Holy Week
Palm Sunday is a special celebration. An outdoor procession, a day of palms fronds and exuberant praises to Christ. In some small way, we are mimicking the crowds that were with Jesus as he entered the final stage of his journey into Jerusalem. Those crowds were in celebration that the Davidic King, the long-anticipated messiah had arrived. We join them in that celebration.
But then we remember why Jesus went to Jerusalem. We become sombre as we know the humble act of riding a donkey will lead to Jesus’s humility and death on the cross. The triumphal journey is the journey that leads to the cross. We are confronted by how easy it is to go from the joyful singing of “Hosanna” to the baying for blood in shouting “Crucify”.
With our journey through Holy Week, Palm Sunday to Easter Day, we are led deeper into a sombre reflection and reverence of the final days of Jesus's life. Then as we look to make sense of our own lives, one way we can do that is through the lens of Holy Week. For example, am I living as if in a Good Friday, a time of sacrifice and pain? Am I living as if in a Holy Saturday a time of darkness, doubt, anxiety and confusion as my faith is tested? Or am I living as if in a time of Easter Day, a time of joy and new life, a gift from God? As we try to make sense of our lives, the life of Jesus and the Church give us a powerful way in which to do this for ourselves and for others
God Bless
From the Vicar
It’s a psalm in which nothing is hidden from God, and God is found in the midst of the distress as well as in the deliverance from it.
It’s a chance to share thoughts and ideas on the topic, and discuss in a small group. There’s no obligation to say anything and there’s nothing you can’t say.
In 1990, and with the inclusion of the Diocese of Polynesia, the Anglican Church formed a new constitution, Te Pouhere, that would bind us together as one church in Christ, yet living in Three Tikanga or cultural streams.
Parish Officers
Parish Governance
The executive team of Vicar, churchwardens and treasurer meet constantly on parish business.
Parish Groups
Worship leaders, lay readers, servers, ushers, greeters, flower arrangers, cleaners, counters, intercessors and cup bearers all join together to support the service.
It’s a psalm in which nothing is hidden from God, and God is found in the midst of the distress as well as in the deliverance from it.
Community Fair bringing affordable toys, books, china, vintage clothes and more from the Opawa - St Martins Parish.