Abiding with Jesus

Aloha!
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Here we are in the month of May! I hope you had a wonderful Lei Day. At St.
Timothy’s we are ready for an eventful month ahead, including Mother’s Day (May 12) and Pentecost Sunday (May 19) with a very special baptism! We hope you can join us this and every Sunday in the Chapel or by Facebook Live.

In this Eastertide, we continue to walk our way through the account in the gospel of
John of Jesus’s teaching in the Upper Room. He is preparing his disciples for what’s to
come, emphasizing his invitation to abide with him and to love one another. Last
Sunday Jesus told us he is the vine and we are the branches. He yearns for us to stay
connected to him and to produce good fruit—the fruit of serving, praying, giving, and
loving. The bowl of fruit at the altar was a way to encourage us to ask God, “show me what kind of fruit I am producing, Lord. Is it healthy? Is it nourishing? Is it thriving? Holy Spirit, help me produce good fruit.”

This Sunday we move to John chapter 15, as Jesus continues sharing his loving but
challenging words to his followers, reemphasizing his invitation to “abide” with him. Last week we said that word meant “stay, continue, remain,” or better yet, “make yourself at home” with Jesus. It must be an important concept to keep in our hearts and minds, because he repeats that message here.

So we’ll think about “home.” Home sweet home! What is home? Where do you find
yourself feeling most “at home” these days? And do you feel “at home” with Jesus? I hope you’ll prayerfully think about those questions as we come to worship on Sunday.
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St. Timothy’s has become a place where I feel right at home, and I hope you do too.
Abiding with Jesus means making sure you do what you can to strengthen your
connection with your ohana here by worshiping, giving, and serving. We need you!

I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s, our staff, and our dedicated lay leaders. See you in church!

Aloha in the abiding love of Christ,
Fr. Pete+