Author: holycrosshilo

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, November 8, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship November 8, 2026
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: Near to the Heart of God   Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 78:1-7)          Stefan Tanouye

Leader:   Give ear, O people to the words of the wise.

People: We will listen to the parables and advice of the ages.

Leader:   We have heard these things and known them from our ancestors’ mouths.

People:  We will share them with our children. They shall know of God’s wonders.

Leader:   God commanded us to wisdom and to keep the commandments.

People:  God commanded us to pass them to each generation in faithfulness.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #112: Keep Awake, Be Always Ready (v. 1 – 2)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 70)   Stefan Tanouye

Deliver us, O God, and make haste to help us in our troubles and distress. When others act against us, protect us from their malice. When we commit folly on our own, help us to recover our wisdom. Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who love your salvation proclaim, “God is great!” Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: I Will Sing of the Mercies  Kayleen Yuda

Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Stefan Tanouye

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths
and meets them in every thought.

Matthew 23:1-12

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Sermon: Light of Wisdom                   Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #496: Ekolu Mea Nui (v. 1-2)

Call to Offering Stefan Tanouye

Wisdom is radiant and unfading, like the love and grace of God, given to us so freely. Let us be radiant and unfading, sharing our gifts with those around us, so that our community may shine in the night. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Canzonet       Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer         Stefan Tanouye

Author of wisdom, crafter of the Universe, source of grace, accept these gifts offered by your creations. May they become part of your great blessings to the world. Amen.

* Hymn #436: God of Grace and God of Glory (v. 1 – 5)

Please be seated

Announcements Rev. Eric S. AndersonBenediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

Near to the Heart of God
Hymn tune by Cleland B. McFee
Arr. by Albin Whitworth
© 1982, 2003 Belwin Mills Pub.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Keep Awake, Be Always Ready
Text by Arthur G. Clyde, 1993
© 1993 by The Pilgrim Press
Tune WACHET AUF by Philipp Nicolai, 1599
Public Domain
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

I Will Sing of the Mercies
Tune by James H. Fillmore
Arr. by Roger House
Public Domain

Ekolu Mea Nui (Three Greatest Things)
Text by Robert Nawahine
Tune NAWAHINE by Robert Nawahine
Arr. by Martha Hohu, 1971
Arr. © 1972 the Hawai’i Conference UCC
Streamed by permission

Canzonet
by Stewart Landon
© 1979 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

God of Grace and God of Glory
Text by Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1930
Tune CWM RHONDDA by John Hughes, 1907
Public Domain

Fanfare
by Jacques Lemmens
Public Domain

IMPORTANT DATES

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Stefan Tanouye
Chapel Decorations      Lois Jean Tanouye, Kelly & Stefan Tanouye families,
in memory of Kenneth and Kenny Tanouye
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
•  Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
• Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.  
• Rev. Edmes Edwin

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, November 1, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship for November 1, 2026
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: For the Bread Which You Have Broken                                                                        Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37)                                                                          Anne Sadayasu

Leader:         Give thanks to the LORD, who acts for good.

People: God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Leader:         God satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

People:        God turns rivers toward the deserts, raising springs of water in thirsty ground.

Leader:         Those who were hungry come to live in fruitful land, building a town to live in.

People:        They sow fields and plant vineyards and rejoice in the harvest.

All:                 Let us worship God!

* Hymn #586: Come to Tend God’s Garden (v. 1 – 3)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 43)                                          Anne Sadayasu

Defend us, O God, when we are afflicted by other people. Deliver us from those who are deceitful and unjust. Send your light and your truth. Let them lead me; let me follow to your dwelling place of grace. There before you we will make the music of joy, praising you, our God. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Kot epwe wasi ai an (God Will Clear My Way) Stuart Mori

Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                                                                  Anne Sadayasu

Micah 3:5-12

Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
    when they have something to eat
but declare war against those
    who put nothing into their mouths.
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
    and the day shall be black over them;
the seers shall be disgraced
    and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
    for there is no answer from God.
But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
    and to Israel his sin.

Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob
    and chiefs of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
    and pervert all equity,
who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with wrong!
Its rulers give judgment for a bribe;
    its priests teach for a price;
    its prophets give oracles for money;
yet they lean upon the Lord and say,
    “Surely the Lord is with us!
    No harm shall come upon us.”
Therefore because of you
    Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
    and the mountain of the temple a wooded height.

Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’s seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Sermon: The Perils of Crying Peace                                       Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer                                                                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer         
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Call to Offering Anne Sadayasu

Repeatedly over the centuries, God has called us to care for one another as individuals and families, and also to foster communities which embrace such caring. In our offering, we seek to do so as a congregation and among our neighbors. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Song of Devotion                                              Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer                                                  Anne Sadayasu

Accept these gifts, O God, and guide their use to your purposes. May we your people love our neighbors as ourselves and aid others to do the same in our community and across the world. Amen.

* Hymn #343: Jesus Took the Bread (v. 1-4)

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Consecrating the Bread and Cup    

Prayer of Thanksgiving

* Hymn #303: Rejoice, Give Thanks and Sing (v. 1 – 4)

Please be seated

Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: See How Great a Flame Aspires                        Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

Permissions

For the Bread Which You Have Broken
by Robert Lau
© 2024 Lorenz Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Come to Tend God’s Garden
Text by John A. Dalles, 1992
© 1992 by John A. Dalles
Tune KING’S WESTON by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1925
© 1931 Oxford University Press
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Kot epwe wasi ai an (God Will Clear My Way)
Text and tune by Stuart Mori, 2026
Streamed by permission of the composer

Jesus Took the Bread
Text by Ruth Duck, 1982
Tune NEW HOPE by Ruth Duck, 1982
Arr. by Randall Sensmeier, 1982
Copyright © 1992 G.I.A. Publications, Inc.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Song of Devotion
by Sylvia Riggs
© Lorenz Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Rejoice, Give Thanks and Sing
Text by Charles Wesley, 1746
Tune DARWALL’S 148th by John Darwall, 1770
Public Domain

See How Great a Flame Aspires
by Edward Broughton
© 1979 Lorenz Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Important Dates and Announcements

New Office E-mail Address: Please update our email to office@holycrosshilo.com
Today, November 1 – Board of Trustees meeting after Worship service in the Lounge.

Thursday, November 19, 7:00 p.m. – Brazilian Jazz – Kamaaina Concert Series

Sundays, 8:30 AM – Join our choir, Holy Cross Singers, at rehearsals in the Lounge.

Wednesdays, 5 PM – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see The Weekly Chime for the link)
Fridays, 9 AM – Bell Choir rehearsals in the Building of Faith meeting room

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
  • Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
  • Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.   
  • Rev. Edmes Edwin

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Anne Sadayasu
Chapel Decorations      Mary Ann Katayama
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 25, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship October 25, 2026
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
All Saints Sunday

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: Prelude on Sine Nomine     Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17)                  Anna Kennedy

Leader:   God has been our dwelling place in all generations.

People: From everlasting to everlasting, God is God.

Leader:   God gives us birth and returns us to dust, whispering, “Turn back, mortal.”

People:  We are swept away as a dream gives way to the morning.

Leader:   May God satisfy us from dawn until dark with steadfast love.

People:  May the favor of the LORD our God be upon us!

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #383: Come, Let Us Join with Faithful Souls (v. 1 – 4)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 1)       Anna Kennedy

You have blessed us, O God, to know and be loved by those who delighted in you, who were like trees rising by streams of water, like forests whose leaves do not wither. You have gathered them to yourself in new life by the grace of Jesus. We celebrate them today, and pray for your grace to comfort us with their memory and inspire us with their example. In the name of the Crucified and Risen One we pray. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Smile                  No Divas

Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Anna Kennedy

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak to all the congregation of the Israelites and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

“You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand idly by when the blood of your neighbor is at stake: I am the Lord.

“You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

“If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Sermon: The Second Greatest Commandment    Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

ALL SAINTS DAY CANDLE LIGHTING

We remember those Members and Friends of the Church of the Holy Cross who have gone from our care to God’s in the past year.

Brian Philip Bowman             Eleanore Atherton Chong                  Alan Edwin Fujimoto
Janet Hayashi Fujioka            Joan Kazuko Fukumori                  Katherine Maaike Inouye
Esther Kozue Kodani              George Tadami Kodani                  Sueo Kondo
Doreen Mae Lucas                   Suzi Chi Peng                  Yayoi Ailene Shibata
Kiyoshi Takemoto                   Ethel Kazuko Yoshimasu
Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Zikmund

As each name is read, our church bell will be tolled and a candle lit in remembrance of each person’s life and in thanks for their new life in Christ. After these names are read the congregation is invited to come forward and light a candle in memory of their loved ones.

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #539: Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant? (v. 1-6)

Call to Offering Anna Kennedy

We have lit candles for people who gave us their hearts. Let us give our hearts to God in their honor, and with our hearts, let us present our offerings. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: This is My Father’s World                       Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer        Anna Kennedy

These gifts do not match what our saints have given us, O God, let alone what you have given us. Accept them, we pray, not as payment, but as pledge that we will live as saints in celebration of those who have loved us so long and so well. Amen.

* Hymn #299: For All the Saints (v. 1 – 5)

Please be seated

Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Rejoice, the Lord is King   Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

Additional Names for All Saints Day

Please remember these souls who went to God before this past year:

Bunpachi Fujioka             Kosei Fujioka                     Herbert Matayoshi
Mary Y. Matayoshi           Midori Matayoshi             Dr. Zenko Matayoshi
Amy I. Saito                        Kenneth Tanouye, Jr.      Kenneth Tanouye, Sr.

PERMISSIONS

For All the Saints
Prelude on Sine Nomine
Arr. by Phil Lehenbauer
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Come, Let Us Join with Faithful Souls
Text by William G. Tarrant, 1892
Public Domain
Tune AZMON by Carl G. Glazer, 1828
Arr. by Lowell Mason, 1839
Public Domain

Smile
by Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons
Arr. by Ben Bram
© 2017 by Ben Bram
Streamed by permission of the arranger

Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant?
Text by Richard Gillard, 1977
© 1977 Universal Music,
Brentwood Benson Publishing
Tune SERVANT SONG by Richard Gillard, 1977
© 1977 Brentwood Benson Publishing
Streamed by permission CCLI License #1595965

This is My Father’s World
by Franklin Sheppard
Arr. by Albin C. Whitworth
© 1982 Glory Sound
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

For All the Saints
Text by William W. How, 1864
Tune SINE NOMINE by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906
Public Domain

Rejoice, the Lord is King
by John Darwall
Arr. by Albin C. Whitworth
© 1982 Glory Sound
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

IMPORTANT DATES

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Anna Kennedy
Chapel Decorations      Laura Ota, in memory of Albert Ota
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Guest Vocalists No Divas
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
•  Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
• Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.  
• Rev. Edmes Edwin

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 18, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship October 18, 2026
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: Processional   Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 96:1-13)                  Christian Albano

Leader:   Sing to the LORD a new song, all the earth!

People: We will sing to the LORD and bless God’s name!

Leader:   Declare God’s glory among the nations. Let all people hear of God’s marvelous works.

People:  Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised!

Leader:   There are countless idols in the world, worshiped in ignorance by human beings.

People:  The LORD made the universe, and made you and me.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #565: God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending (v. 1 – 4)

* Invocation (based on Exodus 33:5612-33)                  Christian Albano

Go with us, O God, as we make our way through our time and our place. In your presence, O God, we seek to live in your ways. Be with us now, O God, as we worship your name and give thanks for your grace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: On Eagle’s Wings                   Holy Cross Singers

Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Christian Albano

Isaiah 45:1-7

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
    and to strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
    and the gates shall not be closed:
I will go before you
    and level the mountains;
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron;
I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob
    and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name;
    I give you a title, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    besides me there is no god.
    I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
    I make weal and create woe;
    I the Lord do all these things.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For they report about us what kind of welcome we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Sermon: Imitate Who?  Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #455: I Am Yours, O Lord (v. 1-4)

Call to Offering Christian Albano

Over and over again, God has reached out to human beings, offering them comfort, aid, and grace. Let us imitate our God and reach out to our neighbors with these gifts, and may they be to them comfort, aid, and grace. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Rondeau        Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer        Christian Albano

We have received from your hand, O God, blessings beyond our description or even awareness. Accept these gifts, O God, and may they bring us closer to you and further open our hearts to our neighbors. Amen.

* Hymn #562: Take My Gifts (v. 1 – 3)

Please be seated

Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Great God of Glory              Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

Processional
by Jean Phillipe Rameau
Arr. by Allanson Brown
© 1979 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending
Text by Robert L. Edwards, 1961
© 2016 by Hope Publishing Co.
Tune AUSTRIAN HYMN by Franz Joseph Haydn, 1797
Public Domain
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

On Eagle’s Wings
by Michael Joncas, arr. by Craig Kingsbury
© 1979, 1997 OCP
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

I Am Yours, O Lord
Text by Fanny Crosby, 1874
Tune I AM YOURS by William H. Doane, 1874
Public Domain

Rondeau
by J. C. Dechambonnieres
Arr. by Stanley Saxton
© 1980 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Take My Gifts
Text by Shirley Erena Murray, 1991
© 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Tune TALAVERA TERRACE by Colin Gibson, 1991
© 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Great God of Glory
by David Paxton
© 1985 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

IMPORTANT DATES

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Christian Albano
Chapel Decorations      Shirley Miyake, in memory of Richard Miyake
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
•  Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
• Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.  
• Rev. Edmes Edwin

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 11, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship October 11, 2026
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Access Sunday; Disabilities Awareness Week

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: La Tromba       Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (by Pastor Greg Tre Harris)    Peter Braun

Leader:   The Divine is our Shepherd. We want not. Not missing anything. Nothing holy, forgotten, or left out.

People:  Created in love, we are one!

Leader:   The world names us by what it believes we lack. The Divine always calls us whole. Our bodies, our minds, our spirits, created without hesitation, held without condition, beloved without exception.

People:  Created differently, we are one!

Leader:   One Band. One Body. Many members. One Sound. One Song. Many voices. One Truth. One Spirit. Many stories. No life stands alone. No gift exists apart from another.

People:  Created creatively, we are one!

Leader:   We are seen through the eyes of our neighbors. We are strengthened by one another’s veracity. We are healed through interconnected compassion. What the world calls weakness, the Divine transforms into common union.

People:  Our reality does not diminish. It binds us together, reveals Christ among us, and becomes the very place where grace is made known. Our collective vulnerability saves us all! Created in oneness, we are one!

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #605: As Moses Raised the Serpent Up (v. 1 – 3)

* Invocation (by Pastor Greg Tre Harris)              Peter Braun

Holy Divine, as we gather in worship, help us recognize one another’s abilities and disabilities, honor one each other’s truths and identities, and discover your presence within our shared humanity. May we remember that what the world often overlooks, you have always called beloved. May our worship reveal Christ among us, your grace be made known through us, and our collective vulnerability become a testimony to your abiding love. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Upwe Mwareituk (I will praise you)      IYAA

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Peter Braun

Exodus 32:1-14

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took these from them, formed them in a mold, and cast an image of a calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Sermon: How to Argue with God       Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #423: Great Is Your Faithfulness (v. 1-3)

Call to Offering                Peter Braun

We worship a God who is faithful to us even when our faith falters. We worship a God who has created us with different abilities and different disabilities, a God who loves us all. Let us celebrate what God has given us by sharing it with those around us. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Air                    Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer         Peter Braun

God who loves as exactly as we are, thank you for this opportunity to celebrate the gifts of our disabled siblings. With these gifts of time, talent, treasure, and prayer, help us work with you to create a world where all your people can belong, and find peace in your presence. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who offers hope and liberation for all. Amen.

* Hymn #21: God Reigns o’er All the Earth (v. 1 – 4)

Please be seated

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Festival March                      Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

La Tromba
by Francois Couperin
Arr. by E Power Biggs
© 1959 Associated Music Publishers

As Moses Raised the Serpent Up
Text versification by The New Century Hymnal, 1993
Tune MORNING SONG, from Sixteen Tune Settings, 1812
Harm. by C. Winfred Douglas, 1940
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Upwe Mwareituk (I will praise you)
Composer unknown
Public Domain

Great Is Your Faithfulness
Text by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923
Tune FAITHFULNESS by William M. Runyan, 1923
© 1923, renewed 1951 by Hope Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Air
by Johann Ernst Galliard
Arr. by Glenn Medlock
© Lorenz Music Publishing
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

God Reigns o’er All the Earth
Text by Jane Parker Huber, 1981
© 1981 Jane Parker Huber
Admin. by Westminster John Knox Press
Tune TERRA BEATA Trad. English melody
Adapt. Franklin L. Sheppard, 1915
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Festival March
by William Stickles
© 1949 Ethel Smith Music Corp.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

The Call to Worship and the Invocation by Pastor Greg Tre Harris and the Prayer of Dedication by the Rev. Jacob Nault are used by permission: UCC Disabilities Ministries resources for Access Sunday 

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, October 11 – Church Council meeting in the lounge after Worship Service
Friday, October 16, 7:00 p.m. – Shakespeare Ere Modern, Voci Waimea Concert, CHC Sanctuary.  Visit KamaainaConcertSeries.com for more info.
Sunday, October 25 – All Saints Sunday. Please notify the church office of names of loved ones you’d like included in the service.
Sundays, 8:30 a.m. – Our choir, Holy Cross Singers, meets for rehearsal in the lounge
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live (see our church’s website, or the link in our e-newsletter, The Weekly Chime)
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see the link in The Weekly Chime)
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – Bell choir meets for rehearsal in the Building of Faith meeting room
Interested in pickleball? Contact Connie at 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Peter Braun
Chapel Decorations      Felina & Mark Sakumoto
                  in memory of Aiko & Giso Sakumoto
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
•  Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
• Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.  
• Rev. Edmes Edwin

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 4, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship October 4, 2026
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
World Communion Sunday

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: Near to the Heart of God    Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Exodus 20:1-20)     Joyce Nakamoto

Leader:   God spoke to the people in ancient days and gave them commandments.
People:  We strive to place God first, to keep from idols, to speak God’s name reverently.

Leader:   God set a day of rest, and God told us to honor our parents.
People:  God told us to refrain from violence, unfaithfulness, and theft.

Leader:   God commanded us to tell the truth, and not to covet the belongings of our neighbors.
People:  We have heard these commandments and we strive to obey.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #222: My Song Is Love Unknown (v. 1 – 5)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 19)    Joyce Nakamoto

The heavens tell your glory, O God, and all Creation echoes with praise. The speechless world rejoices like a bride and groom on their wedding day. Renew in us our love for you and for your ways, O God. May your commandments enlighten our eyes and hearts. In thought and in deed, may we keep to your ways, O God, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Just As I Am     Kayleen Yuda

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Joyce Nakamoto

Isaiah 5:1-7

I will sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded rotten grapes.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and people of Judah,
judge between me
    and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard
    that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield rotten grapes?

And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a wasteland;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are his cherished garden;
he expected justice
    but saw bloodshed;
righteousness
    but heard a cry!

Philippians 3:4b-14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Sermon: Beyond Achievement           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Call to Offering                Joyce Nakamoto

Complete righteousness is a long way off from any of us. We make our way toward that goal of faithful love for all people in different ways each day. Let us take this opportunity to love our neighbors and praise our God. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Conzonet       Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer         Joyce Nakamoto

In love for you we bring these gifts, O God. In faithfulness to your call to share we bring these gifts, O God. In hope of a world in which we share as easily as we breathe, we bring these gifts, O God. Amen.

* Hymn #349: I Come with Joy (v. 1-5)

Invitation

Rev. Anderson: It was on a Sunday that Jesus Christ was raised from death by the power of God, appearing to several of his followers and friends. Mary Magdalene saw him and so did Simon Peter. Jesus walked the road to Emmaus with two of his disciples, but they did not recognize him until they joined him at a table where Jesus Christ broke bread.

On this World Communion Sunday, come from the four corners of the world to gather about this table. Come brief in days and long in years. Come from your loves and successes and from your losses and sorrows. Come aware that the mountain is holy and the ocean is holy and the growing things are holy and the birds of the air are holy. Come to learn once more that Jesus of Nazareth called his disciples to name as holy the most common food and the most common drink, to remember is life, death, and resurrection.

Consecrating the Bread and Cup    

Rev. Anderson: On this World Communion Sunday, let us come to God for the breaking of the bread. Let us pray:

People: God of vast creation, God of heaven and earth, we thank you for the bread of life.

Rev. Anderson: We recall the time when you preserved the children of Israel by leading them to Egypt, where your prophet Joseph had gathered grain.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is bread baked from wheat to keep us whole and sound.

Rev. Anderson: We recall the time when they fled slavery into a barren land, and you fed them with your manna.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is rice, which nourishes so many hungry people every day.

Rev. Anderson: We recall the time your people found a promised land, rejoicing in its plenty.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is banana bread, in which we taste the sweetness of life.

Rev. Anderson: We recall the time when Israel received its law from you, a law that extended justice to the stranger and sojourner.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is tortilla, which is the bread of so many newcomers to our nation.

Rev. Anderson: We recall the time when Israel was taken into exile, and they sought to worship you in a new land.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is ulu, breadfruit, which has nourished Polynesian peoples wherever they have traveled.

Rev. Anderson: We recall that in your wisdom and mercy, O God, you have never left your people hungry when your Spirit might provide.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is poi from taro root, which keeps our bodies rooted in the land.

Rev. Anderson: And we recall, O God, that when your people were starved for your Spirit, you sent us Jesus, to fill us and make us whole.

People: There on our Communion table, O God, is an empty bowl, which reminds of the hungry we still yearn to feed, and reminds us of the love of Christ which fills our souls from depth to height.

Rev. Anderson: God, bless the meeting of hunger and generosity in all places. Bless the memories of all that is Holy Land, the place of Jesus’ lineage and Passover custom, the land under our feet, all land remembered, all land honored, all land with justice.

Bless all that is Communion but especially what we take into body and spirit, so that you can live and walk, sit, roll with us. Fill our bodies and spirits with strength, guidance, inspiration, and love, through this holy meal. Amen.

Through the broken bread we participate in the Body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, we give you this bread.

Through the cup which we bless we participate in the new life Christ brings. In Jesus’ name, we give you this cup.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Rev. Anderson: God, we thank you for refreshing us at your table by granting us the presence of Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and in peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.

* Hymn #314: Community of Christ (v. 1 – 4)

Please be seated

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Fanfare and Voluntary on Darwall’s 148th                  Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

Permissions

Near to the Heart of God
Tune by Cleland B. McFee
Arr. by Albin Whitworth
© 1982, 2003 by Belwin Mills Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

My Song is Love Unknown
Text by Samuel Crossman, 1644
Tune RHOSYMEDRE by John D. Edwards, 1840
Public Domain

Just As I Am
by William Bradbury
© 1942 Theodore Presser Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

I Come with Joy
Text by Brian Wren, 1968
© 1971 Hope Publishing Company
Tune DOVE OF PEACE from Southern Harmony, 1835
Arr. Austin Lovelace, 1977
© 1977 Hope Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Conzonet
by Steward Landon
© 1949 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Community of Christ
Text by Shirley Erena Murray, 1985
© 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Tune LEONI, trad. Hebrew melody
Public Domain
Streamed by permission CCLI License #1595965

Fanfare and Voluntary on Darwall’s 148^th
Tune by John Darwall
Arr. by George Blake
© 2023 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Important Dates and Announcements

Today, October 4 – Board of Trustees meeting after Worship service in the Lounge.

Friday, October 16, 7:00 PM – Shakespeare Ere Modern, Voci Waimea Concert, CHC Sanctuary.  Visit KamaainaConcertSeries.com for more info.

Sunday, October 25 – All Saints Worship Service. To include a name of a loved one who had died in the past year, please notify the church office.

Sundays, 8:30 AM – Join our choir, Holy Cross Singers, at rehearsals in the Lounge.

Wednesdays, 5 PM – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see The Weekly Chime for the link)
Fridays, 9 AM – Bell Choir rehearsals in the Building of Faith meeting room

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
  • Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
  • Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.   
  • Rev. Edmes Edwin

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Joyce Nakamoto
Chapel Decorations      Amy Shiroma & Clarice Suzuki
                  in memory of Tommy Shiroma
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, September 27, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Prelude: He Leadeth Me                       Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16)                  Faith Mishina

Leader:   Give ear, O people, to the teaching of the ages,
People:  Listen to the parables and the stories of old.

Leader:   Tell the children the stories of God’s glorious deeds.
People:  Repeat the descriptions of marvels by which God freed those enslaved.

Leader:   God divided the sea and they passed through to safety.
People:  They followed God in a cloud by day and a fire by night.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #42: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing (v. 1 – 4)

* Please join me in the Invocation (based on Psalm 25:1-9)   Faith Mishina

We lift our souls to you, O God, in this time of worship and throughout our days. We trust you, so do not let us be shamed. Do not let us suffer from treachery. Remember your mercy and your steadfast love, O LORD. Forgive our transgressions, and remember us for the sake of your goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Sicilienne, Opus 78            Tom Geballe & Bob Grove

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Faith Mishina

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

The word of the Lord came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins who shall die.

Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed, they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.

Matthew 20:1-16

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.”

Sermon: Unanswered Question         Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #223: What Wondrous Love Is This (v. 1-3)

Call to Offering                Faith Mishina

God has asked us to share with our neighbors: to share our knowledge, to share our wisdom, and to share our resources. Let this be one of the ways in which you do what God has called you to do. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Meditation    Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer         Faith Mishina

We present these gifts to you, O God, partly because you have asked, partly because we have promised, but mostly because this is one of the things we do as followers of Jesus. Bless them to your purposes, we pray. Amen.

* Hymn #304: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (v. 1 – 4)

Please be seated

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Gigue               Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Sunday, October 4 – World Communion Sunday.  Also, “Neighbors in Need” special offering will be received.
Friday, October 16, 7:00 PM – Shakespeare Ere Modern, Voci Waimea Concert, CHC Sanctuary.  Visit KamaainaConcertSeries.com for more info.
Sunday, October 25 – All Saints Sunday. Please notify the church office of names of loved ones you’d like included in the service.
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live (see our church’s website, or the link in our e-newsletter, The Weekly Chime)
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see the link in The Weekly Chime)
Interested in pickleball? Contact Connie at 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, September 20, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Prelude: Pastorale          Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* I’d like to invite those who are able, to please stand and join me in the Call to Worship (based on Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45)                Nina Buchanan

Leader:   Give thanks to the LORD, tell of God’s works among the peoples,
People:  Sing to God, sing God’s praises, tell everyone what the LORD has done.

Leader:   God led the people of Israel from slavery to freedom. Egypt was glad to see them go.
People:  God spread a cloud for covering and fire to light the night.

Leader:   When they hungered, God sent food from heaven.
People:  When they thirsted, the LORD opened the rock and water flowed like a river.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #485: O Love That Will Not Let Me Go (v. 1 – 4)

* Please join me in the Invocation (based on Psalm 145:1-8) Nina Buchanan

We praise you, O God, and bless your name forever. You are great and greatly to be praised; your greatness is beyond our imagination. We celebrate the might of your deeds; we sing aloud of your righteousness. We thank you, God, that you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and we ask you to hear our worship today. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Embrace My Way and Cross                  Holy Cross Singers

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Nina Buchanan

Jonah 3:10-4:11

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

The Lord God appointed a bush and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort, so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also many animals?”

Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Sermon: Love Isn’t Fair Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #23: There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (v. 1-2)

Call to Offering                Nina Buchanan

God’s gifts to us are beyond any of our means to give, except as in a mirror dimly. Let us do the best we can to love fully and extravagantly those in our families, our neighbors, and the stranger we may meet tomorrow. This offering is a part of that generous life. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Berceuse       Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Please join me in the Offertory Prayer            Nina Buchanan

Accept these gifts, O God, and see in them the generous spirits of our hearts. Accept these gifts, O God, and may they be signs of your far greater love shared with those around us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

* Hymn #475: God’s Eye Is on the Sparrow (v. 1 – 3)

Please be seated

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Festival Postlude                Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, September 20 – Board of Deacons meeting after Worship, in the Lounge
Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM – First concert in the Kamaaina Concert Series will take place in this sanctuary. Visit KamaainaConcertSeries.com for more info.
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live (see our church’s website, or the link in our e-newsletter, The Weekly Chime)
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see the link in The Weekly Chime)
Interested in pickleball? Contact Connie at 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, September 13, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 114)                        Ming Peng

Leader:         When Israel went out from Egypt, when the children of Jacob fled from slavery,
People:        God came to dwell among the people descended from Israel.

Leader:         The waters drew back from the Red Sea and from the Jordan River.
People:        The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

Leader:         Tremble, O Earth, at the presence of the LORD your maker.
People:        God turns the rock into a pool of water, hard stone into a spring.

All:     Let us worship God!

* Hymn #506: What a Friend We Have in Jesus (v. 1 – 3)

As you taught Moses, teach us, O God, for we trust both in your redemption and in your justice for all. We rejoice in your mercy and grace, your patience and steadfast love for us. Take away the guilt of our mistakes and misdeeds, and accept our thanks and praise in this time of worship. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Time with the Children                                 Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Welcome those who are weak in faith but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat, for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on slaves of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it for the Lord. Also those who eat, eat for the Lord, since they give thanks to God, while those who abstain, abstain for the Lord and give thanks to God.

For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
    and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then, each one of us will be held accountable.

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, and, as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Offertory: Canzonette                                    Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

You have given us so much mercy, O God, beginning with our birth. You promise us mercy beyond the span of our earthly days. May these gifts contribute to the grace you extend to our neighbors near and far, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

* Hymn #504: You Walk along Our Shoreline (v. 1 – 3)

Please be seated

Announcements                                            Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                                                   Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Fanfare March                              Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, September 13 – Church Council meeting after Worship, in the Lounge
Saturday, September 19 – Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Lili`uokalani Gardens, registration at 7:30 AM; walk or donate a pledge to someone walking on behalf of our church (contact Nina or Anne)
Saturday, September 19 – Special Service Day – Starting at 9:00 AM, come and help clean the area under the new projection screen

Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM – First concert in the Kamaaina Concert Series will take place in this sanctuary. Visit KamaainaConcertSeries.com for more info.
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see the link in our e-newsletter The Weekly Chime)
Interested in pickleball? Contact Connie at 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.

 

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, September 6, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship September 6, 2026
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Prelude: Refresh My Heart, Oh God                         Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 149)                Mace Peng

Leader:   Praise the LORD! Sing a new song to God in the assembly of the faithful.
People:  We are glad of our maker and rejoice in our God.

Leader:   Praise God’s name with dancing; make melody with instruments and voices.
People:  With all the faithful we will sing for joy wherever we might be.

Leader:   The LORD takes pleasure in the people, adorning the humble with success.
People:  May there be glory for God’s faithful ones. Praise the LORD!

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #12: I Sing the Mighty Power of God (v. 1 – 3)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 119:33-40)            Mace Peng

Teach us again the ways of your will, O God. We will try once more to observe them to the end. Give us understanding, that we may keep your laws with our whole hearts. Lead us in the ways of your commandments, for we delight to live in love. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Omochu Pei, Maing Ai Samon (Hold my hand, my Lord) IYAA

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Mace Peng

Romans 13:8-14

Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us walk decently as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 18:15-20

“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Sermon: Love Fulfills the Law            Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Call to Offering                Mace Peng

Paul wrote that love fulfills the law. Let us love in this moment by sharing what we have with people who have needs: needs of body, mind, or spirit. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Morning         Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer         Mace Peng

We pray that you receive these gifts, O God, from your loving people. We pray that you turn them to new purposes of love, O God, and create a world more like the one you have envisioned. Amen.

* Hymn #332: As We Gather at Your Table (v. 1-3)

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Consecrating the Bread and Cup    

Prayer of Thanksgiving

* Hymn #393: Blessed Be the Tie That Binds (v. 1 – 4)

Please be seated

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Postlude         Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

Permissions

Important Dates and Announcements

Today, September 6 – Board of Trustees meeting after Worship service in the Lounge.

Saturday, September 19 – “Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Lili`uokalani Gardens, 7:30 AM. Come and walk with the church group, or pledge a donation at act.alz.org

Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM– The Organ Virtuosos, Walter Greenwood & Rick Mazurowski – Kamaaina Concert Series

Sundays, 8:30 AM – Join our choir, Holy Cross Singers, at rehearsals in the Lounge.

Wednesdays, 5 PM – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see The Weekly Chime for the link)

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.