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Today, listening to this hymn as I read Scripture and pray while sojourning in her homeland…..
[LILI‘UOKALANI of Hawai‘i] -she also wrote Aloha of, a tune many of us immediately recognize.
From the notes provided by Forward Day by Day…..
“Queen Lili‘uokalani was persistent advocate for justice and nonviolence. She recognized the “Beloved Community” in her own day and refused to sanction the use of force or to encourage her people to respond violently when faced by heavily armed forces from the United States Navy acting in support of a band of insurrectionists (largely from the United States and Europe) as her government was illegally overthrown on January 17, 1893. In doing so, she prevented the undue bloodshed of her people against overwhelming force. Appealing to President Grover Cleveland, she surrendered her throne to the American government and pleaded with her subjects to respect her decision. As a result, she was forcefully removed from her throne and subsequently imprisoned for her witness in opposition to American imperialism. Her model of grace left a powerful symbol of God’s love that continues to be at the center of the Native Hawaiian community and thus a gift to the entire Church.
Queen Lili‘uokalani was also a respected musician and composer. Among her most well-known compositions is the Queen’s Prayer, Ke Aloha o Ka Haku, sung most Sundays at parishes in Hawai‘i. It is based upon her reading of the only two books allowed to her during her imprisonment, the Holy Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. As a neighbor to St. Andrew’s Cathedral, she received refuge during the counterrevolution with the Anglican Sisters at St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls. Together with the Bishop, the Right Reverend Alfred Willis, they would minister and visit her during her imprisonment and these deeds of charity would influence Her Majesty to become a member of our Church. The lyrics reflect her faith in the face of adversity:
A ‘o Kou ‘oia i‘o, he hemolelo ho‘i (Your truth, so perfect.)
Ko‘u noho mihi ‘ana, a pa‘ahao ‘ia (I live in sorrow, imprisoned.)
‘O ‘oe ku‘u lama, kou nani, ko‘u ko‘o (You are my light, your glory my support)
Mai nânâ ‘ino‘ino, nâ hewa o kânaka (Behold not with malevolence, the sins of man,)
Akä e huikala, a ma‘ema‘e nô (But forgive, and forgive.)
No laila e ka Haku, ma lalo o kou ‘êheu )And so, O Lord, beneath your wings,)
Kô mâkou maluhia, a mau loa aku nô (Be our peace, forever more.)
Queen Lili‘uokalani died on November 11, 1917, and is buried at the Mauna ‘Ala Royal Mausoleum in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.
The traditional date of this commemoration is November 11, the date of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s death and may be so observed. Because that day is both the commemoration of Veteran’s Day in the United States and the commemoration of Martin of Tours in the churchwide calendar, the date recommended here, January 29, is the date of Lili‘uokalani’s coronation as Queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom.”
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My Executive Advising practice grew years ago from graduate work in group process and facilitating complex decision-making. I was already preaching weekly and did so for over thirty years.
The rhythm of considering a text and the congregation that would gather around it, seeking to grow individually and together, is like breathing. Inhale in study and writing (I wrote my sermons longhand for the most part, thirty notebooks full). Exhale in standing with a group of people, daring to have something to say which would invite all of us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
The habit has not left me, and writing these occasional blurbs growing from times of study and prayer is a way I can exhale.
Thank you for joining me here.
