The Theme for today is Ascension Day. It was on Thursday 14th May.
Sentence of the Day:
Blessed, are those whose ways are blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1
Collect of the Day:
God of Israel old and new, write in our hearts the lesson of your law; prepare our minds to receive the gospel made visible in your Son Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37
Tenei te mihi atu kia Koutou irunga i te ingoa o Ihu Karaiti.
The first day of winter is drawing near, and we can already see and feel its approach in the wind outside. As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, we are reminded that every season has its own gift: winter invites us to slow down, to listen more closely, and to treasure the warmth of home, friendship, and faith.
In this season, please take extra care on the roads, keep an eye on neighbours who may be feeling the cold or the loneliness more sharply, and let us continue to pray for those who are unwell or under pressure. May God grant us hearts that are warm, hands that are generous, and a steady hope that carries us through the darker mornings into the light of Christ.
Food for thought. As we celebrate the Ascension, today’s readings invite us to hold together wonder and purpose. In Acts 1:1–11 the disciples watch Jesus taken from their sight—yet they are gently turned from simply “looking up” to living as his witnesses. In Ephesians 1:15–23 Paul prays that our minds may be opened to the hope of God’s call and to the greatness of God’s power at work in us. And in Luke 24:44–53, Jesus opens the Scriptures, blesses his followers, and sends them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations.
On Ascension Day we celebrate something that is easy to misunderstand. It can sound like a goodbye: Jesus goes up, and the disciples are left behind, staring at the sky. But the scriptures appointed today insist that the Ascension is not Jesus’ absence; it is Jesus’ enthronement. It is not the end of his work; it is the widening of it.
This week, may we worship with joy and step out with confidence: Christ reigns, Christ blesses, and Christ is with us as we share his good news in word and deed. So perhaps the simplest way to live Ascension Day is this: keep your heart lifted to Christ, and keep your feet planted in the world he loves.
Pray with confidence, worship with joy, then witness with humility—by telling the truth, by practicing forgiveness, by noticing, the overlooked, by making peace where you can, by sharing what you have, by speaking hope when others speak only fear. Not because we are strong, but because the Spirit is promised. Not because we control the times and seasons, but because Christ is Lord of them.
“God has gone up with a shout,” the psalm says—and because he has, we do not need to live as if darkness is in charge. Jesus Christ reigns; Jesus Christ blesses; Jesus Christ is with us always. Amen.
May your God be with you on the journey at all times, in 2026, may the wind be forever at your backs, and may the warmth of the sun by day, and the soft glow of the moon by night, brighten the path before you. Ma te Atua Koe, e manaaki, e tiaki i nga wa katoa. Amen.
Rev. Maku Potae
stthomaschaplain@gmail.com Ph: 027 4548197
THE NEXT SERVICE LAY LED MORNING PRAYER: Sunday May 24th, 2026, 9.30am.
| Forgiveness is the perfume – That the trampled flower casts back . . . Upon the foot that crushed it. |