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 | 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.
by admin | Mar 22, 2017 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, I shared in my sermon the story of Maria. She was a young woman running a soup kitchen for children in her village in El Salvador. According to her government, she was helping people who should be helping themselves, so they labeled her a communist and placed her on its notorious “hit list.” When friends warned her that she would be shot in the very near future, she left her village in the dark of night. For weeks on end, she traveled at night and hid during the day as she traveled north. After nearly 3,000 miles, she arrived at the U.S. border and applied for legal entrance via the 1980 Refugee Act, which guarantees admission to refugees who have a “well-founded fear of persecution” because of their religious or political convictions. Like 97% of the people in her shoes, Maria was denied admission into the United States. She knew if she returned to El Salvador, she would be killed the minute she arrived, so she entered the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. Fortunately, there were churches here who helped her.
I also shared the story of Ahmed. He fled his country of Syria with his family because he knew they would likely all be shot if they remained. He led his eight family members out of Syria to Libya where they were told they could catch a boat to Malta. When they arrived in Libya, they were locked in a stable on a farm for weeks, while their guides waited for more refugees to arrive. Eventually, the guides told Ahmed that there were enough refugees to make it “worth their while,” but it would cost an extra $3,000 per person for rent and food for their “unexpected” stay. Even though that money was about all his family had left, they forked over their life savings and climbed aboard a boat that was hardly seaworthy. While drifting toward Malta, the refugees realized that their guides were following them. They soon opened fire on the refugees, killing most of them and causing their boat to sink. Miraculously, Ahmed lived through the ordeal and made it to Malta. All of his family members died at sea. Fortunately, there were people in Malta who helped him.
Today’s refugees are certainly among those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for justice, for making things right. Jesus said that they are blessed and that their hunger and thirst would be filled. He also said that when we feed the hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, and welcome the stranger, we are doing those things for Jesus himself. I can only wonder if Jesus was thinking of his early years as a refugee with Mary and Joseph when they fled the Middle East and traveled to North Africa as strangers.
There are millions of refugees in the world who hunger and thirst for righteousness—some 5 million from Syria alone. The numbers are so big, I often have a feeling like there is very little I can do to make a difference. I suggested that there are four things that we can do:
- We can learn about refugees and listen to their stories. The U.N. Refugee Agency website always has stories about the experiences of refugees and what they have been through before, during and after fleeing their countries. Seeing the world through their perspectives has helped me to want to do something to help.
- We can pray for refugees. Once we have a name and a face, it is easier to pray for someone’s wellbeing. It is also easier to pray about our own involvement in being part of the solution.
- We can talk about possibilities and options regarding engagement and action. On Wednesday nights during Lent our congregation meets to talk about the Scripture, theme and sermon of the previous Sunday. Please join us this week if you want to be part of the conversation about refugees.
- We can give generously to the United Church of Christ’s annual offering called One Great Hour of Sharing. Every year, UCC congregations give millions of dollars to help refugees, people displaced by natural disasters, the homeless and hungry. Please consider a generous gift this year on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and/or Easter Sunday.
Whatever it is you decide to do, remember the words of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 25: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” May we show compassion to all, just as Jesus did.
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.
by admin | Mar 13, 2017 | Message from Kahu
BLESSED ARE THE MEEK
As we continue our Lenten journey this year, we pause each week and consider one of Jesus’ beatitudes (Jesus’ blessings in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5). This week’s beatitude is:
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the Earth.
On Sunday, we met at the beach as we considered how meekness is an attitude and way of being in the world. I mentioned in my sermon that it would be difficult to be proud and think that I am the center of the universe as I looked at the ocean in front of me on that clear day. It is immense and I am humbled to stand at the ocean and consider how vast and deep it is.
We also read from the third chapter of John’s Gospel, where Jesus told Nicodemus: “No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above (which can also be translated “born anew” or “born again”).” There is a certain humility we must have in order to start over, or admit that we don’t have our act together all the time, or begin seeing the world around us in a whole new way. Yet, this is what Jesus called people to do if they want to truly see the realm of God among us.
Our attitude makes a huge difference in how we see the world and how we create community and a world where God’s love is felt by everyone. I encourage us all to be open to new ways of being in the world, especially being humble so that we can see and learn new things.
I invite you to join us on Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock as we enjoy a soup supper and consider these things in reflection, conversation and prayer.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Since we were at the beach on Sunday, there is no video of this week’s sermon.
“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 | Mar 9, 2017 | Message from Kahu
We began Lent last week with our Ash Wednesday service when we were reminded that God remains with us throughout our lives and in the life to come. Our theme came from the first Beatitude (Jesus’ blessings in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5):
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
God is with those who are poor and those who seem to have little spirit left in their lives. God is with us when we are feeling that way. Even when we face the death of a loved one or our own mortality, God’s love never leaves us, and we have faith that we will someday rise in God’s loving presence. As I marked the foreheads of those who worshipped on Ash Wednesday with ashes, I reminded them of these beliefs as I said:
From dust you were made,
to dust you shall return,
and from the dust you shall rise.
On Sunday (the first Sunday of Lent), we focused on the second Beatitude:
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
In my sermon, I talked about the ways we experience grief in our lives and pointed to Psalm 6, Luke 22 and Matthew 5, to learn what we can from the Scriptures about grief. Here are some of the highlight of the sermon:
- Grief is a very real part of life, and there is no point in denying it or trying to pretend that we never grieve. King David is a great example of someone who openly mourns in God’s presence; and we see this openness before God over and over again in the Psalms.
- Grief comes to us in many different ways. Sometimes we can’t get to sleep—like King David—no matter how tired we feel; and at other times sleep seems to be all we want to do—like Jesus’ disciples when they knew he was about to be arrested.
- God is with those who grieve. We find great comfort in our grief knowing that it is never God’s way of punishing us, and in knowing that God loves us and blesses us in the midst of our greatest sadness.
I hope you will join us on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. as we share a simple meal together and then reflect and discuss the theme of the previous Sunday.
I also hope to see you at CHURCH ON THE BEACH this Sunday. See below for the details.
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. 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. 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.
To see a video of last week’s sermon, click HERE. (It was uploaded a bit late and was not included on the Weekly News.)
“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 | Feb 28, 2017 | Message from Kahu
It was a joyful day being back in church on Sunday after a 3-week break of vacation and study leave. It was a special Sunday for me, as I celebrated my 3-year anniversary as the kahu of Koloa Union Church, and as my son Palani and I hosted around a hundred people at the grand opening of Alan Akana Gallery in the afternoon. The gallery is the fulfillment of a dream I have had for many years to have my own space to share my watercolors with others. I am especially pleased that the church will benefit from the profits of the sales. Please drop by if you weren’t able to attend on Sunday.
The theme of our worship service on Sunday was “joy,” and I shared a bit about my journey with joy and some of the things I learned about joy in The Book of Joy, written by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The thing that stands out most to me is Tutu’s quote that we are “reservoirs of joy” and we allow ourselves to experience joy in our own lives, that joy has a ripple effect and continues to touch the lives of people even far beyond our vision or knowledge. I encourage you to pay attention to the possibilities of joy for you and allow your joy to ripple throughout the world!
I hope to see a lot of people on Tuesday as we gather at 6 p.m. in Moore Hall for our Mardi Gras Pancake Supper, and then again on Wednesday evening at 6 for our weekly Lenten Soup Supper, followed by our Ash Wednesday service at 7. I have a feeling that this year’s service will be especially meaningful to a lot of people.
As a reminder, this years Lenten Season will focus on the beatitudes—Jesus’ “blessings” in Matthew’s Gospel. I invite you to join us on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings as we consider the many ways of blessing and being blessed!
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.
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