Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou St., Honolulu, HI 96822; ELCA; 808-941-2566

LCH E-News—An occasional electronic newsletter for the LCH congregation

LCH E-News—November 23, 2010

From Pastor Jeff

A Thanksgiving Wish

Pastor Jeff Lilley On behalf of your friends at Lutheran Church of Honolulu, may you have a truly a truly blessed and inspiring Thanksgiving Day! As we gather here at the church for our meal, we will give thanks for all that God has made, for the relationships we have with our Lord and one another, and for you.

May God Bless and Keep you!
Pr. Jeff and your LCH ‘Ohana

Joint Thanksgiving Eve Service

Lutheran Church of Honolulu and the Parish of St. Clement will hold our annual joint Thanksgiving Eve Service this Wednesday, November 24th, 7:00 PM, at the Parish of St. Clement, 1515 Wilder Street. St. Clement will host worship followed immediately by a pie feast and fellowship in the Parish Hall. Please bring your favorite pie to share!!

Advent Begins this Sunday

For most of us, the first Sunday of Advent can be quite jarring. We have just gathered with family and friends around the Thanksgiving table that is almost a foretaste of the feast we will enjoy a month later at Christmas. But the texts for the first Sunday in Advent have little to do with mangers and snowy white, starlit evenings. Instead, we hear of apocalyptic world ending strife and one person being taken up in the parousia and another left behind. The world-cracking text sets us back on our heels just when we are looking forward to a nice round of “Silent Night.”

Advent demands our attention. “Awake!” the watchman calls. “Look around for signs that the Messiah is near!” The language seems to point to a future time when everything will be done, finished, finito, but the deeper message draws us into the present time where God is indeed doing, finishing, and infinito. We join all creation in transforming weapons into ploughshares, hatred into love, ignorance into divine faith.

The Christ child is coming, and we will celebrate his coming as part of the theme of hopeful waiting in Advent. The texts (which come chiefly from Matthew in year A of the lectionary) will constantly remind us that the Messiah is just over the horizon. But for now, we are in busy anticipation. “For the days are surely coming...”

Donate to Lutheran World Relief Today

Lutheran Church of Honolulu is joining congregations around the world in supporting Lutheran World relief. An art/craft fair last week raised about $700, and we hope to add to that amount. If you would like to share your bounty, please drop a check in the offering plate written to LCH and “Lutheran World Relief” in the memo line. For more information about this wonderful organization, visit their website.

Associate Pastor/Mission ‘Ohana Gatherings

The Staffing Task Force invites you to share your ideas, concerns, insights, doubts, and unfettered enthusiasm with your friends at LCH at ‘Ohana Gatherings as we explore the possibility of calling as associate pastor. We are excited about what God has in store for us and hope you will come and share your faith story. Please sign up for an ‘Ohana Gathering on the sheet located in the Hörmann Courtyard.

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