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 | 28 December
By Bradley Nicolson, Mission Council
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20
Advent is a time when hopefully we take the time to read scripture like Matthew 1:18-25 & Luke 2:1-7. John 3:16 reads: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life!” However, it can be easy to read and receive these passages without them changing our lives.
2025 marks 130 years since the passing of Hopestill Pillow. She was the first missionary from Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. She was so captivated by Christ's call on her life and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) that she took her possessions in a coffin on a boat to West Bengal where she served for six years. The work of the medical dispensary that she was involved with establishing continues today.
Like William Carey’s quote: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God”, Hopestill Pillow certainly attempted great things for God and God did great things.
How often do you consider God’s call on your life to be involved with fulfilling the Great Commission?
This Advent as you read scripture, sing songs and listen to sermons, consider what your role in fulfilling the Great Commission is. May you expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God!
Monday | 29 December
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Galatians 4:4-5
First Coming
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.
He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Madeleine L’Engle
Tuesday | 30 December
By Taliya McMurtrie, part of a Global Experience
We live very comfortable lives and often we forget this. The prayer habit of asking God over and over for him to do something, provide something or move in a certain way appears far too frequently. Whilst God does provide and God does answer requests, we often lose sight of the relationship that Christ paved for us to have with our Father. The shift has happened quietly - from sitting in adoration, to bringing our shopping list of requests.
I have never been more acutely aware of my extreme privilege and my comfortable life than when we visited Bangladesh. Communities of Christians who were in awe of our King, willing to know and be known by him. All of a sudden I was faced with this reality that I have far more than I need, in nearly every aspect of my life.
What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me’
In this season of reflecting on the birth of Christ, turn your eyes to the Lord, sit, without requests to marvel at the gift of grace he has given us.
Wednesday | 31 December
Away with the noise of your songs
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream
Amos 5:23-24
Love Calcutta Arts was started by Peter & Leonora and developed by Priya and her team.
Last year we handed the shares in the company to Priya. Priya has done so much to develop and sustain the business and its heart reflects her heart.
As we finish a year and a new one begins, we pray for the work and communities that our global workers are involved with. LCA, like many others that our global workers are involved with, are more than just places of employment. They are places of connection, healing, and transformation for the many women involved. Employment can bring economic freedom which can improve wellbeing. In the new year, we pray for businesses like LCA to flourish and for the seeds of change to spring forward.
E te Atua,
We give you thanks for the work of Love Calcutta Arts.
We pray for your wisdom as it grows and looks to the future.
Through the business and community work, may we see your justice flow.
So that more may know of your goodness and hope.
In your name,
Amen
Thursday | 1 January
By Alan Jamieson, Arotahi General Director
A kiwi summer is the time to pack up the tent and head to the river or beach. Jandals and suncream. BBQ’s and frisbees. Makes me wonder if Jesus had holidays too?
In John chapter two Jesus and his mother and brothers all go to a wedding. Jesus' disciples had been invited too. It was at this wedding that Jesus saved the embarrassment of the host and ensured everyone had a great party by producing a large quantity of excellent wine. After the wedding we are told:
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed a few days.
John 2:12.”
Capernaum was a small fishing town. The town is just a stone’s throw from the beach. Unfortunately, it's a stony beach, not golden sand like Kaiteriteri but still a beautiful spot on the side of the lake. This was where Peter and his family lived and a place Jesus returned to from throughout the Gospel accounts. On this occasion his family and friends are with him and after a great wedding they spend a few days together on the beach. In other words Jesus took a holiday in a beautiful place with those he loved. It is a good thing to do!
Friday | 2 January
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Isaiah 58:6-9
Please join us in prayer for the decision makers, the leaders, and those who hold power within our world. They have the ability to shape communities, policies and outcomes for so many around our world. Some use their privileges with grace and wisdom. However, there are also times when power is used to exploit and destroy.
God of all people,
Come and stir a revolution amongst us
So that those who are hungry for justice, may be fed.
For those who are greedy for power, and pay no heed to the plight of their neighbours,
may they encounter your transformation.
Together may we share and give generously.
So that together, we may see your light and justice break forth like the dawn.
Amen
Saturday | 3 January
By Samuel, Theology Doctorate Student
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
Romans 8:22
Hebrews 10:24–25 calls believers to inspire one another toward love and good deeds, upholding community life as a space of encouragement and shared mission. Today, we need to understand this call for renewal as not limited to human fellowship but extending to a covenantal renewal with creation itself. The call should echo the biblical rhythm of rest and restoration in the Sabbath Year and Jubilee Year of Leviticus 25, where even the land was to rest, debts were forgiven, and freedom was proclaimed. These divine cycles remind us that renewal in human community cannot happen without care for, and thereby, renewal of creation.
The Sabbath Year taught the people to be content with God’s provision and acknowledge creation’s limits, while the Jubilee Year extended that rest into liberation and renewal - for people, land, and relationships. Fields lay fallow, slaves were freed, and every family could return to their original home. In essence, Jubilee embodies the theology of interdependence: renewal happens when creation, community, and covenant align themselves together in God’s rhythm. In the midst of the present ecological crisis, this vision challenges us to restore (renew) what has been exploited and to let creation heal. Let us remember that mission cannot happen without context, and the biggest picture of mission’s context is oikos, our planet. And creation is the most inclusive object of missio Dei, God’s mission.
Indigenous wisdom reflects this divine rhythm. The Māori understanding of whakapapa situates all beings - people, land, rivers, forests - within one sacred genealogy, fostering mutual care. The Mizo practice of Mauhak, preserving parts of the forest (bamboo groves) for natural renewal, carries the same spirit of reverence and restraint. Similarly, other indigenous tribes of Tripura, whose livelihoods depend on the forest, have long practiced conservation grounded in indigenous knowledge and practice of relational ecology. Indigenous use of land never aimed for selfish large-scale production but was done with respect and care for the land promising sustainability, preserving fertility, and maintaining healthy relationship between human and creation.
Meditating on this, there is a holistic call to participate and journey together in mission - to live in restored relationships with God, with one another, and with creation. Ours is a shared mission where faith communities (churches) and indigenous wisdom join hands, echoing the Jubilee’s ancient trumpet of liberation and restoration. As we journey together in God’s mission, may we see more discussions, collaborations, exchange of ideas and knowledge - to inspire and exhort one another to reflect God’s heart.
Image: From the cover of Arotahi’s Daily Advent Readings 2025 PDF
