Photographs<\/a><\/p>\nHere is Jacqui’s address:<\/p>\n
Today is Creation Sunday, and we particularly remember St Francis.
\nHe was an Italian, born in Assisi (and we often say \u2018St Francis of Assisi\u2019) about a thousand years ago, the son of wealthy parents. He saw the dangers of being rich \u2013 and chose to live in poverty and peace.
\nA few minutes ago we sang the prayer that\u2019s attributed to him, \u2018Make me a channel of your peace\u2019. Beautiful words, aren\u2019t they.
\nCan we become a channel of God\u2019s peace? We can. There are some valuable lessons in creation. Let me share some that I\u2019ve learned from Monarch butterflies over the thirty or so years I\u2019ve been studying and learning about and delighting in them.
\nFirstly \u2013 I must tell you that Monarch butterflies are NOT endangered. There are too many people who love them, who plant their host plant, milkweed, and enjoy the beauty of the life cycle. Everyone knows the Monarch butterfly.
\nHowever, the phenomenal migration of the Monarch in North America may well be at threat \u2013 3000 miles or more from Canada to Mexico, every autumn. It\u2019s at risk from such things as pesticide use, global warming and genetic engineering. Deforestation \u2013 the trees that they overwinter on in Mexico are being chopped down and sold by people who don\u2019t have any other way of earning a living, even though the forest is protected, and doing so is illegal.
\nAlso it\u2019s at risk from things like development and the removal of \u2018weeds\u2019 and wild places from the countryside. People\u2019s selfish demands on Nature. (A similar migration in Taiwan, with the crow butterflies \u2013 the government has created a corridor to allow them safe passage over a motorway\u2026 but that\u2019s another story!)
\nWhen I flew to the USA recently, I reflected on the amazing journey that the Monarch had taken to New Zealand \u2013 what an adventure, carried by wind and wing-power all the way to the Hawkes Bay from somewhere in the Americas, around about the same time that this church was being built. Here I was, lying back in my seat on an Air New Zealand 747, being fed and entertained, while that little insect had used its own wings to travel all those miles! Isn\u2019t that amazing?
\nOver in the USA there is concern that some children have become completely removed from Nature and there\u2019s a huge movement through schools to educate Canadians, Americans and Mexicans about Monarchs. This year I became part of the Monarch Teacher Network when I trained with them in New Jersey.
\nNow here in NZ we all know that Nature is all around us, it\u2019s perfectly normal to live with ants and weta and all sorts of insects and birds and fish. But many children in the US have never experienced this or the \u2018outdoors\u2019.
\nThe Monarch is a wonderful ambassador for Nature. Watching a Monarch go through its changes is a beautiful experience that can stir up interest and intrigue – and one gets hooked on the whole Monarch-milkweed-pest-predator relationship.
\nAt first you \u2018love the Monarch\u2019 and \u2018hate the aphids and wasps\u2019 that destroy your Monarch or its food \u2013 but then you kind of get a perspective on things, that when a female Monarch lays her 300 or 400 or 1000 eggs, it would be pretty lopsided if all of them were to survive. So you begin to be more relaxed about Nature being in control, and realising that WE are NOT in control of Nature.
\nIt\u2019s a bit like that in the real world too. If everything was LOVELY, and there were no wasps or aphids to give life its bumps and ups and downs, it would become quite a lopsided world. If we don\u2019t have the bad things happen \u2013 the losses, the failures, the accidents, death\u2026 we wouldn\u2019t REALLY appreciate the good things \u2013 and life \u2013 and being alive.
\nNone of us can expect to be here forever. We all have to die. It\u2019s sad to lose someone, but death is a part of life\u2026 and while we treasure memories of someone special or a beloved pet, they are never really dead to us.
\nDeath of the caterpillar\u2026 and the beautiful butterfly emerges. Look through eyes of hope, and see a butterfly inside the caterpillar. Hope knows that beauty is waiting to be born, in the unlikeliest of places\u2026
\nThe people who I come into contact with in the Monarch world are inspiring. There\u2019s one particular woman I\u2019m thinking of in the USA, and she has taught me a lot. Not just about butterflies \u2013 but also about focusing on the good things in life.
\nNow we all know that caterpillars\u2019 skins never grow. That when they grow too large for their skin, they crawl out of it, or moult. They have a new baggy skin underneath which allows them to continue growing. Well watching caterpillars moult brought a question to Edith\u2019s mind: What is keeping her from growing as a Christian?
\nShe realised that some of it is \u2018not letting go of yesterday\u2019. And I do that too. Negative things I tend to hold onto, and I go over and over and over them. For instance, I need to grow out of dealing with negative relationships.
\nJudging people! Having expectations of others.
\nTime spent in negative thoughts is wasted time. I need to ask forgiveness or forgive, and move on. Let it go!
\nMy metamorphosis is a continual growing in the life of Christ. Reviewing my failings, and trying to do better. Trying to be less envious of those who have more than me. Judging people who don\u2019t agree with me. Eating more than my body needs. Being humble instead of boasting about, or boring others with my achievements\u2026 I\u2019m sure you can all identify with that.
\nMonarchs will lead me on new adventures as I continue to grow as an environmental educator and a Christian. I can see there are some exciting things in the future; Monarchs have led me on an inspiring journey in my 59 years \u2013 and there\u2019s more to come.
\nI am not sure who wrote the following, but this prayer helps me with my metamorphosis:
\nI asked for Strength… and I was given difficulties to make me strong.
\nI asked for Wisdom… and I was given problems to solve.
\nI asked for Prosperity… and I was given a brain and talents to work.
\nI asked for Courage… and I was given obstacles to overcome.
\nI asked for Love… and I was given troubled people to help.
\nI asked for Favours… and I was given opportunities.
\nI received nothing I wanted… but everything I needed.
\nLive life without fear, confront all obstacles and know that you can overcome them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I hope you will enjoy this reflection given by Jacqui Knight (Madam Butterfly) on Sunday, 5 October. There were numerous dogs (and their owners) in attendance, a cat, a kitten, and a caterpillar! It was a very moving service – moving hymns, thoughtful prayers. Two beautiful quilts – one crafted by Maureen Trotter (Russell) and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[42,44,46,45,43],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/old-church.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}