Weekly News of the Church

MOVIE NIGHT Friday, January 13, 2017, 6 p.m.

We are showing a fun family movie, serving hot dogs, popcorn and drinks. The movie will be outside, so bring warm clothes. We will move indoors if it rains.

PRAYERS & SQUARES (Our New Prayer Ministry)

During the month of January there will be two “open” quilt gatherings at the Dressel residence (4421 Kai Ikena Drive Kalaheo, 332-7371 or abdressel@gmail.com):

  • Saturday, January 21, 10am – 2pm.
  • Tuesday, January 31, 2pm – 5pm.

Please come when you can, stay as long as you wish. Sandy Gerard will teach how to cut fabric for piecing and Angela will help those who want to learn to piece the lap quilts together. Bring your sewing machines and associated tools and any fabric you can gather.

WINDOW CLEANING

We are looking for someone to clean our church sanctuary windows this week (outside only). This includes the high windows where the white cross is, so a brush with an extension pole, tall ladder or scaffolding might be necessary. If you know of anyone capable and willing to volunteer or if you can recommend a good professional window cleaner, please let us know.

  • IMPORTANT NOTE: As part of our capital campaign projects, we are installing film on the inside of the windows this week to cut out the glare of the sun. The installers have instructed: NO cleaning of the inside of the windows for 30 days…and NEVER use window cleaner with ammonia (which disintegrates the film)!!!

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“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!

A Message from Kahu Akana

magi1

THE MAGI AND THEIR GIFTS

On Sunday, I shared about the Magi who arrived after the birth of Jesus (also known as the Wise Men and the Three Kings) and what I have learned about them. Much of our understanding of them comes from traditions developed over the centuries. First of all, they were not called “Wise Men” until much later than their first appearance in writing (in the Gospel of Matthew) and, according to Matthew, they were the opposite of kings. Matthew portrays them as people on the margins: possibly not wealthy, certainly not among the inner circles, not highly revered, and not very welcome. We don’t even know if there were three of them; we just know that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. And we don’t know how much they gave.

So if Matthew did not intend to portray them as wise men, kings, or even people that were held in high regard, then why (you might ask) did he include them in the Gospel? What Matthew was clearly saying to his readers was: “When God came to reveal God’s self in Jesus, he did so first to the most unlikely people imaginable.” God showed up to the people on the margins of society…and those people on the margins kept showing up for God and offering whatever it was that they had—and sometimes that was not much! This theme is dominant throughout Matthew’s Gospel. It is also dominant in the entire Hebrew-Christian scriptural tradition.

If you have ever felt marginalized, not “in” with the “in crowd,” not important enough for God to care about you, or not having enough to give anything of importance to God, then the story of the Magi should give you some encouragement; for God has always shown up for people just like you; and God has always welcomed the gifts of people just like you. I invite you to keep this in mind as you consider how you will be in the world during this new year. For I am confident that God will welcome you however you show up and will be delighted in whatever you have to offer.

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

Due to technical issues, there is no video this week. Videos of Kahu’s sermons are available most weeks. You can find them on our website (after each post from “A Message from Kahu Akana” when available) and on YouTube. Please subscribe to the YouTube account and share these videos with friends and invite them to church!

“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.

Weekly News of the Church

PRAYERS & SQUARES: The Prayer Quilt Ministry
Koloa Union Church has created a new prayer ministry (http://www.prayerquilt.org), Chapter 1228. Karen Johnson is Prayer Coordinator, Angela Dressel is Chapter Coordinator. Angela is hosting a meeting for those interested in learning more on January 6, 2017, 3-5 p.m., 4421 Kai Ikena Drive, Kalaheo. Contact Angela at abdressel@gmail.com or 808-332-7371.

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Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!