Hori Tapu and Turning 55



This Sunday we will mark the 55th anniversary of leaving our home of Holy Trinity Tauranga and becoming a parish in our own right. There are some quest speakers telling us stories of our past, including Archbishop David Moxon. So there will be no sermon notes. Below is the theme from our pew sheet.

Today we celebrate Saint George, Hori Tapu; patron saint of Palestinians, Georgia, Portugal and England. We fly his flag which England colonized, to honour his story. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition he is named among the great martyrs for his courage and death standing against the Imperial order to sacrifice to the emperor and to execute all those who refused to do so. There is a Muslim saying applied to George that says “The righteous act is to confront the tyrant”. Today we stand in that tradition.
Today we will spend some time telling some of the stories of our life as a parish since 1962. As you listen to the readings and the stories, and as you tell your own stories, listen for the presence of God. Who is the God revealed in these stories? Take time to recognise who this God invites us to be as we look to the challenges facing our communities today. As we stand in the tradition of St. George, what is ours to do today?

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