Around 2,000 years ago there was a teacher who told his disciples that he had a new commandment for them.

“You should love one another”, he said, “in the same way as I have loved you.”

Most of us would welcome that idea. It evokes a sense that we could be fair, and just, and kind to each other, and even have compassion for one another.

It sounds good.

But if we know the story, then we know that what this teacher had in mind was far more than just a lovely sentiment. His proposition was radical, and revolutionary, and dangerous.

The teacher gave his new commandment during what would be his last supper with his disciples. He had lived and travelled and taught with them for many months. Through him they had seen lives changed, people healed and restored, and the miraculous happen. He had shown them what love looks like when it moves beyond being just an idea and becomes the real work of standing with the suffering, the marginalised, and the oppressed, liberating them from injustice, and setting them free.

But of course, the teacher’s work upset the oppressors. To them, a love that liberated the poor and the despised became a challenge to their privilege and power. A challenge too dangerous for them to ignore.

The teacher knew the danger but continued to care, and show compassion and kindness, and love others anyway. He inspired his people to do the same.

And so it was that the rulers of that time sought to end his life with a terrifying act of hate. They arrested and killed the teacher by hanging him on a cross.

When we consider what is happening in our world today, it seems that not much has changed since the time of the teacher. People are being marginalised and oppressed all over the world. Rulers are waging war and killing innocent men, women, and children. Minorities and immigrants are being vilified and oppressed. Communities face systemic and structural disadvantages that keep them poor and desperate, while the rich grow ever more rich and powerful. These times feel very dark indeed for many people.

In times like these, just like in the time of the teacher, love and compassion for others is not just a nice sentiment. In the face of hatred, love is a radical response. Under the threat of Empire, love is a revolutionary act. In a world reeling from war, love is the only hope for healing, and for lasting peace.

We who are the peoples and the communities of the world must love one another, because we know what happens when we don’t.

The story of Easter is the story of the teacher, the one we know as Jesus Christ. His story teaches us that love is stronger than hate. Hate kills. Love resurrects and brings new life.

Let us pray for the world, and especially for displaced immigrants, oppressed minorities, and those faced with unimaginable suffering in war-torn places like Gaza, the Ukraine, and the Middle East. Let us pray for our own communities suffering in the despair of a cost-of-living crisis, in unsettled homes and families, and for those in grief, pain, and need.

Let us pray for peace in a troubled world. But more importantly, let us pray for the courage and the strength to love like Jesus loved – in a real, radical, and revolutionary way. Let us love others despite difference, reject hate, and show compassion instead.

Let love lead. Because everything else fails.

Yours in Christ,

Archbishop Don Tamihere

Archbishop Sione Ulu’ilakepa

Archbishop Justin Duckworth

The post Primatial Easter Message: What Happens When Love Leads Us? appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

The shifting objectives of the February 28, 2026, strike on Iran, conducted while peace talks were still in progress, alongside the tragic loss of over 150 girls at Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, raise serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law. This escalation risks igniting a long-term conflict that could involve more Gulf states, further compounding the devastation seen in Palestine and Israel over the past two years.

The toll of this conflict is staggering: over 1,000 lives lost in Lebanon, more than 1,300 in Iran, and dozens of Israelis and Americans. Up to 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran, and over 1 million in Lebanon. Alarmingly, many of these refugees have faced further targeting in subsequent strikes after losing their homes and loved ones.

In these times, we must remember that Christ is present in the families who once gathered for supper and now seek refuge. He is found in the children who were learning in classrooms but now live in fear. He is with those observing Lent, those coming to the close of Ramadan, and those preparing for Pesach, reminding us of our shared life as children of God.

In unity with the calls of Archbishop Hosam Naoum and the Multireligious Council of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):

Let us pray for the protection of the innocent, including mothers, children, and the elderly of all faiths. We seek divine wisdom for leaders in the United States, Iran, and Israel. May peace negotiators find the courage to foster dialogue that nurtures safety and understanding. Embracing the love and clarity of Te Wairua Tapu, we strive to extend compassion universally. The Church must stand as a beacon of reconciliation; its doors open to dialogue among all faiths.

We lift our hearts in fervent prayer for Archbishop Hosam Naoum and all those who faithfully minister within the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

“Ā mā te mārie o te Atua, e kore nei e taea te whakaaro, e tiaki o koutou ngākau, o koutou hinengaro, i roto i a Karaiti Ihu.”

Yours in Christ,

Archbishop Don Tamihere, Archbishop Sione Ulu’ilakepa, Archbishop Justin Duckworth

The post A Statement on the Middle Eastern Conflict: An Appeal for Peace appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

Kua tohungia he hēpara hou e te hāhi o Ingarangi. Ka whai korōria, hōnore, hareruia a Ihowa i āna manaakitanga ki tōnā hāhi ki runga i te whenua. He Ātipīhopa o Canterbury anō kua ara hei ārahi i te hāhi o Ingarangi ki tua o te ao Karaitiana. Ka pūmautia tonutia ngā rītenga me ngā tikanga o te hāhi o te Atua ki runga ki a tātau ki te whenua anō hoki.

I runga i te wairua kotahi ka whakawhetai tātau te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa, ki Niu Tīreni, ki ngā moutere o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ki tēnei rongo pai kua tau iho ki te whatumanawa.

E Ihowa, ko wai e tomo ki tōu whare tapu? Ko wai hoki e piki ki tōu maunga tapu?

Waiata 15:2

We celebrate and unequivocally support the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE as the 106^th Archbishop-designate of Canterbury.

Throughout her vocation, she has led through care and servanthood, serving as Chief Nursing Officer for England while also living out her call to ordained ministry, a path marked by deep integrity.

Honoured as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her service to nursing and midwifery, she has also redrawn the map of possibility within the Church of England. She became the first woman to lead an ordination service, the first to serve as Bishop of London, and now stands as the first Archbishop-designate of Canterbury. Each step in her calling is both her achievement and a sign of God at work, breaking barriers and empowering women in faith.

All through scripture, in every generation, there is significant and crucial female leadership. This is nothing new to us. The call of God upon women has always been present and powerful, and to ignore it is to misrepresent the truth of our faith.

In the Book of Judges, Deborah’s story reads like a timeless pattern, a reminder that God’s leaders rise not through power or privilege but through faithfulness and wisdom, bringing with them the possibility of justice and freedom.

We saw this embodied in Bishop Penelope Jamieson, the first female diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion from our province, remembered for her fierce commitment to social justice and her unrelenting push for women’s ordination.

“I am delighted that the church has had both the discernment and the courage to recognise in Bishop Sarah the giftings we need in our next Archbishop of Canterbury, and appoint her,” says Bishop Anne van Gend from the Diocese of Dunedin.

“She is someone of deep faith and broad experience of people, and will be a wise and compassionate leader. It is not just wonderful for women that she has been given this role, but for all of us.”

We mark this milestone through our shared whakapapa with the See of Canterbury, the first Anglican diocese and a steady instrument of the Communion. The office carries immense weight, and so we hold Bishop Sarah in a hope that leans forward, expectant, into history.

We take a moment, too, to thank the Crown Nominations Commission, the body that poured hours into prayerful discernment, listening for the will of God in shaping leadership for Anglicans across the globe. Among them was our own Reverend Canon Isaac Beach of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Tairāwhiti, honoured to lend his voice to that worldwide process.

Please join us in holding Bishop Sarah in our prayers as she moves through this threshold season of her appointment.

Together in Christ’s love and service,

Archbishop Don Tamihere

Archbishop Sione Ulu’ilakepa

Archbishop Justin Duckworth

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Israel and Palestine conflict has reached a grave tipping point, with famine now gripping Gaza. As Christians, we are called to act with moral clarity, to uphold the mana and tapu of every life, and to press for change that ensures food and medicine reach those in need, while urging all those with power to pursue peace for the region.

Over a hundred organisations plead[1]: let lifesaving aid into Gaza. More than half a million-face famine, one in three go days without food, twelve thousand children were malnourished in July, and food prices have risen eightyfold. Without action to end Israel’s restriction of aid into Gaza, which international law requires to flow, mass starvation is certain.

All are suffering on both sides of this conflict. As the anniversary of 7 October 2023 draws near, the present injustice must be seen in the light of a much longer history of fear, trauma, and violence.

We deplore this inhumanity and cry out for the vulnerable and the oppressed. Each day, innocent people carry a burden they did not choose, yet they too are embraced within God’s love and deserving of justice and peace.

We call on Israel to let urgent aid into Gaza and to agree to a ceasefire. We also call on Hamas to release the 20 remaining Israeli hostages, taken during the October 2023 attack, to return them swiftly to their loved ones in Israel, and to agree to a ceasefire. Both must act with urgency to uphold the dignity of every human life.

As Anglicans, we are known for our openness and thoughtfulness, and we commit ourselves to listening, learning, and honouring the diverse and complex experiences and perspectives of the region.

Our immediate calls to action are two-fold:

For the government of Aotearoa New Zealand

We pray that more of our MPs will have the moral courage to speak out for justice in the knowledge that to do so is not to express a partisan point of view but is an expression of care for our common humanity.

We urge our government to use all the diplomatic mechanisms at its disposal to call for:

• The immediate unconditional, safe, protected and ongoing entry of aid – food, water and medical supplies – into occupied areas
• The return of all hostages
• The cessation of illegal settlement in Occupied Palestinian Territories
• An immediate and long-lasting ceasefire of all hostilities
• The creation of a two-state solution to effect lasting peace for the region
• The unimpeded support for international accountability mechanisms to conduct independent investigations into all war crimes and crimes against humanity.

For Christians in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia

• Will you fast and pray? We ask for your continued and fervent prayer for this situation.
• Will you inform yourselves? We commend to you the work of Archbishop Hosam Nouam, the Archbishop of Jerusalem, in providing a Christian perspective on the conflict.
• Will you do everything you can as best aligns with your faith to exercise your democratic right? We know not everyone shares the same opinion, but however you stand, one of the simplest ways you can express your voice is to write to your local MP. They are your elected representative.
• Will you support with your resources? Please continue to support humanitarian aid appeals.[2]

In our last statement, we used the words of Psalm 130. We reiterate these again now, asking God to be present in his mercy. We pray them over the peoples of the Holy Land and over all those in power to bring peace, and over the violence in our own hearts:

‘Out of the depths I cry to you O Lord; hear my voice. O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading.’ 

In Christ

++Don Tamihere, ++Sione Ulu’ilakepa, ++Justin Duckworth

[1] https://www.oxfam.org.nz/news-media/media-releases/more-than-100-organisations-are-sounding-the-alarm-to-allow-lifesaving-aid-into-gaza/

[2] Such as Anglican Missions Hope for the Holy Land Appeal: anglicanmissions.org.nz/humanitarian-emergencies/holy-land/

The post Archbishops’ Statement Regarding the Holy Land appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

This morning, that call feels more urgent than ever. In Gaza, the Holy Family Church and the only Catholic church in the region, was struck by a tank shell. Three lives were lost. Several others were wounded, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.

This comes in the same week as the killing of Dr Ahmad Qandil, a dedicated surgeon at Al Ahli Anglican Hospital. This is the eighth time Al Ahli’s staff or facilities have been hit.

So today, we stand in solidarity. We mourn with our Catholic brothers and sisters. We remember the more than 1,500 healthcare workers who have died since the conflict began, and the countless lives lost in both Palestine and Israel.

In the midst of this devastation, Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem reminds us that faith can endure, even through suffering.

Speaking recently at the Church of England’s General Synod, he painted a sobering picture:
“Medical supplies are in short supply. The food distribution system is horrifying, with three sites open one hour a day for two million people. It looks to me like the Hunger Games.”

He was clear about what is needed: “Advocacy is urgently needed for Israel’s adherence to the Geneva Conventions, as its current practices are unacceptable.” He called for “no bombing of hospitals, lifting of the siege, restoration of humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, under UN supervision, no targeting of civilians, especially emergency workers and medical staff and the release of all hostages and captives.”

We invite you to join us in prayer, in advocacy, in generosity. Speak to your local Member of Parliament. Support Anglican Missions appeals. And let us, together, be a people who choose compassion, justice and love in the face of suffering.

May we all follow the path of God’s eternal love.

The Most Reverend Dr Don Tamihere

The Most Reverend Sione Ulu’ilakepa

The Most Reverend Justin Duckworth

The post Primatial Statement of Solidarity on Gaza Church Stike appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

ka pērā me tāu i kōrero ai.

Ka kite nei hoki ōku kanohi i tāu whakaoranga.

Ka whakatakotoria nei e koe ki te aroaro o ngā iwi katoa,

Hei whakamārama e kite ai ngā tauiwi,

hei korōria hoki mō tāu iwi, mō Īharaira. – Ruka 2:29-32

E te Pā Tapu, e te Paranihi, e te pononga o ngā pononga ā te Atua, e te Kaihao he kahu mā te hīpoki, e te kaiwhakaatu i te tūmanako, haere, haere, haere! Hoki atu rā ki te kāenga o tō Matua. I a koe ka uru atu nei ki te hari a te Ariki, ki tōna korōria mutungakore, waiho mā te aroha o te Atua me te atawhai o te Karaiti me te mana o te Wairua Tapu koe e tieki, e manaaki, āianei, ā āke ake ake.

We extend our deepest condolences to the Catholic bishops, and to their sisters and brothers throughout the church as they mourn the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis on Easter Monday.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American and the first non-European Pope in over a thousand years, brought a fresh and inspiring voice that resonated across the world.

He invited us all into brave, grace-filled conversations about the pain of war, the struggles of identity, the injustice on those least responsible for climate change, and the deep wounds of abuse. He called us to respond with faith and compassion. That legacy will endure.

Archbishops Don Tamihere and Sione Ulu’ilakepa met Pope Francis in 2024 alongside fellow Primates of the Anglican Communion. He was a humble, gracious leader who spoke with deep care for the Pacific, and who urged Christian leaders to make peace real in the world.

Archbishop Emeritus David Moxon, former Anglican representative to the Holy See, reflects: “Pope Francis was a Pope for his time, a shepherd for our time. He wanted the church to shape its life ever more on the priorities of Jesus in every way it could. This meant a radical humility and simplicity, a heartfelt love for humanity and the quest for freedom from the shackles of oppression. He also reached out to other denominations with genuine reconciliatory love. These are the ways of Christian discipleship today. They are also the ways in which the church is always challenged to reform itself.”

We give thanks for the life and witness of Pope Francis, now held in the closer embrace of God. His example continues to shape us, and his legacy will speak to every season of the Church.

++Don Tamihere

++Sione Ulu’ilakepa

++Justin Duckworth

Read Archbishop Don Tamihere’s personal reflection here.               

Read Archbishop Sione Ulu’ilakepa’s personal reflection here

The post Primatial Statement of Condolence on the Passing of Pope Francis appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

Ka mea a Ihu ki a ia, Ko ahau te aranga, me te ora: ko te tangata e whakapono ana ki ahau, ahakoa kua mate ia, e ora ano ia. – Hoani 11:25

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā motu nohonohoanga tāngata o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Ihowa o ngā mano to tātou kaha, to tātou oranga. Ko Ia hoki tō tātou piringa. Tangi tonu ki ngā mate huhua i hinga mai nei, i hinga atu ra. E te Pīhopa Dr. ‘Afa Vaka, koutou te hunga mate, haere atu ra. Whakawhiti atu ki te rangatiratanga o te Runga Rawa. Ka mihi atu ki a koutou te hunga ora i roto i te mana i ara ake ai te Karaiti i te mate. Kia hari, kia koa i tēnei Aranga rua mano, rua tekau ma rima.

This Easter, Archbishop Don Tamihere, Archbishop Sione Ulu’ilakepa and Archbishop Justin Duckworth offer reflections shaped by the sacred narrative of the resurrection, as it is lived and honoured within their own contexts.

The Most Reverend Dr Don Tamihere of Tikanga Māori

Through Christ’s resurrection we are given something extraordinary, a peace born not of ease or comfort, but of forgiveness. A peace that comes when we are brought back into closeness with God, and with one another.

In the sacred rhythms of our Tikanga Māori church, many of us will be gathering for unveilings, baptisms, weddings, whānau reunions, and services. When we do, we’re doing more than marking a moment. New journeys are beginning. We’re recognising that through ups and downs, joys and grief, life continues. That through memory and love, we are still connected. And in that sacred space between loss and renewal, we catch a glimpse of something eternal. That is resurrection. That is Easter.

People are rising into new life, not just in name, but in purpose. And just as Christ rose from the Holy Sepulchre, we too are called to rise into a life of aroha, of rongo, of hari. A life of deep love, of justice, of true peace. That’s Te Oranga Ake. That’s what God hopes for each of us.

This Easter, I’ll be with my beloved wife Kisa and our daughters, and later joining Bishop Ngarahu Katene and Koka Kamana as the Bishop leads his final Sunday service, finishing with grace. Wherever you are this Easter, may the light of God fill your heart and remind you that light always rises. May you live a resurrected life.

The Most Reverend Sione Ulu’ilakepa of Tikanga Pasefika

We give thanks for the spirit of faith and renewal that continues to move across the Pacific. Just a few days ago, clergy from across Fiji’s Archdeaconries and Episcopal Units came together to renew their priestly vows. A reminder of the commitment we make, again and again, to serve God and one another.

Easter will be spent alongside a parish walking through a difficult time. In moments like these, the simple act of showing up, of being together, can be an expression of love, faith, and healing.

Across our Diocese, from the shores of Tonga to the villages of Samoa, young people are gathering for Easter camps. In Fiji, ecumenical youth rallies are bringing together Christians from all walks of life, worshipping, learning, and lifting one another up. In these spaces, young people are asking big questions, finding courage, and building unity across communities.

In all of this, we see the power of resurrection, not just as a story from long ago, but as a truth unfolding here and now. Jesus’ promise in John 11:25 is not just for the end of the story. It’s for every moment we choose to live with love, to walk with hope, to rise again after hardship. That’s what this season is all about. Fa’afetai, vinaka vakalevu, malo ‘aupito, bohut dhanyavaad and Easter blessings to all.

The Most Reverend Justin Duckworth of Tikanga Pākehā

This Easter unfolds across three very different spaces, each one telling the same powerful story in its own way. It begins at Castlecliff with a local church gathering on Good Friday, continues to Waikanae to join more than 300 young people at Youth Easter Camp, and finishes on Easter morning at Wellington Cathedral, right in the heart of the city, next to Parliament.

What stands out is the diversity of these contexts, yet they all proclaim the same Easter story of Christ’s death and resurrection. From youth campfires to cathedral liturgies, the story is retold in language and imagery that speaks to each community. It is a reminder of being part of a global church, a story told for nearly 2,000 years and still unfolding. There is beauty in how each place adds its own voice to this shared Gospel.

In a world that can feel chaotic and led by power-driven leadership, Easter cuts through with a radically different message: a God who empties himself in love, whose power is shown in humility and grace. This story of redemption, of death overcome by life, could not be more relevant today. While some may claim to declare their own version of “Liberation Day,” Easter has always been, and will always be, the true day of liberation.

In my sermon this Easter Sunday, I will focus on the women at the tomb who became the first witnesses of the resurrection. Their role as the first voices to proclaim the risen Christ is a powerful reminder that the good news will always uplift and amplify those whose voices are marginalised. Happy Easter – the risen Christ reminds us that every voice matters, and the good news is for us all.

E te iwi nui tonu, kawea te rongomau ki te ao, ruiruia ki te tini, ki te mano i runga i te aroha, he mea paiheretia na te rangimarie. Noho ora mai i raro i te maru o te Atua Matua, Atua Tama, Atua Wairua Tapu.

++Don Tamihere                 ++Sione Ulu’ilakepa                 ++Justin Duckworth

The post Primatial Announcement: The Archbishops’ 2025 Easter Message appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

“Ka hari te hunga ka whakatūtū i te rangimārie: ka huaina hoki rātou he tamariki nā te Atua.” – Matiu 5:9

We strongly denounce the missile attacks on the Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, carried out in the early hours of Palm Sunday, 13 April 2025.

Run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, this hospital has long stood as a place of refuge, healing and hope — and was the last fully operational hospital in Gaza City.

We are deeply relieved that, despite the scale of destruction, no lives were lost in the blast itself.

On 13 April 2025, our friends in the Diocese of Jerusalem reported that the hospital was given just 20 minutes’ notice from the Israeli army to evacuate the premises. Tragically, a young girl who was a patient lost her life in the chaos of the rushed evacuation.

Some patients, still confined to their hospital beds, were forced to flee into the night with nowhere to turn at 2am. Several suffered serious injuries, with some experiencing reopened wounds from the blast.

The impact of the strike was severe. The hospital’s two-storey laboratory was destroyed. The Pharmacy, Emergency Department, and the on-site St Philip’s Church have also suffered serious damage.

Our province has long supported health and care in Gaza. That work continues. We invite you to stand with us in prayer, solidarity, and action-donate to the Christian World Service ‘Gaza Palestine Emergency Appeal’ and the Anglican Missions’ ‘Hope for the Holy Land Appeal’.

We stand with the Diocese of Jerusalem and “call upon all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop all kinds of attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions. We pray and call for the end of this horrific war and suffering of so many.”

++Don Tamihere                 ++Sione Ulu’ilakepa                    ++Justin Duckworth

The post Primatial Statement of Solidarity Following the Strike on the Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital, Gaza appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

(Ihaia 52:7)

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news!” (Isaiah 52:7)

As Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia we give thanks for the cessation of war promised by the ceasefire agreed between the Government of Israel and Hamas to commence on Sunday 19 January 2025.

We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and echo their call for a just and lasting peace that upholds the dignity and integrity of all and aligns with international humanitarian law.

We give thanks for the Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoan Governments’ calls for ceasefire and the New Zealand Government’s call for access into Gaza for humanitarian aid.

We reaffirm the call from the Governments of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries urging the ceasefire parties to meet the agreement’s terms in good faith, in the context of a commitment to longer term peace.

In a ceasefire statement from the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East on Sunday 19 January, the Anglican Church in the Holy Land has called for worldwide support for the peace process.

“We appeal to fellow Christians and all those of goodwill to continue to advocate and pray not only for the adoption of the full agreement, but also for the region’s leaders and people to invest as much of their political and financial capital towards peacebuilding, as they tragically have in waging warfare over these past many months and in the decades proceeding.”

Alongside the church in the Holy Land we especially highlight the need for political vigilance, sustained advocacy and prayer to uphold:

• Israel agreement to end its blockade of water, electricity and essential amenities supply to Gaza, to reduce harm to its civilian populations
• All parties in Gaza to facilitate humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and reach its population in dire need after fifteen months of deprivation, bombardment and grief
• The release of the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza and the release of the 1000s of political prisoners held captive in Israel’s jails, so that they all may be returned to their families’ embrace
• All parties in Gaza work to ensure people displaced from Northern Gaza are able to safely return to the site of their former homes

We encourage all governments in Oceania to increase their human and financial contribution to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, including critical humanitarian infrastructure and the work of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies. We call on our governments to provide emergency immigration pathways for family members of Palestinian residents of our countries.

We commit to continuing our Church’s support for Middle East churches’ humanitarian work in the Holy Land through the Christian World Service Middle East Emergency Appeal and the Anglican Missions’ Hope for the Holy Land Appeal, which directs funds to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem’s Al Ahli Hospital in Northern Gaza and its work in communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Of the hospital’s work the Episcopal Diocese in Jerusalem writes:

“At this time we would like to commend the courageous staff and volunteers of our Ahli Arab Hospital and its clinics in Gaza, who have endured unbearable hardships in extending Christ’s healing ministry the thousands of wounded patients they have treated throughout the course of the war. They are the true heroes of this disastrous chapter in our region’s history.”

“In the weeks and months ahead, there will be more opportunities to contribute towards expanding the work of our hospital in order to meet the increasingly desperate needs of the battered Gazan community in the face of a largely demolished healthcare system.”

Finally we urge Anglican whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia to continue to pray and advocate for peace in the Holy Land and to support the aid appeals above.

++Don Tamihere                              ++Justin Duckworth                          ++Sione Ulu’ilakepa

The post The Archbishops’ Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire appeared first on Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

“स्वर्गमें परमेश्वर की जय हो और धरती पर उन लोगों को शांति मिले जिनसे वह प्रसन्न है।”

“Ko e kolōlia ki he ‘Otua ‘i langi taupotu, pea ko e melino ki māmani, ki he kakai kuo hōifua ki ai.

“O le viiga i le Atua i mea aupitoaluga; ma le manuia i le lalolagi; o le finagalo alofa i tagata.

“Kia whai korōria te Atua i runga rawa, kia mau te rongo ki runga ki te whenua, me te whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata.

“Glory to God in the highest, peace to all the earth, and goodwill toward all people!”

Luke 2:14, The song of the angels.

At the heart of the story of the birth of Jesus lies a simple message. That message is hope.

Hope is often misunderstood. Some think of it as mere optimism, or luck, or wishful thinking. We say “we hope so” when really, we have no idea if things will work out at all.

That’s not the kind of hope that we see in this story.

The birth of Jesus was an answer to prayer, but not the whole answer immediately. Jesus was not born an adult Saviour. He was born a helpless child. Jesus was an infant that needed to be fed and clothed, and nurtured and raised.

God showed them what hope was all about: the people prayed for a mighty tree, and God replied by giving them a tiny seed.

Hope, real hope, is about taking what blessings you have today and growing them. It takes courage to hope, because hope requires action. It requires us to stand up for what we hope for, and to do the work to make it real.

Hope looks towards tomorrow. The birth of Jesus, like the birth of any of our beloved children, had the profound effect of reorienting his whānau and his people towards the future. His birth reminded them that they had a future.

Hope changes the way we think. When we hope we believe.

This year, in Aotearoa New Zealand, Oceania, and around the world, we see what others call ‘the lethal absence of hope.’ We see war and genocide, storm and famine, and people suffering on a scale like never before.

We need hope now more than ever.

We can find that hope in the story of Jesus and in each other. We find hope when we love our neighbour, to stand up for justice and for what is right, and to remind each other that tomorrow is worth fighting for.

We hīkoi to Parliament because we hope. We stand up for Te Tiriti and all that it promises to be, because we hope. We give to our neighbours in their time of need because we hope.

We hope for a world where culture and diversity are honoured, where women and children are safe, where human lives are held sacred, and minorities are protected and uplifted. As stewards of God’s creation, we hope for a world that cares more for this gift God has given to us: our world.

We speak out against war crimes in the Ukraine, in Gaza, and elsewhere in the world, because we hope. We hope for peace, and for a world where war will be waged no more.

We have much more work to do.

This Christmas season we pray that you will find the hope that you and your whānau need. More than that, we pray that like the Christ-child you can help turn the faces of your whānau and community towards a better world and a better future. We pray that you inspire hope in each other. We pray that you could even be the hope that your neighbours need.

Kia tau te ia o te wā Kirihimete ki a koutou. May the blessings of Christmas be made real in your lives.

++Don      ++Justin     ++Sione

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