Sunday After Christmas

We've had a great four days back in Paihia. We checked on our former property and picked up the last of the odds and ends we left behind nearly a year ago. Tenant Gary has the house looking spotless but we can accept it is now his place rather than ours - we have made the break with Paihia. A little sadly, we realised that even the sudden death of a local friend and colleague on Boxing Day did not have the impact on us that it would have before we moved.

On Christmas Sunday we led the congregation through quite a few carols as we explored the Church Leaders’ Statement on the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of the Christian Gospel in this country. Bev read the statement, phrase by phrase. I commented on each and tried to draw comparisons with “the story” of the “first Christmas” and its relevance for a different age.

I guess the highlight for us all was the three minute video clip from the children of St Paul’s church in Auckland. It illustrated so well the difference between “the story” and “The Story”.  Well, it did for me, anyway. If the congregation really grasped “the message” inherent in “the message” that wasn’t immediately apparent. And any failure would have been due to the density of my thought rather than their hearing. But, like the traditional carols, the video not only tickled our funny-bones but warmed our hearts. I think deep spoke to deep. Every reader of this blog should take four minutes to view The Christmas Story.

Now we are in 2015 with reasonable hope for time to do some interesting and worthwhile things. What we do and how we live will be the true measure of The Story.

Oh, yes, we sang te hari nui, not te hara nui (See 22 Dec)