Arotahi is the Missionary Society of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. They have created a prayer resource for the season of Advent. We will publish a week of readings at a time a few days before the week starts.
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Sunday | 14 December
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:8-15
Joy to the world!
For Christ has come!
For you, for me,
For your neighbours who keep your spare key,
And for those neighbours you watch from behind closed curtains.
For those you share cups of tea with,
And those whose warmth is harder to find.
For those who see the world as you do,
And for those shaped in ways you cannot understand -
Whose ways of seeing can both invite and challenge.
To the places you call home,
And to those – both near and far – that are unfamiliar.
In the languages you speak,
And in all those you don’t.
Christ has come –
In and through all people,
to every corner of the earth.
May we join with heaven and nature,
Repeating the sounds of joy,
So together we may receive our King!
Light a candle of joy to proclaim God’s light in the midst of darkness. As you do, take a moment of reflection. In this season of Advent consider these questions:
Where do you see God dwelling amongst our world?
How are we invited to build upon the foundations that Christ has laid?
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Monday | 15 December
By P&D
May we say along with him,
‘…my eyes have seen your salvation,
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel’.
Luke 2:30-32
In our context there are some very strong superstitions around numbers. Of course, there are plenty of numbers involved in daily life: phone numbers, numbers of apartments, and floor numbers in high-rise buildings, so the topic can come up quite often.
Recently we got some sudden news - our landlord was selling the apartment we were renting - and we needed to find a new place as soon as possible. We looked through quite a few apartments but none of them were quite right for us. Then we came across a new option - not far from our current place. The floor number for this apartment is considered an "unlucky" number, that many buildings in our community miss out that floor entirely - in the lift they will use some other label for that floor. The reason this floor number is so often avoided is because people associate it with death. There is so much fear around this, that even the people who design the buildings will do anything they can to avoid it.
Imagine our joy, when we went to look at the apartment, to find decorations across the front door, left behind by the previous (like-minded) tenants, in a local festival style, but with a twist: pictures of lambs, grapes, and a familiar symbol, reminding us of the One who conquered death.
When friends heard about the new apartment, so many people offered to help us move over that we couldn't come up with enough jobs for them! One friend even brought us a vacuum cleaner as a house-warming gift. We're getting ready to keep hosting friends to read from the Book together, to share meals, and play board games together each week. We're also getting ready to host our annual Dec. 24th party, to gather in all the folks who need a place to be that evening (and to have "a place to be" ourselves!)
We look forward to continuing to "build home" in whatever ways we can. We're glad to have a place to stay, and by means of some thoughtful decorations on the door, we were reminded of something important - in Him - we don't have to be afraid. We can build our homes on faith, not fear - on life, not death - no matter which floor our apartment is on!
Tuesday | 16 December
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7:9-17
As Paul and Sarah resign as directors of Loyal, please pray that God will embolden and equip local directors to rise up and take the mantle of leadership with courage, wisdom, and clarity. Please also pray for the relationship between Loyal’s management and governance — that it would be characterised by trust, grace, and mutual respect, leading to healthy collaboration and unity in purpose.
Wednesday | 17 December
By Annie Snook, Arotahi Global Catalyst
Not long ago I was sitting in church and was struck by the seemingly impossible idea of joy and suffering coexisting. The sermon was on Acts 16:16-34 and when the Pastor spoke of Paul and Silas praying and singing to God in prison after being wrongfully imprisoned and beaten he spoke of their joy. A joy that is so often spoken of by those living in persecution. This is something that I have been aware of before, but that night I sat with the recent stories from global partners of persecution and the joy with which they still communicate what God is doing and I wept.
This joy that we speak of is not a weak thing, it is not for the faint of heart. It isn’t communicated in red sparkly decorations that we put on our Christmas trees or in the laughter that comes with getting the gift you wanted.
It's communicated in the stories of suffering, of trusting God in the most difficult of circumstances. It is gritty, it is raw and it is accompanied by pain.
So as I think about joy this advent, I am humbled when thinking of my own posture when I experience difficulties. I am humbled by the stories of friends who in the depths of suffering trust God whole-heartedly. I am humbled by the thought of my Saviour lovingly choosing to take the pain and suffering due for my wrongs.
So this Advent season I ask you to sit with the conflicting thoughts of joy and suffering, to thank God for the pain that Jesus took upon himself and join us in prayer for those around the world who are experiencing persecution for their faithfulness to God.
Thursday | 18 December
By Freya Pettigrew, part of a Global Experience
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Advent never ceases to amaze me as I am reminded of the unexpected nature of God’s kingdom. The poor are blessed, the vulnerable are uplifted, and the King of the universe begins His dwelling with us a newborn baby.
Expectations are turned upside down as our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace arrives in a stable in the quiet of night, greeted by young parents and welcomed by a group of shepherds. His life and ministry would be marked by this same surprising humility as He cared for those at the margins: the poor, the needy, and the vulnerable.
In this season of Advent, where our lists of to dos and gifts and groceries can seem endlessly long, let us not forget those in our spaces who were at the heart of Jesus’ mission.
For a life lived in love and humility, what birth could be a more fitting surprise to beckon the arrival of God’s upside down kingdom here on earth?
Friday | 19 December
Christa McKirland, Carey Baptist College
The God of the universe ever moves toward us. Advent is a time for us to celebrate this movement in human history with the coming of the Reconciler as an infant, Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Renewer of all things—not by political power, imperialistic tactics, or other means of coercion. He renews through union. The Eternal Second Person of the Triune God unites divinity to humanity making renewal, re-creation of the created order, possible. He unites to vulnerability. Further, he invites us to be re-created and, shockingly, to participate in the renewal of all things (Eph 1:10).
Jesus matures and develops according to his human nature revealing what human flourishing is meant to look like. He reveals how to walk in right relationship with God, others, and creation. By the gift of the Holy Spirit, we too are meant to respond to the call to maturity and participation in God’s renewal of all things. Unlike Christ who grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52), we cling to our infancy (1 Cor 3:1). We are often our own worst enemy.
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people but rather as fleshly, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still fleshly. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not fleshly and behaving according to human inclinations?
1 Corinthians 3:3-5
Advent reminds us that God became an infant so that we could become mature participants in the renewal of all things. While that is not the only reason, I think it’s a significant one—one that calls us to examine ourselves (after all it’s our own “inclinations” that are keeping us as spiritual infants (1 Cor 3:3)), and choose to move onto solid food instead of milk. Evidence of our maturation will be our participation in God’s renewal, starting with our own inner lives yet inseparable from how we relate to others. Ultimately, participation in the renewal of all things is the challenging, yet dignifying, invitation of advent.
Saturday | 20 December
By Stu Hastings, Mission Council
Advent is a season that invites us to pause and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. As I reflect on this season, I am deeply thankful that Christmas has always been, for me, a safe time. It is a season when I feel grounded—whether through time with whānau (family), the calling & calming of the moana (sea), or the beauty of ngā putiputi (flowers) and creation. These taonga (treasures) of God’s handiwork point me back to the truth that in Christ we find our true refuge and peace.
Yet I know that not everyone experiences this sense of safety. For many across the world, Christmas may come in the midst of conflict, displacement, or uncertainty. God has laid on my heart a burden for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to hold them in our karakia (prayers) and to remember that the gift of Jesus is for all people. He is Emmanuel, “God with us,” the One who entered a world marked by struggle in order to bring tumanako (hope) and rangimārie (peace).
The words of Jesus remind us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). This is the kind of peace the world cannot take away — a deep sense of safeness that rests not on circumstances, but on the aroha (love) and presence of Christ.
This Advent, as we look toward the manger, may we be reminded that God draws near to us in Jesus. In His nearness we discover true safety, belonging, joy, and aroha. May our karakia rise for those near and far, that all might come to know His peace.
E te Ariki, Prince of Peace,
We thank You for the safeness we know in Your aroha (love).
As Advent reminds us to wait and prepare,
ground us in the gifts of whānau, creation, and Your presence.
E te Atua o te rangimārie (God of peace),
we lift up our brothers and sisters around the world.
May they also know the shelter, the joy, and the hope
that come only through You,
Emmanuel — God with us.
Āmene.
Image: From the cover of Arotahi’s Daily Advent Readings 2025 PDF
