by admin | Dec 24, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“The Tender Mercy of God”
In church on Sunday, I shared about God’s love being the light in our darkness. I also read a poem by St. John of the Cross, called “The Dark Night of the Soul.” In it John describes a happy journey in the dark. It is happy because there was a light that burned in his heart that guided him to God. John also understood God as darkness, at least in part, because God is mysterious and unknowable in so many ways. Because of his comfort with the darkness, John seemed to have little fear wandering through darkness and arriving at darkness, for God (whom he called “Beloved”), though unknowable, is present in love. John didn’t seem to yearn for light outside himself because he was so aware of the light within.
Here are a couple stanza’s of John’s “Dark Night”:
In an obscure night
Fevered with love’s anxiety
(O hapless, happy plight!)
I went, none seeing me
Forth from my house, where all things quiet be
In the happy night,
In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught,
Without light or guide,
save that which burned in my heart.
During these days when the nights are long and the days short, may the light of God burn brightly within us and the love of God guide us wherever we go.
Mele Kalikimaka and aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Dec 11, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Nothing Will Be Impossible”
Luke 1:37
On Sunday, I talked about the two times I attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions: in Salt Lake City in 2015 and Toronto in 2018. While attending the first one, it occurred to me that I was doing something for peace, for I was gathering with people from many faith traditions from all over the world to listen to and learn from one another. I am convinced that the world would be a more peaceful place if we all listen to those who are different from us and we are willing to learn from them. In Salt Lake City, I attended the movie Nuclear Savage, which documented the testing of atomic bombs in the Marshall Islands by the United States from 1946 until the 1960’s, thus leaving some of the islands uninhabitable for the Marshallese people. After returning home, I looked up the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation online, since that was the organization that showed the movie and led a presentation and discussion afterwards. I was impressed with their mission, commitment to educating young people, as well as their list of supporters, including Jane Goodall, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Peter Yarrow and Noel (Paul) Stookey from the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. I was so impressed, in fact, that I decided to make a donation to the organization because I wanted to do something big for peace. I’m sure it was not a big donation in terms of what some of their larger gifts must have been, but it was big for me. I thought for a moment that if we all did something for peace that was big for us each year, we would make a great impact in the world.
I also shared with the congregation about four beliefs that Mary held onto that brought peace to her and to the world. Each of these beliefs is taken from Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke 1:
- God was with her.
- She found favor with God.
- The Holy Spirit came upon her.
- Nothing will be impossible with God
Can you, like Mary, hold onto these four beliefs and thus bring more peace to yourself and to the world? What big thing might you do to bring about peace on earth?
I closed my message by reading a poem by David Krieger, the founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation:
The One-Hearted
The one-hearted walk a lonely trail.
They hold the dream of peace between
the moon’s eclipse and the rising sun.
They set down their weapons, carrying
instead the spirits of their ancestors,
a collection of smooth stones.
At night, they make fires, and watch
the smoke rise into the starlit sky.
They are warriors of hope, navigating
oceans and crossing continents.
Their message is simple:
Now is the time for peace.
It always has been.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Dec 3, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Never Give Up Hope”
Luke 1:5-25
On Sunday, I told the congregation about a beloved friend Dwayne who died earlier this year while I was on my sabbatical. By the time I met him nearly 20 years ago, he had lost nearly everything that was important to him. His two sons died, his wife left him, he lost his job. He also faced some huge challenges in some of the jobs where he worked after his world seemed to come crashing down on top of him. Nevertheless, Dwayne was one of the kindest, most helpful and hopeful people I had ever met. One day I asked him how he remained so positive and hopeful.
Here is how I remember his response:
You know, Alan, I know that I could have chosen to have been bitter, angry and resentful, and I’m pretty sure that anyone who knew me at the time wouldn’t have blamed me because that was a really tough time. But I also knew that I could choose to trust that God had always been with me in love and would continue to be with me and continue loving me. I just had to believe somehow that my best days might still be ahead of me. And so, I chose to be hopeful. It was a choice I made. I knew I didn’t have to make that choice, but who wants to be around a bitter, angry person?
Dwayne’s response was a reminder to me that hope is something we choose. In fact, it is something we get to choose every single day, regardless of the circumstances all around us. In Sunday’s Gospel reading, Zechariah and Elizabeth were another reminder of this. They spent their entire lives being faithful to God while their greatest desire remained unfulfilled—a child. Yet they never gave up hope. At least, they had enough hope to continue trusting God, worshiping, making offerings and praying. I think that they too believed that their best days might still be ahead of them—and they were. God surprised them with an answer to their prayers and their lifetime of unfulfilled hope. Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist and was told by the angel Gabriel that he would bring joy not only to them but to many people. For John prepared the way for Jesus—and there was great joy for all.
This is our hope as well. God calls each of us to prepare the way for Jesus in one way or another—a way into our hearts and minds, a way into our line of sight, a way for people to hear of God’s love. As you prepare a way for Jesus during this Advent Season, may you never give hope; may you always believe that your best days might just be ahead of you.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Nov 25, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Expansive Gratitude”
On Sunday, I shared about two recollections from my childhood. When I was quite young, I remember someone saying to me: “Why can’t you just be grateful for what you have?” I felt extremely guilty for wanting more than I had. A few years later, I wore a bracelet with the words, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” This not only increased my guilt, but I began believing that God did not want me to have desires, that desires were a bad thing, and that any desires pointed to the fact that I was ungrateful.
I now believe that I can be profoundly grateful for God’s grace, the gift of life and all of the blessings I have, and at the same time want something more. This past week, I was walking along the Poipu Beach just before sunset and came across some turtles…and then some monk seals…and then saw my first whales of the season. I was overcome with gratitude to be walking in such a beautiful place and seeing such amazing creatures. However, my immediate reaction after feeling gratitude for seeing the whales was a desire to see them again, and so I stood there and looked until I did see them again—several times, in fact—and then I saw a whole other pod even further away by the horizon. I was filled with a sense of wonder and awe—and felt even more gratitude! There was absolutely nothing wrong with my desire to see more whales. I can hold both gratitude and desire at the same time. There is a kind of gratitude that allows for wanting more, such as: more wonder, more love, more joy, more peace, more justice.
In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18, he points out the problem with the kind of gratitude that the Pharisee had. “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” The way in which he held gratitude was demeaning, divisive and based upon the fact that the Pharisee thought he was morally superior and ontologically more valuable than others. It is a toxic kind of gratitude. On the other hand, the tax collector simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” He asked for God’s mercy. He knew God was a merciful God. His kind of prayer leads to what I call an expansive gratitude, whereby all people receive God’s love simply because God loves them and not because of any kind of superiority or greater inherent value over others.
May your Thanksgiving Day, your week, and your entire life be filled with an expansive gratitude, which connects you to God and all that God loves!
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Nov 19, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Prophetic Imagination”
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation my love for Disneyland as a child—a love that remains as an adult! I still remember the feeling I had when I first visited the park around the time I was in kindergarten. I also remember the sights and sounds, as well as the tastes and smells. It is remarkable how all of the senses of an experience as a very young child can stay with me all these years later. Walt Disney was a genius when it comes to imagination. He began imagining Disneyland in the 1930’s, continued imagining through the 1940’s and 1950’s until the park opened in 1955. What impresses me the most is that he imagined a place to bring great joy and happiness to children and their families during very difficult times in our nation’s history: the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War and the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. These are times I would describe as fearful, dark, confusing and anxious. Disney did not let the overall mood of those years dictate his life or his vision. Furthermore, the impact his imagination had on the world has continued long after his death.
This is the case with so many creative and imaginative people of long ago. It is certainly the case of the writers of the book of Isaiah. Look at some of the things one of them imagined some 600 years before the birth of Christ (chapter 65):
- New heavens and a new earth
- Eternal gladness and rejoicing
- No more tears and no more crying
- No more death at childbirth, in infancy, in childhood, in young adulthood, or even in middle age
- No more homelessness, hunger, thirst, or unemployment
- No more war or violence
- God’s blessings for everyone
- Answered prayers for everyone
- Animals participating in a nonviolent, peaceful and life-giving future
This section of Isaiah was written during a fearful, dark, confusing, and anxious time for the people of Jerusalem and Judah. It was right around the time of the Babylonian captivity when foreign troops conquered Jerusalem and marched the leaders of the city and many of the Jewish people back to Babylon to work virtually as slaves. Yet, the prophet knew that his large and wild imagination would lead the people through those times and begin to unfold even during their lifetimes. The other prophets knew the same thing, as did Jesus. May we hold onto their vision and imagine it anew for our own time, regardless of how fearful, dark, confusing, and anxious, our own time might become. And, like them, may we do our part in realizing the vision with our own lives through our words, actions and prayers.
By the way, I just discovered this morning that yesterday was Mickey Mouse’s 91st birthday! (And I must say: he is looking fantastic for such an old mouse!)
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Nov 16, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“God of the Living”
In nearly every church I visited during my sabbatical in southern Europe this past spring, I saw paintings, murals and statues of saints. Some of the pieces of art were over a thousand years old, reminding me that Christians have been honoring those who have gone before us for a very, very long time! Remembering and honoring loved ones and legends keep us connected to our past and grounded in the present.
On Sunday, we read from Luke 20 that God “is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” Jesus said this to the Sadducees after mentioning Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection or the afterlife, so they asked Jesus about some of his beliefs in the particulars of heaven. Jesus’ response to them makes me think that those who die never leave us completely. Their spirits and memories remain. It also makes me think that Jesus wanted his followers to focus on the here and now. Even as we carry our beloved ones with us in our memories—and perhaps even in our conversations—when we live in the present with a firm faith that God is with us at every moment and with every breath we take, we can actually help to answer Jesus’ prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
I closed my message by reading a poem written by Jan Richardson—a gifted artist, poet, author and minister—as she approached All Saints Day (November 1) after her husband Gay died:
It is hard being wedded to the dead;
they make different claims,
offer comforts that do not feel comfortable at the first.
They do not let you remain numb.
Neither do they allow you to languish forever in your grief.
They will safeguard your sorrow
but will not permit that it should become your home.
They knew you first in joy, in delight,
and thought they will be patient when you travel by other roads,
it is here that they will wait for you,
here they can best be found
where the river runs deep with gladness,
the water over each stone singing each unforgotten name.
May this day bring you life in all its fullness, even as you embrace those who remain with us only in memory and in spirit.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
“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 Kahu Akana’s message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
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