional response that normal conversation and thought can’t. One such song I heard the other day was ‘Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home’, a classic by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Have you heard it? Maybe it was my demeanor at the time but as I listened to it there was such a sense of contentment resounding in the lyrics that it really drew me in.

At a time of year when the pace of life picks up and the lists of things to do and places to be stretches us out, this song was a small retreat and reminder of the beautiful space contentment can provide. I’m not referring to laziness or carelessness, but an attitude that says I will find peace no matter where I am or what is going on around me rather than being dictated to by the norms and demands of life, or caught up and disracted by the trappings of this season.

In the narrative of Christmas one of my favourite passages is in Luke 2:19: ‘Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart’. She had just given birth on the floor of a stable, been intruded on by shepherds and surrounded by livestock. In all the chaos and uncertainty of that circumstance her chosen response was to ponder and reflect on the bigger meaning behind it all; ‘this is where I find myself now, and it’s not normal or easy, but okay’.

Now, thousands of years later, with the chaos and stresses that Christmas time can bring, Mary is a great example of how to respond.

Last Sunday was the beginning of the four week season of Advent.
Advent means ‘to come’ or ‘arrive’, a time where we look forward to the coming of Jesus, the Incarnation, remembering that God became human to live among us, or more commonly celebrated as Christmas!

Christmas is for many a time of great stress, sadness, and even a time when some struggle with depression and heightened anxiety.
Yet the story of the birth of Jesus is portrayed as none of these things, rather a time of celebration, joy and peace, with wise men, shepherds, angels, gifts, and a bright Star (which kind of reminds me of a great spotlight that used to shine in the night sky in Canterbury to invite people to the annual Industries Fair, kind of…)

When the angel visited Mary at the Annunciation and shared the exciting news (from the Angel’s perspective anyway!) that she would have a child, the son of God, her initial response was recorded in Luke 1 as being ‘greatly troubled’, followed by a (disbelieving) question, leading into a willing acceptance of the way it was going to be, (sounds fairly normal to me…apart from the visitation of the Angel bit).

But then she went straight away to be with her cousin Elizabeth, to share her secret, gain the support and encouragement she needed as a young teenage (single) pregnant mother, and then broke into Song, probably not the response of most who would find themselves in the same situation today, which surely set Mary apart as the most amazing and blessed woman! ( a gross understatement).

It’s easy to get caught up in the pressure of the season, but it’s also possible to take some time to rest, and reflect on how the arrival of Jesus into our lives has changed and continues to change us.
Following is an online Advent Daily devotional, the takes a few moments each day to go through .
Maybe this Advent season can be different for us all, and we can know the presence of daily peace that encapsulates who Jesus is.

Linda Burson

Advent Resources – IgnatianSpirituality.com
ignatianspirituality.com

Racing out the door on Wednesday morning, I got into my car to discover the petrol light was on. I knew I didn’t have time to stop for petrol as I was on a tight time frame, heading into Edge for a very important Mainly Music session after dropping my kids at school and picking up friends kids along the way.

Rummaging through my bag, ( yes there are lots of things in there! ), I couldn’t find my purse so after raiding every possible place in the house I managed to scrape up $6 in coins to hopefully get me to my destination.

Before even leaving the neighborhood I glanced down and to my surprise the petrol light was off and the tank was up to quarter full!

A miracle, right in front of me that I didn’t even ask for!

I was so busy looking for money I hadn’t considered praying for petrol!!

How awesome is God.

Cath Gibson

I went on my first school trip this week as a parent helper. We went to MOTAT to get a first hand look, feel and smell of cars, trucks, planes and trains.

In looking at the various make, model and designs of cars produced throughout the centuries the kids and I were comparing differences. It did occur to me though how little the fundamentals of an automobile have changed over time. All had wheels, windscreens, lights, some sort of protection from the weather and some sort of mechanism to steer. The only real difference time has made is the level of comfort and efficiency modern technology and design has delivered.

It seemed quite comparable to our personal journey. Despite the progress in technology and how that has changed the way we do life in the post-modern age, the fundamentals of the human soul remain unchanged.

Faith, Hope and Love remain the fundamental building blocks and heart cry of us all. The need for a staff of love to support us and a lamp of faith to guide us along a road of hope and promise remains a constant.

I read a brief account about Joan of Arc last night. It was an amazing, almost unbelievable modern example of someone who not only had faith in something, but the boldness and courage to follow through on this faith to make an alternative future for herself and her fellow countrymen.

Some of the notable writers and artists in history have been captivated by her life; William Shakespeare, Giuseppe Verdi, George Bernard Shaw, Danti Gabriel Rossetti.

Her story challenged some key aspects of behaviour in her society; a women in her teens in charge of an army at a time when women had no say in their futures (even whom they would marry), someone willing to serve something greater than themselves when those in power were intent in plotting their own success for more power and control. She even wore mens clothing (which was one of the charges larger brought against her at her trial)!

So many parallels in her story to those of Deborah and the other Judges you read about in the bible. When the Spirit of God was upon them, no one is disqualified, nothing was impossible and they had the courage to follow through on their cause, even to death.

Faith is a powerful thing; when it springs up in the heart of a peasant girl in rural France, when it is only the size of a mustard seed within our soul. Faith remains alive today and can prove as powerful as in the accounts of old we read about.