A few weeks ago I was tramping in the upper Waimakariri Valley with my children. We came to the hut early in the afternoon and gathered firewood from the nearby riverbed, where floods had deposited plenty of branches that had now dried out. As evening set, the valley became still. Not a breath of wind blew. We decided to light a fire in the outdoor fireplace.  The sandflies also had disappeared, so that we cooked the evening meal outside. When the cool of evening descended, the fire kept us warm. A waxing moon—not quite full yet—soon rose above the mountains. Here, far from the city lights, the stars shone brightly in the night sky, even when the moon bathed the valley in its reflected light. I am always amazed when I observe the night sky out in the mountains. It is quite a different experience from looking up at the stars in the city. The stars seem so much brighter and so much greater in number.

The wonder at seeing the night sky is well expressed in the hymn The duteous day now closeth:

Now all the heavenly splendour
Breaks forth in starlight tender
From myriads worlds unknown;
And man, the marvel seeing,
Forgets his selfish being,
For joy of beauty not his own.

When we consider the sky, the moon and the stars, our thoughts are indeed lifted beyond the daily cares and we may ask with the people of old what humans are that God is mindful of them (Psalm 8). Even though we might feel small and insignificant, this is an essential part of being human, so that we can consider God’s majesty and transcendence. And the splendour of the natural world does help us to look beyond ourselves.

There are many ways to view the new public holiday of Matariki in New Zealand. I think it is one opportunity to look beyond our immediate cares, to consider the majesty of creation and see beyond it to the Maker and Sustainer of it all.