Greetings to you all dearly beloved in Christ

   We have completed 5 years as a parish here in New Zealand and I hereby express my sincere thanks to the former vicar, office bearers, executive committee members and all other members of the parish for their valuable services rendered for witnessing Jesus Christ through the parish life during these years. As the 1^st resident vicar of the Mar Thoma Church in New Zealand, Rev. Raji Eapen did a great job during the last three and a half years. He has sowed many good seeds and our duty is to water it for God who makes the plant grow. On behalf of all the members of the parish I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Rev. Raji Eapen and his family.

   I also humbly extend our thanks to our Diocesan Bishop His Grace Rt. Rev. Joseph Mar Barnabas Episcopa who made a visit here during the last financial year. It enriched the parish a lot.

   We must always be grateful to God for his abundant mercy to organize a Mar Thoma parish in New Zealand. Why should we come for worship? The first commandment asks us to worship God and we created to worship God. Why should we come for the Holy Communion? Jesus was talking to the two companions who were going to a village named Emmaus. He was continuously talking with them the whole time. He explained to them the whole Old Testament yet they did not recognize him. May be they understood, but they did not recognize. They asked him to stay. He stayed and still continued to speak with them. They remained blind until he took the bread and broke it giving each person a piece. It was at that moment they suddenly recognized him. The talk had not helped. Word had failed. The sign worked. Immediately they rose to go to Jerusalem to take up the new life.

   That is why it has been written that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread and after giving thanks, he broke it and said “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way after supper he took the cup and said ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Signs are more significant than words. In our Holy Communion Service there are lot of signs that are very significant. Through the Holy Communion we remember the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also remember his ascension into heaven and his presence now with God the Father in Glory and in Power. And we are now awaiting His coming again to judge the world in righteousness and truth. That is why we pray ‘Have mercy on us O Lord our God’. Let us come back to Jesus in Emmaus. Let us worship him in spirit and in truth. All our worship should be pointed to the only goal which lies in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come.”

   Let us humbly submit ourselves to achieve the great goal, the Kingdom of God.

With warm wishes,

Yours in His Service

Rev. C. Jacob George