Coastal Unity Parish

This Sunday we are holding a Matariki service followed by a shared lunch. 10am at St Margaret's, corner of Jenkins St and Main South Road, Green Island. Come and join us.

Here is a devotional I wrote for a Girls' Brigade leaders newsletter, adapted slightly for here.

Rest Under the Stars
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Matariki is rising in our winter sky. It invites us to pause, remember, give thanks and reflect. It is a time to honour what has been carried in the past, to be grateful for what sustains us now, and to look to the year ahead with hope.
It is also the season of winter — a time of quiet. We have tended our gardens; now the work continues beneath the surface, unseen but important. Growth has not stopped; it is simply taking a different form.
Perhaps that is an invitation many of us need right now.
We have all been working hard. There is always so much to do. There is also much to be thankful for, and a need to pause.
Those who care for others also need time to be cared for by God.
In this context, the words of Jesus feel especially welcoming:

"Come to me ... and I will give you rest."

Matariki gives us a language for pausing without guilt. Jesus gives us a place to bring what we find there. He does not ask us to finish our work first or tidy ourselves up. He does not ask us to try harder, carry more, or prove that we can manage. Instead, he invites us to come as we are, burdens and all.
His promise is not simply a pause from activity, but a rest that reaches the soul — the rest of being held by the One who is gentle, faithful and strong.

This Matariki, take a quiet moment to name what feels heavy and what you are thankful for. Bring both to Jesus. Accept his invitation to come and rest. For the Jesus who calls us is also the one who carries us into the year ahead.