by admin | Jul 11, 2016 | Message from Kahu
Seeing What Is Right in Front of You
In his best-selling book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of Julie Landsman and how she successfully auditioned for the role of principal French horn at the Metropolitan Opera of New York (known by many simply as “The Met”). It was the first year that there was a screen between the judges and the musicians who were auditioning for the orchestra. The decision had recently been made that the judges should pick the winner based solely on the sound of the music and not by the appearance of any musician. It all started when someone wondered if they were showing partiality based upon appearance, and maybe even allowing unknown prejudices to keep them from actually hearing the quality of the performance alone.
When the judges unanimously declared Julie Landsman the winner for the top spot for the French horn and she stepped out from behind the screen there was an audible gasp! They gasped in part because they were expecting a man. In fact, all of the judges thought they were listening to a man playing rather than Julie Landsman. At the time, there were no women in the brass section of the orchestra, because everyone “knew” that women could not play the horn as well as men…. and female horn players were rare.
However, there was another reason why the judges gasped. It wasn’t just because Julie was a woman. It was also because they knew her! She had played for The Met before as a substitute, and it became apparent that they never heard how great she actually was because she was a woman. Until they listened to her with just their ears, they had no idea she was that good. As Gladwell describes it, the screen created a pure Blink moment, and a small miracle happened: they saw her for who she truly was…and they heard her for her expertise and talent for the very first time.
When I read this story, I had to wonder how often I may not see something right in front of my face or how often I may not hear something that is actually loud and clear simply because of prejudices, presuppositions or expectations. On Sunday, we took a look at some of those things that get in our way of seeing and hearing clearly. As we took a look at some of Moses’ final words to the people of Israel, it became apparent that Moses provided a Blink moment for them when he told them that God was not up in heaven or on the other side of the ocean, but right in front of them and inside of them; and because God was right there, the people could do things such as love God, walk in God’s ways and choose life!
During this difficult summer of mass shootings in the U.S., I imagine how things might change for us if we actually come to realize that God is right here in our midst…and within us…and within each and every person…and because of these things we open ourselves up to loving God, walking in God’s ways and always choosing life.
Whatever it is that gets in your way of seeing clearly, I invite you to be open to the possibility of Blink moments in your life: moments when you see something clearly for the first time.
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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
by admin | Jul 6, 2016 | Message from Kahu
The Little Things
On Sunday, I read the story of Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, Israel’s next door neighbor to the east. Naaman was a great military leader who was used to doing big things in order to get results. He had one serious problem: he had leprosy. Fortunately for him, his wife’s servant was an Israelite and knew about a prophet in Israel by the name of Elisha who could cure Naaman of his disease. When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s home, Elisha sent a messenger out to greet Naaman and tell him to dip into the Jordan River seven times, and he would be cured. Naaman was furious. He wanted something big… something spectacular. He at least wanted to see Elisha for himself and watch the great prophet do something in his presence. If he was going to bathe in a river, he could have stayed home and done that in any number of rivers in Aram! However, one of Naaman’s servants convinced him to try Elisha’s suggestion. After all, it couldn’t hurt, and they were passing by the Jordan on their way home anyway. So Naaman dipped in the Jordan River seven times and was healed of his leprosy. In fact, we read that his skin became like that of a young boy!
The moral of the story for me is that we often resist small things, including little solutions to big problems. If a challenge is big, we think, then it should require a big solution… and so, we ignore all of the little things that may work just as well, or even better!
What might be some of the little things that you might be ignoring? Is there a simple thing you can do that might help you or someone else in a big way? I encourage you to be open to the little things and just see what big differences that just might make!
I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!
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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
by admin | Jun 28, 2016 | Message from Kahu
THE GREATEST JOY
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about the time I was sitting in church on Easter Sunday 1999. The minister said something like this: “Happy Easter! This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. If you are not joyful today—on Easter Sunday—you are most certainly not a Christian.” At that point, I did my best to restrain myself from standing up and walking out. And the worship service went downhill from there. At least, it did for me.
It bothered me that the minister would choose to assign either intention or a sense of moral judgment on the particular feelings I was having at the moment. What he had no way of knowing was that I had recently been in a bad car accident and was suffering from tremendous physical pain unlike anything I had ever known. I was also on a road trip from the California coast, where I had just been to my father’s memorial service, to Park City, UT, which was home at the time. I wasn’t able to spend time with my dad during his final weeks because of the injuries I had sustained from the accident. So, I was feeling anything but joyful that Easter Sunday morning, but decided I would go to church and hope for resurrection and some new light for my life.
I knew after sitting in church that morning that I would never intentionally say anything to make another person feel bad for his or her emotions. I would instead welcome people to church as they are and with whatever emotions they may bring with them.
Since then, I have learned that there is a lot that a person can do in order to allow joy to unfold and blossom in his or her life. A Spiritual Director once asked me, “Alan, what would bring you the greatest joy in your life right now?” By simply answering the question, I opened myself up to allowing more joy to enter in. When I met with her the next month, I told her that being a pastor full-time, watercoloring every day, and living in Hawaii were three of the things that would bring me the greatest joy. That was about 4 years ago…and here I am being a pastor at Koloa Union Church, watercoloring nearly every day and living in Hawaii…and living with more joy than I ever imagined.
Sometimes, just answering the question opens us up to joy. I invite you to give it a try. Go ahead and ask…and answer…and see how God might bring you more joy than you ever imagined!
Aloha nui to all,
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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
by admin | Jun 21, 2016 | Message from Kahu
THE SOUND OF SHEER SILENCE
On Sunday, I talked about the importance of practicing silence. We heard the story of Elijah walking forty days to Mt. Horeb, waking from sleep in a cave on the mountain, and hearing a voice that told him that God was about to show up. So Elijah went outside his cave and waited for God to speak. As it turned out, God spoke in an unexpected way: from the sound of sheer silence.
Mother Teresa, who died 19 years ago, was known to the world for her selfless work among the poorest of the poor. She has also become known for her practices of silence that gave her the energy and vision to sustain a life of compassion.
Here are some of the things Mother Teresa wrote about silence:
- In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you.
- In silence we will find new energy and true unity. Silence gives us a new outlook on everything.
- The essential thing is not what we say but what God says to us and through us… there God will speak to our soul, and there we will hear God’s voice.
- Listen in silence because if your heart is full of other things you cannot hear the voice of God. But when you have listened to the voice of God in the stillness of your heart, then your heart is filled with God.
- In nature we find silence — the trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence.
- The contemplatives and ascetics of all ages and religions have sought God in the silence and solitude of the desert, forest, and mountains. Jesus himself spent forty days in the desert and the mountains, communing for long hours with God in the silence of the night.
- We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally; to be alone with God — not with our books, thoughts, and memories but completely stripped of everything — to dwell lovingly in God’s presence, silent, empty, expectant, and motionless.
- Silence of the heart is necessary so you can hear God everywhere — in the closing of a door, in the person who needs you, in the birds that sing, in the flowers, in the animals.
—Excerpted from the book In the Heart of the World (1997, New World Library), edited for gender-inclusive language.
I invite you to ponder these words this week and allow for some time of silence so that you may more deeply encounter God wherever you are.
Aloha nui to all,
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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
by admin | Jun 16, 2016 | Message from Kahu
THE ESSENCE OF ALL TRUE RELIGIONS
You have undoubtedly heard by now about the tragic mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the early morning hours of this past Sunday. A man by the name of Omar Mateen walked into the club and opened fire, killing 49 and injuring 53. While his victims lay on the floor of the nightclub, he dialed 911 and pledged his allegiance to ISIS. It is beyond my comprehension how a person would kill another human being simply for being different. It is mind-numbing to try to understand how a single individual can shoot over 100 people simply because they were gay. It is deeply disturbing that a person can carry out such a hateful act in the name of a religion or religious-based organization.
Throughout the ages, religions have played a vital role in many cultures in influencing how their followers should treat “the other.” It is unfortunate that religions, including my own, have often taught a spirit of intolerance and judgment towards those who are different. Such teachings promote acts of hatred and terror of various extremes. We have seen the worst of the extremes this week when Omar Mateen opened fire on the patrons of Pulse—the gay nightclub in Orlando.
I personally condemn all forms of intolerance and judgment against others who are different: the extreme form that we have witnessed this week and the subtler forms as well. Here are a few examples to which I refer:
- A close friend—when he was a teenager—was visited by his pastor in the hospital after a suicide attempt, caused by deep shame over his sexual orientation. The pastor told him it would be better if he had died than to engage in homosexual behavior and suffer eternity in hell for it.
- Another friend was subjected to “reparation therapy” so that he could understand that he “really never was gay,” because, according to his pastor and therapist, being gay is against God’s will and therefore unreal.
- I was told in the church of my youth that homosexuality is sinful, contrary to human nature, disgusting and evil, and punishable by God with a sentence of death and hell.
I condemn the words used by these religious professionals and the context they created within their churches and communities—a context where it is acceptable to dehumanize, devalue and demonize the people who, like me, are simply being honest about who they are and what they want in life.
In addressing the mass shooting in Orlando, the Rev. John Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ had these words to say about all forms of intolerance and judgment:
“Especially concerning to the United Church of Christ are those brands and expressions of Christianity that demonize the LGBTQ community. When religious leaders [say such things] they create a context in which such violence is cultivated.”
Rev. Dorhauer’s point is that all forms of intolerance and judgment add fuel to the fire of the extreme acts of hatred and terror, such as the one we witnessed this week. The beliefs we espouse and the words we choose indeed create a context in which we all act. I call upon the leaders and members of all of our faith communities to leave intolerance and judgment behind and to embrace tolerance, understanding, grace, and one another.
Regardless of the faith you choose, may you live by the words of Jesus, which I believe are the essence of all true religions:
“Love one another…just as I have loved you.”
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“Love your enemy.”
Let us continue to pray for the victims and their families of the Orlando shooting, and let us take responsibility for our beliefs, our words, and the resulting consequences.
Aloha nui to all,
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.
Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Jun 8, 2016 | Message from Kahu
Under Construction!
Dear Members and Friends:
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our capital campaign “Maika`i Hana Hou” (Creating Goodness & Beauty Once Again)! We have done so much this past year, and we are working on our parking lot this week! Part of our new vision is to become more welcoming and inviting…and I can tell you that we will certainly be looking a lot more welcoming and inviting when our parking lot and landscaping project is completed!
At our “Capital Campaign One-Year Anniversary Celebration” on Sunday at the parsonage, I shared with everyone about my maternal grandmother. She was a significant role model in my life and was very influential in her example and support to help get me where I am today. She taught me that a person always has love to give, even during the most difficult and trying circumstances in life. She also taught me how I can overcome even the most difficult obstacles if I make a plan and am determined to fulfill it. Therefore, I wanted to honor her by doing something very special: I decided to pay for our new koa pulpit in full and name it in her memory.
I hope every person in our church will honor in one way or another the important people in his/her life. If it turns out that you want to honor someone through our capital campaign, please contact me or Dan Giovanni, our capital campaign chair, and we will help you discover how you might do that.
I hope to see you on Sunday as we use our new parking lot for the first time!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
In Memory of Alice McClintock Gagner
“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.
Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
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