In our parish, we pray for: Richard, The Townsend Family, Norma & Carlos, Godwin, Hanohano & Makena, Sylvia, Ryan, Blake, Bruce, Olga & Yuri, Taghi, Susan K., Erwin, Heather, Wayne, Jeff & Kristi, Eugene &
Lois, and Lora V.
AND all who have COVID-19, caregivers, and those facing employment or housing struggles.
Please contact Athena in the office with any additional prayer requests
hncparish@gmail.com
We are posting a brief day by day meditation from Forward Movement. It's a great way to start your morning! Just click on the website above.
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Isaiah 40:3 -5 / Luke 3:4-6
With these words from Isaiah, John the Baptist reveals his purpose, proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He promises salvation from God so that rough ways are made smooth and the crooked, straight. The voice crying out in the wilderness promises justice and salvation for all.
In our Advent book study centered on Creation Care and Environmental Justice, we’ve been asking the question, “what can we do that will make a difference?” What I hear in John’s promise today is hope that God can and will work through and among us to bring about healing for our natural world and all that lives in God’s beautiful creation. When we look at the challenge before us, we might not be able to imagine how we can make a difference, the problems seem so large, too large for any one person to tackle. And they are. However, we Christians claim our identity as Christ’s body, and, therefore, we are partners with the Spirit when we gather together to be Christ’s body in the world. I’m reminded of one of the prayers at the end of our Morning Prayer liturgy:
“Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”
God’s power, working in us, can do more than we can even imagine. So, let’s prepare for Christ’s coming by welcoming God’s power to work in us.
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ADVENT AIDS & INSPIRATIONS!
Advent booklets have arrived, finally -- they are in the office.
HOWEVER, we have a link to the same booklet that you can read and/or print at home:
On December 12, we will hear from our own Adrienne Fung about Hawai'i's watershed and challenges with cesspools and flooding as sea levels rise. The third Sunday, December 19, we hope to hear from a local organization doing reef restoration in Maunalua Bay. On January 9 we will welcome John Cheever, faculty member of Entrepreneurial Studies for a Global Society at Mid Pacific Institute, who will tell us more about fossil fuels and renewable energy here in the islands. The final week we will discuss the last two sections of the book. At the end of each session we will spend some time in a creative process of our choosing. Please gather art materials to have handy for this part of our gathering (choose what you enjoy: paints, markers, colored pencils, writing materials, musical instruments).
There is no need to register and we will have some copies of the book available in the office.
