Kia ora e te whānau a te Karaiti
The image in the cover of this newsletter, which is painted by a Jewish artist Alex Levin, vividly unveils the beauty of ancient temple artistry. I can feel the energy from the painting.
In today’s gospel passage, we hear about Jesus and the disciples admiring the art and architecture of the temple: ‘they were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God’(Luke 21: 5).
Like some of us (the lover of art) they must have enjoyed admiring the magnificence of the temple and its surrounding architecture, its carvings, its detailing. The temple must have been one of the wonders of the world at the time, to put it in contemporary terms. The temple for them was more than just the building itself. It was about the presence of God within it, and the gathering of people inside. I am inviting you to look at the image slowly and reflect on what it shows you before reading the gospel passage.
From Thursday evening this week, I am going to attend a 3 nightsilent retreat at St. Francis Friary in Hillsborough. The theme of the retreat is ‘Living as the Beloved’ based on the book; Life of the Beloved, written by my favourite author, Henri Nouwen. I am grateful that Rev. Colleen Binns is taking the Sunday service at Holy Cross. I cannot be contacted between late Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening. In case of any emergency, please contact Les during these times.
Nga mihi nui
Yukiko
