SERIES OVERVIEW
Each week, Pastor G writes a short devotional blog on the church website that is based on a different Hawaiian Word each week. Then he writes a longer message devotional to deliver on Wednesday nights.
MESSAGE NOTES
Today’s ʻOlele Hawaiʻi word is Aloha!
Commonly translated hello, goodbye or love
But Aloha is actually two words being put together.
Alo means to share
Ha refers to breath or life or one’s spirit.
So, to wish someone Alo-Ha is to say “I sharing my life, I share my breath, I share my spirit with you.”
THE HONI GREETING: Two people stand forehead to forehead, nose to nose and literally share each other’s breath by breathing in and out several times. The true ancient Hawaiian form of greeting.
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~ Matthew 7:12
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~ Colossians 3:12-17
ἐνδύω ~ enduo (GREEK)
to clothe or to be clothed with. It’s the idea of sinking into a garment.
ἐνοικέω ~ enoikeó (GREEK)
to dwell at home in your personal residence. To inhabit your home.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides (permanently dwells) in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide (permanently dwell) in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ~ 1 John 4:4-16
If God is love and aloha is love then, logically speaking, God is aloha as well. Though perhaps not everyone recognizes this the way we do as Christians, the logic connection is clear. God’s Holy Spirit IS aloha, He IS the Aloha Spirit.
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. ~ Genesis 2:7
What does this remind you of? God sharing His breath, His life, His spirit by breathing into the nostrils of the human? It is the Honi Greeting yeah?
נְשָׁמָה ~ neshamah (HEBREW)
to breathe into or onto something or someone
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” ~ John 20:21-22
Again, the Honi Greeting!
ἐμφυσάω ~ emphusaó (GREEK)
to breath into or onto something or someone
It’s a synonym for the Hebrew neshamah.
Just like God breathed into Adam and Adam was born, Jesus breathed into the disciples and the disciples were born again.