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
200th 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.
Oh, yes, we sang te hari nui, not te hara nui (See 22 Dec)
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