Advent Reflection by Maranu Gascoigne Kaitiaki, St. Isaacs Retreat House. November 2021 photo; Fabian Moller unsplash Before you read on please pause a moment or two and notice your breath. Take time to really feel and notice the breath breathing within you. Go a step further and notice that you have no control over this breath, this ruach (breath) of God is breathing in you. There will always be situations that choke, suffocate or diminish our Qi (chi) vital life force. Can you recall a moment when you have been winded and gasped the words, ‘I can’t breathe’. Much has been written during the past year, whether its ‘I can’t breathe’ because someone has their foot on … [Read more...]
Have you seen the new Prayer Book?
The much-awaited new edition of A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa with Eucharists in six languages; Māori, English, Tongan, Fijian, Samoan & Hindi, as well as Sentences & Collects in Māori https://youtu.be/EjdNzEskMto Order your copies through the General Synod Office At $30.00 plus P&P Email gensec@anglicanchurch.org.nz or phone (09)5214439 https://anglicanprayerbook.nz/ … [Read more...]
Farewelling a home with karakia and love
Dr Jane SImpson by Jane Simpson On Easter Monday a householder in Aranui, Christchurch, was sluicing down her front steps. In the sweltering heat they were dry in next to no time. The packing was done. The movers were coming the next day. Thirty minutes later a small group gathered at the entrance, each holding a copy of a new book left: Prayer at the entrance Their son, Wayne, had come down from Wellington to help with the packing and cleaning.The whānau were joined by two friends from the Diocesan Bicultural Education Committee, Marjorie Smart and Shirley Free, and by the author left: Family group When … [Read more...]
Virtual Theology Chat with Jane Simpson
7 pm 20 May Dr Jane Simpson: The Farewelling of a Home: writing and publishing a new liturgy. https://youtu.be/gyHbsQVCObc Last year, as I was writing an academic article, a new liturgy was born. Unlikely as this sounds, reviewers have said that ‘The Farewelling of a Home’ is grounded in scholarship, the rigour of a poet and the restraint and beauty found in our Anglican liturgies over time. Published as a book this year, the liturgy was written to meet an expressed need, for people leaving their homes for last time. For it to be used by those who need it most I became a publisher. I dream that every parish in our Anglican Communion and beyond will have a set of five copies to … [Read more...]
Thinking theologically about the Pandemic
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19 https://unsplash.com/@thecreative_exchange COVID-19 changed our lives suddenly and dramatically. As the crisis unfolded, immediate responses at individual, community, national and international levels naturally focussed on the actions needed to treat the sick, limit the spread of the infection and bring it under control, care for those who were particularly vulnerable, manage the economic impact of the pandemic, and so forth. At the same time, many people’s time and energy were consumed by sudden and major changes to working and domestic life, combined with the personal impact of the pandemic on them and their loved ones. For … [Read more...]
Prayer among the Pandemic, with Podcasts
Pandemics and Plagues have been part of the Christian story from the beginning. Discover some podcasts which talk of Catherine of Sienna, Julian of Norwich and Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz and many others, and learn how they coped in times of plague and sickness. Catherine of Siena Catherine of Siena was born a year before the Black Death Much of Catherine of Siena’s life was defined by sickness and plagues. The future saint was born in 1347. The next year, the Black Death began—an epidemic that killed more than 20 million people over the next five years. Despite growing up surrounded by death, Catherine was unafraid. When a plague struck again less than two decades later, the … [Read more...]
Break the Silence Sunday
22 November 2020 Break the Silence Sunday is the church's commitment to speak out against violence in our families, homes, community and society at large. These service resources and suggested readings have been prepared by the members of the Christian Network - Talanoa and commended to the Fiji Council of Churches for their use. All churches are invited to use them. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence runs from November 25 – the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to December 10 – International Human Rights Day. It is a global campaign to focus our efforts towards working to eliminate violence against women in our … [Read more...]
Gender Based Violence -16 Days of Activism
photo by Melanie Wasser, Unsplash 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence Campaign by the Christian Network – Talanoa The Most Reverend Dr. Winston Halapua, former Archbishop for the Diocese of Polynesia). Domestic violence, sexual offences, bullying, harassment and any kind of abuse are criminal acts against humanity and a violation of the rights of women and children. The Christian Network – Talanoa is an alliance of ecumenical partners and individuals convened by House of Sarah (HoS) of the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia in 2013 to talk with each other, share information and take collaborative actions to address violence against … [Read more...]
Hold us close in your arms
photo: Anne Nygard, Unsplash A Covid-19 liturgy for young people. Lesley Mouat, Chaplain at St Matthew's, Masterton, prepared DIY chapel services for students at home during the lockdown, and sent them out through their school app. Be sure to watch the video! Put yourself into a space where you can be still and quiet for 5 to 10 minutes. If your parents will allow – light a candle (please remember to put it out carefully before you leave your chapel service) and settle into silence for a moment. A Pilgrim Song 131 God, I’m not trying to rule the roost, I don’t want to be king of the mountain.I haven’t meddled where I have no … [Read more...]
Are you looking for spirited, wise women of passion and compassion?
This easy-to-use book has strong feminist imagery and references focused on wom-en of the Bible. Updated and expanded, it now provides reflections on Tamar, Di-nah, Naomi, Michal, Vashti, Jephthah’s Daughter, Lenna Button, Susanna Wesley and Ann Turner to use in church during the sermon slot. Includes prayers & dialogues. Buy it here Rosalie Reynolds Sugrue is a fifth generation West Coaster. A wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and author, Rosalie is a retired teacher, and has also worked as a psychiatric nurse and motellier. She has been active in Jaycees, the Methodist Women’s Fellowship, the Community of Women and Men in Church and Society, National Council of … [Read more...]
