God is not English!

Last Sunday Sue and I were in the fascinating New Zealand city of Rotorua, during our visit to the country to see members of our family who live in Auckland.  Rororua is known for its geothermal activity, and features geysers and hot mud pools.  It was amazing to be able to walk around parts of the city and see steam rising from holes containing bubbling water and mud!

During our time in Roturua we had the privilege of attending a service at St Faith's Anglican Church, which is perhaps the most well know Maori Christian church in the country.  If you look carefully at the image below you should be able to see steam rising from the water near the church!

I understand that there are moves afoot to make St Faith's the first Maori cathedral in New Zealand.  In common with the majority of buildings in New Zealand, it is built of wood.  One of its most well known features is a window with an etched image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak as he appears (when looked at from a certain angle - unlike the image below) to walk on the waters of Lake Rotorua.

We very greatly appreciated the opportunity to be part of the Sunday morning service at St Faith's.  The vicar switched with amazing ease between the Maori and English languages.  The four hymns were in the Maori language, but were sung at a pace which made it possible to join in, even though we didn't understand the words.  I did, however, recognise one tune, "When I survey", and it was lovely to hear it sung in the Maori language.

The service included the baptism of a young boy, and again it was a real privilege to be there as a Maori family brought their son to be welcomed into the family of the church.

This was just one of many memorable experiences during our time in New Zealand.  Apart from anything else, it was a reminder that God is God of ALL the world, and that being part of his family, the church of Jesus Christ, is to be part of a family which encompasses people of all nations and languages.  What a privilege!