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.
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