holycrosshilo Worship Services

Worship for June 14, 2026

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, June 14, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Worship Bulletin for June 14 2026 (PDF)Download

Service of Worship June 14, 2026
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: O Master Let Me Walk with Thee                  Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 100)                  Faith Mishina

Leader:   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
People:  Serve the LORD with gladness, come into God’s presence with singing.

Leader:   The LORD is God. God has made us.
People:  We are God’s people. We are the sheep of God’s pasture.

Leader:   Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and God’s courts with praise!
People:  We have come to give thanks and bless God’s name.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #13: O My Soul, Bless Your Creator (v. 1 – 5)

* Invocation (based on Romans 5:1-8)                  Faith Mishina

We thank you for the peace you have given us in Christ, O God, a peace which has brought us to grace. At the right time you sent Jesus, and he died for us and for all who were estranged from you. In this we find our hope, and in this we find our joy to worship you today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Born to Die for Me                IYAA

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Faith Mishina

Exodus 19:2-8a

They journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses went, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. The people all answered as one, “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesussummoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

Sermon: Assignment Mercy   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 #586: Come to Tend God’s Garden (v. 1-3)

Call to Offering                Faith Mishina

Jesus told the twelve to rely upon the generosity of strangers as they brought healing and hopeful words to the villages of Galilee. Let us be the strangers for whom others may give thanks. 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: God’s Love Surrounds Us 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 have homes and food and clothing, O God. We live in peace, at least for the most part. We present these gifts to you so that others may have homes, food, clothing, hope, and peace. Amen.

* Hymn #532: Come, Labor On (v. 1 – 4)

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

O Master Let Me Walk with Thee #FBC-A017803
Words by Washington Gladden, Music by H.P. Smith,
Arranged by Gilbert Martin © Copyright 1989 Hinshaw Music
(administered worldwide by the Fred Bock Publishing Group)
All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

O My Soul, Bless Your Creator
Text from United Presbyterian Book of Psalms, 1871
Tune STUTTGART attrib. to Christian F. Witt, 1715
Public Domain

Born to Die for Me
Author Unknown

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

God’s Love Surrounds Us
Contributors: Carl Simone
Tune: © 1985 Lorenz Publishing Company,
a division of The Lorenz Corporation
(Admin. by Music Services)

Come, Labor On
Text by Jane Laurie Borthwick, 1859
Public Domain
Tune ORA LABORA by Thomas Tertius Noble, 1918
Public Domain

Great God of Glory
Contributors: David Paxton
Tune: © 1985 Lorenz Publishing Company,
a division of The Lorenz Corporation
(Admin. by Music Services)
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, June 14 – Church Council meeting after Worship service in the Lounge
Friday, June 19, 11 a.m.. – Service for Katherine “Mieke” Inouye in the Sanctuary
Sundays, 8:30 a.m. – Holy Cross Singers Rehearsal in the Lounge
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
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – Bell Choir Rehearsal in the Building of Faith Meeting Room
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

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

Pastor          Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator             Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator Elwood Kita
Lay Reader      Faith Mishina
Chapel Decorations  Shirley Miyake, in memory of Richard Miyake
Organist / Pianist     Kayleen Yuda   
Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove
Hand Bell Director        Evan Montemayor 
IYAA Choir Director Stuart Mori  
Projected Imagery        Sue Smith
Live Stream Director         Ruth Niino-DuPonte. Bob Smith 
Videographers    Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Woody Kita,
            Mace Peng, Cindy Debus
Sound Engineer Ben Yamaki
Sunday School Teacher          Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
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.

Rev. Eric Anderson What I'm Thinking

What I’m Thinking: Assignment Mercy

Jesus set his closest associates on the challenging assignment of bringing compassion to those who needed it so. We have the same assignment.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the end of the ninth and the beginning of the tenth chapters of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 9:35-10:8).

This section begins with Jesus’ observation that the people of the villages that he had met were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. There was more work to be done than he could do himself. He summoned twelve from amongst his followers, and he gave them power and authority.

He appointed them to be ambassadors of the movement, to go out and visit these other villages. There, he directed them, proclaim the good news that the realm of God is drawing near. Cast out the demons, heal the sick, and by the way, make no preparation as you go. Don’t save any money, don’t bring even any extra clothing.

It was, and it is, a tough assignment. I would argue that we as disciples today: we are the heirs of those twelve. We are still asked to do something about bringing the reign of God closer to being in the world. To do what we can for the sick, to comfort those who are pressed by evil spirits, and to assist those who are pressed by evil people. We continue in this long tradition of seeing what is wrong in the world, and bringing good news and good action to those who suffer to those in need.

Proclaim the good news that the realm of God is near. Bring healing and comfort and assurance, and you will be doing the work of Jesus.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Rev. Eric Anderson Sermons

Sermon: God Desires Mercy

June 7, 2026

Hosea 5:15-6:6
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Do you remember the Pushmi-Pullyu from Doctor Dolittle? The fictional animal (I repeat, fictional) had a body like an antelope or a llama, with a head at both ends and with two pairs of legs and feet that pointed in the same direction as the head and neck above them. According to author Hugh Lofting, the two heads allowed one to eat and the other to carry on a conversation without being rude.

Nevertheless, I can imagine that the two heads didn’t always agree, and I can imagine that that would have been remarkably awkward.

Religion and spirituality have a pushme-pullyou dimension – all religions, as far as I can tell. On the one side, we’ve got the impulse toward a direct relationship with God. People do a lot of things to build that and maintain it. We pray by ourselves. We worship with others. We place art with religious themes around us. We perform certain rituals that we believe God has asked us to do, which includes our practice of Holy Communion, by the way. We dedicate ourselves to furthering that primary relationship.

The other dimension is to do things that we believe God has asked us to do in relation to other human beings. It’s been widely claimed, with pretty good justification, that the “golden rule” of treating people as you’d like to be treated is part of every religious tradition. That’s hard to prove, but check out the Wikipedia article on the Golden Rule sometime. Researchers have found it in a lot of faiths and cultures.

When asked about the Greatest Commandment, Jesus first quoted Deuteronomy 6, which says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.” Jesus then followed up with a reference to Leviticus 19: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

There’s the pushme-pullyou again – Jesus didn’t say doing both at once was easy. But he did seem to think there were priorities.

Jesus appeared to have an odd reputation among his fellow rabbis. They paid attention to him. They respected him enough to invite him as a special guest when he visited their villages. He also puzzled them, sometimes quite a lot. Why would a respectable religious leader and teacher summon a tax collector to follow him? I suppose it’s nice that the man abandoned the disgraceful, collaborationist work, but make him an associate? I mean, eat with him?

Quite aside from ritual uncleanness, that’s gross.

How many people have never been invited to your table because something they’ve done or said or represented is, to you, gross?

For myself, I don’t know. I’ve lost count.

It made a huge difference for Matthew. As Amy Frykolm writes at JourneyWithJesus.net, “He is sitting, literally, at the table of his unhealthy and degraded identity as tax collector. Toward him walks the ‘source of life’s fullness.’ The English writer, Jeannette Winterson, says that many great stories begin this way. Once upon a time, there was a person in circumstances that weren’t all that they hoped for. And then there was an encounter. In a moment, the bare facts of what is changed to what if, the expansion of possibility.”

It made all the difference in the world.

Jesus’ rabbinic colleagues were right to be leery. Let’s get that straight. They were following guidance from Law and Prophets that emphasized personal piety and practice to maintain faithfulness to God. They were praying, fasting, worshiping, and resting on the Sabbath. They were doing, frankly, things that we should be doing.

But that’s just one side of the pushme-pullyou.

Remember the other side? Love your neighbor as yourself.

Centuries before, the people of Israel, the northern of the two nations which had split after the death of David’s son Solomon, heard an earnest and, let’s face it, rather troubled prophet named Hosea try to remind them that their national practice of worship and ritual was not enough to maintain the covenant with God. Whatever they did during the week to treat others badly, they firmly believed that their piety won them forgiveness. “Let us press on to know the LORD;” Hosea quotes them as saying, “his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

But what about the other side of the pushme-pullyou?

“I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,” Hosea wrote, quoting God this time, “the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Centuries later, Jesus quoted Hosea quoting God to those who asked about hanging out with all these sinners. “Go and learn what this means,” he said: “’I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”

If you’ve been listening really carefully, you may have noticed that those quotes don’t match. “I desire steadfast love,” it says in Hosea; “I desire mercy,” it says in Matthew. The reason is that the Hebrew word Hosea used, “hesed,” doesn’t have a one-to-one translation in English or in first century Greek. It means steadfast love, and it means mercy, and it means loyalty, and it means grace.

Commit to steadfast love, mercy, loyalty, and grace to those around you, said Jesus. That’s more important than prayer and fasting and worship and resting at the right time.

God desires mercy from us for them.

It’s also true that God desires mercy from them to us. Personally, I don’t have as much control over the way other people treat me as I’d like. Like you, I’m relying on that foundational teaching of the Golden Rule in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism, Yoruba, and a host of faiths whose names I’ve never heard to guide their adherents into care, compassion, and mercy for their fellow travelers on the road of life.

Look hard enough at any religion, look hard enough at Christianity, and you’ll find justification to treat other people badly. In Christianity it isn’t that hard, to tell you the truth (I suspect that’s true in plenty of other faiths as well).

Before you pull out that excuse, however, remember Hosea and Jesus and a lot of other Biblical writers, all of whom insisted that God desires mercy from us and for us.

Mercy. It’s more powerful than all the pious actions we might do.

Mercy.

Amen.

by Eric Anderson

Watch the Recorded Sermon

Pastor Eric makes changes from his prepared text as he preaches – sometimes he means to do it, and sometimes he doesn’t.

The image is The Calling of Matthew by Jacob van Oost (1641) – Photograph from the original painting, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41538332.

holycrosshilo Worship Services

Worship for June 7, 2026

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, June 7, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Worship Bulletin for June 7 2026 (PDF)Download
Story: The Sorry I’iwi (PDF)Download
Sermon: God Desires Mercy (PDF)Download
Pastoral Prayer (PDF)Download

Service of Worship June 7, 2026
Second 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: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart with Holy, Holy, Holy                Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 33:1-12)        Gloria Kobayashi

Leader:    Rejoice in the LORD, O people. Praise befits the upright.
People:   The word of God is upright. God works in faithfulness.

Leader:    The LORD loves righteousness and justice,
People:   The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Leader:    The guidance of the LORD stands forever; God’s thoughts to all generations.
People:   Happy are those whose God is the LORD.

All:            Let us worship God!

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

* Invocation (based on Psalm 50:7-15)                  Gloria Kobayashi

You have told us and told us, O God, that we do not worship you properly with sacrifice alone. All we have comes from you, so we offer what is yours already. Encourage us to share our substance with our neighbors, so that having fulfilled our vows to you, we may worship you with a sacrifice of thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Let Us Break Bread Together                   Kayleen Yuda

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Gloria Kobayashi

Hosea 5:15-6:6

I will return again to my place
    until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.
    In their distress they will beg my favor:

“Come, let us return to the Lord,
    for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
    he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
    his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
    like the spring rains that water the earth.”

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
    What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
    like the dew that goes away early.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
    I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
    and my judgment goes forth as the light.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread through all of that district.

Sermon: God Desires Mercy                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                Gloria Kobayashi

What does God ask us to give? Love to our neighbors, and love to our God. May this moment be one in which we give both to our God and to 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: Introit             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         Gloria Kobayashi

Merciful One, accept the gifts of your people. We rejoice in your mercy, and we pray that these offerings might spread your grace to people near and far. Amen.

* Hymn #337: Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether (v. 1-3)

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Consecrating the Bread and Cup    

Prayer of Thanksgiving

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

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

Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart with Holy Holy Holy
Contributors: David Kidwell
Tune: © 2020 Timespann Music (admin. by Music Services)
All Rights Reserved. BMI Text: © 2020 Timespann Music
(admin. by Music Services) All Rights Reserved. BMI
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

Let Us Break Bread Together #232465
Contributors: Mark Hayes
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether
Text by Percy Dearmer, 1925
© 1925 by Oxford University Press
Tune UNION SEMINARY by Harold Friedell, 1957
© 1957, 1985 by Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-73589

Introit
Contributors: Ellen Jane Lorenz, Franz Schubert
Tune: © 1980 Lorenz Publishing Company,
a division of The Lorenz Corporation (Admin. by Music Services)
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
Text by Frederick William Faber, 1854
Tune IN BABILONE Dutch melody
Arr. by Julius Rontgen, 1906
Public Domain

See How Great a Flame Aspires
Contributors: Robert J Powell
Tune: © 2024 Lorenz Corporation (Admin. by Music Services)
All Rights Reserved. ASCAP Text: © 2024
Lorenz Corporation (Admin. by Music Services)
All Rights Reserved. ASCAP
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Important Dates and Announcements

Today, June 7 – Board of Trustees meeting after Worship service in the Lounge.

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live (canceled this week)

Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see The Weekly Chime for Zoom meeting link.)

Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – Bell Choir Rehearsal in the Building of Faith Meeting Room

Pickleball Lessons – Contact Connie 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com to sign up

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

Pastor          Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator             Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator Elwood Kita
Lay Reader           Gloria Kobayashi
Chapel Decoration      Gloria Kobayashi
Organist      Kayleen Yuda        
Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove
Hand Bell Choir Director        Evan Montemayor   
IYAA Music Director Stuart Mori
Projected Imagery        Sue Smith
Web Master          Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Videographers    Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith,
            Mace Peng, Woody Kita, Cindy Debus
Streaming Sound Director Ben Yamaki
Sunday School Teacher          Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
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.

Rev. Eric Anderson What I'm Thinking

What I’m Thinking: Mercy

The prophets said it. Jesus said it. God desires mercy.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the ninth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 9:9-13, 8-26). This follows the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I read it as Jesus providing examples, demonstration, embodying, if you will, the very teachings that the Sermon on the Mount is filled with.

There are a lot of healings here, and Jesus healed some people that you might not expect. This section begins with Jesus calling somebody that people would not have expected. He summoned Matthew, a tax collector, to join him amongst his followers. Some of the other religious leaders had questions, and they went to Jesus’ disciples and asked why it was that the Teacher welcomed tax collectors and sinners and even ate with them.

Religious leaders didn’t do that. It was important in those days that religious leaders maintained themselves as clean in order to perform their functions.

Jesus responded by reminding them of something that the prophets had said over and over again. Quoting them, quoting God, Jesus said, “Go and learn what it means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

The cleanliness was all about being prepared to properly offer the devotional sacrifices of the Temple or of the Tabernacle. The prophets had rightly pointed out, and Jesus rightly reinforced it, that God’s preoccupation with human behavior is not exclusively or even primarily with the sacrificial practices. God’s concern with human behavior is the way we treat one another.

And how are we to treat one another? With mercy and not with some kind of self-righteous piety.

People in the ancient world: they got that wrong over and over again, which is why the prophets had to keep saying it. People in Jesus’ day got that wrong over and over again, and that is why Jesus had to say it. In our day, people get it wrong over and over again, and that’s why I have to repeat it.

God desires mercy, not some kind of pietistic religious practice, that may or may not do something about our own relationship with God, but does nothing for the other people for whom God cares.

God desires mercy for everybody around us, and God desires mercy for us as well.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Rev. Eric Anderson Sermons

Created

May 31, 2026

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
2 Corinthians 13:11-13

The first chapter of Genesis is not the Bible’s only account of Creation. There’s another one in Proverbs 8, in which the figure of Wisdom works alongside God in the building of the world. Probably the most famous additional text is the first chapter of John’s Gospel, which echoes both Genesis 1 and Proverbs 8. You’ll likely recall as well the second chapter of Genesis, which looks very much like another account of creation.

When I think about different ideas about Creation, I’m thinking theologically, not scientifically – Genesis was not written as a book to explain how the world works, it was written as a book to explain God’s interactions with the world. That’s one of the reasons Genesis’ editors, and those who assembled the collection of Bible books later, felt perfectly fine about including more than one account of Creation. It doesn’t worry me that Genesis doesn’t match the geological record, or that cosmological theories don’t line up precisely with the first chapter of John. I also don’t get excited that evolutionary theory sort of follows the order of sea life, plants, and then land animals in Genesis.

To me, it’s the theology that matters. As Cheryl Lindsay writes at UCC.org, “The contrast with other creation accounts of the ancient world is significant and begins the biblical corpus. The Holy One creates not out of pettiness, spite, avarice, or violence. Creation brings order, diversity, and relationship. It flows out of the identity of the Creator. It is progressive from the beginning, and the stage of rest is yet another progressive step. Creation continues. Rest, by nature, is a pause from activity. Because the Holy One is Creator, creation never stops, it rests.”

What matters to me is that all of the Bible’s Creation accounts emphasize both God’s deliberate choice to make a world of living things, and God’s love for that created world. What’s the refrain of this first chapter of Genesis? “And God saw that it was good,” finally stated as “very good.”

You don’t have to believe in God’s creative action to believe that the universe has value. Some atheists do. Some believers in religions that don’t believe in a divine creation do. Christianity itself begins with the assertion that the world is good, that substance is good, that existence is good. The poet and hymn lyricist Brian Wren writes,

Good is the flesh that the Word has become.

Good is the body for knowing the world,
sensing the sunlight, the tug of the ground,
feeling, perceiving, within and around,
good is the body, from cradle to grave…

There are human belief systems that simply don’t accept this. A number of ancient religions did not value the world because they believed it was a divine accident, a by-product of conflict between gods. Some strands of Christianity, I’m sorry to say, have overemphasized soul over body, and as a result have permitted abuses of human bodies and cultures as well as permitting destruction of natural resources and beauty. Some contemporary philosophies, both Christian and non-Christian, stress the primacy of human beings in the universe, and not only tolerate but encourage deforestation, mountaintop removal, and habitat elimination. Just last month an Environmental Protection Agency committee ended review of gas and oil drilling for impact on endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico. Have we already forgotten the Deepwater Horizon accident sixteen years ago? A deepwater well blowout spewed oil for four months.

I don’t think we’ve forgotten. I think there’s a different belief system at work, that says that if certain people benefit, other life on the plant can be disregarded and, if necessary, destroyed.

Whatever some people may think, that view simply isn’t consistent with Scriptural thinking and assertions. Many have stressed that people, in verse 28, receive dominion. OK. Does that imply that human beings can do anything they want? Are human beings who have dominion over other human beings allowed to do anything they want? Is that true of parents? Of community leaders? Of national leaders?

Is it true of pastors? Do you really want me to have unquestioned authority to do anything I want?

If you weren’t sure about that, I’ll help: the answer is no, you don’t. There are provisions in our church bylaws that set limits on the things I can do. There are provisions in the United Church of Christ that set limits on the things I can do.

When we look at dominion in Genesis, the one who exerts power over things is God, and what does God do with that power? God brings order to chaos. God brings light and shape and form. God brings life, and not just life: God brings a system in which life can sustain itself, and other forms of life.

If we assert that we have an unquestioned, unlimited dominion, then exert it in ways that destroy the living systems of God, we are not living out a divine commission. We are tearing at the environment that sustains our lives as well as those of other living things.

God values this world. If we follow God’s ways, we value this world. As much as the honu in the sea or the ‘io in the air, as much as the ohi’a on the mountainside or the paho’eho’e as it flows, we are God’s Creation, a manifestation of holy will and love. We are created.

As the twelfth century theologian Hildegard of Bingen wrote, “God says, ‘I, the fiery life of divine essence, am aflame beyond the beauty of the meadows. I gleam in the waters. I burn in the sun, moon, and stars. With every breeze, as with invisible life that contains everything, I awaken everything to life.’”

It’s the sixth day in which God declares all that has been made “very good,” and that is the day of the creation of the animal life of Earth, ranging from the creeping things – I think that’s probably the insects that we don’t like very much – to humanity itself, made in the image of God, “Male and female he created them.”

Male and female are… very good.

There are, again, different ideas floating around as to the relative value of male and female. History is dominated by the idea that men are worth more, that they are more reliable, that they are better trusted with power than women. It’s a curious idea. According to the FBI, people arrested for violent crimes in 2019 were 72.5% men and 27.5% women. Men in government have started nearly every war ever fought on this planet. Would women do better? I don’t know. I do think we’ve run the experiment long enough to say that it’s time to try something else to see how that works.

More to the point, this basic assertion demands that we accord full value and respect for the dignity of women. The claims of “complementarianism,” the idea that women are of equal value to men but that the two sexes are designed for different kinds of social roles, is simply sexism with a slightly softer texture. “Women, you have equal value to myself” is a meaningless expression when it’s followed by, “and because I’m a man, I’m in charge.”

The image of God does not depend on gender. It just doesn’t.

Humanity in God’s image also means that all people have value. Period. End of sentence. Someone of another religion has the same value as you or me. Someone of another nation has the same value as you or me. Someone of a different political party has the same value as you or me. Someone with power has the same value as you or me. Someone without power has the same value as you or me.

That means we can’t use distinctions within humanity to discount, devalue, or disenfranchise other human beings. Legal immigrants? Full value. Illegal immigrants? Full value. Dark skinned people? Full value. Light skinned people? Full value. Gay people? Full value. Straight people? Full value. Republicans? Full value. Democrats? Full value. Politicians? Full value. Teachers? Full value. Road repair workers? Full value. Incarcerated prisoners? Full value.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” I’d argue that he was right, but the basis is not just in the action of Christ, but in the creative work of God.

Amy Frykolm writes at JourneyWithJesus.net, “We are all, Hildegard teaches, carriers of the divine light. We have interior gardens in which we cultivate these qualities of love, wisdom, and greening inside ourselves. And as love and wisdom flow through us, we participate in the greening of the world. We are, she writes, ‘so entangled with the strengths of the rest of creation that we can never be separated from them.’”

We come into Creation because of the love and grace of God. We come into a Creation already loved and graced by God. We come into a Creation in which we participate in the greening of the world. We come into Creation to celebrate, enjoy, and nurture other people, other creatures, the trees and shrubs, the very flowing fiery rock itself, because all of it, including ourselves, is very good.

Amen.

by Eric Anderson

Watch the Recorded Sermon

Pastor Eric makes changes while preaching, so the text he prepared does not precisely match what he said while preaching.

The image is Let There Be Light, An Illustration for The Story of the Old Testament by Shigeru Aoki – 「現代日本美術全集 7「青木繁・藤島武二」集英社、1972年, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47599953

holycrosshilo Worship Services

Worship for May 31, 2026

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, May 24, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Worship Bulletin for May 31 2026 (PDF)Download
Story: Those Birds (PDF)Download
Sermon: Created (PDF)Download
Pastoral Prayer (PDF)Download

Service of Worship May 31, 2026
Trinity 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: Create Within Me a Clean Heart              Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                           Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Matthew 28:16-20)                  Stefan Tanouye

Leader:   After his resurrection, Jesus met his disciples on a mountain in Galilee.
People:  They met him in worship and in wonder.

Leader:   Jesus told them that he had been given authority over heaven and earth,
People:  And he told them to make disciples of all people.

Leader:   We come in worship and wonder to hear our commission once again:
People:  To bring all people together in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #273: Praise with Joy the World’s Creator (v. 1 – 4)

* Invocation (based on Psalm 8)       Stefan Tanouye

How majestic is your name in all the earth, O God! You have set your glory far beyond the heavens we can see, and at the same time your put your word in the mouths of children and infants. What are human beings that you care for us? Yet you have crowned us with glory, making us just a little lower than yourself. Be with us as we worship you today, O God, and hear our prayer and praise! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Jubilate, Amen                        Bell Choir

Time with the Children                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Stefan Tanouye

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make humansin our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humans in his image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Be restored; listen to my appeal;agree with one another; live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Sermon: Created             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 #276: Holy God, We Praise Your Name (v. 1-4)

Call to Offering                Stefan Tanouye

For love, God made a world, indeed a universe, full of wonder and beauty. For love, God has created life and given that life to us. What can we share in celebration of such astonishing gifts? 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: Canzona         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

Creator of the Universe, we bless you for the wonders of earth and stars and galaxies, and we bless you for life and love and beauty. Accept these gifts we offer today in thanks, praise, and worship. Amen.

* Hymn #277: Holy, Holy, Holy (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

Create Within Me A Clean Heart #1046960
Contributors: Donald Lee Moore
Tune: © 1984 Lorenz Publishing Company,
 a division of The Lorenz Corporation
(Admin. by Music Services)

Praise with Joy the World’s Creator
Text by the Iona Community, 1985
© 1987 WGRG c/o Iona Community,
GIA Publications, Inc., agent
Tune LAUDIMA ANIMA by John Goss, 1869
Public Domain
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Jubilate, Amen
Traditional Tune
Arr. by Ruby Shaw Hollis
© 1990 by Agape,
a division of Hope Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Holy God, We Praise Your Name
Text Anonymous German, ca. 1774
Trans. by Clarence Alphonsus Walworth, 1853
Tune GROSSER GOTT, WIR LOBEN DICH first pub. 1774
Public Domain

Canzona #1030744
Contributors: Lani Smith, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Tune: © 1985 Lorenz Publishing Company,
 a division of The Lorenz Corporation
(Admin. by Music Services)

Holy, Holy, Holy
Text by Reginald Heber, 1826
Tune NICAEA by John B. Dykes, 1861
Public Domain

Gigue #1048369
Contributors: Carl Simone, George P Telemann
Tune: © 1984 Lorenz Publishing Company,
a division of The Lorenz Corporation
(Admin. by Music Services)


IMPORTANT DATES

May 31 = Board of Stewardship and Mission meeting after Worship service in the Lounge
June 2, 7:00 p.m. – Membership Information Session in the Pastor’s Study
Sundays, 8:30 a.m. – Holy Cross Singers Rehearsal in the Lounge
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
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – Bell Choir Rehearsal in the Building of Faith Meeting Room
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

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

Pastor          Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator             Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator Elwood Kita
Lay Reader       Stefan Tanouye
Chapel Decorations   Bob & Sue Smith
Organist / Pianist     Kayleen Yuda   
Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove
Hand Bell Director        Evan Montemayor 
IYAA Choir Director Stuart Mori  
Projected Imagery        Sue Smith
Live Stream Director         Ruth Niino-DuPonte. Bob Smith 
Videographers    Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Woody Kita,
            Mace Peng, Cindy Debus
Sound Engineer Ben Yamaki
Sunday School Teacher          Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
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.

Rev. Eric Anderson What I'm Thinking

What I’m Thinking: Created Good

In the beginning of the Scriptures, we learn that God made the world and human beings and thought it good. Why do we so often decide that some people and some parts of the world aren’t good?

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the first chapter of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-2:4a): the beginning of that book, the beginning of our Scriptures, and of course, the beginning of time. “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth.”

There is a repeated set of words, a consistent phrase that runs through this day-by-day account of the world coming together. At the end of each day, God pauses and looks at what has been created and says it was good. That’s true of light on the first day; it is true of humanity — “Male and female God created them” — on the last day.

Christianity and Judaism as well are both absolutely convinced that the creation is good, that God intends for us to exist, that God even placed some reflection of the Divine upon human beings themselves. We are here because God wants us to be here. We are here because God thinks that it’s a good thing. We are here because God loves us.

There are a lot of systems in the world that do all they can to discount that fundamental goodness of the world. These are systems that will exploit and abuse parts of the world because there seem to be a lesser value than human beings. And so we dig and destroy and we cut down forests and we slaughter the creatures that live in them. This is not supported by these words of Scripture. All those things that we would destroy for our own benefit, those are also good.

It must also be said that there are people that human beings see as not people. And they set out to treat them badly. Sometimes because they’re women. Sometimes because their skin is another color, sometimes because they speak a different language, sometimes because they believe something different about the nature of the world and about God.

In the beginning, God thought all of these were good. In the beginning, God created male and female in the divine image. And in these days, the divine image is equally reflected in every single human being upon the planet. We cannot use the Scripture, at least not this Scripture, to declare that God loves anyone more than any other person.

God made us and intended us to be here. God made us and placed upon us the image of the divine. God made us and loves us today and always.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.