One of the great deceptions we often fall for is the idea that no matter what problem we go through in life we need to return to the way things were before the troubles began. Yet, in many cases, that just can’t happen. Situations and people are changed permanently and we can’t just put our lives on rewind. The lie is that we are irreparably broken and any thought of happiness is an impossibility.
When the storms of life hit, the empty tomb of Jesus Christ is the place to go as we begin to rebuild our lives. So often we think of the resurrection as just being a theological principle. While that is true, it is definitely the most practical of all biblical teachings and serves as the foundation on which we can build a new life after things have fallen apart.
Join us as we journey to the empty tomb this Sunday with Mary Magdalene. What she found that early morning changed her life forever. It can do the same for you and me!
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Easter IS the Best Day of the Year
Probably you don’t have time to read this. Maybe it’s the kids who need to go to some activity or you have an appointment or maybe you are just dog tired from an exhausting day and the best thing you can do is relax. You’ve got a lot on your plate – too much at times.
But is Easter the best day of the year? Isn’t Christmas better? Well, consider all the stuff that is stressing you out. If Jesus did physically rise from the dead, how important is it all? Now I’m not trying to minimize your issues, but think about it.
What are all the bills you have to pay going to mean the day Jesus raises you to eternal life with him? How important, as you enter heaven, will it be that the kids got to all their sports practices? Your job with all the responsibilities you have, will it still be stressing you out as Jesus says, “Welcome home!” Even the real tough stuff like cancer is no match for Easter. Jesus rising from the dead overwhelms any disease because he says that his resurrection guarantees us that in heaven there will be no more pain or disease. And the hole in your heart that’s there because the one you so dearly love is no longer with you, Easter Sunday means the separation is only temporary, very temporary.
Easter is the best day of the year because it changes everything. It turns human life on its ear. Human beings go from meaningless chemical containers who lead empty, unimportant lives to people made to love and be loved for eternity, whose every day has eternal significance no matter how insignificant it may seem. May you experience all the best of the best day of the year!
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
But is Easter the best day of the year? Isn’t Christmas better? Well, consider all the stuff that is stressing you out. If Jesus did physically rise from the dead, how important is it all? Now I’m not trying to minimize your issues, but think about it.
What are all the bills you have to pay going to mean the day Jesus raises you to eternal life with him? How important, as you enter heaven, will it be that the kids got to all their sports practices? Your job with all the responsibilities you have, will it still be stressing you out as Jesus says, “Welcome home!” Even the real tough stuff like cancer is no match for Easter. Jesus rising from the dead overwhelms any disease because he says that his resurrection guarantees us that in heaven there will be no more pain or disease. And the hole in your heart that’s there because the one you so dearly love is no longer with you, Easter Sunday means the separation is only temporary, very temporary.
Easter is the best day of the year because it changes everything. It turns human life on its ear. Human beings go from meaningless chemical containers who lead empty, unimportant lives to people made to love and be loved for eternity, whose every day has eternal significance no matter how insignificant it may seem. May you experience all the best of the best day of the year!
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Who Needs a King in 2016?
To be honest, for most of us the idea of serving a king would be a step backward. After having enjoyed democracy for so many years in a country where everyone has a voice and a vote, it would be hard to swallow to have one person call all the shots for everyone else. The sense of equality does a lot for our sense of self-worth!
So, when we talk about Palm Sunday and Jesus coming as a king, the concept doesn’t have much appeal. That is, unless we think about what kind of king he is.
While we may not want a king to rule us politically, it is a whole different matter when it comes to death. No election, no human consensus no matter how intelligent the people involved may be will ever be able to resolve our problem with death. And that is exactly where Jesus comes in. When he lived on this earth, he pretty much ignored the topic of politics. It just wasn’t important to him. His focus was on death. And his message was pretty simple. People live a relatively short time on this earth and an enormously long time after physical death. The purpose of this earthly life is to get ready for the next life in eternity.
It is in the preparations for the next life that Jesus as our King comes into play. When he rode into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday on a rather inconspicuous donkey no one understood what he would accomplish in the next several days. And yet, by the following Sunday Jesus of Nazareth would demonstrate that he is the King over Satan, sin and death. His crucifixion would satisfy divine justice for human sin. His physical resurrection would make eternal life for human beings a reality.
When it comes to death, democracy is not the answer. There is only one solution – King Jesus. Come worship him with us this weekend as your King!
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
So, when we talk about Palm Sunday and Jesus coming as a king, the concept doesn’t have much appeal. That is, unless we think about what kind of king he is.
While we may not want a king to rule us politically, it is a whole different matter when it comes to death. No election, no human consensus no matter how intelligent the people involved may be will ever be able to resolve our problem with death. And that is exactly where Jesus comes in. When he lived on this earth, he pretty much ignored the topic of politics. It just wasn’t important to him. His focus was on death. And his message was pretty simple. People live a relatively short time on this earth and an enormously long time after physical death. The purpose of this earthly life is to get ready for the next life in eternity.
It is in the preparations for the next life that Jesus as our King comes into play. When he rode into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday on a rather inconspicuous donkey no one understood what he would accomplish in the next several days. And yet, by the following Sunday Jesus of Nazareth would demonstrate that he is the King over Satan, sin and death. His crucifixion would satisfy divine justice for human sin. His physical resurrection would make eternal life for human beings a reality.
When it comes to death, democracy is not the answer. There is only one solution – King Jesus. Come worship him with us this weekend as your King!
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Friday, March 11, 2016
From Compromise to Capitulation
There is an old children’s story about a little boy who was passing by a small dam and noticed that water was trickling through the wall of the dam. Knowing that this trickle would soon become a torrent and eventually wash away the entire dam, the boy put his finger in the hole until some men came to make the necessary repairs.
Compromise in the Christian life is a lot like that small leak in the dam. It is hardly noticeable at first. We convince ourselves that our behavior might not be the ideal, but it certainly isn’t the worst. But what starts as something small begins to take over our lives more and more until it completely dominates everything we do.
This weekend we’ll be studying the account of Jesus before Pilate. It is a story of compromise – on the part of Pilate, the Jewish religious leaders and even the mob of people who demanded Christ’s crucifixion. These were people who, for the most part, thought they were doing what was right, but ended up committing the most unjust act in the history of the world. What happened? How did things go so drastically wrong? It began with compromise – the same kind of compromise we are tempted with on a daily basis.
Join us for one of our weekend services. Together let’s begin repairing those areas of our lives where we’ve let compromise creep in.
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Compromise in the Christian life is a lot like that small leak in the dam. It is hardly noticeable at first. We convince ourselves that our behavior might not be the ideal, but it certainly isn’t the worst. But what starts as something small begins to take over our lives more and more until it completely dominates everything we do.
This weekend we’ll be studying the account of Jesus before Pilate. It is a story of compromise – on the part of Pilate, the Jewish religious leaders and even the mob of people who demanded Christ’s crucifixion. These were people who, for the most part, thought they were doing what was right, but ended up committing the most unjust act in the history of the world. What happened? How did things go so drastically wrong? It began with compromise – the same kind of compromise we are tempted with on a daily basis.
Join us for one of our weekend services. Together let’s begin repairing those areas of our lives where we’ve let compromise creep in.
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Friday, March 4, 2016
How Much Would You Suffer for Someone Else?
Sacrificial love is really the measure by which we determine the depth of our relationships. When someone gives up something for the well-being of another person, that is commitment! On the other hand, a lack of desire to sacrifice anything for the good of the other person sends a very strong signal that the relationship probably won’t last.
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knows what lies ahead of him in the next 12 hours. As he talks to God the Father he pleads for another way to obtain forgiveness for the human race. But there is none. There is but one path to take – the path of the cross.
He is not obligated nor forced to take that path. There is only one motivation which drives Jesus from his knees to meet Judas and those sent to arrest him – committed love.
Are you going through a time of life when you wonder if God really does love you? Join us this weekend for one of our worship services. Let’s go to Gethsemane together. Let’s watch with Jesus for a time and consider what was taking place. Let’s think about what we have done to earn that kind of limitless commitment. We might just leave thinking about God a whole lot differently.
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knows what lies ahead of him in the next 12 hours. As he talks to God the Father he pleads for another way to obtain forgiveness for the human race. But there is none. There is but one path to take – the path of the cross.
He is not obligated nor forced to take that path. There is only one motivation which drives Jesus from his knees to meet Judas and those sent to arrest him – committed love.
Are you going through a time of life when you wonder if God really does love you? Join us this weekend for one of our worship services. Let’s go to Gethsemane together. Let’s watch with Jesus for a time and consider what was taking place. Let’s think about what we have done to earn that kind of limitless commitment. We might just leave thinking about God a whole lot differently.
Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am
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Hawaii Lutheran Church (WELS)
- Community Lutheran Church
- Honolulu, HI
- Community Lutheran Church holds protestant chapel services in Honolulu, Hawaii near Pearl Harbor, HI. We are next to the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hickam Air Force Base, and Fort Shafter Hawaii. Look for us directly behind the Salt Lake, Hawaii, Target.