by admin | Mar 25, 2020 | Message from Kahu, Uncategorized
“Community and Sanctuary”
In the Lord you are light.
Live as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
In my online message this past week, I talked about the importance of community and how we are still a strong community of faith even when we are not physically together. All of the key ingredients of community still apply today, although they look quite different because we have to do them differently. I offered these thoughts about community during these days of isolation and social distancing:
- Community is about showing up as we are and knowing there is a place where we are loved and accepted as we are. We can still show up as we are—as we watch the online worship service and as we call to check in on church members.
- Community is about sharing a common purpose. We still share the same purpose of sharing the love of God with one another and the world as the body of Jesus Christ.
- Community is about sharing our stories and our beliefs and perceptions with one another in honest and nonjudgmental ways. We will continue sharing our stories, beliefs and perceptions with one another—just not in person.
- Community is about asking for help when we need it. I urge you to ask for help from me, our Deacons, our Council members, and anyone else in the church who can help you.
- Community is about being honest and transparent. We need each other to be honest and transparent with one another—now more than ever.
I also talked about the importance of sanctuary. In his book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old, Parker Palmer writes about about the importance of sanctuary. Although we church folks often refer to “sanctuary” as the room where we worship, Palmer reminds us the broader meaning of the word. I found these words some of the most helpful in his book:
“Sanctuary” is as vital as breathing to me. Sometimes I find it in churches, monasteries, and other sites formally designated “sacred.” But more often I find it in places sacred to my soul: in the natural world, in the company of a faithful friend, in solitary or shared silence, in the ambience of a good poem or good music.
Sanctuary is wherever I find safe space to regain my bearings, reclaim my soul, heal my wounds, and return to the world as a wounded healer. It’s not merely about finding shelter from the storm—it’s about spiritual survival and the capacity to carry on.
I invite you to find your sanctuary ever week and every day: a safe space to regain your bearings, a place to reclaim your soul, a place to heal your wounds, a place to breathe. You may have to be a bit more creative now to find that space, but I trust that you will make it a priority to do so—not only for your own spiritual survival but also for you to share God’s light with others.
I look forward to continuing the conversation online on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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.
by admin | Mar 18, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“Treasures in Clay Jars”
We have this treasure in clay jars,
so that it may be made clear
that this extraordinary
power belongs to
God….
2 Corinthians 4:7
On Sunday, I talked about what it means to be baffled—something we all feel at times and have probably been feeling a lot lately. In his book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old, Parker Palmer talks about bafflement in terms of vocation and calling. Although we normally crave certainty and wisdom when it comes to what God has placed us here on Earth to do, we usually don’t really know the details of our journey until we actually come upon them. God has certainly not been very clear with me about the upcoming particulars of my journey, but one thing I have discovered is that God keeps showing up! Whether I am walking with confidence, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, or stumbling over my own two feet, I find that God is present wherever I land.
During these uncertain and baffling times of new territory for our church, community, nation and world, I urge you to look for the ways that God shows up wherever you are. The Apostle Paul wrote to the followers of Jesus in Corinth about the light of God that shines in the darkness, even shining in our hearts when even they seem dark. Indeed, God shows up in all of our dark places. Paul went on to write, “We have this treasure in clay jars.” God is the treasure and we are the clay jars (also translated earthen vessels). Parker Palmer writes that our words are also the clay jars. In fact, anything that we use to carry the light of God’s love is the clay jar. What an extraordinary spiritual truth that the Creator of the Universe chooses us to carry divine love with us into the world.
I invite you to not only look for how God is showing up during these baffling times, but to also carry the light of God as a privilege and an honor everywhere you go, and offering it to everyone who needs it.
I look forward to continuing the conversation online on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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 | Mar 11, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“Getting Real with Yourself”
On Sunday, I talked about chapter 3 of Parker Palmer’s recent book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old. The chapter is titled “Getting Real with Yourself,” and it challenges us to let go of illusions about ourselves and to show up as we are. As we continue our Lenten journey, I invited people to consider this question: “Am I being the person God created me to be?”
I closed my message by reading some quotes from chapter 3 and invited each person to sit quietly with each question and to ask what might need to happen in order to see oneself, God, and the world around us with greater clarity. Here are some of those quotes (with the page number in parentheses, in case you have the book and would like to read more):
- The spiritual journey is an endless process of engaging life as it is, stripping away our illusions about ourselves, our world, and the relationship of the two, moving closer to reality as we do. (54)
- All forms of contemplation share the same goal: to help us see through the deceptions of self and world in order to get in touch with what Howard Thurman called “the sound of the genuine.” (57)
- [Quoting Thomas Merton] The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. (60)
- I can’t imagine a sadder way to die than with the sense that I never showed up here on earth as my God-given self. (64)
- True self is the self with which we arrive on earth, the self that simply wants us to be who we were born to be. (75)
- Before he died, Rabbi Zusya said: “In the world to come they will not ask me, ‘why were you not Moses?’ they will ask me, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’” (75)
I hope some of these questions are helpful for you in learning to see yourself as God sees you. We will reflect more on this topic on Wednesday evening at our Lenten Soup Supper. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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 | Mar 2, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“The Dance of the Generations”
On Sunday, I talked about chapter 2 of Parker Palmer’s recent book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old. The chapter was about how the “older” generations relate to the “younger” ones. Palmer suggests that we stop using the metaphor “passing the baton” from one generation to the next—and I agree with him. The baton metaphor implies competition which suggests winners and losers. It also implies giving up when older folks say, “I’ve done my part and now I’m done.” Finally, it implies a failure to accept responsibility, as if we can tell younger folks that it is up to them to clean up the mess we have made.
Instead, Palmer suggests two other more helpful metaphors: music and dance. Imagine an orchestra where older and more experienced musicians are making beautiful music with younger and newer players. Imagine a dance where people of all ages are joyfully dancing together. (If that is a stretch for you, see the beginning of my sermon where I talk about my niece’s recent wedding reception in California.) Both of these visions more accurately describe a community of God’s grace and the world we can create together.
Palmer also talks about the importance of facing up to our failures and telling the stories of our failures across the generations. He tells us in the book that young people often feel like failures, and hearing the stories of failure in people they look up to can bring great hope. There is grace found in the vulnerability of honest storytelling. Grace is also found whenever people reach across the spaces that separate the generations—and the spaces that separate people in any way.
May this season of Lent be a time of personal reflection as we all ask ourselves how we can reach across spaces to others; and may there be new blessings on both sides!
I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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 | Mar 1, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“Grace, Gravity & Getting Old”
This week we celebrate the first Sunday in Lent, the six-week period before Easter when we spend time in intentional reflection. As our guide I have chosen Parker Palmer’s recent book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old. It is a delightful book for all ages as we consider how we live during the span of our lives. The book will guide us into living more fully in our own devotional lives and with others.
On Ash Wednesday as I shared with the congregation a story from Chapter 1 about a 16-month-old toddler by the name of Maya, whose mother had this to say about her: “My daughter is on the brink of everything.” She said that Maya approaches life with only one expectation: “Delight me.” As he approached his 80th birthday, Parker Palmer wrote that he wants to be like little Maya. He wants to have only one expectation: delight. But rather than saying to the world, “Delight me,” Palmer places the request on himself: to have delight in the gift of life and to be grateful. Ash Wednesday is a reminder that none of us knows how many days we have left on this Earth. And yet, every single day that we do have, we can delight in the gift of life and be grateful!
This Sunday, I will focus on Chapter 2, “The Dance of the Generations.” We will give thanks to God for young and old alike—and all who are in between! We will look at some new metaphors in how old and young might live better together and relate with more grace. And we will celebrate God’s grace as we partake in Holy Communion. I invite you to join us on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. for our worship services and on Wednesday nights at the Smith Memorial Parsonage at 6:00 p.m. as we reflect upon our theme for the week.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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 | Feb 19, 2020 | Message from Kahu
OPUKAHAIA
On Sunday, we celebrated the life of Opukahaia, the young Hawaiian man whose family members were killed in the brutal warfare in these islands during the 1790’s. He sailed to New England where he was educated and converted to Christianity and was called Henry Obookiah. He planned to return to Hawaii and share his faith with his people. Unfortunately, Opukahaia died on February 17, 1818, before he had the chance to return to his beloved islands. However, his life and his writings motivated the first company of missionaries to sail to Hawaii the very next year, arriving on March 30, 1820, after more than five months at sea.
As I reflected on Opukahaia and his life in my message on Sunday, I found it inspiring how he forgave the people who killed his parents, his young brother, his aunt and many other relatives and neighbors. His journey as a Christian led him to let go of his anger and love the people who had once been his enemies. Letting go of anger, forgiving our enemies and loving people who have hurt is difficult to do. Yet, as I reflected on our Gospel reading from Matthew, chapter 5, I became convinced that it must be possible. As I read more of Matthew, it occurred to me that seeing people through God’s eyes turns that possibility into reality. God cares about everyone; God loves everyone; and in God’s eyes everyone matters. I don’t know of any other way to let go of anger or to love.
As a complete surprise, the author Christopher Cook, who wrote the book The Providential Life and Heritage of Obookiah: Why Did the Missionaries Come to Hawaii from New England and Tahiti?, showed up at the parsonage for our gallery party on Sunday afternoon! I know of Chris and his book. What I did not know is that the late Evelyn Cook, who wrote the book 100 Years of Healing: The Legacy of a Kauai Missionary Doctor, was his wife. This book is about Rev. Dr. James Smith (who moved to Kōloa in 1842 and lived on the land where the parsonage now is) and his family (including grandson Dr. A.H. Waterhouse, after whom our sanctuary is named).
In church, we collected an offering for the Henry Opukahaia Scholarship Fund, which the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ has set up to assist seminarians from Hawaii and active ministers who are pursuing post-seminary studies. If you missed the opportunity, you may give to the fund this coming Sunday.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“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 a recent message by Kahu Akana, 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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