Thought for the week

Every now and then we have a Sunday service that leaves me feeling especially encouraged and blessed. Last Sunday was one of those and I’m still buzzing about it. There were many factors that made it enjoyable for me. Bringing both congregations together in one place always adds   something special and reminds us of our…

Thought for the week:   This week we reflect on an excerpt from the Moderator’s message on the  season of Creation. You can read the whole thing here: https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/moderators-message-season-of-creation-2022 In this Season of Creation, individuals and communities are invited to spring into action through prayer, sustainability projects and advocacy: Prayer: Host an ecumenical prayer gathering that…

Poem together we walk the green path between earth and sky always have draw deeper now engage creatively recover hopeful words not hateful Attend what animates us who motivates us why what is promised is ahead of us yet unbroken Martin Stewart  (houhanga rongo – reconciliation)

Peace Sunday, 7 August Where are the peacemakers, these blessed people that Jesus calls the children of God? Around 5,000 will gather in Karlsruhe, Germany, at the end of the month for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The rallying call and theme for the Assembly is, ‘Christ’s love moves the…

When a place receives 4 months of rain in a couple of days it makes you question what is going on with the weather! And when the temperature in the UK pushes beyond 40 degrees you have to think global warming is no longer theoretical! I’ve heard people say ‘don’t worry about climate change because…

One of my favourite passages of scripture is Psalm 121: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—     where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,     the Maker of heaven and earth. Such beautiful words.  I wonder if you’ve ever noticed the inscription at the beginning of…

Are you a Mary or a Martha? In Luke 10:38-42 we see Jesus invited to Martha’s house but there is tension between Martha and her sister Mary  because Mary has opted to ‘sit at the feet of Jesus’ instead of helping her sister with the numerous tasks associated with providing hospitality. But Jesus sides with Mary,…

Yesterday Brent and I celebrated All Ministers’ Birthday (TM). Another year to celebrate, another milestone to reflect on. With birthdays, Matariki, the end of one financial year and the beginning of  another, I’ve been thinking a lot about milestones recently.  I found this really helpful blog post by Jean Wise about the spiritual significance of…

Welcome to our services today. If you are a regular attender, you will probably have noticed a decline in numbers at both Trinity and St Stephens. There are several factors contributing to this. Travel restrictions have lifted so folk are free to go overseas and escape the winter; we have quite a few folk who…

Last week I had the privilege of sharing in a Zoom seminar with Rev. Dr. Wayne te Kaawa, Maori Chaplain at Otago University and former moderator of the Maori Synod Te Aka Puaho. Wayne shared with us his understanding of the Matariki festival, and encouraged us to   engage, as followers of Jesus, with the celebration of…