Devotional of the Week

So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine……………teach them to your children.
Deuteronomy 11: 18-19

             The Maori people of New Zealand sometimes talk of a ‘taonga” or a treasure. Maori taonga are those things that have been precious to the Maori people in the past and continue to be important to them today. Taonga provide a link to their ancestry.
                A taonga can be a piece of art that an ancestor has carved out of wood. It can be a woven basket, although the art of weaving can also be a taonga. A taonga can be photographs, skills, knowledge and spiritual insights that are considered important enough to pass on to the next generation.
                I wonder what taonga we are passing on to our children. What treasures are part of the history of our families? I know my family gave me some valuable taonga. I definitely learned the importance of hard work from my parents and grandparents.  My parents and grandparents also taught me by example that it is natural and right to help those who are less fortunate. Other taonga I received were a love and appreciation for music, a passion for learning and education, a love of the church community and a belief in the power of prayer.
              Deuteronomy 11 reminds parents to commit themselves to God’s word and then to pass it on to their children. It is the best treasure or ‘taonga’ we can give to the next generation.

             God help me to recognize and appreciate the taonga I have received from my family. Help me pass on the treasures of your word to the next generation.

He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7

            I visited a Maori meeting house in New Zealand and learned the traditional Maori form of greeting. Two people shake their right hands and at the same time place their left hand on the other person’s shoulder. The head is bent, eyes closed and their foreheads touch as their noses are pressed together twice. The two people thus are said to share the breath of life with one another.
         In the Garden of Eden, God shared the breath of life with humans for the first time. He breathed life into Adam and made him a living person.
              Although we may not greet people in the traditional Maori style, perhaps the way we speak or act towards others when we meet and greet them can breathe some life into their existence. Research shows that one very effective way for high school teachers to make a difference in the lives of their students is to simply greet them by name and say a warm hello to them whenever they meet them in the school hallways or classrooms. It lets students know someone recognizes them and appreciates their presence in the school community. Could this be exactly the ‘breath of life’ some students desperately need?
                  I used to take daily early morning walks with my mother. I noticed how she made a point of saying a friendly hello or ‘good morning’ to each person we met. I sometimes wondered if perhaps my mother’s cheerful greeting was the one warm kind word some lonely people received that day.
              The Maori exchange the breath of life when they greet others. We too have the opportunity to ‘breathe life’ into someone’s day when we greet them in a warm and friendly way. In the Garden of Eden God granted human beings the ‘breath of life’. We need to share that gift with others.

God help me to greet everyone, even strangers in a warm and friendly way today. May they feel your ‘breath of life’ through me.

             But Jesus spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here!” Matthew 14: 27

         A beautiful glass window in the Faith Anglican Church in Rotorua, New Zealand shows Jesus dressed as a Maori warrior. The way the artist has placed Jesus in the window it looks like he is walking off Lake Rotorua and right into the church.  He might be saying, “ I am here” to the people of Rotorua just as he did in Matthew 14: 27 when he walked across the water to his disciples on the Sea of Galilee

               Ronnie Harrison, a South African artist was arrested in 1962 for painting a black Jesus.  His picture was smuggled to London by anti-apartheid activists.  After the democratic elections of 1994 the painting was returned to its rightful home and now hangs in St. Luke’s Church near Cape Town.  Harrison’s black Jesus brought hope to people fighting for freedom and healing as they tried to begin new lives after generations of oppression.

                I taught grade one on the Hopi Indian reservation in Arizona.  After I told my students the Christmas nativity story, they drew pictures of a baby Jesus whose hair, skin and eyes were every bit as dark as their own. I realized how appropriate it was for the children to have depicted Jesus with a face that looked familiar to them and allowed the infant Christ to fit right in with their people.

                  The Maori of New Zealand have done the same thing in their church in Rotorua. They have created a Jesus who fits in with their people, a Jesus who can confidently cross the water, walk right into their lives and say, “I am here.”

Jesus I want your presence to be part of my everyday routine.  Help me to respond when you say ” I am here”. May I welcome you into my life. 

Two people are better off than one for they can help each other succeed.

 Ecclesiastes 4:9

       On a kayaking trip in Vietnam’s Halong Bay I learned how valuable it can be for two people to work together. We put out to sea in a large boat. Every evening we returned to the boat after a day of kayaking. A great team of two people prepared and served our meals. One woman was our chef. She took live chickens out of crates in the hold, plucked their feathers and prepared them for our dinner. She grabbed swimming fish from the tanks on board, filleted them and grilled them to perfection. She cooked spicy rice and fresh vegetables for every meal. She arranged exotic fruits for our dessert.  A waiter set the table with lovely china and cleverly folded napkins. He served each course with flair and courtesy. He prepared whatever drinks we requested. Later he helped the chef with dishwashing.  The two of them were a great food services team.

          Early one morning on Halong Bay I witnessed another example of  “two people are better off than one”.  A mother and her daughter paddled up to the side of our junk in a flat-bottomed wooden boat. Together they had artfully arranged dozens of bowls of colourful fruits and vegetables to sell to tourists.  The daughter was the helmsman . She steered the boat and kept it close to the ship as her mother, who spoke a little English, greeted customers, negotiated prices and carried out the financial transactions. Together they made a great team.

                 Paddling a kayak with my husband everyday was another practical example of how “two people are better off than one.” My husband sat in the rear and steered the boat. I sat in front and provided extra muscle power to move us forward.  Together we were able to kayak in and out of secluded caves, and around the huge karst rock formations in Halong Bay.

                I learned some excellent lessons about teamwork on my voyage in Vietnam’s Halong Bay. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us working together with others is important in life. Teamwork can make the difference between success and failure.

God make me a good team player. Help be to be willing to work together with others in unity and harmony to successfully accomplish those things that will help to build your kingdom here on earth