Waitangi Day 6th February this year falls on a Sunday. This gives churches a special opportunity to begin marking the date as we move towards 2014 and the bicentennial of the Gospel in New Zealand.

NZ Christian Network National Director Glyn Carpenter has recorded the following short prayer to be broadcast on Radio Rhema on Waitangi Day.

Please join with Christians around New Zealand in marking this special day.

E te whanau a te Karaiti,

This Waitangi Day, let us praise and thank God who has called us - Maori and Pakeha - together, in this land of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Let us thank God for the richness of the different cultures in our country, and for the harmony that exists among us.

E te Atua - we thank you for those who brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to New Zealand nearly 200 years ago. We thank you for the changed lives and the impact your Gospel has had in this country, for the security and freedom and prosperity you have brought.

We thank you for the work of the missionaries - both Maori and Pakeha - which laid a foundation for te Tiriti o Waitangi 171 years ago which we celebrate today.

We know there have been times when we have not spoken in truth and love, nor served you with our whole lives as we should. For these we are truly sorry.

Lord - please make Waitangi Day a day when we can celebrate being New Zealanders together, celebrate what you have done in this country, and be renewed to bring your message of joy and peace and justice to all who live here.

Amen

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