Rua - Day 2- Pōhutukawa
Te Taha Taiao - Ka Tangi Te Tītī - Alongside the natural world - the Tītī calls.
Rua - Rāhina 2 Hakihea - Pōhutukawa
Day 2 - Monday 2nd December - Pōhutukawa
He kaupapa mō te rā
Pōhutukawa
Known as the Aotearoa New Zealand Christmas tree, this tree flowers right on Christmas every year in Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island). The southern equivalent in Te Waipounamu (South Island) is the Rata tree. Pōhutukawa is also the name of one of the stars in the Matariki cluster and represents those who have passed away in the past year.
’Te huarahi ki Hawaiiki-A-Nui’ references the pathway by which our spirit travels to its final resting place. Known to Māori as Te Rerenga Wairua or the leaping place it is here that after death, all Māori spirits travel up the coast and over the wind-swept rock where the solitary pohutukawa tree stands. Descending into the underworld (reinga) by sliding down its root into the sea below, the spirits then travel underwater to the Three Kings Islands where they climb out onto Ohaua, the highest point of the islands. It is there that they bid their last farewell before returning to the land of their ancestors, Hawaiiki-A-Nui. ‘Kia koutou kua wheturangitia, haere koutou, haere, haere atu ra’. (To you our ancestors who have become as one with the stars, farewell to you all, farewell, farewell).
He Karaipiture (Bible Reading)
Hoani/John 1:3-5
Nāna ngā mea katoa i hanga; kāhore hoki tētahi mea i kore te hanga e ia o ngā mea i hangā. I a ia te ora; ko te ora te mārama mō ngā tāngata. I roto i te pōuri te mārama e whiti ana; heoi, kīhai i mau i te pōuri
Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
Whakarongo/Titiro Mai (Listen/Watch)
Ngā mea waihanga (Create)
These images were part of a blue Christmas event remembering those who have passed.
He Whakaaroaro (Reflect)
Christ-mas invites nostalgia and a yearning for times past. Previous Christmas experiences and happy times create memory markers for us as we engage with familiar movies, foods and customs each year. At Christ-mas we remember those who were once beside us are no longer with us. The past comes to meet us. For some of us grief, loss and loneliness may feel more at home with us this Christ-mas than any other emotion. Yet there is comfort in acknowledging that darkness was present at the first Christ-mas. We are not alone. The Light keeps shining in the darkness and through all of time.
Whakahokia mai (Respond)
Think of someone you’ve lost or are currently separated from. Give your thoughts to God in a silent prayer.
Karakia (Pray)
E te Ariki, e Īhu Karaiti,
nā tāu Āpōtoro tapu nei te whakahau
kia kaua e whakarite ki te hunga tūmanako-kore
te pōuri mō te hunga e moe ana i roto i a koe;
e īnoi atu ana mātou ki a koe
kia āwhinatia e koe i runga i te aroha,
te hunga e tangi ana mō te hunga kua mate,
mukua atu ngā roimata katoa i ō rātou kanohi:
tēnā koe te ora nei, te kīngi tahi nei
me te Matua, me te Wairua Tapu,
kotahi anō Atua ā ake tonu atu. Āmine.
Lord Jesus Christ,
by your holy apostle you have taught us
that our sorrow should not be without hope
for the dead that rest with you;
visit with your compassion
those who mourn the loss of their loved ones,
and wipe away all tears from their eyes;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(ANZPB - Te Hahi Mihingare, p874, Oct 2024)
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