by admin | Apr 11, 2017 | Message from Kahu
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD
MATTHEW 5:9
During our worship service on Sunday, the children of the church performed their Easter play for us called, “It wouldn’t be Easter without….” They talked about all of the things that children like about Easter: the Easter bunny, Easter baskets, candy, eggs and, of course, peeps! Yet the children reminded us that it wouldn’t be Easter without Jesus, and it wouldn’t be the same without everyone! It was a beautiful and meaningful play, as the children mentioned Palm Sunday, Easter, resurrection, Jesus and the importance of everyone feeling welcome.
I then shared briefly about Jesus’ message of peace as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey and as the crowd spread their branches on the ground before him and shouted “Hosanna!” His peace was very different from Pax Romana—the peace of the Roman Empire. The Romans used exploitation, oppression and intimidation to get what they wanted, and they called it “peace.”
Jesus taught an altogether different way of understanding peace. To him, peace meant life, love, and service to one another. As followers of Jesus, we too understand peace in this way. I invited everyone to look around and discover the places where peace is missing—and bring peace to those places: life, love and service to one another.
I invite you now to look around this week and do just that; I also invite you to join us on Maundy Thursday as we commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples…to our Easter sunrise service at Kukuiolono Park… and our Easter worship service at the church. May this Holy Week and Easter be filled with hope as we remember that life and peace are always possible—even when it seems like it’s the last thing that can happen.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“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.
by admin | Apr 6, 2017 | Message from Kahu
JOIN US THIS WEEK FOR PALM SUNDAY!
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BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD
MATTHEW 5:8
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation some of the writings of Soren Kierkegaard, the 19th century Danish philosopher. One of my favorite essays of Kierkegaard is called Purity of Heat. In it, he says “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” Kierkegaard argued that a person could not be pure in heart if he or she pursued many different things in life. On the other hand, if a person only willed one thing, that person would be pure in heart. According to Kierkegaard, the only way to pursue one thing was to pursue God; and Kierkegaard attempted to pursue God with his whole being.
In our Gospel reading on Sunday, we read from Matthew: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” I believe Kierkegaard understood these words of Jesus better than anyone else I have read. If we pursue God above all else, we will see God more clearly.
On Sunday, we celebrate Palm Sunday and begin Holy Week. I invite you to join us and invite friends and family members to church during this very special time of year. On Palm Sunday, we will remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. On Maundy Thursday, we will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. On Friday, our children will gather to decorate Easter eggs. And, of course, on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
I look forward to spending Holy Week with the people of Koloa Union Church!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Click HERE to see a video of Sunday’s sermon. Videos of Kahu’s sermons are available most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. You can also subscribe on YouTube anytime you watch a sermon; that way you can easily watch any past sermon and even receive a notification when a new sermon is posted.
“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.
by admin | Apr 6, 2017 | News
JOIN US THIS WEEK FOR PALM SUNDAY!
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LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS This Wednesday, April 5, will be our last soup supper in Moore Hall at 6 p.m. After supper, Kahu Akana will lead a discussion on “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Will See God.”
PALM SUNDAY We will celebrate with the processional of palms and the children will perform their Easter play (“You Can’t Have Easter Without….”) this week on Palm Sunday, April 9.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING This special offering of the United Church of Christ supports disaster relief, refugee support, and development throughout the world. We will collect the OGHS offering on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. Please use the special offering envelopes or write OGHS on your check. Mahalo nui for your generosity!
ALAN AKANA GALLERY The watercolors of the beautiful flowers of Hawaii which are painted by our Kahu are on display at Alan Akana Gallery, located in the Smith Memorial Parsonage at 3281 Waikomo Road in Koloa. The gallery is open on Sundays through Thursday 1 p.m..-5 p.m. (closed Fridays and Saturdays). NOTE: these are new hours for the gallery. A majority of the net profits from the gallery goes directly to the ministry of Koloa Union Church! For more information, click HERE.
MAUNDY THURSDAY On Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m., we will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. We will read Scriptures, reflect upon their meaning and celebrate Holy Communion. Join us in the sanctuary for this special service.
EASTER EGG DECORATING & LUNCH On Friday, April 14, at 11 a.m., the children of the church will gather in Moore Hall for our annual Easter egg decorating and lunch. The eggs will be used in the Easter egg hunt at the parsonage on Easter. Please sign up on the bulletin board at church.
EASTER SUNDAY
6:00 Easter Sunrise Service at Kukuiolono Park in Kalaheo
10:30 Easter Worship Service at the church (NOTE: there will be NO breakfast served this year.)
11:45 Potluck Picnic and Easter Egg Hunt at the Smith Memorial Parsonage. Please sign up to bring something to eat on the signup sheet on the bulletin board by April 9, and our Aloha Hour Committee for that day will plan accordingly.
- PARKING ON EASTER For those who are able, you are requested to park on Poipu Road and Waikomo Road on Easter morning, as well as at the Ramos’ residence (3303 Waikomo Road; next door to the parsonage), as well as the side and back of Moore Hall. We want to save parking spots at the church and in the parsonage driveway for those who have difficulty walking.
PRAYERS & SQUARES Contact Angela Dressel if you would like to get involved in praying for people in crisis or helping to make quilt squares for those in crisis.
by admin | Mar 29, 2017 | Message from Kahu
BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY WILL RECEIVE MERCY
MATTHEW 5:7; JOHN 9:1-39
On Sunday, we read the story of Jesus healing the blind man in the Gospel of John. His disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” They assumed, as many of us do at times, that someone is to blame for the painful and challenging things that happen to people, and we often blame ourselves. Most of us have said at least once in our lives, “What did I do to deserve this?”
Well, Jesus responded to the disciples, “He was born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him.” The Greek word for “work” can also be translated “handiwork” or “workmanship.” The verse can be translated in this way:
“He was born blind so that God’s handiwork might be revealed in him.”
I think the point is that the man was born so that God would do things in and through the man’s life. I also wonder if Jesus may have been alluding to the belief that the man himself was God’s handiwork. I think it is important for us to remind ourselves that we were born so that God would do things in and through our lives, and we too are God’s handiwork.
Even though God was already working in the man’s life—even while he was blind—Jesus showed mercy to the man by giving him his sight. I find it interesting that the passage started out with the disciples assuming sin was involved in the man’s predicament, and then, after the Pharisees questioned the man about his vision, they called Jesus a sinner and told the man that he was “born entirely in sin.”
We have a choice in how we see ourselves and others. On the one hand, we can see as Jesus saw people: that we are born so that God’s handiwork might be seen in and through our lives. On the other hand, we can see as the Pharisees saw the people with whom they disagreed politically and theologically: that we are born in sin, that people have challenging circumstances because of sin, and that people disagree with us because of sin. When we see through the eyes of Jesus and allow people to be who they are, we look for God’s handiwork in and through them, and show mercy to them.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Click HERE to see a video of Sunday’s sermon. Videos of Kahu’s sermons are available most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. You can also subscribe on YouTube anytime you watch a sermon; that way you can easily watch any past sermon and even receive a notification when a new sermon is posted.
“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.
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