E NEWS 14TH AUGUST 2026
Talofa lava, kia ora, and warm Pacific greetings.
Well, the weather has certainly fined up after the sleety snowy weather we had at the beginning of last week! It’s been a pretty uneventful week for me, although I’ve had the opportunity to catch up with some you and to share a meal which has been wonderful.
Tomorrow I’ll be driving up to Palmerston North for the second gathering of the Central Presbytery. The minister’s will be meeting on Friday, and then on Saturday the Presbytery Elders will join us and we’ll all come together for a combined gathering at St Albans in Palmerston North. The Moderator of the PCANZ the Very Reverend Peter Dunn will be speaking. I’ll be driving back to Wellington on Saturday evening, ready to join you again on Sunday morning for our weekly church service.
Next Saturday if you live in the city region the Western region Cluster Group will be having a fellowship over morning tea/brunch at Huntleigh in Karori in the lounge. Pat Booth is hosting us at 10am. Please bring a plate of food to share and remind your neighbour from church to join us or even carpool. I look forward to seeing you all then.
Our theme this Sunday is “Hurt That Heals.”
We’ll be revisiting the story of Joseph, but this time picking up the story many years after his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. Famine has struck Canaan, and those same brothers now come to Egypt looking for food. Much to their surprise without initially realising that the powerful man standing before them is the brother they betrayed.
Joseph has every reason to seek revenge. He has power now. He could make them suffer as he suffered. But ultimately, Joseph chooses another way. He chooses reconciliation and forgiveness rather than perpetuating the cycle of violence that began when he was thrown into that pit and trafficked into Egypt.
Alongside Joseph, we’ll encounter the extraordinary Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter. At first, Jesus appears to reject her plea, using the troubling image of taking the children’s food and throwing it to the dogs language that reflects the boundaries and prejudices surrounding who was considered to belong and who did not.
But this woman refuses to disappear. She stands her ground and responds with courage, wit and grace. In doing so, she challenges Jesus himself. And perhaps one of the most remarkable things about this story is that Jesus listens. The encounter becomes a moment of humility, learning and transformation, and the boundaries of grace are pushed wider.
Both stories invite us to ask what we do with the hurts we carry. Do we pass them on? Do we allow yesterday’s wounds to determine how we treat others today? Or can hurt, somehow, become a place from which healing, reconciliation and a more generous way of being can emerge?
I’d love you to join us on Sunday either in person or on-line as we explore these stories together. Have a wonderful weekend, take care of yourselves and one another, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Ka kite anō, Fei
You can read the full E-news here: https://mailchi.mp/5cf5fed168ae/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-10142002
