HOLY INNOCENTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
on Maui in Lahaina, Hawai'i
One Sunday service respecting social distancing at 8:30 each week..
HOLY INNOCENTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Please note: Spanish translation is forthcoming
Presiding Bishop Curry’s Word to the Church:
Who shall we be?[January 8, 2021] Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has issued the following Word to the Church.
A transcript of the statement follows:
And now in the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In another time of national crisis, another time of danger for our nation, in 1865 on March the fourth, Abraham Lincoln concluded his second inaugural address with these words:
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.
Lincoln knew in that moment, in the moment of a national crisis, a moment of great danger, that such a moment was a moment of decision, when a nation, when a people must decide who shall we be? What kind of nation, what kind of people shall we be? A hundred years later, Martin Luther King faced the same reality. Who shall we be? The civil rights movement was waning. The great victories that had been won had been won. And yet now questions of poverty and economic despair and disparities raised an awesome specter on the nation. We were at war.
We were at war in another country, but there was war on our streets. The nation was deeply divided. Cities burned. There were riots. Riots at national conventions of political parties. The future of the nation was in question, and it was at that time that Dr. King realized that in moments of danger, a decision must be made. And he titled his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. I believe as he believed, as Abraham Lincoln believed, as I believe you believe, that we must choose community. Chaos is not an option. Community is our only hope.
The truth is Dr. King spoke often of all that he did and labored for was for the purpose of realizing as much of the Beloved Community of God as it is possible on this earth. He spoke of Beloved Community, the Bible, the New Testament, Jesus spoke of the kingdom or the reign of God. Jesus taught us to pray, and to work, and to labor for that Beloved Community, that reign of God's love in our time and in our world, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth just as it is in heaven. Those are our marching orders from Jesus himself.
I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth because I believe that his way of love and his way of life is the way of life for us all. I believe that unselfish, sacrificial love, love that seeks the good and the welfare and the well-being of others, as well as the self, that this is the way that can lead us and guide us to do what is just, to do what is right, to do what is merciful. It is the way that can lead us beyond the chaos to community.
Now, I know full well that this may to some sound naive, to others, idealistic, and I understand that. And yet, I want to submit that the way of love that leads to beloved community is the only way of hope for humanity. Consider the alternative. The alternative is chaos, not community. The alternative is the abyss of anarchy, of chaos, of hatred, of bigotry, of violence, and that alternative is unthinkable. We have seen nightmarish visions of that alternative. We saw it in Charlottesville just a few years ago when neo-Nazis marched through the streets of an American city, chanting, "Jews will not replace us." That alternative is unthinkable. We saw it in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where a public safety officer knelt with his knee on the neck of another human being. A child of God, just like he was, and snuffed out the breath of life that God gave him. The alternative is unthinkable.
And we have seen it this past Wednesday, when a monument to democracy, the Capitol of the United States of America was desecrated and violated with violence by vandals. Lives were lost. A nation was wounded. Democracy itself was threatened. My brothers and sisters, this way of love that Jesus taught us when he said, "Love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself." This way of love that Moses taught even before Jesus. This way of unselfish, sacrificial love, it is the way to redeem a nation, to save a world. It is the way of hope for us all. But do not make the mistake of thinking that I speak of a sentimental and emotional love.
Jesus spoke of love most consistently the closer he got to the cross. This way of love is the way of sacrifice, the way of unselfishness, the way of selflessness, that seeks the good of the other as well as the self. And that is the way of the cross, which is the way of life. And if you don't believe me, ask another apostle of love. Not Dr. King, not Abraham Lincoln, ask Archbishop Tutu. Ask one who has given his life for the cause of God's love in the way of Jesus. Ask him; ask Nelson Mandela in your mind. Ask them what love looks like. They knew that the way of love was the only way that could guide South Africa from what could have become a bloody nightmare and civil war to the way that could build a nation.
And it was not sentimental. Remember truth and reconciliation. They had to face painful truths. They had to do what was just and what was merciful. They had to do what the prophet Micah said, that the motivation and the guide was love. Archbishop Tutu said this:
Love, forgiving, and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones is not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back or turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness of the abuse, the hurt, the truth. It could even sometimes make things worse for a while. It is a risky undertaking but in the end it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring forth real healing. Superficial reconciliation only brings superficial healing.
This is the way of love that can heal our hurts, that can heal our land, that can help us to become one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So, I would ask you to do two things. I'm asking you to make a commitment, a renewed commitment, to live the way of love as Jesus has taught us and to do it by making a commitment to go out and bless somebody. Bless somebody you disagree with. Bless somebody you agree with. But to go out and bless somebody by helping somebody along the way. Go out and bless somebody by listening to their story and their life. To go out and be an instrument of God's peace, an agent of God's love.
And then I would ask you to pray. Pray for this nation but pray with some specificity. Pray that we may have the wisdom and the courage to love.
God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy pow’r.
Crown thine ancient church’s story,
bring her bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour
- Harry Emerson Fosdick, God of Grace and God of Glory
With malice toward none, with charity toward all. With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. Let us strive to finish the work, the work that we are in. To bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan. To do all which may achieve and cherish, a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
Resources:
From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference
On the web:
Presiding Bishop Curry’s Word to the Church: Who shall we be?
Presiding Bishop Curry’s Word to the Church:
Who shall we be?[January 8, 2021] Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has issued the following Word to the Church.
A transcript of the statement follows:
And now in the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In another time of national crisis, another time of danger for our nation, in 1865 on March the fourth, Abraham Lincoln concluded his second inaugural address with these words:
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.
Lincoln knew in that moment, in the moment of a national crisis, a moment of great danger, that such a moment was a moment of decision, when a nation, when a people must decide who shall we be? What kind of nation, what kind of people shall we be? A hundred years later, Martin Luther King faced the same reality. Who shall we be? The civil rights movement was waning. The great victories that had been won had been won. And yet now questions of poverty and economic despair and disparities raised an awesome specter on the nation. We were at war.
We were at war in another country, but there was war on our streets. The nation was deeply divided. Cities burned. There were riots. Riots at national conventions of political parties. The future of the nation was in question, and it was at that time that Dr. King realized that in moments of danger, a decision must be made. And he titled his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. I believe as he believed, as Abraham Lincoln believed, as I believe you believe, that we must choose community. Chaos is not an option. Community is our only hope.
The truth is Dr. King spoke often of all that he did and labored for was for the purpose of realizing as much of the Beloved Community of God as it is possible on this earth. He spoke of Beloved Community, the Bible, the New Testament, Jesus spoke of the kingdom or the reign of God. Jesus taught us to pray, and to work, and to labor for that Beloved Community, that reign of God's love in our time and in our world, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth just as it is in heaven. Those are our marching orders from Jesus himself.
I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth because I believe that his way of love and his way of life is the way of life for us all. I believe that unselfish, sacrificial love, love that seeks the good and the welfare and the well-being of others, as well as the self, that this is the way that can lead us and guide us to do what is just, to do what is right, to do what is merciful. It is the way that can lead us beyond the chaos to community.
Now, I know full well that this may to some sound naive, to others, idealistic, and I understand that. And yet, I want to submit that the way of love that leads to beloved community is the only way of hope for humanity. Consider the alternative. The alternative is chaos, not community. The alternative is the abyss of anarchy, of chaos, of hatred, of bigotry, of violence, and that alternative is unthinkable. We have seen nightmarish visions of that alternative. We saw it in Charlottesville just a few years ago when neo-Nazis marched through the streets of an American city, chanting, "Jews will not replace us." That alternative is unthinkable. We saw it in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where a public safety officer knelt with his knee on the neck of another human being. A child of God, just like he was, and snuffed out the breath of life that God gave him. The alternative is unthinkable.
And we have seen it this past Wednesday, when a monument to democracy, the Capitol of the United States of America was desecrated and violated with violence by vandals. Lives were lost. A nation was wounded. Democracy itself was threatened. My brothers and sisters, this way of love that Jesus taught us when he said, "Love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself." This way of love that Moses taught even before Jesus. This way of unselfish, sacrificial love, it is the way to redeem a nation, to save a world. It is the way of hope for us all. But do not make the mistake of thinking that I speak of a sentimental and emotional love.
Jesus spoke of love most consistently the closer he got to the cross. This way of love is the way of sacrifice, the way of unselfishness, the way of selflessness, that seeks the good of the other as well as the self. And that is the way of the cross, which is the way of life. And if you don't believe me, ask another apostle of love. Not Dr. King, not Abraham Lincoln, ask Archbishop Tutu. Ask one who has given his life for the cause of God's love in the way of Jesus. Ask him; ask Nelson Mandela in your mind. Ask them what love looks like. They knew that the way of love was the only way that could guide South Africa from what could have become a bloody nightmare and civil war to the way that could build a nation.
And it was not sentimental. Remember truth and reconciliation. They had to face painful truths. They had to do what was just and what was merciful. They had to do what the prophet Micah said, that the motivation and the guide was love. Archbishop Tutu said this:
Love, forgiving, and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones is not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back or turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness of the abuse, the hurt, the truth. It could even sometimes make things worse for a while. It is a risky undertaking but in the end it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring forth real healing. Superficial reconciliation only brings superficial healing.
This is the way of love that can heal our hurts, that can heal our land, that can help us to become one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So, I would ask you to do two things. I'm asking you to make a commitment, a renewed commitment, to live the way of love as Jesus has taught us and to do it by making a commitment to go out and bless somebody. Bless somebody you disagree with. Bless somebody you agree with. But to go out and bless somebody by helping somebody along the way. Go out and bless somebody by listening to their story and their life. To go out and be an instrument of God's peace, an agent of God's love.
And then I would ask you to pray. Pray for this nation but pray with some specificity. Pray that we may have the wisdom and the courage to love.
God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy pow’r.
Crown thine ancient church’s story,
bring her bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour
- Harry Emerson Fosdick, God of Grace and God of Glory
With malice toward none, with charity toward all. With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. Let us strive to finish the work, the work that we are in. To bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan. To do all which may achieve and cherish, a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
Resources:
From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference
On the web:
Presiding Bishop Curry’s Word to the Church: Who shall we be?
Happy New Year to all who love Holy Innocents,
The Covid 19 numbers are inexorably climbing here on Maui and in Lahaina. Mayor Victorino has issued new restrictions on group gatherings. After much prayer and consideration, the Bishop’s Committee, Bishop Fitzpatrick and I have decided that we need to do the right thing. In person worship at Holy Innocents is suspended until the tide turns—whenever that is. We were very greatly blessed to be able to have services, especially at Christmas, and now we need to count our blessings and be patient. Please stay safe and in touch via phone, email, website, Facebook—whatever. We will definitely miss seeing each others’ masked faces, but we can still communicate with love and prayers.
Diane Delos Reyes
Bishop’s Warden
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church
Lahaina
The Covid 19 numbers are inexorably climbing here on Maui and in Lahaina. Mayor Victorino has issued new restrictions on group gatherings. After much prayer and consideration, the Bishop’s Committee, Bishop Fitzpatrick and I have decided that we need to do the right thing. In person worship at Holy Innocents is suspended until the tide turns—whenever that is. We were very greatly blessed to be able to have services, especially at Christmas, and now we need to count our blessings and be patient. Please stay safe and in touch via phone, email, website, Facebook—whatever. We will definitely miss seeing each others’ masked faces, but we can still communicate with love and prayers.
Diane Delos Reyes
Bishop’s Warden
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church
Lahaina
Services streamed on Facebook:
The Cathedral of St. Andrew, Honolulu, live streams not only the Sunday morning services (at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM), but also Sunday evening and weekday services. You do not need a Facebook account to join the services. Just go to facebook.com/thecathedralofstandrew/videos and you should be able to see it either currently streaming or in the list of recent Cathedral videos.
Likewise, Good Shepherd, Wailuku, live streamed services and previously recorded services and talks are available at on the Church’s Facebook Page at
www.facebook.com/goodshepherdmaui and on the Church’s YouTube page at
www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6iPkyjbaGhlMUlp3FCBcA. The Sunday virtual worship be available at 7:00AM on Sunday mornings and it can be viewed any time throughout the day on Facebook and/or YouTube.
St. John’s, Kula, live streams and store their services on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnsmaui. The Sunday morning worship is posted online at 8:30 AM.
Mahalo,
Bob
The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
The Cathedral of St. Andrew, Honolulu, live streams not only the Sunday morning services (at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM), but also Sunday evening and weekday services. You do not need a Facebook account to join the services. Just go to facebook.com/thecathedralofstandrew/videos and you should be able to see it either currently streaming or in the list of recent Cathedral videos.
Likewise, Good Shepherd, Wailuku, live streamed services and previously recorded services and talks are available at on the Church’s Facebook Page at
www.facebook.com/goodshepherdmaui and on the Church’s YouTube page at
www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6iPkyjbaGhlMUlp3FCBcA. The Sunday virtual worship be available at 7:00AM on Sunday mornings and it can be viewed any time throughout the day on Facebook and/or YouTube.
St. John’s, Kula, live streams and store their services on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnsmaui. The Sunday morning worship is posted online at 8:30 AM.
Mahalo,
Bob
The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
A Story from Heather Mueller
The following is a story which is part of the season’s tradition in Spain.
An old woman, who was known for her clean house and hospitality, was visited by the three Kings when they were on their journey, following a star, to visit and honor the Christ child.
She provided their evening meal, a comfortable bed for each of them, hay and water for their camels and breakfast the next morning.
As they were preparing to continue on their journey, they invited Befana to join them on their journey as they followed the star to Bethlehem.
She explained that she was too busy....She had to sweep her house and clean the dishes....and etc.....
About an hour after they departed she had second thoughts. She wanted to follow the star and make the journey with them. She set out and hurried to catch up with them. She could not find them and she sadly had to return home. She was not able to go with them to seek the Holy Child.
So to this day it is Befana who puts candy and toys into the shoes and stockings of children. She sees the Christ Child in the children for whom she bestows gifts.
In Spain she has a similar presence in their culture as St.Nicholas or Santa Claus does in other countries and cultures......
This story says a couple of things to me.....
.....When we have a chance to make a pilgrimage to a place of holiness....don’t hesitate.
.....If we miss one opportunity for love and care we can always find another avenue to loving the world and the creatures/people in God’s world!
I pray that we will all know the holiness of the Christ Child which is within our own hearts and also within the souls and lives of others in our community.
In Christ, and the holiness of the season,
Heather Mueller
The following is a story which is part of the season’s tradition in Spain.
An old woman, who was known for her clean house and hospitality, was visited by the three Kings when they were on their journey, following a star, to visit and honor the Christ child.
She provided their evening meal, a comfortable bed for each of them, hay and water for their camels and breakfast the next morning.
As they were preparing to continue on their journey, they invited Befana to join them on their journey as they followed the star to Bethlehem.
She explained that she was too busy....She had to sweep her house and clean the dishes....and etc.....
About an hour after they departed she had second thoughts. She wanted to follow the star and make the journey with them. She set out and hurried to catch up with them. She could not find them and she sadly had to return home. She was not able to go with them to seek the Holy Child.
So to this day it is Befana who puts candy and toys into the shoes and stockings of children. She sees the Christ Child in the children for whom she bestows gifts.
In Spain she has a similar presence in their culture as St.Nicholas or Santa Claus does in other countries and cultures......
This story says a couple of things to me.....
.....When we have a chance to make a pilgrimage to a place of holiness....don’t hesitate.
.....If we miss one opportunity for love and care we can always find another avenue to loving the world and the creatures/people in God’s world!
I pray that we will all know the holiness of the Christ Child which is within our own hearts and also within the souls and lives of others in our community.
In Christ, and the holiness of the season,
Heather Mueller
https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/forward_day_by_day.php?d=2&m=1&y=2021
Click on to the link for your daily devotional.
Click on to the link for your daily devotional.
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Holy Innocents Episcopal Church
561 Front Street Lahaina, HI 96761 Church Ph: 808 661 4202 Preschool Ph: 808 667 9058 Church Office: office@holyimaui.org Bookkeeper: holyinnobookkeeper@hawaii.rr.com |
Sunday Service
8:30 am with Holy Communion and Music |