Abraham received God’s call and promise and set out from Haran to obey without seeing any evidence. God’s call was from barrenness to blessing and from polytheism to an alternative community gathered around the one true God. God calls us today to a new, fruitful community of faith.

Jesus was led into the wilderness by the same Spirit who affirmed his identity at his baptism. Jesus was faced with temptations that are common to us all – hedonism, egoism and materialism. Ask God for the grace to overcome and be strengthened for ministry.

Jesus shows us a different way when relationships break down and people hate us – he asks us to love those who hate and despise us. We don’t ignore bad behavior but we engage creatively with love.

God is as concerned about our relationships with others as about our relationship with God.

We are called to put things right with others in order to follow the teaching of Jesus. Challenging as this is at times, our behaviour matters, not just to others we interact with but also to God.

Jesus calls us to change society one person, one family and one community at a time. We do this by being intimately involved within the community – like salt, and by revealing and radiating the love of Jesus as a Christian community – like light.

How can we be sources of salt and light in Aotearoa this year?

When Jesus called the first disciples they left everything, followed him and participated in Jesus' mission. We are also called to follow Jesus, grow to be like him and get involved in ministry - inviting people to move from the world view of secular humanism to the Christian world view.

Why can't there be the joy of new beginnings without the pain of endings? Our readings are full of both today...

Come and see! When Jesus' first disciples asked him where he was living, Jesus didn't give his address. He said "come and see"! Come and do life with me. Come and experience what life with God is like.