Our missionaries living Pentecost.



Over the last week, in our lectionary, we have remembered Maori who recognised Christ in their culture and took the gospel around Aotearoa, and particularly around our Diocese.[1] It began on Monday 13th when we commemorated Ihaia Te Ahu of Nga Puhi. We continued with a series of commemorations chosen from many Maori Christians as representative of the outstanding Maori witness that caused the gospel to be sown and to take root in Aotearoa.
Ihaia was one of the earliest Maori clergy. He went with Thomas Chapman of the Church Missionary Society to Rotorua and then to Maketu. On Chapman’s retirement in 1861 Ihaia was ordained, serving first in Maketu and then in 1882 becoming the first vicar of the Ohinemutu Pastorate. Ihaia’s godly, patient ministry in complex and challenging circumstances was very influential.
On Tuesday 14th we remembered Ngakuku, father of Tarore, and a Ngati Haua chief of the Waikato. He accompanied Archdeacon A.N. Brown on missionary journeys and was a missionary in his own right in the Bay of Plenty, Urewera, and East Coast areas. He was involved in pioneer work in the Opotiki area. After the tragic death of his daughter Tarore in a raid in 1836, he was able to forgive those who took her life and encouraged others to do likewise.
Wednesday 15th was the commemoration of Piripi Taumata-a-kura of Ngati Porou. In the early 1830s on his return from the north, Piripi introduced the gospel to his people in the East Cape. He taught and preached, using short prayers and hymns and referring to Bible texts written on scraps of paper. He successfully negotiated restraint based on Christian principles in an inter-tribal battle in 1836. He gained great mana among his people and eventually made the way possible for a missionary training team of nine young Maori from Paihia to carry on his work.
Te Wera, a Nga Puhi chief, was remembered on Thursday 16th. Te Wera settled at Mahia on the East Coast, creating peace with his former enemies there and providing a mantle of protection and solidarity throughout a large part of Ngati Kahungunu. Because of the peace and order he introduced, hospitality towards missionaries became possible. By the time of his death in 1839 an indigenous Maori Christian mission was growing within the kinship networks of the area.
On Friday May 17 we also commemorated Wiremu Te Tauri, Missionary in Wanganui, and on Saturday May 18th Te Rauparaha, son of Te Rauparaha and Missionary to Te Wai Pounamu.
At this Pentecost may we pray for the courage, strength and wisdom of these our tipuna in Te Haahi Mihinare, and so that we too can continue to join the Risen Christ in God’s mission.





[1] Most of the following is based on For All The Saints, A Resource for the Commemorations of the Calendar, revised edition. Edited by Ken Booth, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2005


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Simply Sent

They Were Not There at the Beginning

Youth Camp