A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

Advent-Candle

HOPE!  PEACE!  JOY!  LOVE!

During the Season of Advent, we celebrate hope, peace, joy and love. We do so as we light the Advent candles each Sunday. We also focus on these four words in our worship themes, Scripture readings, prayers and sermons. We reflect on these four words every year at Advent because they are central to our faith and our lives.

As I listen to the news every morning and read the newspaper each day, I am convinced all the more that we must reflect on these words if we choose to follow Jesus Christ. In the news, I hear of terrorism, refugees, environmental crises, and poverty. Without hope, peace, joy and love in our minds and on our hearts, I wonder if we would all sink into despair.

Yet, these four words are what we need to remember not just during Advent but throughout the year, as we commit to making the world a better place and the lives of others more fulfilling…for we cannot keep hope, peace, joy and love to ourselves. Sharing them is part of their nature.

So, may our lives overflow with hope, peace, joy and love…and may they “flow over” onto the lives of others. I hope to see you on Christmas Sunday as we celebrate the coming of Christ into this world.

Aloha nui loa!

Kahu Alan Akana

News of the Church

Caroling to the Kupuna: We will sing Christmas carols to the elderly residents of Hale Kupuna in Omao on Thursday, December 17. Everyone is welcome to join us in singing Christmas carols where several elderly members and friends of our church live. We will also give holiday cards to the residents. We will meet at the church parking lot  at 5 p.m. and plan to return by 7 p.m.

Annual Church Christmas Party: Our Christmas party will be at the parsonage on Friday, December 18, beginning at 6 p.m. Call Penny at the church office (808-742-6622) to find out what we might need for the potluck (or just bring anything you like!). The parsonage is located at 3281 Waikomo Road, just around the corner from the church.

Christmas Sunday: On this special day when we celebrate God’s love which came to the world as a baby named Jesus, we will light the Advent candles and sing carols. We also have special music in store, and our Sunday school children will perform a Christmas pageant; and Kahu Akana will deliver a sermon on God’s love. We hope you will join us this Sunday, December 20, at 10:30 a.m., and then join us for lunch afterwards.

A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

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PEACE ON EARTH

On Sunday, we read the story of the shepherds who were watching their sheep on the night Jesus was born. They were approached by an angel who told them about the birth of Jesus. Then a host of angels appeared, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.”

I talked about the shepherds and what their lives were like. They were a group of people who knew very little peace—especially at night while they guarded their flocks in the dark from dangerous predators. They were among the poorest of the working class; they did the job that no one else wanted. While everyone else was comfortably sleeping in their beds, the shepherds were wide awake and ready to protect their flocks from packs of wolves. Furthermore, they lived in a culture that didn’t know much about peace, for the Romans ruled with brutality and terror.

So news of peace came unexpectedly to the shepherds. They figured they must be the last people on earth to receive news of peace! Nevertheless, God chose them to be among the first people to learn of the good news that a baby was born who would bring peace to all.

My prayer this week for the people of Koloa Union Church is that we would all experience the peace of God, for God’s favor rests upon us all; and may we share God’s peace with others!

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

News of the Church

Christmas Caroling at Sueoka’s

Each year Koloa Union Church members gather to sing Christmas carols to help the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. This year, we will meet at Sueoka Store on December 9 and December 16 from 5-7 p.m.  Everyone is welcome to join us on both of these Wednesday evenings.


Christmas Invitations Mailed This Week

Christmas invitations will be delivered to every address in the Koloa zip code.  This special card invites everyone to celebrate the birth of Christ with us:

  • Christmas Sunday, December 20, 10:30 am
  • Christmas Eve, December 24, 7:30 pm
  • Christmas Day, December 25, 10:30 am.

Extra cards have been ordered, so feel free to pick up an extra one at church or take a handful and give them to friends, neighbors and visitors who live outside the 96756 zip code.