E-NEWS FRIDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2026
Hi Folks
It has been quite a week! A couple of weeks ago Fei asked if I would take the service on 8th February, I said ‘Yes’ because it’s always a pleasure to lead worship at St Andrew’s. Last week I thought I would get ahead of myself by doing the Order of Service, So I spent several hours reflecting on the readings and finding hymns and prayers and putting it together – a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle – so that at at the end there was a feeling of cohesion and completeness. On Monday morning when I went to send it into the office I couldn’t find it – the computer had swallowed it and wasn’t willing to give it up! I searched and searched, checking through various places where it might be hiding. But no luck! Oh dear! I said (or words to that effect) and set to and did it again. I sent it in and its now on the road to being printed.
It’s now Wednesday evening and I am sitting at the computer writing this e-news. Just before I started I went to check something else – clicked the mouse and up popped the Order of Service (which I wasn’t looking for)!!
There must be sermon in there somewhere!
On Sunday I want to take a look at Matthew’s Gospel. The lectionary gives us small sections each week but sometimes it’s helpful to look at the larger picture so that we can put the weekly passage into a context. And so I have used Rudyard Kipling’s poem Six Honest Serving Men as a base to start from.
I keep six honest serving men,
(they taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who”
*Rudyard Kipling
The kind of questions they present are:
What is a Gospel? Why was this one written? And why is it different from the others?
When was it written and in what circumstances? How am I to read this – literally? Metaphorically? Or…..? Where was it written? Who is Matthew? And who is he writing about?
I don’t pretend I am going to be able to answer all of Kipling’s questions in 15 minutes – but I will give it a try – and it might even inspire you to go away and find your own answers!
In the middle of all this preparation came the news of Margaret Pannett’s death. I first met Margaret in 1990 when I went to do Supply at Crossways. I worked with her, meeting weekly to check out what needed to be done and talking through any pastoral issues. She was always pleasant and helpful and I appreciated her support. Some other parts of her story will be told by others at her funeral on Saturday at 11-00am at St Andrew’s. I hope you will have the time to come and join others as we give thanks for the life of someone who quietly (but with determination) lived out her faith and shared her gifts.
Enjoy your Waitangi Day holiday and maybe take some time to reflect on our nation, and our journey as people of Te Tiriti.
Jim Cunningham
You can read the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/916f02791ab5/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-10138878
