Weekly News of the Church

by | Oct 18, 2020 | News

Sunday Worship

October 18, 2020
10:30 a.m.

“The Things That Belong to God”
Join Us in Church or Online

Kumu’s Cupboard

Share Aloha in October

The Outreach Committee is collecting donations for Kumu’s Cupboard in October. Kumu’s Cupboard is a nonprofit store where Kauai’s teachers can shop for free. The store is filled with school supplies, office supplies, art and science materials, as well as student incentives. Did you know that our teachers have to use their own money on supplies for their classrooms? With all that is going on right now and school just starting, the shelves at Kumu’s Cupboard are going empty and they are in need of basic supplies to continue their mission. Help our island’s keiki by helping their teachers!

The following items are what the teachers have identified as things in need. If you are able, please consider picking up an item or two while at the store to donate. Sorry but Kumu’s Cupboard is not able to accept used items at this time. There is a printed list available at the Deacon’s station in back of the church.

SCHOOL/OFFICE SUPPLIES: paper of all types, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, staplers, staples, binders, paper clips, binder clips, brads, small white boards and cleaner, folders, composition books, notebooks, binders, new books (Kindergarten/Preschool age) 

ART & SCIENCE MATERIALS: fabric (one yard minimums), puzzles, feathers, yarn, tiles, beads, paints, construction paper, glitter, science equipment, math manipulatives (like flash cards) 

HEALTH SUPPLIES: disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, liquid soap, disinfecting wipes

NOTE: Deadline is October 30. All donated items will be delivered on October 31. You can drop items off at the church during office hours (Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to noon. Please call Penny beforehand). Outside of these hours you can drop items off in the tote bin labeled “Share Aloha,” which is located to the right of the front foyer. You can also arrange a home pick-up by Amber. Please text or call (907)227-9045 to do so.

LECTIONARY READINGS

Weekly Readings from the Bible

During challenging times, reading the Bible on a daily basis is a great source of inspiration and hope. I encourage you to read and meditate upon the Scriptures of the Revised Common Lectionary and ask yourself how God might be showing up in the Scriptures for you, what God might be saying to you, and what guidance you might find as you share God’s love in creative and meaningful ways.
—Kahu Alan Akana

Each week, Christians throughout the world read biblical passages from the Revised Common Lectionary, including the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels. After three years, a good portion of the Bible is included and the cycle begins again. RCL passages are often read in church worship services, and Kahu Akana usually includes at least one reading each Sunday.

Readings for October 11 are Exodus 32:1-14; Psalm 106:1-23; Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14.

Readings for October 18 are Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22.

A Message from Our Kahu

by | Oct 18, 2020 | Message from Kahu

“Everyone’s Invited”

On Sunday, we read the Parable of the Great Banquet, in which Jesus surprised his listeners by telling of an emperor who invited people from the crossroads to a banquet celebrating the wedding of his son. The “crossroads” in those days was the place where the roads came together just outside the city. It’s where the “undesirable people” hung out: beggars, refugees, prostitutes, the sick, the poor. Jesus’ audience would have been shocked because these are not the kinds of people who are invited to the palace, especially not for a feast.

This story reminds us that all kinds of people are part of God’s great vision for the world, which I called on Sunday “an outrageous fantasy.” The shocking things that Jesus said would have sounded like a fantasy to the people living at that time. Imagine an emperor who loves you deeply, who considers your wellbeing with every word, action and policy decision in the empire. Those who do the emperor’s bidding carry forth his love throughout the empire. Everyone feels the love!

This still sounds like an outrageous fantasy today—whether the leader is a president, prime minister, or king. The Bible commentator Warren Carter writes in his book, Matthew and Empire:

Some might say that all of that is just a fantasy. Perhaps it is. I would suggest, though, that it is preferable to a fantasy of violence and domination.

His point is that we can choose the way of Jesus, which may be a fantasy. However, it is a fantasy that we turn into reality in a thousand ways. So why not come along and take part in this vision where everyone is loved and invited—including you?

Aloha nui!

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

To see a video of this week’s worship service, including the message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see previous worship services and many of Kahu’s past messages. You can subscribe in order be notified when a new message is posted. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. Please feel free to “Like” any of the videos you see and share them on social media, such as Facebook, so that others will notice them.

You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings! To see our Sunday morning schedule, click HERE.

Kahu Akana is also an accomplished artist! He specializes in creating vibrant watercolors of the flowers of Hawaii and hosts a Sunday afternoon reception in a gallery at his home, the Smith Memorial Parsonage. He also meets visitors by appointment. Most of the profit from the sales go for the maintenance and upkeep of the parsonage. To see a video about his art and gallery, click HERE. To see the gallery website, click HERE.