by admin | Sep 19, 2018 | Message from Kahu
Gratitude: More Than a Feeling
On Sunday, I shared a story from Diana Butler Bass’ most recent book, Grateful: The Transforming Power of Giving Thanks. Diana was working as a professor of religious studies and history at the college where we both attended as undergraduates. She enjoyed her job and did good work. However, she wasn’t treated very kindly by some of the other faculty at the college. She also felt that some of the expectations of the college administration in regards to theology and personal piety were rather stifling. One day the President of the college called her into his office and told her that she was simply not a good fit for the school. He told her that she was being “let go,” even though he admitted that she did wonderful work and was an excellent teacher. Before she walked out of the room, he said to her probably the last thing she wanted to hear. He said: “One day you will thank me for this.” Let me just say that she was not having any feelings of gratitude towards him at the moment!
About a week later, Diana told a friend about it. She said, “Can you imagine the nerve of him? That one day I’ll thank him?” After her friend listened to her, he gently said to her, “You know, he’s right.” He went on to tell Diana about a similar situation when he was fired, and how he eventually thanked his boss who fired him after he learned gratitude. Diana was surprised to hear that gratitude was something that could be learned. She asked her friend how. He invited her to thank God for one thing every day and write it down in a journal. Diana kept that journal for 3 years! At first she wrote down one blessing each day, no matter what—something for which she was grateful. Soon, she was writing two or three things. Then more. And then, here is what eventually happened (in her words):
A larger narrative emerged; what had begun as a period of difficult personal crisis wound up being a time of profound happiness, deepened courage, and new self-awareness.
Diana reminds her readers that gratitude is not just a feeling; it is also a way of life; it is how we live our lives; it is what we do; and it is developing practices that invite gratitude to enter us and change us.
I invite you to practice gratitude this week. As Diana’s story indicates, gratitude is something we can do even during the dark and difficult times in our lives. Simply saying “thank you” on a regular basis can change your life for the better. I was pleased to learn that World Gratitude Day is this Friday—a time when people all over the world pause to give thanks for their blessings and also consider the abundance of the universe and give thanks that there is more than enough for everyone.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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 | Sep 11, 2018 | Message from Kahu
A Time for Gratitude and Rainbows
I want to begin by thanking my church family for taking such wonderful care of me the past week and a half while I have been recovering from vascular surgery on my leg. I am deeply appreciative of the meals, fresh produce and groceries that people have dropped off, as well as the prayers on my behalf. The surgery was necessary because of poor circulation in my leg due to a major vein not working properly. The surgeon removed most of that vein, and other veins have now taken over to keep the blood properly flowing in my leg. My surgery was successful and I am healing well. However, my leg is still quite tender where the incisions are still healing, and so I will be working mainly from home while keeping my leg elevated as often as possible, and not driving much until my leg feels better. I am supposed to walk a little more each day, and hope to walk to the church by the end of the week. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to call if you would like to talk or make an appointment to see me in person.
After one very long day of heavy rain at the end of August, I was so grateful for sunshine! I walked outside into the yard and saw a double rainbow right on the parsonage! “A pot of gold,” I thought. “What a treasure: this place I call home, my church, my community, my art, this island, my family and friends, my life. I am truly blessed!” As I looked at the rainbow, I felt I could almost explode with gratitude!
On Sunday, we read the ancient Jewish story of the rainbow in Genesis, chapter 9. Afterthe entire earth was inundated with rain, God set a rainbow in the sky to remind human beings of the covenant between God and the entire Earth. There are a few very important points about the story worth mentioning:
- Noah and his family walked off the ark nearly exploding with gratitude. Imagine 40 days and nights of nonstop pouring rain. Imagine being on a boat with your family and thousands of animals for five months. Imagine wondering if you would live through the ordeal. I imagine that the family was feeling many emotions, but mostly gratitude.
- God told Noah and his family that every living thing should be fruitful and multiply. It was not up to human beings to decide which forms of life were worthy to exist. All of life is good and should thrive.
- God provides in abundance. The Earth is and will continue to provide all we need to survive and raise families. There will be more than enough animals and plants for people to eat—and they are to eat and enjoy and share.
- The rainbow is a sign of God’s faithfulness and of the covenant set forth by God. God promises to never destroy the Earth with a flood. In return people are expected to allow every living thing—including every human being—to thrive.
In the story, God gives gifts in abundance and people freely accept those gifts and share them with others. The gifts are are for many generations. They are for all creatures, not just the human ones. They are for the entire earth.
Good stewardship is when we live with gratitude and in right relationship with God, other people, every living thing and the entire Earth. May we remember this as we offer our gratitude and consider how we might live in the days ahead.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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 | Aug 23, 2018 | Message from Kahu
A Note from Kahu Alan Akana
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off
to a solitary place, where he prayed.
(Mark 1:35)
On Sunday morning, I talked about the increasing noise in our society. I am astounded at how noisy our lives have become, especially compared to that of our grandparents’ generation. When my maternal grandmother was born on a farm in south-central Montana in 1900, there were no cars driving by, no airplanes flying over, and no electricity or running water in the home. My grandmother grew up with the sound of farm animals, the stream which ran through their property, birds, and chores. Today, there is the constant noise of cars, machines, appliances, as well as the noise of our cellphones which we often carry with us wherever we go. It seems that the amount of noise and the noise level just keeps increasing, and the trend seems to be continuing.
When the author Diana Butler Bass was asked by a student in January 2001 what she thought the 21st century would be like, her instantaneous reply was: “Noisy. It will be noisy.” And, so far, I think she has been right on target! Making time for peace and quiet seems to me to be more important than ever. Jesus certainly took time to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. In our reading on Sunday from Mark’s Gospel, we find Jesus getting up early in the morning while it was still dark and spending quiet time alone in prayer. This is sometime hard for us to do in today’s noisy and fast-paced world. However, it is so important for us to carve out space in our daily and weekly routines for times of peace and quiet, prayer and reflection, and sometimes just listening to the sound of the ocean waves or our own breath.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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 | Aug 14, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“Who Is Wise and Understanding?”
Who is wise and understanding among you?
Show by your good life that your works are done
with gentleness born of wisdom.
The wisdom from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
(James 3:13,17)
On Sunday morning, I reflected with the congregation upon one of my favorite movies of all time: Forrest Gump. I’ve watched it more times than I can count, and each time I find myself thinking very, very deep thoughts about some of life’s simplest and most important things. Forrest was given the label “stupid” as a child. He also had a badly curved spine, which caused him to wear metal leg braces, and so he couldn’t walk like the other children at school. To say that he was teased and tormented would be a gross understatement. Fortunately, Forrest had a mother who loved him unconditionally and saw the potential in him. She made sure he stayed in his regular school and she constantly encouraged him to be and do his best.
For me, one of the most profound scenes was when Forrest’s mother was at home on her deathbed. Forrest first asks, “What’s the matter, Momma?”
She replies: “I’m dying Forrest.”
“Why are you dying, momma?”
“It’s my time; it’s just my time…. Don’t you be afraid sweetheart. Death is just a part of life, something we are all destined to do…. I happen to believe that you make your own destiny. You have to do your best with what God gave you.”
“What’s my destiny, momma?”
“You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself…. Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Forrest then says, “Momma always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.”
Another character in the story who had a profound influence on Forrest’s life is his friend Dan, who was his lieutenant in Vietnam. Dan’s philosophy on life is a bit more grim than Momma Gump. At first, he thinks his destiny is to die as a soldier in the war. He came from a proud military family and had ancestors who died in every previous US war; he considers them heroes and plans to join them. This would be a noble and courageous death; and his family would be so proud of him. Yet, thanks to Forrest, he doesn’t die; he is severely injured and it looks as if he will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. His idea of destiny develops into this: we all just kind of float through life and land accidentally in different places beyond our control.
Perhaps my favorite quote of the entire movie was when Forrest was at his wife Jenny’s graveside just after she died. Jenny was Forrest’s childhood friend and his life-long love. Here is what Forrest said to Jenny as she lay buried below his feet: “I don’t know if momma put it right or it’s Lieutenant Dan; I don’t know if we each have a destiny or if we’re all just floating around accidental like on a breeze; but I think maybe it’s both; maybe both are happening at the same time.”
Listening to such deep wisdom made me ponder the truth of that statement. On the one hand, there is so much that seems outside of our control as we move along our journeys through life:
- We don’t get to choose what our IQ will be.
- We don’t get to choose if we are born with athletic or awkward bodies.
- We don’t get to choose if our families love and support us or are constantly trying to change us into being something we are not and doing thing with our lives that we have no inclination in doing.
- We don’t get to choose if we are born into wealth or poverty.
On the other hand, there are so many things in our lives that we do get to choose, especially what we do with the hand we are dealt.
- We all get to choose whether we live with gratitude for our blessings or with complaining that there are others who have more than us.
- We all get to choose whether we allow compassion and kindness to fill our hearts or fear and judgment.
- We all get to choose whether we will overcome our challenges or let them define us and become in our minds larger than they really are.
- We all get to choose whether we place our trust in God or in things that will constantly disappoint us.
The beauty of the movie is that Forrest seemed to understand the things he couldn’t change and the things he could, and because of that he created a beautiful life for himself and for the people around him.
All three of Sunday’s Scriptures reflected on wisdom (Proverbs 2: 1-10, James 1: 5-8 and 3:13, 17; Matthew 13:54-58). I invite you to take a look at my message and reflect on those Scriptures for yourself.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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 | Aug 1, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“Make a Joyful Noise”
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise!
(Psalm 95)
On Sunday morning, I told the congregation about a special song that comes from a special place. “Mokuhulu” is a song about four beautiful villages along the Puna Coast on Hawai`i Island—the home of my ancestors and a place I have visited many times. When I first read the English translation of the song, I felt like I was there, for I could not only see the place in my mind; I could also smell the seaweed…and taste the coconut…and feel the rain and the water on my skin…and hear the music! Here is an English translation of the song:
Mokuhulu in the shade of the breadfruit
And coconut trees / This verdant home
Of rain-rustled lehua–of the lehua flower
Kaimu in the fragrance of delicious seaweed
In the sweet song of the sea–
This ocean home on the hilled-up sand
Kalapana, the coconut trees
Bent low for Queen Emma
This place well-known to visitors
Kapa`ahu, this pool for swimming
This tingling-cold water
So thrilling to the touch
To sing the summary refrain from Puna
Comes the fragrance
That is carried here to me
I have visited all of the places that are mentioned in the song as a child and a young adult. Except for just a small part of Kaimu, all of the rest of these villages are buried under lava. Yet, all of those places remain in my memory and they remain in the song; and because of memory and song, all of those places still remain for me.
Music has always played an important part in Hawaiian culture; it has also played a huge part in the Judeo-Christian heritage, mentioned in both testaments. It is music that keeps us close to God, one another and the rest of the world. May we open our hearts and our very lives to the music all around us.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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 | Jul 26, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“A Leader Is Like a Shepherd”
Nelson Mandela
“I Am The Good Shepherd”
(John 10:11)
On Sunday morning, I quoted Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, who was born 100 years ago:
“A leader…is like a shepherd.
He stays behind the flock,
letting the most nimble go out ahead,
whereupon the others follow,
not realizing that all along they are
being directed from behind.”
What a humble, yet profound and enlightening way to understand leadership: allowing the most talented people who have special gifts and abilities to lead the way. I shared about Mandela’s life, teachings and legacy, including his commitment to make life better for all people in South Africa—a commitment that was so firm that he was willing to die for it.
In this morning’s Gospel reading, Jesus called himself, “the Good Shepherd,” and his way of understanding shepherding seems to resonate with the life and words of Nelson Mandela.
- First of all, Jesus said that he, as the Good Shepherd, came to bring abundant life to all of the sheep. And we know from the Gospels that he meant all of the sheep, not just a handful of them, or just the best looking ones, or the ones who looked most like him.
- Secondly, Jesus said that the Good Shepherd has such great care and concern for his sheep that he lays down his life for them. Jesus was willing to lay down his life and die for the good of humanity—and he did exactly that.
- Finally, Jesus not only saw himself as the Shepherd, but also the gate. Switching metaphors as quickly as anything else, Jesus didn’t need to be the key figure that was always in the spotlight. He was just as happy being the gate!
May we all appreciate the leadership of Jesus in his time in our own time, and may we seek to model our own forms of leadership after his.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his message from this past Sunday. 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.
“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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