
Parish Post
Saint Mark’s Church | Saint Anne’s Chapel | Saint Mark’s School
Anglican Parish of Opawa-St Martins

160 Years of Worship
Over the past 160 years the St Mark’s church has been a place of prayer, worship and community.

The Resurrection
The fact that Christ is risen, that the tomb was empty, is central to our faith as disciples of Jesus.


Passiontide
During this time the Church’s liturgy is somber and empresses a sorrowful mood as we focus more intently on the coming crucifixion of Christ.

The Steadfast Love of God
This Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent the Gospel reading is that of the Prodigal Son, that great parable that gives us enormous hope and much to ponder.

Annunciation of the Lord
In early medieval times it was called the “Annunciation of the Lord” or the “Conception of Christ,” indicating its focus as a festival of the Lord.

The Daily Office
The church has at its core offered a daily cycle of prayer what is known as the daily office.

Christ’s Victory over the Devil
If in Christ we have been tempted, in him we overcome the devil. Do you think only of Christ's temptations and fail to think of his victory?

To Meet with Christ
It is to Christ, the focus of our faith and worship, we direct our silence. Therefore an important part of our services is to be silent, as we open ourselves for Christs revelation.

Grace, Love and Fellowship
“May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen” (NZPB p52).

Continually Sustained by God
Will we make the choice to live as those who love the way of God and therefore find the depth, refreshment from the true source of life? Or do we choose a life of being blown around in the breeze avoiding the true source of life that provides us with rootedness, security and life?

The Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah has been called by God to bring the people to account for their actions. They had turned away from God and that was being shown in how they were treating their brothers and sisters. Isaiah recognises his own faults and he is forgiven by God.

The Service of Candlemas
Light is a powerful symbol that represents everything that is in opposition to the darkness that we experience as humans. Light is a symbol of the presence of Christ, the hope (trust) that we have in Jesus and the Good News, that which he both proclaims and embodies in human form.

The Beauty of God’s Creation
Creation, law and heart are made perfect and united through God in which we are to be active participants.

The Magnificat, Mary’s Song of Praise
In the Middle Ages Mary's Song inspired the Feast of Fools celebrated after Christmas usually around New year. This feast was a literal acting out of the Magnificat as a rather strange way of witnessing to God’s kingdom that inverts human power structures and raises up the oppressed to places of honour.

The Advent of Jesus
We are to give up our insatiable desire to consume and replace it with the expectation of the coming of Jesus.

Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer
Advent is a time of reflection and preparation for when time will end and Jesus will come in power and glory bringing our waiting to completion.

The virtue of Hope
What we look to is the theological virtue of Hope. A virtue that helps us grow our relationship with God.

The Feast of Christ the King
The Kingship of Christ holds the place of ultimate authority over all aspects of human life.

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge
God is portrayed throughout the psalter as being the protector, in a way that no human is able.