Rua tekau mā rua - Rātapu 22 Hakihea - Moemoeā

Day 22 - Sunday 22nd December - Moemoeā

He kaupapa mō te rā

Moemoeā

Moemoeā means to dream or have a vision. Dreams and visions are part of both Māori culture and God’s story. To experience a dream or vision is to have a revelation or new insight into events or situations. These revelations and insights could be prophetic, connecting us with something beyond ourselves, offering a warning or offering a hope for the future.

We all dream and will often set our sights on the distant horizon. Despite the thinking that moemoeā requires us to climb the highest mountain or go to some far off valley somewhere, or we think it will take a miracle to achieve, it is with faith, hope, and aroha that we can often realise some of our moemoea after all. “Ko te puāwaitanga o ngā moemoeā, me whakamahi - Dreams become a reality, when we take action."

He Karaipiture (Bible Reading)

Matiu/Matthew 2:7-12

Nā, ka oti ngā Maki te karanga puku e Herora, ka uia mārietia rātou ki te wā i puta mai ai te whetū. Ā, ungā ana rātou e ia ki Pēterehema, i mea ia, “Haere, rapua mārietia te tamaiti; ā, ka kitea, ka whakahoki mai i te kōrero ki ahau, kia haere ai hoki ahau ki te koropiko ki a ia.”

Nā, ka rongo rātou i tā te kīngi, ka haere; nā, ko te whetū, i kite ai rātou i te rāwhiti, e haere ana i mua i a rātou, ā tae noa, tū noa ki runga ake i te takotoranga o te tamaiti. Ā, i tō rātou kitenga i te whetū, ko te tino haringa i hari ai. Ā, ka tae ki roto ki te whare, ka kite i te tamaiti rāua ko tōna whaea, ko Meri, nā, tāpapa ana rātou, koropiko ana ki a ia, ā, nō ka māwhera ō rātou taonga, ka hoatu ētahi mea ki a ia, he kōura, he parakihe, he maira.

Ā, i whakatūpatoria rātou e te Atua, he mea moemoeā, kia kaua e hoki ki a Herora; nā, haere ana ki tō rātou kāinga he ara kē.

So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

Whakarongo/Titiro Mai (Listen/Watch)

This song recorded by Seth Haapu & Stan Walker is about a dream realised retracing steps to Seth’s ancestral home in Tahiti.

Seth wrote of his journey: Whānau, we made it home. I have been carrying this life giving, soul enriching experience from place to place for the past few days. Reliving the experience in my mind in every quiet moment and gently submitting to a new state of being. It has been a journey across generations, of tragedy and triumph. A journey not travelled alone. My heart is full of love for every person in these photos and for every person we met on the way to Haapu village in Huahine. I recognise so much of myself in you and the island itself. In private, I have barely found the words but the tears have sure found a way to express what it means to stand humbly among the titans of my culture – the mountains, land and sea. To stand where my ancestors stood. To be home. There is a newfound completeness to who I am. Much like the completeness of where the mountains meet the sea at Haapu Bay. What an unspeakable gift to have been given on this beautiful adventure.

'Dont Dream It's Over' Written by Neil Finn | Nā Erena Koopu i whakamāori tēnei waiata Music Publisher: Kobalt Music Group Producer & Director: Seth Haapu Camera: Noah Haapu, Maisey Rika, Seth Haapu Pūtea Tautoko: Te Mangai Paho

Ngā mea waihanga (Create)

These pipi shells have allowed themselves to be drawn on with simple ink and a little imagination/dreaming. The pipi shell has a natural shape that lends itself easily to fulfil our thirst for beautiful things.

Equally, pipi are part of the wider food basket and at this time of year we start preparing our kai basket to share with whānau and friends. These delectable contributions from the moana will accompany the hangi that many households will be enjoying at this festive time.

He Whakaaroaro (Reflect)

The Bible has many stories of dreams and visions including in the story of the visitors from the East who came to visit the baby Jesus. Some people are visionaries and dreamers by nature. They see ahead to what could be; the potential for change up ahead, the hope of what is to come, the dangers that are waiting and could be avoided if certain actions are taken. These visionaries and dreamers are with us today. They offer us hope and they inspire us. Some will be leaders of our families, communities, churches and country, yet not all leaders are visionaries and not all visionaries are leaders.

We see in King Herod a powerful man who served his own interests and in the story of the visitors from the East, visionaries with wisdom and experience. They heeded the warnings of their visions and took action. We need visionaries to provide us with hope for our future, yet in hearing their visions and dreams we need to listen with discernment. When we have our own moemoeā, as faith-filled people we have a responsibility to check ourselves - is this vision or dream serving God and God’s people or am I just serving myself and my own selfish desires?

Whakahokia mai (Respond)

Light a candle and watch it glow. Think about your own dreams for this Christ-mas, for your tangata (people) and for your Haerenga Tapu (spiritual journey)?

Karakia/Waiata (Pray/Play)

As we near Christ-mas day many homes will start filling up with whānau and friends. A time to pray, play, sing, share what we have been doing in 2024, and being thankful for the ‘mara kai’ that God provides in te Taiao. This lighthearted waiata refers to some favourite hangi/kai often served at marae events. And anytime we gather simply to enjoy each others company, we might dream of these yummy treats and more! On the last day of any hui some traditions in the wharekai (marae dining room) include the diners expressing a note of thanks in the form of a waiata to the ringawera (cooks) for their aroha, manaaki, and kōhā (gift). This number sung by Dennis Marsh and the Harmonic Resonators, is a favourite:

We'll have hāngī for our kai
Pipi, ka pai!
We'll have a Māori hāngī tonight
We'll have puha with our pork
Waipiro while we talk
We'll have a Māori hāngī tonight

Chorus
Get the stones red 'n hot
Put more puha in the pot
And we'll have a Māori hāngī tonight
watch the haka by the boys
Wāhine and their poi
We'll have a Māori hāngī tonight

This verse is not included in this video:

We'll gather all the whānau
Make sure our friends all know
We'll have a Māori hāngī tonight
We'll get the old guitar
Someone plays harmonica
We'll have a Māori hāngī tonight

Repeat chorus, verse 1, then chorus again

Extra contribution from Caroline

Caroline has been inspired by Jacynthia’s art. She picked up some shells from a local beach and painted them as pōhutukawa blossoms and placed them around a nativity scene on her back porch.