Thankfulness, Hope and our Legacy

As we sit in this church, we are on the same land where so many faithful Christians have stood, have prayed, sung and ministered to one another for well over one hundred years. You know there’s something quite sobering in that thought. Down at the beach we look out and see the same almost timeless view of Rangitoto that our forebears did, and this can sometimes make us feel the weight of the years passing and maybe question the part that we are to play in this place.

We’ve just had another celebration of the incarnation or birth of our Lord Jesus, the Christmas season which was a wonderful time of remembrance of the goodness of God, who gave us His Son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace as our most precious gift. But as we start to think about taking down the decorations and the lights, as we look ahead to the new year of 2026, a challenging question lingers: Did our community see Christ’s love in us this past year?

It’s easy for us to put on a tag or a label, or just to say we’re Christian, we follow Christ. Yet, there’s a profound difference between a building with a cross on it, and a people of love that should operate within it, a people who should naturally allow a pure and sacrificial love to flow out into the community. So often, the life of the Christian is confined to a Sunday service which lasts for an hour at one’s local church, but scripture seems to indicate that our Christian journey should extend well beyond that. Maybe to our family engagements, to our recreational engagements, to our workplaces, to our clubs, even to our local café. In fact Christ’s love should be an ongoing and constant lived experience, each second of every day.

This Sunday we consider the words of the Prophet Isaiah from which our lectionary reading this week is taken. I think it provides us with a few wonderful nuggets to reflect on as we move from one year to the next. It helps to explore what it means to look back with thankfulness so that we can move forward with a hope that doesn't rely on our own strength. Take a moment to read our short passage from Isaiah 63:7-9, as you do so, think about what you’re thankful for this past year, and also think about your hopes for 2026.

May God bless you and may the word of God be a lamp unto your feet.

Josh