This weeks message is an exploration of how we could respond to the new holiday Matariki.
How do you feel about it ?
We’ve explored 1 Cor 8-10 and Pauls response to the issue of meat being sacrificed to idols.
What did you think of Pauls response ? Do you find yourself approaching the new with fear ?
Is Paul right to say that other god’s aren’t really gods at all ?
The following is an extract from a Christian Mission’s booklet talking of Matariki.
read it out – do you agree ? Would you agree with it ?
Let’s celebrate Matariki through a heart for Christ. For Mäori, Matariki was a time to harvest the crops
and to celebrate the providence of the harvest. It was, and is, a time to celebrate the harvest together, and
. ensude éveryone has been provided for.
Matariki then, is an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on the harvest and the providence of God. It is
also an opportunity for us to look at our store houses, and look within our community as to how we might
share that providence (Hebrews 13:16).
Matariki ahunga nui – the great mounds of Matariki
Matariki is a time when the harvest is finished, and when food like kumara would be stored in large piles
or storehouses. This harvest would be shared among friends, family and the wider community. This proverb
speaks of the bounty that has been provided, and the hospitality and togetherness of sharing the plenty.