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.
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.
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.
by admin | Dec 19, 2016 | Message from Kahu
MELE KALIKIMAKA!
This is always such a special time of the year for Koloa Union Church! We celebrated together at our annual Christmas party; about a dozen of us sang Christmas carols in front of Sueoka Market to raise money in order to feed hungry people on the island; our children presented a charming Christmas program in church yesterday; we have collected a large amount of food and money to assist struggling families on the south shore of our island (and will be making deliveries this week!).
One of my favorite new things this year has been the focus on art during the lighting of the Advent candles. Each week, a different artist shared with the congregation about his/her art and what it has to do with the Season of Advent and the particular theme of the day: hope, peace, joy and love. As we begin Christmas week, may you deeply feel the meaning of each of those words. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we give thanks for hope, peace, joy and love; and may we consider new ways of how we might share these things with others.
For those who are able, I invite you to join us this week for:
- Christmas caroling in front of Sueoka Market on Friday (6-7:30 p.m.)
- Christmas Eve service on Saturday (7:30 p.m.)
- Christmas Day Communion service on Sunday (10:30 a.m.)
I also invite you to give generously to the United Church of Christ Christmas Fund for retired clergy and church workers who are struggling to make ends meet financially and for current ones who are facing emergency needs. Last year, Koloa Union Church was in the Top 10 congregations in the U.S. in terms of giving per member, so I know this fund is important to us. I trust that we will be just as generous this year.
Whatever your plans are for Christmas and the holiday season, and whomever you plan to spend them with, may you deeply feel the presence of our loving God who demonstrated that love through the birth of Jesus.
Mele Kalikimaka and Aloha Nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“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 | Dec 13, 2016 | Message from Kahu
JOY DURING ADVENT
On Sunday, I had the privilege of sharing my art of watercoloring with the congregation, along with the joy that it brings me and the joy I hope to share with others through it. The piece I shared is a painting of `iliahi blossoms. The `iliahi trees once flourished on all of the main Hawaiian islands until the late 18th and early 19th centuries when the kings sold them off to China. By 1840, almost every tree was cut down, and it was rare that anyone ever saw them again. A few years ago, I was hiking in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and came across an `iliahi in blossom. I wasn’t sure if that’s what it was since I had never seen an `iliahi before. However, I took a photograph and was so happy to find that I had seen my first `iliahi! Sometimes joy catches us by surprise!
The Book of Isaiah was written during a difficult time in the nation of Israel, yet there are words of deep and profound joy in it. I encouraged the congregation to be open to joy and to plan for joy during this holiday season. After all, if you have a lot of joy within you, then you have a lot of joy to give to others!
I invite you to come and celebrate the joy of Christmas in the coming weeks. This week, our children will be leading us in worship, along with a wonderful presentation which they have been working on for weeks. On Christmas Eve, we will celebrate the birth of Christ by sharing the Christmas story and singing carols. On Christmas Day, we will celebrate Christ’s birth with Holy Communion. Please join us…and bring a friend!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“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 | Dec 6, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, Doug Duvauchelle began our worship service by sharing how music brings peace to him and to others. He then lit the Candle of Peace and played a soothing medley for us on his guitar. As Doug so beautifully demonstrated, music is a form of art that often brings us peace in the midst of the chaos and challenges of our lives. I am really enjoying hearing from some of the artists among us who are sharing what art means to them and how the various forms of art help us to make room for Christ during the Season of Advent. I am looking forward to sharing on Sunday about the joy of painting the flowers of Hawaii. I hope you will join us as we light the Candle of Joy!
On Sunday, I also shared about my experiences visiting the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Puowaina, also known as Punchbowl Crater, on December 7, 1991. It was truly a spiritual experience being among so many graves of veterans on the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As we commemorate this event this week, 25 years later, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect upon all of the wars and places of armed conflict since World War II. I was saddened to learn that there have been multiple situations of armed conflict every year since that war in which over 60 million people lost their lives. I learned that there have been over 50 situations of armed conflict in the world in 2016 (so far)…and over 75,000 people have died this year in Syrian, Iraq and Afghanistan alone…and there are about as many Syrians who have died in the current civil war as all Americans who died in WWII: over 400,000.
If we are going to sing and talk about peace on earth once again during the holiday season, I think it is important for us to see how much work there is to do! I also believe that peace is possible and that there is a role in it for each of us. I shared about the story of Sadako Sasaki, the young girl living in Hiroshima who was just two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped just over a mile away from her home. She later came down with leukemia as a result of the radiation from the blast. While she was dying in the hospital, her friend told her the legend of 1,000 cranes: if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you can make a wish and know that it will come true. So Sadako began folding paper into cranes as she wished for peace in the world. As the story goes, she only completed 644 cranes when she died, but her friends were so inspired by her commitment to peace, they took up the challenge and completed the rest. 1,000 cranes were folded after all!
This story gives me hope that we can all do something for peace and whatever we do will make a difference. Our challenge for peace on earth is a huge one, but we can make a difference. May we commit ourselves to bringing more peace to the world.
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 Christmas Day. 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.
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