A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Mar 7, 2018 | Message from Kahu

Melicent and James Smith

“A Blessing at the Threshold”

It takes only a couple of seconds for a life to change irreversibly.

Suddenly you stand on completely strange ground

and a new course of life has to be embraced.

Especially at such times we desperately need blessing and protection.

An excerpt from To Bless the Space between Us

—John O’Donohue

[This past Sunday, we continued our Lenten theme of “Blessings,” based upon the late John O’Donohue’s book To Bless the Space between Us: A Book of Blessings. The topic was “Thresholds.”]

When James and Melicent Smith stepped onto the 96-foot brig Sarah Abigail in Boston in May of 1842, they had crossed a threshold. They had left the life which they had known in New England and they would never go back to it. They moved to Koloa where they spent the rest of their lives. James was the only Western-trained physician on Kaua`i and he served the entire island, as well as Ni`ihau. He came here and he saved many lives—mostly Native Hawaiians.

The Old Testament text was the well known passage of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20. The Hebrew people had just crossed their own threshold when they left Egypt where they were slaves and crossed over onto a journey where they were headed to the promised land of freedom.

Both the Smiths and the Hebrew people had left the life they knew behind and entered an entire new way of being, of seeing, and of relating to the world. I pointed out that the Ten Commandments did not start out as just a big set of rules. They started out ontological.Ontology is the study of being, of identity, of understanding the essence of a person or community. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” These are the opening words of the Ten Commandments! It starts out with who God is, who the people were and are, and (by implication) who they are becoming. Only after the ontological words come the practical words. “You shall have no other gods before me….”

It is important whenever we cross our own thresholds in life that we remember first who we are, what our identity is, how we relate to God, the earth, and other people; only then is it important to consider our actions. In our Gospel reading (Matthew 5), Jesus made it clear that if our focus is on the rules, we have missed the entire point. What is way more important is what is in our hearts. After all, we can still follow the rules (for awhile) and hate people in our hearts. Jesus and his followers know that our actions are best motivated by love, by grace and compassion.

As you cross over any thresholds in your life, I invite you to begin by asking who you are and how you relate to God, the earth and others. I invite you to allow love to motivate your actions.

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Feb 27, 2018 | Message from Kahu

“The Blessing of Our Desires”

This past Sunday, we continued our Lenten theme of “Blessings,” based upon the late John O’Donohue’s book To Bless the Space between Us: A Book of Blessings. I included in my message on Sunday the story of how I came to Koloa Union Church. It began between five and six years ago when a Spiritual Director, with whom I had been meeting, and I had a conversation about some anticipated changes in my life. Darlene asked me, “What would bring you the greatest joy?” As I paid attention to how God was showing up in my desires and how joy was calling to me, it became clear that watercoloring Hawaii’s flowers and pastoring a church were the two things in my life that truly brought me the greatest joy. As I created a vision for my life around these two things, I found great clarity around what I was committed to for my future…and eventually found myself as the Kahu of Koloa Union Church and living in the parsonage where I paint and show my art!

It was four years ago when I moved to Koloa and began my ministry at the church. It was also just one year ago when I opened Alan Akana Gallery at the Smith Memorial Parsonage as a fundraiser to care for the parsonage. As we celebrated these special occasions on Sunday, it was truly one of the most joyful days of my life! On Sunday morning, I was presented with a beautiful lei from Rose Tatiana, who then danced while Doug sang. As I thought back to my vision that I had created over five years ago, part of that vision was “to serve a church where the people appreciated Hawaiian culture.” As I listened to Doug play and sing, and as I watched Rose dance, I was deeply moved by the awareness that God has given me the desires of my heart! At the Open House at the gallery on Sunday afternoon, this awareness became even more real as so many people came to offer their blessings, express their appreciation of my art, enjoy delicious food, music and dance! By the end of the day, I was wearing a number of beautiful lei—symbols of everlasting aloha—which were presented to me by dear friends…and I felt deeply blessed with love and joy!

I trust that everyone who heard my message on Sunday morning was motivated to bring their desires before God and ask how God might show up in those desires…with love and joy! If you didn’t get a chance to hear the message on Sunday, you can click on the link just below and watch the video. Also, be sure to drop by on Wednesday evening for soup and to talk and reflect upon the topic of the week!

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana