We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

ALOHA kākou! Here in the heart of the Epiphany season, we continue to learn how God’s light is revealed in ordinary lives, including our own. As we gather at St. Timothy’s this Sunday, many of us are also looking ahead to the Super Bowl—a day of bright lights, big stages, amazing plays, huge hopes for “our” team, and lots of commercials! But in a culture that celebrates spectacle and winning, Jesus speaks to ordinary people and entrusts them with extraordinary influence: You are salt and light, he says. Salt brings out flavor, preserves what is good, and quietly does its work. Light refuses to be hidden, shining not for its own sake, but so others can see more clearly. This Epiphany season invites us to consider how God’s light shows up in everyday faithfulness, steady love, and lives lived for the good of others, even long after the stadium lights go dark.

Being salt and light are not abstract ideals, they are a calling. In worship this week,
we’ll reflect on Matthew 5:13-20, and on what it means to live into that calling right
where we are: in our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our common life
together. Please join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live.

LAST SUNDAY, we explored Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12): “Blessed are the meek… blessed are the merciful… blessed are the peacemakers.” We learned that Christ blesses a different kind of courage than the world may claim. It’s the quiet courage of humility, compassion, and faithful perseverance. We commemorated Queen Liliʻuokalani, whose life reminds us that courage sometimes looks like sacrifice, mercy, and steadfast love in the face of loss. In Micah 6:8, God calls us to follow her example, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God—living as people of light in a time that longs for peace.

​LENT IS COMING! We have some good things planned to help us all experience a meaningful Lent together at St. Timothy’s:

• Next Sunday, February 15, we’ll have a special Shrove Sunday Waffle Brunch after worship (please sign up to attend and let us know how you can help and what you can bring!).
• On Ash Wednesday, February 18, our services with the imposition of ashes and communion will be at 12 noon and 6 p.m.
• On Wednesday evenings during Lent, February 25 – March 25, we’ll have our Lenten Soup and Study series at 6 p.m. in Sumida Hall, using the book The Sign and the Sacrifice by former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (copies are available for those interested). We conclude our time with Compline.
• And we’ll have a series of Sunday Adult Classes led by Laurie Luczak on “Ho‘imi Pono,” helping us to seek right relationships, after worship every Sunday, March 1 – 29, in the Vicar’s office.

Please plan to participate in these opportunities for spiritual growth!

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+