Heirs of the Promise

Revelation 21 - no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. We are a people of covenant, from Abraham, through David and into the new covenant in Christ.

Today’s reading from Galatians weaves in the theme ‘People of this Place’ that we are all heirs of the promise, heirs of God’s Promise. And through his promises we can be sure of our identity as people of Christian faith in this place Aotearoa New Zealand. We have a secure identity in Christ, our Saviour, our redeemer, our strength in times of trouble.

Before I go further into that I wanted to share a little bit about my own journey, and the things that have given me some of those lightbulb moments for me as a Christian in New Zealand.

I have always enjoyed learning languages. At school, like many of you possibly, I took French and German, (the main ones available at the time), continuing with French at university for as long as my Science (nutrition) degree could make it fit. During this time, a friend traveled to Europe and brought back a postcard for me of Psalm 121 in French.

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Psalm 121 which we read together at the start of hte service has been a favourite of mine for a long time. Always beautiful words to read. And I can recall when I read them in French the first (or maybe the second time once I checked on some key words) how reading these familiar lines in another language gave a deeper, fuller understanding of what God promises to us through the psalmist.

A few years later, while working at the Otago University, staff were encouraged to take papers with some being subsidised for staff. Rory and I took the opportunity to do a conversational Maori paper, beginning the journey for us towards further understanding of the Maori language. In recent years I’ve picked this up again, using karakia and waiata (songs) at work. Rather than rely on having the words written in front, I always find it easier to remember the words if I can connect to what the words mean. One of the early closing karakia I learned was the Christian blessing, (May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…) and even at that time not having good understanding of te reo Maori, I had another one of those lightbulb moments being struck by the beauty of the words of another language, te whiwhinga tahitanga ki te wairua tapu

The Grace

And in my journey of learning more about Maori culture and working in health, I have had opportunities to discuss issues that affect health and learn more about NZ history as well as our local history here in South Canterbury in the rohe of Arowhenua, Kati huirapa .

Secure identity

As we explore today’s reading, I would like to bring two things together:

1) We have a secure identity as people of God’s covenant, as faithful Christians in this place, and 2) We can therefore be secure to look and understand deeper our specific identity here in South Canterbury.

Let’s read it again:

Galatians 3:7–9 (NIV)

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:26–29 (NIV)

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Who are we?

South Cantabrians

That’s easy - we’re South Cantabrians! Not Canterbury - South Canterbury. Divided in support of rugby teams between Otago and Canterbury supporters (though canterbury probably wins)

Children of God

blessed

One in Christ Jesus

Heirs of the promise that God’s love is always faithful - there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8)

People of covenant - People of te Tiriti o Waitangi.

A short snapshot of what

At the time of the signing of the treaty, Te Tiriti, there were around 200,000 Maori in NZ and 2000 from overseas whalers, sealers, missionaries and a few others. This proportion may be new to you. The intention of the Treaty was to bring some law and order to the mostly British people, who did not abide by Maori tikanga and protocols, and took this freedom in a new land to the extreme. Maori petitioned the Queen to do something about these people. The first effort of this had been the Declaration of Independence in 1835 (King William 4th), declaring Maori sovereign over New Zealand, providing stronger relationship with Britain for trade, the flag for ongoing international trade (Maori) and set leadership with the united tribes who met each year in Waitangi. The british leaders in the country/kings consul had a seat at this meeting. However it Did not impact those lawless brits. Also beginning to see land companies illegally setting up and selling land, in some cases defrauding Maori for whom individual land ownership was literally a foreign concept. For tangata whenua their responsibility to the land was one of kaitiakitanga guardianship of the region and environment. The crown in its relationship wanted to protect maori from these fraudsters.

So the Treaty of Waitangi was developed in 1840 (Queen Victoria). Do you know who the local link to the signing of the treaty was?

Jack Tuhawaiki, In some of my reading in recent years...Magnet 1840 (Sydney), died in shipwreck off the coast - Jacks Point/Tuhawaiki

The Treaty of Waitangi is our covenant - with the influence of thsoe wanting to do better than their forebears in delaing with people of new places, the missionaries who drafted and translated Te Tiriti o Waitangi promised to maintain rangatiratanga for Maori, allowed Britain to set up some governance to deal with its people who were getting out of hand, allowed continued access for Maori to their resources and taonga, offered protection from harm/equal rights as british citizens, and assured Maori the freedom to practice their customs and traditions.

Heirs of the promise

So what does that have to do with us as Christians?

We are heirs of God’s promises first and foremost. Children of God, All nations will be blessed through you, we are one in Christ Jesus.

In writing this though, it has occurred to me that we are heirs of the promises of the treaty. The treaty, through enabling Britain to set up governance, it set up a Government, enabling more rapid settlement from British citizens looking for a better life. Unless we are tangata whenua, most of us are here because of the signing of this treaty, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

It was a good treaty on the whole, there were significant differences in the two versions, but it had honourable intentions.

As early as 1841, the intentions of the treaty begain to be ignored.

Laws began to be passed that denied Maori the right to own land, nor to vote, land sales of large swathes were made bound with promises of reserves to be retained, hospitals and schools would be built if you give us this land. LAter on, laws were passed that denied Maori the use of their own language, medicine, customs and practices. So many laws that it tallies into the hundreds that were passes that on audit were found to have broken the promises made by te tiriti o waitangi. That is something that I have learned just this week - hundreds. As recently as 1953, there were laws confiscating Maori land if it wasn’t used in a way the govt saw fit.

As heirs of this promise how do we feel about this - I acknowledge some of this may be new to you. Historiic amnesia doesn’t serve us well.

The South Canterbury Story

You may realise that South canterbury and Arowhenua became the centre for Ngai tahu appeals to the principles of the Treaty from as early as the 1880s . Arowhenua, is incredibly significant to Ngai Tahu. The wharenui is named “Te Hapa o Niu Tireni”. This can be translated as the broken promises of New Zealand, but can also be translated as the unfulfilled potential of New Zealand. Even if the potential remains unfilfilled there is the hope that it could still be fulfilled in the future, the potential of us as Maori and Pakeha and people from afar, can still be fulfilled.

Became the centre for the Ngai tahu treaty claim, the first in the country to settle.

The waitangi tribunal has since covered many claims, and activism from Maori has begun the resurgence of te reo maori and culture. So that for the first time many of us are learning about ideas relating to our new holiday Matariki.

It made me wonder - what would/could things have been if a true partnership had happened, if we hadn’t had this ‘unfulfilled potential’ /broken promises. And it still makes me wonder what good things does God still have in store for us? What potential can be fulfilled? God’s furture is one of restoration and hope Rev 21: There will be no more crying, he will wipe every tear,…because the old things have passed away. What could God’s restoration look like here in South Canterbury, in Aotearoa New Zealand? What good things does God still have in store for us?

We are starting to do some of this weaving of God’s promises to humanity (how we respond and support people in our community with outreach), God’s promises to creation (responding to reducing our footprint), and our relationships with each other, with exploring the resurgence of culture and language that until recently was not allowed. Imagine what it could be like for bilingual New Zealand as the norm! To better understand where we come from helps us to build a solid future.

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. Walking backwards into the future

At the Presbytery gatehring in Kaikoura earlier in the year, the Alpine Pres Moderator Rev Phyllis Harris used this whakatauki, proverb, to guide us. We don’t know how to build a future if we don’t know our past. As Christians we draw on the word of God as spoken to our ancestors of faith from Abraham through to the apostles as the living word of God.

We look at and wrestle with what happened in the lives of the israelites, in Jesus proposing a new way, in the early church and the letters the apostles wrote to help us understand God’s good purposes for our world, God’s promises to us as people of faith, people who declare Jesus as the Saviour, Messiah, Redeemer, Creator.

Let’s join in this journey of discovery.

We have a secure and sure identity in Jesus, as children of God, and as heirs of his promise from Abraham to us. Exploring our place, learning more about Maori culture and language that has been part of this place for centuries will surely grow us as people. How do we do this?

Small ways and taking opportunities - picking up on words that become familiar over time on the TV or radio news, learning a waiata, a karakia maybe something that is special to you from the Christian tradition. Learning about the way of looking at the world that Maori bring Matariki and the stars, the meanings that tie stewardship of the natural world into the rhythms of the seasons. And reading - more and more story books and history being written than ever

Arowhenua website - whakapapa has these stories in more interesting detail.

For tangata whenua whakapapa tells the story of history (more than genealogy) story of the people together and how you and I fit into that story. But whakapapa also extends into the future. Together we have a whakapapa that is still to be written. Let’s make a story of hope and restoration that affirms our identity further, to understand more fully who we are in Christ, as children of God, and as people of this place.

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