Message from the Bishop — 26 March 2025
Dear Friends,
This Saturday, at 1pm, the Reverend Dr Anne van Gend will be ordained a bishop and installed as the Bishop of Dunedin (i.e. the territory covered by Otago, Southland, Fiordland and Stewart Island). Please pray for Anne as she prepares for this service and for our Archbishops, Justin, Don and Sione as they prepare to lead the service which will take place in St. Paul’s Cathedral. A number of people from our Diocese will be present at the service, including Teresa and me, Archdeacon Indrea Alexander and the Reverend Lucy Flatt, representing the women clergy of our Diocese; Archdeacon Ben Randall as Archdeacon of South Canterbury, the region most closely neighbouring the Dunedin Diocese; Dean Ben Truman and Mrs Vivienne Jackson.
On Saturday morning, I was delighted to be at Glenroy Lodge, Hororata, to speak to the Christchurch Mar Thoma congregation at their weekend camp. The Mar Thoma church in South India traces its history back to St. Thomas the Apostle, who took the Gospel to India. The congregation here is overseen by the Reverend Sabu Samuel, a priest based in Auckland, and by the Bishop of Chennai, Gregorios Mar Stephanos, whose responsibilities include Mar Thoma churches in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Some of the Mar Thoma members are also involved in the life of our parishes, including the chief organisers of the camp, Dr Babukutty Yohannan and Dr Laly Samuel. It was a privilege to meet Bishop Gergorios Mar Stephanos, and the Reverend Sabu Samuel who were also at the camp.
On Sunday afternoon, “A Short Course in Christian Living” concluded. This weekend was organised and hosted by the Cursillo communityof our Diocese and included some observers from other dioceses, keen to see how this revised form of the Cursillo three-day weekend worked. My delight in being part of the concluding sessions of the weekend, including a closing eucharist, was to see and hear how our Lord Jesus Christ Himself had impacted the lives of the pilgrims on this “short course”. I thank and congratulate our Cursillo community for their work on this weekend course.
During the Sunday afternoon service, we congratulated the Reverend Heather Stewart on 40 years of ordained ministry. Thank you, Heather, for your faithful service!
Following the recent news of massacres of Christians in Syria I wrote to the St. George Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christian church which gathers here in Christchurch for worship in one of our churches, St. Nicholas’, Barrington Street. In return I have received this message: “Thank you for reaching out with your kind words and prayers during this deeply distressing time. The reports from Syria are indeed heartbreaking, and our hearts are heavy as we witness the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly appreciate your support and the prayers of the wider Christian community. It is a great comfort to know that we are not alone in this struggle and that the body of Christ stands together in faith and hope. Please continue to remember us and all those affected in your prayers. May God’s grace and peace be with you and your ministry”.
With Easter just around the corner, the Bible Society suggests:
“What better way to celebrate than by helping the children in your life discover the true story of Easter? Thanks to our generous supporters, we’re excited to offer free copies of The Very First Easter—a fun and engaging booklet for primary-aged children. (If you’re able, a small gift to help cover printing and distribution costs would be greatly appreciated.)”
This coming Sunday, 23 March is Lent 4. The Gospel reading is Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. What is this parable about? “The Prodigal Son,” “The Waiting Father”, “A Study in Contrasts: Two Very Different Brothers”? Noting the preceding two parables, the major point of the parable is that God is the waiting father, the One who yearns for us to return to him and joyfully celebrates when we do so. The minor point is that not everyone shares the attitude of the waiting Father God: our attitude to repentant sinners will demonstrate whether we have the character of God in our hearts, or otherwise.
This week the need for peace and justice in our world is as urgent as it has ever been in the past few years, with special reference to gratuitous violence by various armed forces in the name of causes which have nothing to do with advancing God’s work of love and mercy in the world. Pray!
Arohanui,
+Peter.