December 2013

Christmas in the Graveyard

The big pohutukawa is flowering right now at the back of the cemetery, whole flowers are being blown onto the path in the big winds we are having at present. It is a sign that Christmas is near. Our NZ Christmas tree with deep red flowers, deeper than usual this year and a little earlier too.

It reminds me of the stories of that Christmas when Samuel Marsden preached the first New Zealand Christmas sermon, probably in Maori, but clarified and expanded by the local chief Ruatara. Ruatara was keen for his people to hear the gospel. Pohutukawa trees in flower grew all around that valley and it wasthen they were called the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

As I walk along the path toward the church I look over to where, under one of the camellia bushes in the graveyard, there is an inconspicuous plaque marking the ashes of Willow Macky [Katherine Faith Macky] poet and folk singer.[1921 – 2006]. Willow was a great grand niece of our first minister, Rev John Macky.

At Christmas each year in this church, we are using her words when we sing “Not on a snowy night.”

The Sounz NZ website describes her - “Willow Macky is one of New Zealand’s great, but largely unheralded composer of New Zealand songs. It would be unusual to have attended an end of year school assembly in New Zealand in the last 40 years and not have sung her work Te Harinui – A New Zealand Carol. Of her prodigious output of over 113 songs and 92 lyrics, Willow wrote mostly folk songs, even a folk opera called The Maori Flute. She also wrote over 300 poems.”

Willow enshrined in song the history of the first Christian service on Christmas Day 1814 at Oihi in the Bay of Islands. How many of us would remember the details if we had not sung this carol at school and church over the years? She did this at a time when all our Christmas cards had snow and northern hemisphere images of Christmas. Te Haranui – Glad tidings of great joy............

Not on a snowy night
By star or candlelight
Nor by an angel band
There came to our dear land
Te Harinui , Te Harinui, Te Hari-nu-i,
Glad tidings of great joy

But on a summer day
Within a quiet bay
The Maori people heard
The great and glorious word
Te Harinui, Te Harinui, Te Hari-nu-i,
Glad tidings of great joy

The people gathered round
Upon the grassy ground
And heard the preacher say
I bring to you this day
Te Harinui, Te Harinui, Te Hari-nu-i,
Glad tidings of great joy

The joy of Christmas lies in those “glad tidings”, good news of the Child who came to show us God's love and give the world God’s peace.

Christmas blessings

Rev. Margaret Anne Low