Te Whakahokinga Mai o te Raneatanga o te Rongopai o Ihu Karaiti

E whakapuaki mārika ana mātou e aroha ana Te Atua i Āna tamariki katoa nō ngā whenua katoa o te ao. Kua hoatu e te Matua Atua te whānautanga ariki mai, te oranga kāore ōnā ritenga, ā me te whakamārietanga patunga mutunga kore o Tana Tamaiti Aroha Noa a Ihu Karaiti. Nā te mana a te Matua, ka aranga ake anō a Ihu Karaiti, ā ka whai wikitōria i te mate. Ko Ia tō mātou Kai Whakaora, tō mātou Kai Whakatauira, ā tō mātou Kaihoko anō hoki.

E rua rau tau ki muri, i tētahi ata ataahua nō te kōanga o te tau 1820, i te haere a Hohepa Mete tamaiti ki te ngahere e pātata atu ana ki tōnā kāinga i te raki o Niu Ioka, USA, ki te inoi, kia mōhio ai ia ko tēhea te hāhi tika hei whakahonotanga māna.

I runga i te ngākau whakaiti, e whakapuaki ana mātou hei urupare i tana inoi, ka whakaputaina te Atua Matua me Tana Tamaiti a Ihu Karaiti ki a Hohepa, ā ko te timatatanga tēnei o te “whakahokinga mai o ngā mea katoa” (Ngā Mahi 3:21) i poropititia e te Paipera. I tēnei whakakitenga, ka akongia e ia whai muri i te matenga o ngā Āpōtoro tūturu, ka ngaro te Hāhi Kawenata Hou i te ao. Ka mātua rā a Hohepa hei kōkiri i tōna whakahokitanga mai.

E whakaatu ana i raro i ngā tohutohu a te Matua me te Tamaiti, kua haere mai ngā karere nō ngā rangi kia tohua a Hohepa kia whakatūhia anōhia te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti. Ka whakahokingia e Hone Kai-rumaki kua aranga kē te mana kia rumakanga hei murunga hara. He tokotoru o ngā Āpōtoro tekau mā rua tūturu—ko Pita rātou ko Hēmi, ko Hone—nā rātou te āpōtorotanga me ngā kī o te mana tohungatanga i whakahoki mai. Kua haere mai ētahi atu, tae rā anō ki Irāia, nāna te mana whakahono whānau mō āke tonu atu, ka hīkina i te mate i whakahoki mai.

E whakaatu tonu ana mātou kua hoatu ki a Hohepa Mete te hoatutanga me te mana a te Atua kia whakamāoritia ai i te tuhinga onamata, arā: Te Pukapuka a Moromona—He whakaaturanga Mai Anō Nā Ihu Karaiti. Ko ngā whārangi o tēnei tuhinga tapu e kōrero ana i te minitatanga takitahi a Ihu Karaiti i waenga i ngā tāngata nō te tai hauāuru o te ao muri tata iho i Tana Aranga Ake. E akongia ana i te pūtaketanga o te ora, ā e whakamārama ana i te whakaakoranga a Te Karaiti, hei kaupapa hirahira mō taua pūtake. Hei karaipiture whakaāpiti ki te Paipera, e whakaatu ana te Pukapuka a Moromona he tamariki tāne, he tamāhine rānei ngā wairua katoa o te ao nō tētahi Matua i te Rangi nui te aroha.

E whakaatu ana mātou ko Te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti o te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri Nei i whakahaeretia i te 6 o Āpireira, 1830, koia rā tā Te Karaiti Hāhi o Te Kawenata Hou kua whakahoki mai. Kua whakapungangia tēnei Hāhi i te oranga hē-kore o tōnā kamaka mō te kokona rangatira, a Ihu Karaiti, i roto i Tana Whakamārietanga mutunga kore me Tana Aranga Ake.

Kua hipa te rua rau tau mai i tēnei Whakahokinga Mai nā te Atua te Matua me Tana Tamaiti Aroha Noa, a Ihu Karaiti i whakaara. E hia miriona ngā tāngata puta noa i te ao kua pupuri nei i te mōhiotanga o ēnei āhuatanga kua poropititia kētia.

E whakapuaki koa ana mātou kei te koke whakamua te Whakahokitanga Mai kua awherotia noatia mā te whakakitenga tonutanga. Kāhore rawa te ao e pēnei tonu ana i te mea mā te Atua e “huihui ngā mea katoa i roto i a Te Karaiti” (Epeha 1:10).

Nā runga i te kauanuanu me ngā whakawhetai, e pōwhiritia ana mātou ki a koutou katoa, hei Āpōtoro Āna kia mōhio ai—pēnei i a mātou—kei te tūwhera ngā rangi. E taunaki ana mātou e whakamōhiotia ana e te Atua Tāna e hiahia ai ki Āna tamariki tāne me Āna tamāhine aroha noa. E whakaatu ana mātou, ko aua hunga e akongia inoia i te kōrerotanga a te Whakahokinga Mai me te whakatīnana ake i runga i te whakapono ka manaakitia kia pupuri ai i o rātou whakaaturanga ake i tōna atuatanga me tōna pūtake hei takatū i te ao mō te Haerenga Tuaruatanga Mai a tō tātou Ariki Kaiwhakaora, a Ihu Karaiti.