Sunday Worship Services:
Our services are live-streamed on Facebook every Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
COMMUNITY MEAL at St. Augustine's will be served using a drive-through format to ensure the safety of our guests and servers. Kohala area community partners have joined with St. Augustine volunteers to provide a hot meal for the community on these dates:
November 16th at 4:30pm 'til pau
December 7th at 4:30pm 'til pau
December 21st @ 4:00pm 'til pau -
Christmas Community Meal hosted by St. Augustine's
in partnership with the Kohala Ministerial Association.
We ask that folks plan to arrive no earlier than 4:00 p.m.
November 16th at 4:30pm 'til pau
December 7th at 4:30pm 'til pau
December 21st @ 4:00pm 'til pau -
Christmas Community Meal hosted by St. Augustine's
in partnership with the Kohala Ministerial Association.
We ask that folks plan to arrive no earlier than 4:00 p.m.
For further information, contact:
vicardiana@staugustineskohala.com
vicardiana@staugustineskohala.com
A message from Vicar Diana
October 30, 2020
October 30, 2020
October 30, 2020
Dear St. Augustine's Ohana,
I’ve been thinking about time lately. This is partly because our Tuesday afternoon discussions are titled: “Moving through Time: Ordinary to Advent.” We have been talking about the long season between Pentecost Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent, often referred to as the “green season” or “ordinary time.” This season includes the summer months and has tended to receive a response similar to summer vacation - hey, we’re off now, let’s relax! Relaxing is not a bad thing either. But also true is the way in which Ordinary time invites us to reflect on what is a foundational truth for Christians: we are living in the time between the First Coming and the Second Coming. Our entire Christian journey (as far as we know) is reflected in the days of Ordinary time.
We pray, confess, learn and serve because of what Jesus taught when he walked this earth. And we do this because of the promise known in Christ’s presence with us after that awful death. We anticipate a second time when the whole world will be made new again … when what was broken will be made whole … when wounds will be bound and healed … when the first will be last and the last first. Thus framed, our daily lives reflect Ordinary time: how do we live out our Baptismal vows? What choices do we make each day that reflect Christ’s presence and promise? How do we move ourselves, our community and the world just that much closer to be a reflection of the kingdom of God?
Although we are now so near Advent that it hardly seems timely to reflect on Ordinary time, I’m noticing an elasticity of time as we comprehend entering the ninth month of Covid19. Yes, we are now going on 9 months of this pandemic. As we’ve been thrown off our regular routines by the virus, we’ve struggled and adapted as best we can. But our sense of time has been warped. Some days it feels like time is dragging. Other days it feels like things are moving too rapidly. One moment we are impatient and the next we are bored. One moment we feel ready and able to handle whatever Covid dishes out and the next we feel disoriented, frustrated and powerless.
Unlike other Ordinary Times, this one is truly odd. It is anything but Ordinary. And truly, it should never become ordinary and certainly not any kind of “new normal.” Yet however we name it or categorize it, this time is clearly upon us. I find myself reading the Scriptures with a different kind of attention too. The questions I bring to my reading and reflection are different. How do we press on in these times? In the absence of a vaccine, what other resources are available to us to move forward in hope? Where is our service needed and how can we help?
Our faith often encourages us to respond with certainty in God’s promise of grace. But in this odd Ordinary Time, I wonder if we aren’t called by our faith to ask questions rather than make assertions. What does mercy look like in this time? How may our unique gifts provide comfort to others? What are my limits today or this hour, and how can I honor my own health as I seek to serve others?
The seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter give us profound hope and promise. The season in Ordinary time invites us to live into this hope and promise. We do this best through questions rather than assertions. A question can do much to open hearts and heal us where we hurt. Perhaps the questions of this particular Ordinary time are simply, “Where does it hurt?” and “How can I help?”
Peace and Blessings,
Vicar Diana
Dear St. Augustine's Ohana,
I’ve been thinking about time lately. This is partly because our Tuesday afternoon discussions are titled: “Moving through Time: Ordinary to Advent.” We have been talking about the long season between Pentecost Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent, often referred to as the “green season” or “ordinary time.” This season includes the summer months and has tended to receive a response similar to summer vacation - hey, we’re off now, let’s relax! Relaxing is not a bad thing either. But also true is the way in which Ordinary time invites us to reflect on what is a foundational truth for Christians: we are living in the time between the First Coming and the Second Coming. Our entire Christian journey (as far as we know) is reflected in the days of Ordinary time.
We pray, confess, learn and serve because of what Jesus taught when he walked this earth. And we do this because of the promise known in Christ’s presence with us after that awful death. We anticipate a second time when the whole world will be made new again … when what was broken will be made whole … when wounds will be bound and healed … when the first will be last and the last first. Thus framed, our daily lives reflect Ordinary time: how do we live out our Baptismal vows? What choices do we make each day that reflect Christ’s presence and promise? How do we move ourselves, our community and the world just that much closer to be a reflection of the kingdom of God?
Although we are now so near Advent that it hardly seems timely to reflect on Ordinary time, I’m noticing an elasticity of time as we comprehend entering the ninth month of Covid19. Yes, we are now going on 9 months of this pandemic. As we’ve been thrown off our regular routines by the virus, we’ve struggled and adapted as best we can. But our sense of time has been warped. Some days it feels like time is dragging. Other days it feels like things are moving too rapidly. One moment we are impatient and the next we are bored. One moment we feel ready and able to handle whatever Covid dishes out and the next we feel disoriented, frustrated and powerless.
Unlike other Ordinary Times, this one is truly odd. It is anything but Ordinary. And truly, it should never become ordinary and certainly not any kind of “new normal.” Yet however we name it or categorize it, this time is clearly upon us. I find myself reading the Scriptures with a different kind of attention too. The questions I bring to my reading and reflection are different. How do we press on in these times? In the absence of a vaccine, what other resources are available to us to move forward in hope? Where is our service needed and how can we help?
Our faith often encourages us to respond with certainty in God’s promise of grace. But in this odd Ordinary Time, I wonder if we aren’t called by our faith to ask questions rather than make assertions. What does mercy look like in this time? How may our unique gifts provide comfort to others? What are my limits today or this hour, and how can I honor my own health as I seek to serve others?
The seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter give us profound hope and promise. The season in Ordinary time invites us to live into this hope and promise. We do this best through questions rather than assertions. A question can do much to open hearts and heal us where we hurt. Perhaps the questions of this particular Ordinary time are simply, “Where does it hurt?” and “How can I help?”
Peace and Blessings,
Vicar Diana
"...some musings... " is an occasional reflection by Vicar Diana.
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