A Message from Kahu Akana

by admin | Jan 11, 2017 | Message from Kahu

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew, and John’s baptism of Jesus. I began by reminding everyone how Matthew, from the very beginning of his Gospel (and all the way through), focused on the marginalized people whom God visited and who showed up for God. John was about as marginalized as one could get. He lived in the wilderness—a place where no one wanted to live, completely separated from civilization. John ate bugs and honey, and wore camel hair for his clothing. Yet, as marginalized as he was, God visited him…and he showed up for God.

I talked about how the news has been awfully discouraging to watch: war, terrorism, gun violence, and other horrible things are talked about on a daily basis. It sometimes seems like the problems of the world are so big, there is nothing we can do about it. However, the story of John the Baptists gives me hope. For if John can make a difference in the world while living on the margins, then I am confident you and I can as well.

I can’t tell you what God has planned for you to make a difference in the world, but the story in Matthew’s Gospel gives us some pretty good clues in terms of how to find that out for ourselves.

• First of all, God keeps showing up in the margins of society, so maybe we can spend some time there. It may be the wilderness away from other people where you will find some guidance, but it also might be among some marginalized people in your own neighborhood or right down the street. If you want to know what God is up to and what he might want from you, then spend some time in the margins.
• Second, God showed up among people who were preparing for God to show up. Do whatever the things are that help you prepare for God to show up: prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, church.
• Third, God showed up in a pretty unexpected way, so be open to surprises, knowing that God may show up or ask you to do something that is entirely different from what you have been expecting.
• Finally, God showed up in the baptism of Jesus with a complete acceptance of Jesus in his essence—just as he was. God said, “This is my child, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” Imagine that those words are for you as well. Imagine God claiming you as a son or daughter. Imagine God declaring unconditional and eternal love for you. Imagine God so pleased with who you are, that you are perfect in God’s eyes and don’t need to change a thing about yourself.

I am confident that if you do these things, then God will show up a bit more clearly, and you will have a better idea of what God might have in mind for your role in the world.

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

Click HERE to see a video of Sunday’s sermon. A CORRECTION TO THE SERMON: Someone told me on Sunday that my statistics were off, and I realized I accidentally misquoted two statistics. I said that over 33,000 people were killed between 2001 and 2013 by acts or terrorism in the U.S. and Americans overseas. I meant to say 3,300 (which is still a big number). I also said that there were more than 140,000 people killed in the U.S during that same period of time due to non-terroristic gun-violence. I meant to say more than 400,000 (a much bigger number)! My point was that the problems in our country and world are big. I apologize for the mistake.

Videos of Kahu’s sermons will be available every week through January. You can find them here on our  church website <www.koloaunionchurch.org> and on our weekly e-news. (Just let us know if you want us to email you our weekly e-news!) 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.

A Message from Kahu Akana

by admin | Jan 5, 2017 | Message from Kahu

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.

A Message from Kahu Akana

by admin | Dec 28, 2016 | Message from Kahu

MELE KALIKIMAKA & HAU`OLI MAKAHIKI HOU!

We had two wonderful services this weekend celebrating the birth of Jesus, along with inspiring music and the stories of Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, my message focused on the key figures in the story and what a scandal they created simply by the fact that they were the ones invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The shepherds were the ones who smelled bad and did the work no one else wanted to do; the Magi were the foreigners with a different religion and way of life, and carried suspicion with them as they came from a faraway land; Joseph was just a plain old guy—a carpenter who barely got by; Mary was the most scandalous of all—an unwed teenage mother who was so poor that she lay her baby in an animal feeding trough owned by total strangers! This is not your typical story of the birth of a king! Rather, it is part of an ongoing story of God’s grace and inclusivity of all people–even the poor and the scandalous! The story continues today—and includes each and every one of us!

On Christmas Day, I talked about the life of Robert McAfee Brown, one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. I shared his commitment to living out the life that Jesus calls us to live, even when sacrifice is involved. And then I shared a poem by his 8-year-old granddaughter:

If I Had a Magic Wand

If I had a magic wand,

I would make everybody nicer.

I would make the poor have some money,

Make the people who are sad, happy.

Make the people who are sick, healthy.

Make the wars stop,

So there is peace in the world.

Everyone would be friends

And no one would be afraid of people who are different…

If I had a magic wand.

     —Mackenzie Brown, age eight

This simple child’s poem sounds a lot like the Christmas message to me. I believe that we must hold onto this message. Even though we may not be able to help every person in the world right now, we can help some. We must believe that the ripples from every act of grace and kindness effects people far beyond our horizon or field of vision. May we live out the Christmas message in our words and our actions.

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

Click HERE to see a video of Sunday’s sermon.

Videos of Kahu’s sermons will be available every week through January. You can find them on our  church website <www.koloaunionchurch.org> and on our weekly e-news. Please 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.