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.
by admin | Dec 1, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, Karen Johnson helped us kick off the Season of Advent by reading her beautiful poem, Make Room, in which she encouraged us all to make room for Christ during this time of the year. The poem gave me hope as Karen lit the Candle of Hope—hope that we can always make room for Christ and for God in our lives.
Later in the service, I shared about my maternal grandmother’s life and how she was a model of hope for me. As a young girl, Alice wanted to study agriculture but when she shared this dream with others they either laughed at her or else told her she could not do it because agriculture was “man’s work” and not suited for women. Nevertheless, she ended up as the first female to graduate with a B.S. degree in agriculture from Montana State College (now University) in Bozeman, Montana. After graduation, she wanted to raise her children—my mom and her two brothers. After an abusive marriage and an horrific car accident, in which she suffered a broken neck and burns all over her body, she was told that she would never walk again and could certainly never raise her children. Nevertheless, she went back to college to earn another bachelor’s degree—this one in home economics—and was able to keep her family together until each of her kids graduated from high school. Then she wanted to see more of the world, so she lived on Hawai`i and Kaua`i Islands and also in India. She also traveled extensively in her 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and even well into her 80’s. To this day, whenever I face challenges, just remembering my grandmother gives me hope!
On Sunday, I also talked about our Old Testament reading from Isaiah, chapter 11, which is a vision of hope:
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
These words were written during a time in Israel’s history that seemed pretty hopeless. The armies of Babylon had attacked, burned villages and cities, killed many, and took most of the people back to Babylon in order to serve as slaves to the Babylonians. And yet, the writer of Isaiah had a vision of hope that new life would grow out of what was chopped down, that the future would be even better than the past.
May you find hope in your life whenever you face challenges. May you dream big dreams and commit yourself to those dreams, always remembering that the loving God is always present.
I hope you will join us in church this Sunday as we move from hope to peace. Dr. Douglas Duvauchelle will share with us how the art of music brings him peace. We will also celebrate Holy Communion.
Have a great week as you make room for Christ in your life, and experience great hope and peace!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Click HERE to see a video of last Sunday’s sermon.
Videos of Kahu’s sermons will be available every week through Christmas Day. 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 | Nov 23, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we celebrated and gave thanks for the many blessings in our lives. We read the passage from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, chapter 4:
- Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I shared with the congregation about my experience of returning to joy and gratitude as often as possible. There have certainly been times in my life when joy and gratitude seemed far away—and I’m pretty sure that has been the case for you as well! But I have discovered that when we return to joy and gratitude as quickly and as often as possible, we find deep and lasting peace.
Two special things happened early in the week that brought me great joy and gratitude. First of all, I was at the church on Tuesday when the volunteers returned from delivering boxes of food to families on the south shore who are struggling financially. I got to hear firsthand how much joy our congregation brought to some families that would likely have little to eat on Thursday. Secondly, I was in my office on Tuesday morning, meeting with Dan Giovanni regarding our capital campaign projects, and a visitor on vacation from Idaho walked up and told us what a beautiful church we had. She was so moved by the beauty of the outside of our building and our new landscaping that she wanted to see the inside of the building. Afterwards, she commented that we have such a beautiful and special place and said that she will join us for worship on Sunday morning when she returns to the island. As she walked away, I turned to Dan and said, “Well that just made my day!” All of our generosity and efforts to create a welcoming and inviting space are certainly paying off!
This coming Sunday, we begin the Season of Advent, in which we celebrate the coming of Christ. Even though Christ is always with us and never leaves us, Christ also seems to come in new and surprising ways. This is the season to be open to those surprises. I hope you will join me in our Sunday morning worship services during the next four weeks as we discover how Christ comes to us and surprises us with hope, peace, joy and love. This year during Advent, I have invited some of the artists among us to light the Advent candles and share with us how Christ comes through our art.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Click HERE to see a video of last Sunday’s sermon.
by admin | Nov 16, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, I began my sermon with an honest assessment of what has been happening in our country this past week. I also pointed out that I am both a citizen with a vote and a voice, as well as Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church. I then made four commitments to the congregation:
- First of all, when it comes to publicly speaking about politics, I will never speak as your Pastor, but rather as a citizen. For I believe that each of you is entitled to speak your own mind; and just as I don’t want you to speak on my behalf politically, I can’t imagine that you would want me to speak on yours.
- My second commitment is that I will never tell you who to vote for or what to vote for…for that is entirely up to you.
- Thirdly, I will encourage all of us to be who we are and believe what we believe in a safe and supportive environment…and love each other deeply, even when our political opinions may be very different.
- And finally, I will encourage us, beginning today, to dream together—dreams of a better nation and a better world—and to share our dreams with one another….
I then shared a few dreams—dreams that most of us have heard before. I shared the dream of Isaiah from chapter 65, a seemingly impossible dream where there is no more pain or tears, and everyone lives a long and full life. I then shared a portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, another seemingly impossible dream in which all racism and prejudice comes to an end. Finally, I shared my dream for our country and world, which also seems rather impossible. I hope I remembered to mention in my sermon that I am so glad that we dream our impossible dreams, for they give us hope, focus, vision and invite us to live our lives according to our highest values. At the end of our worship service, I invited the congregation to share their dreams with me. For those who would like to participate, please send me your dreams, and let me know if I have your permission to share your dream (in whole or in part) with others. I think it is important that we share our dreams with others in a safe and supportive environment. Feel free to mail, drop off or email your dream to me at the church.
If you would like to see a video of Sunday’s sermon, please click HERE.
Finally, I hope you will join us this coming Sunday for a special time of gratitude. We will worship with gratitude and then feast together as a congregation on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I think it is especially important to focus on gratitude during these challenging times in the life of our nation. Come and be thankful! Come and give thanks!
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.
Recent Comments