The Bishop's Letter.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 36, Issue 3, 1 June 1945, Page 8

The Bishop's Letter.

Bishop's Court, Napier, .. - .- 17th May- 1945. My Dear People, - _ Much has been written relating to the cessation of hostilities m Europe. My desire is to emphasise bur great need of thanksgiving to God Who is the Giver of Victory. That we should be grateful to air the men and' women who have served and suffered on our behalf is very obvious. They have (often unconsciously) been the. human means of fulfilling the Divine Will; but m bur gratitude to these heroes and heroines, let us not forget that we owe all, even their heroism, as well as the wisdom of those who directed them, to Almighty God. lam sure that there has been a very deep and reverent gratitude to God manifested m our thanksgiving services. I think, moreover, that. we all realise that not only is our thanksgiving due to Him, but also that our future is entirely m His Hands, and that we must offer ourselves as His instruments for the fulfilling of His Will. This is the Law of the Incarnation. The Divine for the human. Whether m the. Manger of Bethlehem, or on the Cross of Calvary, the Divine is brought to us by human means. It -will now need men and women of Divine Faith to supply the human means which are so urgently needed m this sad and sinful world of to-day. Let us therefore with deep thankfulness for the past, and humble faith for the future, apply ourselves to our various tasks. As Bishop I ask especially for the service of the Church. If our nation demanded blood and te^ars and sweat, we should surely be prepared to make no less an offering to Almighty God. . And the urgency of the moment demands such an offering. The result of our national service is now seen m bur Victory m Europe, which, even yet, seems too good to be true. Our spiritual warfare demands faith when victory is not yet apparent, but "Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying this is the way, walk ye m it." : ■ :. :■." ', ' :■ . ■■ , . ' , ' [■> \ : The more a devout Christian puts his faith m God, arid makes the response necessary to that faith, so much the more does he become assured that he has found the way, or rather that the way hasfoundhim! Yours sincerely, : CRAIG WAIAPU;