Abiding

There are so many themes at play this week. On Thursday we coffered a place for our city to commemorate the battle that paved the way for the founding of Tauranga town. A dark and sad story. Amid the violence are moments of compassion that arose out of the deep wells of faith within people like Henare Wiremu Taratoa, Heni Te Kiri Karamu and Rawiri Puhirake.

In our gospel reading (John 15:1-8) Jesus comforts his shocked disciples (this is part of his farewell speech) by using the image of the vine to invite them to “abide in me as I abide in you.” (John 15:4). To abide is to have a place where you are deeply at home. Henare, Heni and Rawiri offer examples of people who were deeply at home in God’s compassion, generosity, and life. They help us see how Jesus’ use of the vine offers an image of divine life welling up from beneath and within pouring out in their courageous act of offering water. Their fear and hate had been pruned allowing them to act in ways that changed the story. I wonder in what ways do we seek to abide in love that we might act in such life giving ways?

Today is also Mother’s Day. A day to remember and for many of us to given thanks for our mothers and for the important role they played in our lives. For too many this is not a day of celebration. Let us also hold all for whom this Mother’s Day is a day of mourning and grief, a day of regret and sadness, and day anger and betrayal.