Worshiping in Hawaii
- Image does not exists
I had the distinct privilege of leading worship at two United Methodist Women jurisdictional gatherings this spring. The first was in Minneapolis and the second was in Hawaii (talk about climate shock). Both events were rich and filled with wonderful women with a long legacy of helping to make the world a better place through dedicated mission work. I’ll always be indebted to United Methodist Women because they gave me financial support in order to go to seminary.
At the Hawaii event, I fell in love with Pacific Islanders. Now, I’ve certainly been to Hawaii before because my father once lived on the island of Oahu. But this time I really got to feel the rhythms and joy of the island people as I got caught up in dancing with them, participated in their ancient practice of preparing for worship in a kava welcoming ceremony, and was enveloped by the warmth of these generous and loving people. The smiles on our faces in this picture (these are the Tongans at the conference and that’s Bishop Mary Ann Swenson just behind me) tell the story. (See more photos of my trip in the photo album in the right column)
At the closing communion service, we drank juice from coconut shells and ate bread in ti leave baskets. We prayed a Great Thanksgiving prayer in which I wove a prayer by Pacific peoples into it (download the full scripts at the end of this post). We can learn much through the poetry, liturgy, movement and indigenous practices of people from around the world and the ways in which they have incorporated their expressions into Christianity (known as “inculturation”). I want to recommend a book I just read and wrote a review about called “Christian Worship Worldwide.” It would be a helpful book to inspire your congregation to study the diverse cultural practices of the Christian global community. Especially helpful is my friend Michael Hawn’s chapter.
This summer, why not introduce a couple of songs from another country into your worship? Learn something about the ways that Christians in that part of the world worship, what they face in their daily lives, and what we
can learn from them. By singing “Me yaco mai” (Your Kingdom Come) from Fiji at the Hawaii event, and hearing prayer concerns of island peoples, I learned more about the meaning of hope and of having joy in the face of difficulty. Thank you, my sisters!