A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Oct 24, 2015 | Message from Kahu

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS

I returned Wednesday evening from a week in Salt Lake City at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. On the first day of the conference, I immediately recognized Tibetan Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Hare Krishna’s, indigenous people of the American Continents, and a myriad of other persons of faith for whom I did not yet have names. I spent five full days attending plenary sessions, workshops, movies, and discussion groups, as well as visiting booths and exhibits. I also had meals with old and new friends. By the end of the conference, I felt that my eyes were opened to the fact that all of the religious faiths and traditions which I encountered seem to have a lot more in common than I ever realized. We all want to operate from a place of compassion. We all want to protect the Earth so that she will be around for many generations to enjoy. We all want people to live with dignity, security and hope, and without hunger, oppression and injustice.

For the next few weeks, I will share on Sunday mornings some of the details of my experiences at the parliament. This Sunday, I will share about the message from Jane Goodall—my favorite speaker of the week! She has spent her entire life opening her eyes and watching, and by the simple act of observing, she has been filled with compassion for animals (including humans!) and the entire planet. We know her primarily from her work observing chimpanzees as a trained primatologist, but there is a lot more to her life than that! Her message cuts across religious lines and gets to the heart of some of the most important issues of our day.

I invite you to join me during the next month as I share the highlights of the Parliament of the World’s Religions!

Aloha nui loa!

Kahu Alan Akana

A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Sep 28, 2015 | Message from Kahu

Sea Glass

SEA GLASS AND DREAMS

On Sunday, I brought a bowl of sea glass to church and shared with the congregation that sea glass has become for me an important image of our lives. Pieces of sea glass are basically broken pieces of bottles, glasses, windows and other glass objects of all colors, shapes and sizes, that have been tossed by the waves and rubbed against the sand until they become smooth and beautiful objects. They change through the tossing and turning of the waves, and they become more desirable. In much the same way, our lives change as we are tossed and turned by the experiences in our lives over which we sometimes seem to have very little control. Yet, we can welcome those experiences and find God in the midst of them; and when we do, we too have our rough edges smoothed out and we become more beautiful.

I talked a bit about the Prophet Jeremiah and the people to whom he ministered. They had their fair share of tossing and turning! Life was pretty difficult after being hauled off by the Babylonian army to serve as virtual slaves to the Babylonians. They wondered if they would ever return to their homeland, if they would ever have their lives back again. Jeremiah reminded them that God was still with them, just like God had always been with them, just like God would always be with them…and he helped them dream of a brighter future. And that was all the reason they needed to have joy and hope for their lives:

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

I will build you up again,
Again you will take up your timbrels
and go out to dance with the joyful….

I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

When times are rough and it seems like you are being tossed about like a broken piece of glass in the waves, remember that God is with you, loving you, giving you reason for joy and hope, and turning you into something even more beautiful than you already are! So dream of better days, dream of joy, dream of hope, for your life…for your family…for your church.

I hope to see you on Sunday when we will continue to focus on the beauty of sea glass…and I invite you to come and share your dreams.

Aloha nui loa!

Kahu Alan Akana