Lent: Reflecting on God's Grace & Love through Jesus' Temptation, Schemes and Mind Maps of Music

Download Lent: Reflecting on God's Grace & Love through Jesus' Temptation and more Schemes and Mind Maps Music in PDF only on Docsity! Ka Mõhai Aloha Ka Mōhai Aloha- The Gift of Grace or the Gracious Sacrifice. The Season of Lent is a time that we use to reflect on the gracious gift that God gave to us in His Son Jesus Christ. We celebrated his birth at Christmas and now at Easter, we mark his death. But unlike us humans, for whom physical death is final, Christ’s death was not. On the third day after Jesus was crucified, he was resurrected or rose again. This was a sign to us that we too will rise again. That life in Christ is eternal. The Season of Lent is designed to help us to reflect on what that gift truly means to us and how we might be better people while we still have the chance. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter, lasting for 40 days (not counting Sundays). There are a variety of practices that the different faith groups have used to prepare for Easter. Some will give up something such as candy, sweets, ice cream or even meat. Others might add something to bolster their faith life, like prayer. For me, I’ll usually turn off my car radio on my way to work and use that time to pray. That’s 30 minutes talking with my Heavenly Father. Do whatever will work for you to strengthen your faith. For these series of devotionals, we asked some of the leaders, faculty and staff of the various Kamehameha Schools programs to share their manaʻo of what Lent means to them. We hope this will provide you strength and encouragement during this special time. Looking forward to Easter! Nā Kahu Kordell Kekoa and Kalani Wong Here are a few kid friendly web pages on Lent: • http://brightsadness.org/kids.html • http://www.classychaos.com/links-topmenu-20/959-how-to-explain-lent-to- children-a-kid-activities-for-the-lenten-season Did you know… …that the date of Easter changes every year? Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. …the day before Ash Wednesday is called a “Fat Tuesday” or “Shrove Tuesday”? In some places, pancakes are served. Here in Hawaiʻi, malasadas are a tasty treat eaten by all. What else is that Tuesday known as? ...the ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made from burning the palms used on Palm Sunday the year prior? …there are a number of events in the Bible that last 40 days including the amount of time that Jesus spent in the wilderness? What are the others? Ka Mõhai Aloha Lent 1 (February 18-21) by Kahu Kalani Wong, Chaplain KS Maui Heluhelu Baibala/Scripture Reading 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!- Romans 5:7-9 Manaʻo Have you received gifts that you haven’t used? I’m sure the giver must have spent time looking for something that you might want or could use, spending time and money to get the right gift. It could have been for Christmas or a birthday, or just because. Yet it sits in your closet unused or unwanted. There’s a really special gift that is so wonderful and so valuable that it would be really sad if we never used it. It’s a gift that was given to us by God- free and totally unexpected and undeserved. It’s Ka Mōhai Aloha- the gift of grace or the withholding of the punishment and forgiving us of our wrongdoings even though we don’t deserve it. We often do things that go against what God hopes for us. These are called sins. We should be punished for this, just like our parents would discipline us when we do the wrong things. However, there are times that our earthly parents hold back the punishment because they love us. God does the same thing. It tells us in the Bible that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). We should be punished for the sins that we commit, but instead, Jesus took the punishment himself. Jesus became Ka Mōhai Aloha- the Gracious Sacrifice so that we might be forgiven for the wrong that we’ve done, not just now but always. And because of that forgiveness, we have live eternally with God in heaven. Questions to Ponder • Is there someone in your life who has done something wrong to you? Can you find a way to forgive them? • What do we need to do to live our lives so we sin less? Pule Dear God, mahalo for all the gifts that you shower upon us so freely. May we never take any of them for granted. Help us to recognize the wrong that we do each day and help us to live pono. Ma ka inoa o Iesū Kristo, ‘Āmene. Keiki Activity • Look up the word “Mōhai” in the Hawaiian dictionary. What can you sacrifice for others? • Do you have any unused gifts in your closet that someone else could really use? Share it with him/her. Ka Mõhai Aloha So when we get those feelings of temptation, feelings like we might want to do something we know is pono‘ole, just remember that God loves you so much that He put His strength inside of your heart already to continue following His ways. You can also always pule and ask God to help you to make the right choices just like Jesus did. Keiki Pule E Makua Lani, Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so much. Please help me to make good choices today no matter what is happening. And thank You for also putting your strength right inside my heart. Ma ka inoa o Iesū, ‘āmene. Keiki Activity Discuss situations in which they might be tempted to make a pono‘ole choice and come up with solutions on how to make a better choice. For example, wanting to eat a piece of candy after being told ‘a‘ole by a parent or being tempted to puni about their homework so they don’t get in trouble. Hīmeni- E Iesū, e Aloha Mai E Iesū, e aloha mai iā mākou E Iesū, e aloha mai iā mākou Hui kala mai i kō mākou mau hewa E Iesū, e aloha mai Ka Mõhai Aloha Lent 3 by Dr. Rod Chamberlain, Vice President of Campus Education Heluhelu Baibala/Scripture Reading “Ua hāʻawi ʻia mai ke kānāwai ma o Mose lā; akā, ʻo ka lokomaikaʻi a me ka ʻo iaʻiʻo ma o Iesū Kristo iā ia” Ioane 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”- John 1:17 Mana‘o It’s hard when the rules change. Sometimes we see this happen as our younger brother or sister gets away with something that we are not allowed to do – and our parents say, “You are older – we expect more from you.” This is commonly the expectation of the keiki hiapo, the eldest child, in the ʻohana. Sometimes we experience these rule changes in our activities – the size of the field increases in soccer, the height of the basketball hoop gets higher, new rhythms are introduced in music, or what we are expected to memorize in plays and ʻoli become longer and longer. It just doesn’t seem fair. This scripture passage from John talks about a rule change – about what God expects from us. For over a thousand year (through some laws given to Moses), the expectation was about meeting a whole lot of laws (big time rules) – so many laws that no one could actually obey them all. And then God sent his son, Jesus, to change the rules: that our relationship with God and meeting His expectations would now be through grace. The word “grace” is used 156 times in the New Testament (and you know if a word is repeated that you ought to pay attention). In the Paipala Hemolele, the Hawaiian Bible, “grace” is interpreted as lokomaikaʻi or aloha. Lokomaikaʻi occurs 416 times and aloha appears 966 times throughout the Baibala! God gave this present to all of us without us earning or deserving it – that’s why we call it “Ka Mōhai Aloha”, a “gift of grace” – because He loves us so much that He gave His only son, Iesū Kristo, as a mōhai or mōliaola – an ultimate sacrifice – for our sins. The way we say “mahalo” to God is to share this gift of grace – aloha for others – without thinking about if they have earned it or deserved it. And that’s a rule change that we can all live with! Questions to Ponder • What are some ways you can show grace to others? • Based upon what you know about God and His grace, is there any limit to grace? Pule Aloha e ke Akua – mahalo for sharing Your grace with me through your son, Jesus, Iesū Ka Mōhai Aloha. During this Easter time, help me especially to share your grace with others who really need it. ‘Āmene Ka Mõhai Aloha Keiki Activity Make a list of five things you could do to show God’s grace to some other people this week – especially others who are your age. Share the list with a friend – and each of you pick one to use this week. Then you can come back later in the week and share what happened. Suggested Hīmeni “Lokomaikaʻi! He Nani Nō” (Amazing Grace, Nā Hīmeni o Ka ʻEkalesia #133) Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found Was blind, but now I see Lokomaikaʻi, he nani nō Hoʻola mai iaʻu Ua hewa ia e aloha ‘ānō Ua pō aʻe ua lā Ka Mõhai Aloha He mau Nīnau (Questions to Ponder) • Do I love other people with the agape love that God has for me? If not, what holds me back? • What Random Act of Aloha can I do this week to show agape love to another person? Pule E ke Akua Mana Loa, hemolele a maʻemaʻe. Mahalo for the love and grace you have extended to me, that You would give your precious son as Ka Mōhai Aloha, a sacrifice to cleanse us of our hewa. Please help me to see other people with your eyes and your heart. Show me how to love others the way you love me, and provide me with opportunities to put this love into action in my community and in the larger world. And in all things may I honor and glorify You. Ma ka inoa o ka Haku ʻo Iesū Kristo, ʻĀmene. Keiki Activity • Visit the “Live Aloha” homepage http://www.atchawaii.com/LocalInfo/livealoha.html and review the list of examples of random acts of kindness. Have keiki come up with a list of at least three Random Acts of Aloha that they might fulfill at school, at home or in the community between now and Easter to demonstrate agape love. This could be as simple as offering to wash the car of an elderly neighbor, or extending the hand of friendship to a classmate who is sometimes overlooked or excluded by other students. • Implement a “Live Aloha” poster or poem contest in your class or school-wide; Suggested Hīmeni • “Ke Aloha o Ka Haku” (The Queen’s Prayer) No. 186 Nā Hīmeni o Ka ʻEkalesia • “He Aloha Ko Iesū” (Jesus Loves Me) No. 154 Nā Hīmeni o Ka ʻEkalesia He aloha ko Iesū Jesus loves I ke keiki liʻiliʻi nō The little children Kahe Kona koko noʻu His blood shed for me I pau aʻe ka hewa oʻu To pay for my sins Keiki aloha! Keiki aloha! Keiki aloha! Ke aloha o Iesu! Ka Mõhai Aloha Lent 5 by Kahu Kordell Kekoa, Chaplain KS Kapālama Mai Hāʻawi Pio…E Hāʻawi Lilo Give up… or…Give All Heluhelu Baibala/Scripture Reading “E hāʻawi aku, a e hāʻawiʻia mai iā ʻoukou, me ke ana pono i kaomi ʻia iho, i pili pū i ka hoʻoluliluli ʻia a hanini i waho, e hāʻawi mai ai lākou i loko o ko ʻoukou poli: no ka mea, me ka ana a ʻoukou e ana aku ai, pēlā nō e ana ʻia mai ai no ʻoukou.” Luka 6:38 “Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:38 Mana`o I know…we are supposed to give up something during Lent, like God gave up Himself for us and in that way we can honor His gift of life to us. This would be His mōliaola for us. That sacrifice truly is Ka Mōhai Aloha. It makes sense to give something up, however, what if I give it up…only until Easter? My pastor friend encouraged me with this wisdom, “Don’t give up something that you are going to purge on Easter morning. Your Lenten sacrifice of Big Island Candies does not make you a better Christian if you eat a bag full of them before sundown on Easter day and forget all about Lent.” God doesn’t want your choice of candy, He wants you. While contemplating your Lenten sacrifice, consider the depth of your giving but also the blessing of your getting. I’m reminded of that old familiar hīmeni, Iesū Me Ke Kanaka Waiwai: “E hāʻawi, e hāʻawi lilo loa Give all I kou mau waiwai, of your wealth and riches, Huli a hahai mai iaʻu Turn and follow me I loaʻa ʻē ke ola mau iā ʻoe” that you shall have everlasting life Maybe you don’t need to give up anything. Maybe you need to give all of something… specifically, yourself. If you must give up something, give up sin. That which so easily entangles around us. That which stops us from giving all to anything! So if I am not giving up something but rather giving all of me, e hāʻawi lilo loa mai iaʻu, how can I do that? What does that mean? Here’s what I attempt to do: • Ka Hoʻokē ʻAi (Fasting): We normally think of not eating something, maybe this year we can pray instead of eating and give that food or portion of our food budget to someone in need. Graciously. • Ka Heluhelu ʻAna (Reading): Instead of a fictional novel every evening, how about starting with 20 minutes and build up to one hour a day in God’s Word – c’mon, you can do it! Ka Mõhai Aloha • Ke Kalaiwa ʻAna (Driving): Carpool, catch the bus, walk or bike it! Good exercise! • Ka Noʻonoʻo ʻAna (Thinking): I can challenge my brain cells with puzzles or detailed thinking like ‘how does that work’? Remove doubt and troubling thoughts by singing uplifting songs! Akamai ʻoe! • Ka Launa ʻEnehana ʻAna (Tech-ing): Download a Bible app. Limit your T.V. watching or surfing the web by reducing your daily usage each week by 10 minutes in order to increase your time outdoors! And then, only listen to good, inspiring music rather than degrading music. Bye-bye xboxone! • Ka Hoʻomaha ʻAna (Resting): Get 8 hours of sleep every night until Easter…then keep it up! Hold on, I need a nap! • Ka Lūlū ʻAna (Tithing): Lent is a great time to give more of God’s blessing in kālā to God’s work in the church. You can bonus that by also giving to a charity here in Hawaii that blesses people! You will be blessed! When the Bible teaches us to ‘give, and you will receive. You will be given much.’ God will multiply your gift to Him and your kīʻaha will overflow. This Lenten season can change you because the way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” ALL of you! Questions to Ponder • What more can I give or do to present myself as an All-In Team player on ke Akua’s team? • Which of the options above will I challenge myself to start and continue? Pule Mahalo e ke Akua for the chance to be different in life, a chance to show You and others that You matter. May I take seriously this challenge to be an All-In Player on Your Team. I will need your help, but I believe together we can do this! Mahalo for loving me through my giving up and giving all! Ma ka inoa o Iesū Kristo. ʻĀmene. Keiki Activity • Be an All-In Keiki by doing three extra chores around the house than mom or dad expect! • Be an All-In Keiki by taking the ohana outside after dinner for a game of ball playing! • Do all your homework for that night and the next night! Encourage a sibling or friend to do the same. • Be an All-In Keiki by using only words that encourage and uplift your friends and family. Suggested Hīmeni Haipule: • “Iesū Me Ke Kanaka Waiwai” (Jesus and The Rich Young Ruler) (Nā Hīmeni o Ka ʻEkalesia, #115)