Falling Into Life: When the World Feels Undone
Let’s be honest – the world feels a little off-kilter lately.
One moment you’re picking up groceries; the next, the shelves are empty. Politics is loud, the climate unpredictable, and the systems we once trusted seem unsteady. It’s easy to feel like everything is unravelling. The noise, the uncertainty, the constant change – it’s a lot.
But what if this unraveling isn’t the end?
What if, underneath the tension, something deeper is being rewoven? What if we’re not falling apart, but falling into life?
That was the invitation shared during Sunday’s reflection at Northcote Takapuna Methodist Parish – a reminder that even in disruption, the Spirit is still at work, gently, persistently, creatively.
When Things Come Undone
The ancient stories we explored feel surprisingly fresh. Saul, once certain of his righteous path, is stopped in his tracks. A flash of light, a fall, blindness. From the outside, it looks like collapse. But underneath, something sacred is stirring. His eyes close – and when they reopen, he sees differently. No longer bound by fear and certainty, he glimpses a bigger, more connected world.
Peter’s story is quieter but just as powerful. After the trauma of loss, he returns to the comfort of the familiar – fishing. But it doesn’t work. Until a voice calls from the beach. A shift, a simple gesture – cast the net on the other side – and suddenly, abundance. Jesus doesn’t scold or preach. He cooks breakfast and says, “Come and eat.”
These aren’t stories about getting it right. They’re stories about being open – to change, to grace, to one another. They’re stories about falling not into despair, but into transformation.
A Community of Reconnection
At Takapuna Methodist Church, we talk a lot about reconnection. Not as a slogan, but as a way of being. We’re not a club or a machine. We’re more like a forest – diverse, interdependent, growing together. We welcome questions, nurture faith journeys, and show up for each other in the realness of life.
There’s a Māori phrase that captures it: kāinga tūturu – a true home. At our best, that’s what we hope to be. A place where people are welcomed, held, and embraced – not just with words, but with presence. Where people are not expected to have it all together. Just to be. Real. Open. Human.
Small, Local, Sacred
In a world facing big challenges – climate shifts, digital overload, rising anxiety – maybe the Spirit is nudging us back to what really matters. Not faster or flashier, but closer. Wiser. Kinder.
We’re seeing a return to the local: growing local, buying local, supporting neighbours, building community resilience. These aren’t just survival strategies. They are spiritual practices. This is gospel work – and kaitiakitange – treasures passed on by those before us.
Underneath it all, there’s a sacred whisper: You already have what you need. Your place. Your people. Your heart.
Come and Eat
The communion table symbolises this beautifully. A shared meal. A sacred pause. Jesus still saying, “Come and eat” – not because you’re sorted, but because you’re here. Because you’re human. Because you belong.
These moments remind us that faith isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. Not about lofty ideals, but about showing up, being held, and being sent out – to mend, to bless, to be light in heavy places.
You Are Part of the Weave
So if the world feels undone, maybe it’s because something new is being woven – and you are part of it. A thread of light, a bearer of unreasonable hope, a weaver of justice and joy.
Go with courage. Be gentle. Be fierce in love. Be real.
We’re not alone. We’re part of something sacred – not above us, but within us and between us.
Let’s fall into life. Together.
Written for the Takapuna community, with aroha.
From the people of Northcote Takapuna Methodist Parish | The Puriri Centre
Compassionate. Creative. Connected Communities