a service to celebrate and give thanks for the life of R
02.11.1950 — 19.03.2024 Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell
Friday April 5, 2024
11.00AM
Officiating ministers:
The Reverend Sarah Stevens-Cross
The Reverend Richard Bonifant
The Right Reverend Ross Bay
Organist: Dr. Philip Smith
Pūtātara: Rob Thorne
Thank you for refraining from making videos or recordings during today’s service.
Welcome from the Dean of Auckland
The Very Reverend Anne Mills
Welcome and Opening Prayer
The Reverend Sarah Stevens-Cross Vicar, St Andrew's Epsom
Hymn: Immortal Invisible
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might; thy justice like mountains high soaring above thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all life thou givest, to both great and small; in all life thou livest, the true life of all; we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, and wither and perish but naught changeth thee.
4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight; all praise we would render, O help us to see 'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.
CURIOSITY AND TRUTH
Ko ia kāhore nei i rapu, tē kitea. He who does not seek will not find.
Reading:
an excerpt from a sermon preached by Rod Oram at St Andrew's Epsom, January 2023, following the Auckland Anniversary Weekend Floods read by Celeste Oram, Rod’s daughter
Tribute: Jonathan Milne, Newsroom Pro Managing EditorPrayer:
Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth; lead us from war to peace from fear to trust; lead us from hate to love, from despair to hope. Let hope fill our hearts, our world, our universeand inspire our action, today and always. Amen.
OVE OF CREATION
Toitū te whenua, whatungarongaro he tangata. The land remains when people have disappeared.
Music: Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife performed by Keir GoGwilt, Rod’s son-in-law
Reading: Surah An-Nisa, Verse 141 (The Quran)
read by Kate Moulin, Rod’s sister‘He is the One Who produces gardens—both cultivated and wild—and palm trees, crops of different flavours, olives, and pomegranates— similar ˹in shape˺ , but dissimilar ˹in taste˺ . Eat of the fruit they bear and pay the dues at harvest, but do not waste. Surely He does not like the wasteful.’
Tribute:
Rachel Brown ONZM, Sustainable Business Network Founder and CEOPrayer: God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.
VISION AND IDEAS
“What does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8
Hymn: Tama Ngākau Mārie
1. Tama ngākau mārie, Tama a t’Atua, Tēnei tonu mātou, Arohaina mai.
2. Murua rā ngā hara: Wetekina mai
Ēnei here kino, Whakararu nei.
3. Takahia ki raro, Tāu e kino ai; Kei pā kaha tonu
Ko ngā mahi hē.
4. Tama ngākau mārie, Tama a t’Atua, Tēnei tonu mātou, Arohaina mai. Āmine.
Reading: Revelation 24: 1-7 (The New Testament) read by the Venerable Michael Berry
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and God will dwell with them. They will be God’s people, and God will be with them and be their God. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new! Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Tribute:
Cheryl Reynolds, Edmund Hilary Fellowship, Ākina Trustee
A prayer which Echoes the Lord’s Prayer: from A New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho.
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
Reading: from the Poems in Couplets by Hadewijch of Brabant, translated by Chris Holdaway read by Lynn Webster Oram, Rod’s wife
There is nothing I can say of hope; Your experience must tell of its existence.
He who with longing loves in hope Gives and takes for his gain;
He understands many a fine thing:
How one shall take and give
In the practice of truer love
Which is everything; and he understands
Where that gain is nearest at hand.
He gives to all in need of him;
He consoles those who are grieved;
He counsels those who do not comprehend;
He reaches many a high act of daring;
He storms upon all delights;
He understands the exalted worth
That, with lavish love,
One can a ain through hopeful works.
Despair not that greater storms
Turn all things into ruins; For one seized by despair
All give and take is in vain.
If he speaks, it seems to go unheard.
Whatever service he renders, he fears, That his will will not be done;
Everything seems incomplete forever.
It is despair which always strives
To torment with greatest force.
That is a beautiful burden for the world:
It is as unassailable as anything;
It gives all that one should give;
It lives through all that one should live;
It has all that one should have;
It wills all that God ever willed,
In poverty, in riches, in lowliness, in exaltation, In despair and great sufferance.
The soul who takes pains in all things And in adversity does not fail to give all With high hope shall conquer all That is and was and ever shall be.
Tribute: The Reverend Richard Bonifant, Vicar-elect, St
Ma hew-in-the-City
Poem:
Big World, Small Planet
Alina Siegfried, Edmund Hillary Fellowship
Prayers: Eternal wisdom
We give thanks for Rod’s life. We thank you for his kindness, his enquiring mind, and his infectious enthusiasm for all this world has to offer. We thank you for his abiding hopefulness, for his willingness to confront injustice, to speak with truth and clarity, and for his unwavering belief in humanity and our ability to right the many wrongs of this world.
We thank you for the time we shared with him, for the love he gave and the love he received. Help us to treasure all he shared with us as we carry those precious gifts into the future. We pray for those closest to Rod.
May they know the comfort of your love in this time of terrible loss.
Loving God, be a comforting presence to those who feel the pain that death brings, this day and always. Amen.
Hymn: Be Thou my Vision
1. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art; be Thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.
2. Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word; be Thou ever with me and I with Thee, Lord; be Thou my redeemer, my love Thou hast won be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
3. Riches I heed not, nor earth’s empty praise, be Thou mine inheritance, now and always; be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart, Great God of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
4. Great God of heaven, my victory won Grant heaven’s true joys to me, bright heaven’s sun
Great heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be Thou my vision, O ruler of all.
Closing Prayer: Creator God, nothing in death or life, in the world as it is or the world as it shall be, nothing in all creation can separate us from your love.
God alone is holy and just and good.
In that confidence, therefore, we have commended Rod into divine love and care, forgiveness and mercy.
Enfold him in the arms of your mercy, O God.
Bless him in his dying and in his rising again in you.
Bless those whose hearts are filled with sadness, that we too may know your promises of hope and the comfort of your love. Amen.
Sung Blessing: May the Road Rise to Meet You music by David Hamilton performed by The Stonefields Choir, of which Rod was an enthusiastic member, conducted by Chris Bevan
Blessing: The Right Reverend Ross Bay, Bishop of Auckland
Organ Voluntary:
‘Toccata’ (from Organ Symphony no. 5)
music by Charles-Marie Widor
“We won’t do enough until we care enough, and we won’t care enough until we rediscover our spiritual relationship with all of God’s creation on her Earth.”
Rod OramAfter the service, please join us if you can at Dove Myer Robinson Park for continued fellowship and time together. The School Strike 4 Climate rally & hīkoi to Britomart will be kicking off at the park at 3:30.