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We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church.

Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.

We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.

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CMEC annual meeting will be Sunday, Jan 29 at 11 am in the sanctuary.  Zoom will be available.   We will be electing annual diocesan convention delegates, giving a recap of our past year and talk about what’s coming up for us in 2023. Please put this on your calendar and attend if possible.  

Join our teaching series beginning on Thursday, January 12th at 9:00 am with The Rev. Lowell E. Grisham. The book of conversation and study will be “The Road to Character” by David Brooks.

More about the book 'The Road to Character'

What are the great virtues that exist at the core of our being? -- kindness, bravery, honesty, faithfulness. With a journalist's eye, David Brooks tells stories of great champions of character. 

The Road to Character was a 2015 NY Times #1 Bestseller. 

For the first discussion, the Intro to p. 47. will be covered.

The Feast of Epiphany 2023

Na ke aloha o ke Akua ma loko o Iesu Kristo, e aloha iā ʻoukou ā pau!

We begin 2023, yet again, in a complicated and uncertain time. The economy is shaky, there is war in Europe and threats to peace in Asia, a pandemic continues, and our national government seems to be unsteady. This year is beginning like so many other years in human history. What does reality mean for us who know God in Jesus Christ.

For today, I have been rereading the second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. The account of the birth of Jesus in Matthew’s telling of the story focuses on Jesus as “Emmanuel” (meaning “God with us,” 1:23). The second chapter focuses on the Magi, King Herod and the flight into Egypt. It is the story of dreams and misplaced trust.

It was a time of anxiety. Herod was in power as king with the support of the Roman Empire. He was an outsider who played the games of power with skill and being made king was his reward. The Magi (they are never called “kings” in the story) are astronomers/astrologers (there was no difference in the ancient world) from the “east” (2:1). No, there is no explanation how far east. They are following a star looking for the “king of the Jews.” The story unfolds as they stop by Jerusalem to get directions from Herod. Herod tries to fool the Magi. The Magi find Jesus. They have a dream to avoid Jerusalem on their way home. Joseph has a dream and is warned to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Herod finds out and orders all the babies murdered. Time passes and Herod dies. Joseph has a dream and is told to return home, but as he does, he avoids Bethlehem and settles in Nazareth.

It is a great story. What does Matthew want to teach? Those first hearers of the story would have immediately connected the story to the story of Moses with an evil king, the murder of children and the flight (this time into Egypt). They also would have connected “kingship” with David. Frankly, they would have understood why Herod and “all of Jerusalem” was frightened at the notion that a king (and not Herod or one of his sons) had been born (2:3). It was a threat to the established order and the Romans didn’t like that. That fear led to a great evil in the murder of the Holy Innocents.

Matthew is reminding his hearers that authority – holy authority – comes from God. Jesus is “God with us.” While raw power not only corrupts, it can also be comforting to those who desire security and certitude. The recognition of the difference can even come from strangers -- the Magi from the “east.” The “true” king must become a political refugee escaping to the Roman Province of Egypt. God acts in a personal way – by dreams in the story. Finally, the story of Jesus is connected to the grand narrative of the Hebrew scripture. It is a story of connection and of universality. It is a personal story of Emmanuel, “God with us”: Jesus.

It us our story. The brokenness and limitations of the world and of civil leaders is real today. The same, of course, is true of me. Anxiety and the desire for security can lead us to accept unjust and even harsh authority. We can turn a blind eye to the brokenness around us. National leaders can direct that great power into violence done to innocents. Refugees still wander the earth seeking safety. It can be overwhelming and frightening. It is a story for 2023.

In such times, I am reminded of the words of Dorothy Day (1897-1980):

I do believe in a personal God, because I too have had revelations, answers to my questions, to my prayers, and if the answer fails to come, which is usually the case because God wants us to work out our own salvation, I have that assurance God gave Saint Paul and he passed on to us, “My grace is sufficient for you.” And what is grace? Participation in the divine life. And that participation means for me light and understanding and conviction, of course only occasionally, but strong enough to carry me along, to lift me up out of depression, discouragement, uncertainty, doubt. (The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus, [Walden, NY: Plough Publishing House, 2017], page 44)

Day was the co-founder (with Peter Maurin) of the Catholic Worker Movement. She was a Roman Catholic lay woman and a social activist. Day is reminding us that for Emmanuel to have impact, God must be “personal.” We cannot put our whole “trust and faith” in the world as it is. As we seek God’s realm of justice and peace, we must also be reminded that it is not up to us alone, but we each must do our part as best we can.

As we live into 2023, I pray that we have the grace of God to have the wisdom of the Magi to seek Emmanuel in the world around us, that we have the ears to hear the dream of God and the courage of Joseph to act upon it, that we have the eyes to see the refugees around us and the hands to help them, and that we all may have that “participation in the divine life” to can carry us through days such as these.

May 2023 be a blessing to each of us.

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko makou Haku,

+Bob

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick,

Bishop Diocesan

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i

The poem “I Am” is by poet Dedan Gills (1945–2015), and read by his wife Belvie Rooks on CAC’s The Cosmic We podcast. A poignant reminder that nothing stands alone.

I Am 

I am old and wise as the night. I am as beautiful as a bird in flight.

I am the moon and the sea. I am the robin and the bee. I am the soil and I am the tree.

I’m the lion and the gazelle. I am heaven and I am hell. I am the ring and I am the bell.

I am the joy and I am the tear. I am the brave and I am the fear.

I am the blistering desert. I’m the freezing snow.

I’m the cringing coward and the gentle hero.

I’m the aged and I am the young. I am the weak and I am the strong.

I am the smile and I am the frown. I am the pauper and I am the crown.

I am the wrong and I am the right. I am the day and I am the night.

I am now and I am never. I am yesterday and I am forever.

I am the bitter and I am the sweet. I live on the hill and I live on the street.

I am the top and I am the bottom. I am Martin, Hitler, Gandhi, and Saddam.

I am red, black, yellow, brown, and white. I love, hate, laugh, cry, and fight.

All the universe is reflected in me. I am all that ever was and ever will be.

When I lose, it’s the lesson that I win. Judging others is my sin.

Dedan Gills, “I Am,” in I Give You the Springtime of My Blushing Heart: A Poetic Love Song, Dedan Gills and Belvie Rooks (Redlands, CA: 2019).

Check out the latest news from the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i here

TIPS FROM LOT'S LIST - "Traveling by Air? Travel less, Zoom or Face Time more. Pack lightly. Don’t pack in anticipation of emergencies."

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others. We remember especially those on our prayer list. Healing of body, mind and spirit for: Rosie, Webb, David, Linda, David, Helen, Mary, Sandy, Bev, Jeanne, Chris, Carole, Elizabeth, Justin, Mike, Diane, Tony, Anthony, Paula, and for the leadership and people of Ukraine. We pray that you will bring people together in worship. Enliven your church and bless Michael our musician, our clergy and lay leadership. We pray for our sibling Episcopal congregations on Kauai: St John and St Pauls, St Michael & All Angels, and All Saints, and for all churches on the North Shore. We pray for our own congregation of Christ Memorial, Kilauea for those present, online and absent - that all of us together may be united in your ministry. 

THRIFT SHOP MISSION STATEMENT:

Our goal is to provide our community with reasonably priced, quality merchandise. We will reuse, repurpose and recycle goods and keep as much as possible out of the landfill in an effort to help Kauai and our planet toward Zero Waste. Above all we will show compassion, kindness and tolerance to each other and our community.