From Thorns to Dancing

Aloha! I hope your week has been blessed despite the ups and downs that life so often
brings us. Several members of our St. Tim’s ohana have lost dear family members
recently, so I hope you will keep them in your prayers. You may have noticed that we
have added a Prayer Request section to our Epistle (see below), so please feel free to
send your requests by replying to this email, or email me at
[email protected]. We would be honored to lift up your needs to our
loving God.

Last Sunday we talked about thorns… not the ones Nancy Chun and I scraped off
the Mother’s Day roses, but “thorns in the flesh”—weaknesses, physical traits,
personality quirks, or even troublesome people—that can disturb us or distract us from
what God calls us to do. The Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh, whatever it might have
been, was given to keep him from being “too elated”; in other words, to keep him
humble and dependent upon God’s power in his ministry rather than on his own.

I also wondered what thorns Jesus had to deal with. Troublesome people like his
former neighbors who seemed to reject him, keeping him from healing those in need?
Perhaps. Of course, it occurs to me that Jesus also had literal thorns to deal with—the
crown of thorns he was forced to wear as he faced the cross—a sign that Jesus dealt
with all the pain of humankind on the cross.

Have you been thinking about the thorns in your life, and how you respond to
them? Do they distract you or do they help you focus on God, the source of our strength
and sustenance?

This coming Sunday we’ll look at two different dances: King David’s uninhibited
dance of worship and praise to God upon the return of the ark of the covenant to God’s
people… and the uninhibited dance that King Herod’s daughter offered in exchange for
the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Both it seems were rather wild dances, but
performed for completely different motives. Take a look at 2 Samuel 6:1-5 and Mark
6:14-29 and see what you think, and we’ll compare notes on Sunday!

​As you know, this summer we’re offering a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the
announcement time. This is a way to introduce various ministries that help make St.
Timothy’s the loving and worshipful church that it is, to honor those who serve, and to
encourage you to pray about how you might serve here in the days to come.

So far, we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry, the Welcoming Hearts Team, our
Sunday School for keiki, the Eucharistic Ministers/Eucharistic Visitors/Lectors
ministry, and this past Sunday Nancy Chun told us about the Bishop’s Committee. In coming weeks we’ll be hearing from other lay leaders about other ways people can serve here. I’m so grateful for all of you who serve, often in more than one way! I hope you will listen with an open mind and heart and respond to whatever new opportunities appeal to you. Mahalo!

I’ll see you in church or on Facebook Live on Sunday at 9 a.m.! I am praying for
you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for
our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you
all. 
​
Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+