Moderator's messages

About 10 years ago I sat in a hotel in Waimate having lunch with my mother who had worked in the town during the war years. She told me that this particular hotel had been at the centre of the street party celebrations when the end of WWII was announced. She described the day and how they could hardly believe it - the outpouring of relief and joy that came as that small town at the bottom of the world reacted to the thought of peace, after so many years of war and the devastation and grief that came with it. We can only try and imagine how the news reverberated the world over, especially in the lands in which war and horror were a daily experience. 

Peace… 

Of course, not long before that, on 6 August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, with tens of thousands of people killed and then 6 thousands more dying later of radiation poisoning. Horrific. Devastating. Unprecedented. And this Peace Sunday date is intentionally chosen to coincide with this anniversary. 

Peace… at what cost… 

In essence, Peace Sunday serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of war and violence, and a call to action for individuals and communities to work towards a more peaceful and just world. We also acknowledge the inter-generational trauma that comes for those who have experienced such horror, and how the effects of it continue to impact families and our societies. At this time in the life of our world, when we look at the carnage, inhumanity and violence all around, how desperately we need peace… a just peace. 

We run with longing to embrace peace - yet maintaining a true and just peace is no soft option. 

Today, we are no longer reliant on radio and newspapers as my mother was. Our many devices and social media bring war zones and sites of conflict before us wherever we are switched on and at any time of the day - we hear and see terrible accounts of death and suffering. It can be overwhelming, yet we do not want to turn our backs on those enduring horrors in the Israel-Hamas war; Russia Ukraine war; Thailand Cambodia conflict; civil wars in Myanmar; Sudan; Ethiopia; Syria; Yemen and many other places across the globe. It is confronting, but we can and do find ways to seek out the truth, to be informed and aware, and help in whatever small way we can to promote peace. 

I am reminded of the words of the American Trappist monk Thomas Merton: 

Peace demands the most heroic labour
and the most difficult sacrifice
It demands greater heroism than war
It demands greater fidelity to the truth and
a much more perfect purity of conscience
 [From The Nonviolent Alternative] 

We speak of Jesus as the ‘prince of peace’ and also recall his words John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” 

As followers of Jesus, we’re called to walk in the ways of peace. To be bearers of that peace Jesus gives. This is necessary, demanding, challenging and ongoing. 

Let’s take up the challenge to work towards peace, not just on Peace Sunday but always. 

Grace and peace
Right Rev Rose Luxford
Moderator Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

for a de-escalation of war and tension

for successful dialogue and negotiation 

for reconciliation between enemies 

for provision of food and supplies 

for those in need for wise, courageous and compassionate leadership 

for healing and hope 

for medical staff and hospitals who are caring 

for the wounded for agencies providing help and provisions 

for comfort and care for those who are suffering for peace and 

for justice 

June 2025
Tēnā koutou katoa 

On Pentecost Sunday, 8 June, we read the Scriptures and reflect on the continuing story of our journey of faith with the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit. We have the promise from Jesus that the Holy Spirit will teach us, lead us deeper into the truth of God, and remind us of the teachings that Jesus has already given us. We will experience the nudgings and the insights of the Holy Spirit in our living, and know the peace that Jesus offers us – a peace that gives wholeness and freedom from fear. There is much to celebrate! 

At the time I was preparing to write this message, I spent three days at a women-in-ministry gathering at Te Maungarongo Marae – our Church’s national marae in Ōhope. During our time together there was a workshop on marae tikanga and it was interesting to learn that every marae has its own mauri (life force, essence), and at Te Maungarongo the mauri is the Holy Spirit. 

So, many people who come to this marae, talk of how special it is, of how they feel close to God in this space, how they feel a home-coming, a welcome, an integration, a deep connection. The Holy Spirit is at work and is known. It is also known there through the people of Te Aka Puahou who give such manaakitanga (hospitality), which builds whanaungatanga (relationship). In step with this we think of the relational nature of the Holy Spirit as guide, teacher, advocate, counsellor, comforter. All things come together to provide a holy space. 

It feels like Te Maungarongo is similar to what the Celtic Christians call ‘a thin place’ where the boundary between the material world and the spiritual or divine is perceived to be particularly thin. Where it is more permeable. A sacred place. What a gift. 

What do we feel the Spirit is saying to us, the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, in this season of Pentecost? Can we be attentive to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit, within and around us? 

As we prepare for General Assembly in October, let us adopt a posture of listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us so that we can be all that God desires for us, individually and as a national Church. Discerning. Integrated. Energised. Engaged. Hopeful. 

May the warmth and the promptings of the Holy Spirit be with us all. 

Right Rev Rose Luxford
Moderator Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand