​Celebrating Beloved Pets and Blessed Creation!

ALOHA! This Sunday is a special day in the church. We’ll celebrate the Feast of St. Francis and the Blessing of the Animals, so please plan on bringing your beloved pets to the 9 a.m. service, leashed or in a crate or carrier. Or if you prefer, you can bring photos! We’ll offer a prayer for each one. And if you have friends and neighbors who would like to have their pets blessed, why not invite them? All are welcome at St. Timothy’s! In the sermon, we’ll consider what our pets can teach us and how St.
Francis’ ministry can guide us today, especially in how we care for all of God’s creation. Please join us for worship on Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live.

THIS SUNDAY we’ll also continue our Adult Sunday School series, “Heart and Soul: The Emotions of Jesus.” By looking at key moments surrounding Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection through the lens of human emotions, our understanding of Jesus can come alive. This week we’ll consider the emotion of Fear—how Jesus experienced it and what he taught about it. Join us for an interesting, fun, and stimulating session!

LAST SUNDAY we dug into Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15; Psalm 91:1-6; and Luke 16:19-31 and discovered how important the idea of “home” is in the Scriptures. Home is more than the four walls around us. Home is where the hope is! It’s the place where we are known, accepted, and rooted. We asked, how might we trust that we always have a home with God, who in turn calls us to open our own homes in hospitality and love? I hope you are experiencing dwelling with God wherever you are this week!

​As you know, it seems that in recent weeks several among us at St. Timothy’s have faced illness, surgery, loss, and other personal challenges. These moments remind us how delicate and precious life truly is—how quickly the ground beneath us can shift. And yet, even in life’s fragility, God’s mercy holds us steady. God is our foundation and our strength. The Bible tells us that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27). When one of us feels weak or suffers, the whole community gathers close, bearing one another up in prayer, presence, and love. It is in these small but holy gestures— a phone call, a meal, a quiet word of encouragement— that God’s strength is revealed. So let us keep one another in prayer in these days, trusting that Christ walks with us through shadow and light alike. And let us remember that even in the frailty of our human lives, hope rises: God’s love does not falter, and in that love we are bound together, always. Amen!

And while you’re praying for your brothers and sisters here at St. Tim’s, please include me as I undergo a surgical procedure next Tuesday. I will rest at home on Wednesday. Lord willing, I will be fine, but will not be able to lift or exert myself for a couple of weeks. Mahalo for your prayers!

Dear sisters and brothers, you are in my prayers, and I ask for your continuing prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and devoted lay leaders and ministers, for your fellow members, and for your vicar. May God bless you and your loved ones always. 
 
Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+