2 February 2025
Bible readings for today
Liturgical colour: WHITE |
CollectE te Matua ora tonu,
i tāpaea nei tāu Tama, a Īhu Karaiti, i te temepara i a ia e tamariki ana, hei tūmanakotanga mō tāu iwi; Hōmai he ngākau mā, he hinengaro mā ki a mātou, Kia whakaahuatia kētia mātou ki tōna āhua, ko ia e ora ana, e kīngi tahi ana me koe me te Wairua Tapu, kotahi anō Atua, ināianei, ā, mō ake tonu atu. Āmine. Everliving God, your Son Jesus Christ was presented as a child in the temple to be the hope of your people; grant us pure hearts and minds that we may be transformed into his likeness, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever. Amen. |
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Back to schoolAs our kids head back to school at the start of the academic year, we want to ensure they know they are supported by their local church whānau. Head to our Strandz website for great ideas and resources to help you pray for your students and teachers, giving them the best start to the school year. Small things really can make a big difference.
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Jesus Presented in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40)
When Joseph and Mary took their infant Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him to God, they met Simeon and Anna—two senior adults who knew who Jesus really was. They rejoiced in seeing Jesus and in what He would accomplish in and for God’s kingdom.
Leaders InputThe Call to Dream
A reflection from John van de Laar, from Sacredise "There are so many reasons not to dream. There are so many people who will tell you that dreams are for children, that we should get our heads out of the clouds, accept how things are, and do the best we can. Maybe you have those voices in your own head telling you to grow up, stop being stupid, and get real. It’s true, some dreams are futile, or childish, or selfish. But just because we sometimes dream inadequate dreams doesn’t mean that we should give up dreaming altogether. In fact, even if we tried, we couldn’t do it – we are hard-wired as human beings to dream – to long for more, for better, for a future which is abundant, and joyful, and peaceful, and meaningful and whole. How many of you made New Year’s resolutions..." continue here >> |
(Almost) Everybody Sang!
A reflection from Gary Neal Hansen "On the First Sunday after Christmas, the Lectionary offers us the text known as “The Presentation of Jesus.” It’s Luke 2:22-40 and comes in four distinct scenes. The Presentation The scene is set for the Presentation with references to the Holy Family and the law of God. We tend to picture just three people: Mary, Jesus, and Joseph. Tradition has Joseph older, a widower, with children from his first marriage who will, in the Gospels, be called Jesus’ siblings. The number is not so important. The text emphasizes their Jewish faithfulness. With no fewer than three references to the requirements of the law, they are shown coming to the temple, ready to observe the rites of purification. It is easy to forget their Jewishness somehow. But this Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, born to a Jewish family in a Jewish land, practicing the Jewish religion. That’s our savior..." Continue here >> Gospel Conversations 2025: This week the team is looking at the story of Mary and Joseph and Jesus coming to the temple and being greeted by Simeon and Anna with prophetic outcries and rejoicing. What a lovely way to begin our recordings again, especially in a world which continues to ache and fear at all that is happening within it.
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Kids Talks
Why was Jesus presented in the temple?Has anyone been at church recently when there was a baptism? One of the important parts of a baptism in our church is when the priest says their name while baptising the baby.
Well, when Jesus was a baby there were different rules about what you had to do to name a child.... It was a bit like a baptism in a way - but different. When Jesus was still a young baby, Mary and Joseph took him up to the church temple. It was a special time for a baby. Joseph brought 2 young birds with him. He would give them to God. It was Joseph’s way of telling God “thank you” for Jesus. It also was a way of dedicating Jesus to God. That means that Jesus would always be in God’s hands and they would teach Him about God. Simeon and AnnaMary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the temple because God commanded his people to do that. They were being obedient and faithful to God. They weren't expecting anything amazing to happen. But something amazing did happen.
There was a man named Simeon who was living in Jerusalem, where the temple was. Sometime he went to the temple and sometimes he didn't, but on the day that baby Jesus was going to be there, God told Simeon to go to the temple. God didn't say why, but Simeon obeyed! You see, many years earlier, the Holy Spirit had come to Simeon and told him that before he died, he was going to see the Saviour, the Messiah - in other words, Jesus, but Simeon didn't know his name! Simeon believed what God had said. He had faith. Do you know what faith is? (allow answers). Well faith is believing in something you can't see. Simeon believed that the Saviour was coming in his lifetime because God told him that, but he hadn't see the Saviour with his own eyes. THAT was about to change. Simeon went to the temple and when he saw Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, he went right up to them and asked to hold the baby. He said, 'Now I've seen my saviour. Now whatever happens to me is ok." Then he turned to Mary and Joseph and told them how special their baby was, how he was going to be a bright light in the world and save people. Then Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph - and Mary and Joseph were amazed! God had kept his promise to Simeon! Nearby there was someone else who was going to know who Jesus was. Anna. Anna was 84 years old. She'd been serving God and praying in the temple for many years. Maybe she heard Simeon praising God, or maybe God just led her to where Mary and Joseph and Jesus were, but Anna also was so excited about seeing Jesus. Imagine spending years and years and years serving and loving God and then suddenly seeing the baby that was going to grow up and free people from their sins. Not only did she praise God, but she started talking about Jesus to everyone who wanted to be free! Anna and Simeon both recognised that Jesus was a king, and Mary and Joseph understood even more just how important their baby was! After they went to the temple, Mary, Joseph and Jesus traveled back to Nazareth, the place where they lived. They taught Jesus and He began to grow up. He became strong and wise. He learned many things about God and the Bible. Quick questions
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ActivitiesSimeon and Anna Puzzle (Sunday School Zone)
Secret Code Activity (Sunday School Zone) Wordsearch (Sunday School Zone) Wordsearch (Bible Explore) Puppets (Sunday school zone) Colouring in (Higher Praise) Someon and Anna luminaries (Flame Creative) 
Preschool craft
Puppet retelling of the storyWhat you will need
Come up with some creative puppets or props to retell this story - you could make your own Choose people to be in charge of the various props and retell the story, if you have older ones they could do the reading possibly. Re-telling the story will take a while they will want to walk their characters in etc. You might want to retell it using this narrative instead of the actual story (if it works wonderfully well, you may want to do it in church for everyone, as long as it is fairly short!): ‘Here I am at the Temple,’ says the old man, Simeon. (Show the puppet.) ‘I’m working hard to help God.’ God is pleased with Simeon. God says, ‘Simeon, I promise that, one day, you will see a very special baby. You will see my Son.’ So Simeon waits to see God’s special baby. He looks at all the babies in the Temple each day, but they aren’t God’s special baby. He doesn’t know when he will see the special baby. But he trusts that God will keep his promise. (Show the Anna puppet.) ‘Here I am at the Temple,’ says the old woman, Anna. ‘I come here every day to talk to God.’ Anna waits and prays. She knows that one day God will do something amazing but she doesn’t know what it will be! She keeps on trusting God. Who is this coming into the Temple? It’s Mary and Joseph. (Produce these puppets.) They’re coming to say thank you to God for their baby, Jesus. (Show the Jesus puppet.) Simeon looks at the baby. (Move Simeon near to Jesus.) He knows this is the baby that God told him about. At last God has kept his promise! At last he has seen God’s special baby! Simeon holds the baby in his arms (put the two puppets together) and says, ‘Thank you, God, for letting me see this special baby, your Son, Jesus.’ Then he says to Mary and Joseph, ‘When this baby grows into a man he will do wonderful things. He will change the world forever! ’ Anna looks at the baby. (Move Anna closer.) She knows this is the baby she has been waiting for. She knows that God has kept his promise. She says, ‘Thank you, God, for letting me see your Son.’ And Anna tells everyone she meets, ‘I have seen the baby Jesus.’ (Move Anna around.) Simeon and Anna trusted that God would keep his promises. They had to wait until they were very old to see the promised baby, Jesus. How long do we have to wait until Christmas Day, when we remember Jesus being born? Work it out roughly. Is it a special day, worth celebrating, but we can remember the great news that Jesus is with us, all year round! If you have time, once you have retold the story, set up the scene as a tableau and ask a few of the quick questions |
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Waitangi Day
The Treaty of WaitangiToday we are thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi – ask if anyone knows what that means.
We are looking at the 3 principles of the treaty (simplified here by www.montessorikiwi.com/waitangi). They are:
Playdough PrayersUsing 2 blobs of playdough each. Talk about God bringing peace and that it is one of our jobs as Christians to pray for peace. Is there anyone that you can think of that needs help to be united by prayer? As you pray for these people, squish the two balls together until they become one. (from Flame Creative Ministry)
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Waitangi Resources
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How lovely is your dwelling place (Psalm 84:1-12)
Psalm printable
Source: Biblia by Logos
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ResourcesYouth Ministry Lesson (Youth Group Ministry.com)
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