{"id":4607,"date":"2023-07-12T17:09:52","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T05:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chongsworship.com\/?p=4607"},"modified":"2023-10-18T15:03:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T02:03:47","slug":"three-thoughts-for-the-christian-this-matariki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chongsworship.com\/2023\/07\/12\/three-thoughts-for-the-christian-this-matariki\/","title":{"rendered":"Three wayfinders for the Christian this Matariki"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It dawned on me, as the tohunga whakairo (Maori carver) led a group of excited schoolchildren and parents in a karakia (prayer), that this was not an ordinary school holiday activity. Before we got to design and make our model waka, we were asked to listen in as he gave thanks to each of the seven stars of Matariki (known as Pleiades<\/a> in the West, \u6634 in China, Subaru in Japan). It’s 2023, and we were witnessing state-approved worship of a different kind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of us with Chinese heritage, this kind of concern isn’t new of course. After all, in many Asian families, Lunar New Year celebrations carry with it all kinds of superstitions and religious rituals. The wise Christian must strike a balance between the commands to flee from idolatry and separate from false worship, to honouring the themes and truths we share in common with our families (such as giving thanks for the past and our people, celebrating the present, expressing hope for the future), while observing how every ritual and tradition is a window into deeper desires and longings that we all share (for example, security, prosperity, and community) and using them as gospel opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jacinda Ardern taking part in the 2022 Matariki Dawn Service, including a wh\u0101nga hau food offering.
Source: Te Papa, Wellington<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In light of this, here are three resources (or “wayfinders”) I’ve found helpful this week in thinking about Matariki in a redemptive way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. “Matariki Resource” (Laidlaw College)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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