What to expect in each daily email
Counting Down to Christ-mas - Te Taha Taiao - Ka Tangi Te Tītī
‘He kaupapa mō te rā’ - The kaupapa for the day
Each day throughout Counting Down to Christ-mas we’ll follow a similar pattern. Here’s a taste of what you can expect on our journey accompanied by some explanatory notes. The explanatory notes are in italics.
Our countdown image each day will be photos of the flowering pōhutukawa, also known as the New Zealand Christmas Tree because it flowers during the Advent and Christmas season. If you have photos of pōhutukawa or rata we’d welcome you sharing them with us.
He kaupapa mō te rā (The kaupapa for the day)
We begin each day with ‘He kaupapa mō te rā’ - The kaupapa for the day. Where are we going today? We’ll introduce a word for the day. Sometimes this might be accompanied by a video. Our sample day is based on the word ‘kaitiaki’.
Kaitiaki
In Kenehi (Genesis) we learn of the creation of all living things. Embedded in that is the marvel that all humans are instructed to responsibly be kaitiaki (carers). It is within that paradigm of each lifetime that we are to equally share in the mauri (life-force) of God’s abundantly created order.
He Karaipiture (Bible Reading)
Our Bible Reading will include a short excerpt from both the Good News Bible (American Bible Society and Paipera Tapu - 2024 Bible Society NZ. Download the Te Paipera Tapu app on your smartphone or tablet to read the daily Bible reading in both languages. It offers the Good News Bible as one of the English language comparison options. App is available from both Google and Apple. You can also access the website
Our countdown journey will start with the book of Kenehi (Genesis) and then we’ll head to the Gospels of John, Matthew & Luke.
Kenehi/Genesis 2:15
Nā, ka tango a Ihowā, te Atua, i te tangata, ā, whakanohoia ana e ia ki te kāri o Erene, hei ngaki, hei tiaki hoki i reira
Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.
Whakarongo/Titiro Mai (Listen/Watch)
We’ll include a video each day. Some of these have been made for other resources and we’re repurposing these for our needs.
We’re to have some days with videos provided by a speaker of te reo (with a mixture of reo and english). The vibe of these videos is an invitation to draw closer, as if the speaker has just popped into the listener's living room for a friendly korero. This sample video uses a different word to ‘kaitiaki’ but where possible we’ll match the video to the word of the day.
If you have the skills and would like to help out in this way we’d love to have your involvement. Contact us or read this post explaining what is required.
Ngā mea waihanga (Create)
Each day we’ll showcase a creative idea subscribers can use to decorate for Christ-mas. Photos will provide inspiration and there’ll be a short written piece about the artwork.
Next time you’re walking on the beach or in the ngahere (forest) look around for what has been shed by the natural cycle of creation. Here we have pieces of bark fallen from the gum trees that line the Panmure basin. During lock-down we walked everywhere where the rakau (trees) continued to thrive. It is their generous gift of free canvasses that we painted then hung on Christ-mas trees. “Koia anō te aroha o te Atua ki te ao…” (for God so loved the world…).
He Whakaaroaro (Reflect)
A few sentences pull together the theme for the day and the wider themes of creation, restoration, sustainability and renewal.
Christ-mas can’t be reduced to simply a time to have a party, to gather with family and friends, to buying and receiving gifts. Christ-mas isn’t only a cultural festival or an acknowledgment of a 2000 year old event. As we count down to Christmas in 2024, we celebrate the birth of Christ, Emmanuel God-With-Us, in our own lives in the present day. This is real. This is now. This is God breathing into every aspect of who we are individually and together and how we each navigate our world. We have the responsibility and privilege to care for God’s creation and to live out our faith filled lives as kaitiaki. Within the festival of Christ-mas, being kaitiaki influences our decisions about how we decorate, how we feast and how we celebrate. Even bigger than the few weeks ahead of this annual festival, is an ongoing call to let our faith inspire us to interact, engage and respond to the breadth and depth of God’s creation. Advent is a journey that moves us forward and requires something from us. It’s a journey of preparation and openness to hearing from God and to taking action.
Whakahokia mai (Respond)
Each day a simple suggestion for a response will be offered. This is an opportunity to take action as a result of the kaupapa mō te rā
Write down a few ideas you might have on how you could celebrate this Christ-mas as kaitiaki, caring for God’s creation and celebrating in a way that inspires renewal and hope.
Karakia (Prayer)
We end each day with a karakia, a prayer offered in two languages.
E te Kaihanga,
tuia te rangi e tū nei,
tuia te papa ki raro,
tuia te moana e takoto nei.
Tuia ki roto ki te katoa o tēnei ao
ki te here e kore e taea te wewete.
Tuia ki te whakaaro pai,
tuia ki te whakaaro nui,
tuia ki te whakaaro hohonu,
kia ū tonu ai mātou ki a koe
te mana, te tapu, te ihi, te wehi. Amīne
(penned by Pīhopa Ben Te Haara - 2000)
Creator,
Bind us to the sky
Bind us to the earth
Bind us to the sea.
Bind us to all of the world
So that we do not unravel.
Let us sew good thoughts
great thoughts
and profound thoughts,
we are ever fixed on you
authority, sacred, power, and awe. Amen