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Sowing Seeds of Hope at Matariki

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Mānawatia a Matariki – Let’s celebrate Matariki! This gift from Te Ao Māori invites us to remember those who have died, celebrate the present and our shared history , and plan for the future with whānau over kai (food), waiata (song), and tākaro (games). Sowing Seeds of Hope The Matariki themes of reaping and sowing beautifully mirror the parable of the extravagant and wasteful farmer in Matthew 13, who outrageously scatters the seeds of life across all types of soil. This story offers profound hope to a struggling church, asking us to reflect on what kind of soil we are and how we might cultivate our hearts and our world to receive these life-giving seeds. Grace in Our Humanity At times we are good soil; at other times, we are shallow, or even deceitful and conniving like Rebekah’s whānau in Genesis. That is simply what it means to be human. Yet, despite our flawed messiness, God relentlessly remains at work in every single kind of soil, transforming us and cultivating new g...
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Some thoughts for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Rebekah, Sin in Romans and Matthew 11

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The Sower by Vincent van Gogh The scripture readings for this Sunday focus on discernment and how we make choices that align with God’s vision for a restored world In the Genesis reading Rebekah actively chooses generous hospitality by watering both a stranger and his camels. When invited to leave her homeland to marry a man she has never met, she boldly chooses the possibility of a new life. In Romans Paul continues his discussion around Torah describing it as given to allow God’s people to be righteous – to be faithful to the ever present and eternally faithful (righteous) God working to redeem humanity and restore creation. He examines our inner, warring motivations and how we have turned Torah into a tool for self-righteousness, exclusion, and measuring personal worth, ultimately losing God and forgetting God’s covenant all of which prevents us from embracing a different life. And in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus offers a hash critique of those who oppose both John and him –...
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Gospel of Peace

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  Ōtūmoetai – 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time- Year A – 2026 Readings: Psalm -                        Psalm: 13                                 First Reading-             Genesis 22:1-4 Second Reading -         Rom 6:12-23            Gospel -                         Matt 10:40-42           What I want to say: I want to explore -        the Akedah – a brutal story that offers a promise of God’s presence an...
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