Podcast Summary — ANZAC Memorial & Sermon by Ps Ken Harrison (Sunday, 26 April)

Ps Ken Harrison opened the service with a deeply personal and reverent ANZAC commemoration, honouring the sacrifice of New Zealanders who served in World War I, World War II, and later conflicts. Drawing from his own family history — a grandfather wounded at Passchendaele and a father who fought in Egypt and Italy — Ps Ken reflected on the cost of freedom and the responsibility each generation carries to protect peace. He shared vivid stories from the battlefields he has visited, including the trenches of Epes and the Seneo stopbank in Italy, grounding the remembrance in real human courage and loss. As he read Laurence Binyon’s famous lines, “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them,” the congregation stood to honour those who served and those who still carry the scars of war.

Transitioning into his sermon “Seize Life, Seize the Day,” Ps Ken connected the ANZAC legacy of courage to the Christian call to live purposefully. Using his father’s wartime diary — including the entry written the day his father was wounded — he illustrated how moments of crisis can shape a lifetime of conviction. His father’s motto, “You only pass this way once — live it,” became the foundation for a message urging believers to embrace each day with faith, passion, and intentionality.

Drawing from Ephesians 5 and Ecclesiastes 9:10, Ps Ken taught that seizing the day means recognising God’s love, goodness, and guidance in every season. He reminded listeners that faith is not passive; it “holds up” the promises of God and propels us into the future with courage. Using the acronym LIVE — Love God, Invest in His kingdom, Value your time, and be Eager to please Him — he called the church to live fully for Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit and committed to the work of the Kingdom.

The message closed with a challenge: as long as it is day, we must do the works of the One who sent us. Just as past generations fought for our freedom, we are called to honour their legacy — and Christ’s sacrifice — by living boldly, faithfully, and purposefully today.