LIHUE — Kauai will have two events to mark the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 2.
Kauai Island Ministries and other churches will lead a gathering from 4 to 6 p.m. at Kauai Veterans Center.
This Kauai Day of Prayer event, at sunset, will be the final one across the nation that will begin with a sunrise Day of Prayer in Maine.
The goal is there will be prayers countrywide throughout the day, said organizers.
Another Day of Prayer celebration is set for 9 to 11 a.m. at the Lihue Civic Center Rotunda. The theme is “Love One Another.”
The free program is a collaboration of many religions, including the Interfaith Roundtable of Kauai and ministers of several Christian denominations, according to a press release.
Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami will also participate in the National Day of Prayer.
“We are pleased to be able to continue to celebrate the long-standing tradition of the National Day of Prayer,” Kawakami said in the press release. “All are welcome to come together in unity to pray for our nation and local government.”
After opening with a traditional Hawaiian pule, prayer offerings are expected from followers of Bahai, Brahma Kumaris, Buddhism, Center for Spiritual Living, Christianity, Christian Mysticism, Eckankar, Fellowship of the Inner Light, Happy Science, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, New Thought/Unity, Quaker, Roman Catholic, Secular Humanism, Sikh and Yoga.
The National Day of Prayer has deep roots in this country, having been declared in 1775 by the Continental Congress in forming a new nation.
It was later recognized by first President George Washington in 1789. In 1952, the Congress passed a bill proclaiming National Day of Prayer. And on May 5, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law official recognition of the first Thursday in May annually as the National Day of Prayer.
Here is a little clarification for online readers. Of the Ten Commandments, the second commandment is “You shall have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:3. For this reason, many Christians and Jews are not comfortable participating in prayers to other gods. This would appear to them to be a direct violation of the second commandment.
Christians and Jews are commanded by their scriptures to love everyone. However, just because we love someone does not mean we need to participate in worshipping their god.
In 2 Kings 5, we have the story of Elisha healing Naaman of leprosy. Naaman was a Pagan army commander who was responsible in helping his King in worshipping their god Rimmon. After he was healed, Naaman expressed faith in Jehovah, but asked Elisha if he could continue to perform his duties in the worship of Rimmon. Elisha said “go in peace.”
I mention this story because some Christians and Jews may be comfortable participating in the worship of other gods. However, many are not comfortable. There are a lot more stories in the Bible that clearly forbid the worship of other gods. I think it is a matter of conscience. It is important to follow your own conscience and give others some room to follow theirs.
Kauai Island Ministries (KIM) sponsors prayers to Jehovah. Christians believe that Jesus is one of the three persons in the one God, Jehovah. One God with three persons may seem counter-intuitive, but science is also discovering many other truths that are counter-intuitive. These three persons are known as the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Christians may pray to any of these persons in the one God, Jehovah.
The majority of people here consider themselves to be Christians. A large number are not comfortable participating in the worship of other gods. For this reason, the KIM event does not include group prayers to other gods. This year, the KIM event will be at a separate location at the Kauai Veterans Center from 4 pm to 6 pm on May 2nd.
Of course, all are welcome to attend either event. I encourage you all to attend the event that you prefer. I have seen God answer prayers over and over again. I believe that prayer is one of the most important things we will ever do. Please come if you can.
Aloha,
Mark Beeksma
This is great! Thanks for clarifying.