EPIPHANY ~ a New Church Season Begins

“Open my eyes that I may see. Open my ears that I may hear
Open my mind that I may know. Open my heart that I may live.”

To meditate to this Kristopher Lindquist chant:
 
“UPON BEING SHOWN” is how the word “Epiphany” translates from the Greek “epi-phanein.” The three wise men were led by a star and “shown” the savior of the world. God is always showing something of Godself to us – through creation, people, scripture, ritual, meditation, and the events of life, including struggle and suffering. During this season which this year ends on March 3rd, our discipline is to pay attention. Become aware of God manifesting Godself to you.

Pray, Meditate, Journal through the Season of Epiphany

These are just a few of Pastor Gae’s favorite Epiphany stories in scripture. In each story, those present were given a challenge — to see or not to see. Those who were able to see received a blessing from God!

Matthew 2:1-12 ~ Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 ~ John 2:1-11 ~ Luke 4:14-21 ~
Luke 4:21-30 ~ Luke 5:1-11 ~ Luke 9:28-36

Read the scripture passage one or two times. Then sit in meditation, imagining the story. Imagine yourself actually in the story as an observer. Journal your response to the following questions:

  • What is God showing me about God’s self? What is God showing me through Jesus?
  • What is God showing me about myself and who I am?
  • What is God showing me about God’s intention for this world (The Kingdom)?
  • What gets in the way of what God is trying to show to me?
  • Are you an artist? Consider creating your artistic impression of an epiphany. Consider sharing it!

Music for meditation during Epiphany

In addition to the Kristopher Lindquist chant, here is another favorite:

The More I Seek You, by Kari Jobe


Morning Coffee Inspiration from Pastor Gae
Friends,

Two years ago I attended a Precepts ceremony at a Zen Retreat Center in Lucerne Valley California. My sister Marian committed to becoming a Buddhist within the Zen tradition. I had never been to a Buddhist religious ceremony. It was very moving, and while in my Christian tradition, we don’t sit on the floor or bow with our head to the floor, it had much the same feel as the Confirmation liturgy. In the time of the Buddha, in the beginning of his ministry, he only ordained and took monastic students.

Many lay people saw the wonderful effects of the life practice that the Buddha taught his monks and wanted him to teach them too. However, these lay people had families and other responsibilities that prevented them from becoming a monk or a nun. They entreated him to teach them and asked to be his followers. So he created five precepts for lay people. They are:

  • Do not kill (human & non-human)
  • Do not steal
  • Do not engage in sexual misconduct
  • Do not engage in talk that harms others (lies, gossip, etc)
  • Do not become intoxicated

At Marian’s ceremony, the monk told a little story (koan): Imagine yourself in a beautiful forest, everything perfect. You are meditating and in ecstasy. You hear a rustling and you open your eyes. A rabbit is crossing in front of you. You observe this creature as he scampers away. Shortly after, a man toting a gun comes up to you and asks, “Have you seen any rabbits around here?” How do you answer (remembering the precepts…no kill, no lie, etc) Shortly after the man walks away, a group of young children come up to you looking for their father. They appear to be quite poor…very scrawny and malnourished. Does that influence your judgment?

The monk reminded my sister and others that most of the time, life is not going to be black or white. “It’s mostly gray,” he said. “You have taken these precepts, but living them as a Buddhist is not as simple as it appears.”

I’ve been thinking about that koan as we prepare to leave the season of Christmas. I am committed to following Jesus as my Master. But like my sister is experiencing in her tradition, to truly live as Jesus’ follower is not easy. It’s not easy to know what is the way to respond that is most faithful to Master’s teaching. We can’t just opt out of the world. Our voice needs to be heard on the issues that challenge our country and our world ~ poverty, healthcare, education, immigration, war, just to name a few.
I am looking forward to the season of Epiphany. It reminds me to quiet my mind, keep judgments in check, and be conscious that God is always showing me something of Godself. If I just look and listen, answers (epiphanies) will come.

I hope to see you Sunday and I look forward to the continued journey. In the midst of our complicated world, may your life be filled with many epiphanies!

Joy, joy, joy,
Pastor Gae+


CONNECT

Centering Prayer with Dr. Matthew Miller
Sunday, January 13
4:00 - 5:30 PM in the Sanctuary
Centering Prayer is a wonderful way to quiet our minds and be present to our God. There are many gifts that come with a centering practice: relieving stress and anxiety, creative inspiration, awakening of the senses, and a sense of becoming one with Mary, Jesus and our God.

Most of us know Dr. Matt Miller from Sunday worship as the guitarist with the beautiful bass voice, who wrote several music settings to the Advent scriptures. Dr. Matt graduated from UCLA with a PhD in Medieval English Literature in 1993, and decided the most useful thing he could do would be to teach people literacy skills. He did so until 2016, working at various locations including Island School and Kauai Community College. Now he is doing something even more useful — teaching Centering Prayer, a discipline he says is “paradise.”


The JOURNEY Continues
We are all on a journey.
 
Some of us began to walk with Jesus as children because of our parents and family. Some of us found him on our own as adults. Some of us have journeyed only in the Episcopal Church. Some have journeyed the paths of other denominations and even other religions. Some of us participated in the rituals of our churches, like baptism and confirmation either as children or adults.

Sometimes it is good to pause and take time to reflect on what we have learned. Beginning in January, you are invited to participate in JOURNEY, a small group experience written by Pastor Gae and guided by the Episcopal Catechism (teaching). We will be exploring our thoughts and hard questions about such things as:
 
  • Human Nature
  • God
  • Jesus
  • Holy Spirit
  • Old & New Covenants
  • Sin
  • Prayer & Meditation
  • Sacraments & Worship
  • Church & Ministry
 
At the end of the program, we are invited (not obligated) to have our study blessed by our Bishop in our church sacrament of Confirmation and Reaffirmation on March 31, 2019.

There is no cost, just a desire to build a transforming relationship with God. JOURNEY is a wonderful way to get to know people on a more intimate level.
 
JOURNEY is offered in four 2-hour intensives:

Wednesday evenings, January 30, February 13 & February 27, March TBD
6:00 - 8:00 pm

or

Saturday mornings, February 2, February 16, March 2, March TBD
10:00 am - Noon
 
Note: The not-yet-determined date in March is due to the birth of Pastor Gae’s granddaughter.
 
You can also create your own home small group, and Pastor Gae will work with you. Sign-up sheets are on the walkway tables.

Recovery Groups

If you know of anyone interested in starting an AlAnon group or a Grief support group, and need a place to meet, please see Pastor Gae. Christ Memorial would love to expand our recovery ministry.

Alcohol Anonymous (AA) groups meet at Christ Memorial’s Parish Hall every week:

  • Tuesday at 10:00 am
  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 7:30 pm

GLOBAL OHANA

All Welcome: Visit Christ Memorial Monday Through Friday
Christ Memorial is open for prayer:

Monday-Friday
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

All day long, the local community and island visitors stop in to walk the burial grounds, take photos of the church, or come into the sanctuary for reflection and prayer. All welcome.

Prayer Requests

Our Sunday prayer list includes those whom our visitors have asked us to pray.

Live off island? If you have a prayer intention or would like to pray for those on our prayer list, email Pastor Gae at gdchalker@gmail.com .


GIVE
“A budget is people telling their money where to go
instead of wondering where it went.” ― Dave Ramsey

Make intention for 2019 to be a year of financial peace.
If you haven’t made a budget, consider Dave Ramsey’s. Just go to his website .

Volunteer Needs in Our Church: Archivist

Priority – We are in need of an Archivist. Christ Memorial and our sister church St. Thomas, Hanalei (no longer open) received many donations throughout our histories. We want to create an archive of those gifts so we don’t forget our history. Please talk to Pastor Gae if this is something that interests you.

Helen Mitsui Shared Blessings Thrift Shop
Our Thrift Shop volunteers dedicate their time to create our island’s most popular thrift shop. They sort countless donations and hand them over to Auntie Helen who prices each and every one. They make the effort to know most of our customers by name. They work hard! And they also have good times together.
Consider joining our team. We work hard, have fun, and make a difference!
To get involved contact Rebecca Hullum, rhullum@me.com.


(808) 828-1825
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday, Monday: closed

Newsletter Mission: Our weekly newsletter was launched this year to inform our island community, as well as connect with our broader community of old and new friends, near and far. Whether you live on Kaua'i, visit seasonally or joined Christ Memorial for the first time during vacation, we welcome you into our global family. We endeavor to include inspiration, new ideas, practical advice and updates on news and events of Christ Memorial. Let us know how we can serve you best in 2018 by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at ChristMemorialKilauea@gmail.com

Have you met Pastor Gae? Pastor Gae wants to get to know you all – phone chats, home visits, morning coffees, afternoon teas or walks on the beach. Near or far, reach out to meet or share your thoughts at gdchalker@gmail.com or (623) 208-9436.
Christ Memorial Episcopal Church
2509 Kolo Road, Kilauea, HI 96754
Mailing: PO Box 293, Kilauea, HI 96754
Phone: (808) 482-4824

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