image of Smithsonian museum of African American History & Culture

A Message From Our Kahu

“Dreaming of a Brand New World”

“The greatest among you must become like the youngest
and the leader like one who serves.”
—Luke 22:26—

Throughout the Bible, we find God’s people proclaiming God’s dreams for the world. Here is a part of the dream which we heard on Sunday find in Isaiah 65:

No more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old person who does not live out a lifetime. Like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

As unrealistic and unattainable as this dream may be, Isaiah nevertheless invites people to commit to it. I believe he does so because he knows that deep down inside, this dream has to do with what we all want: less weeping, less infant mortality, more of our loved ones living to old age, more of us reaping the rich rewards of our labor, less of us being attacked by wild animals and bitten by snakes. Yet, Isaiah is inviting his hearers to think beyond their fences, walls and borders. He is inviting us all to want these things for everyone, rather than just ourselves and those we love. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares God’s dream of leaders to think of leadership as humble servanthood. Again, as unrealistic and unattainable as this might be in today’s world, Jesus invites his followers to become such leaders and to choose such leaders. I invite you to commit yourselves to these dreams of God. After all, some dreams really do come true—even the unrealistic and unattainable ones!

Aloha nui loa!
Kahu Alan Akana