An online space for the Second Presbyterian community to stay connected...
Glad Tidings from Hawaii
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Barbara Bowyer writes: Many of you have probably never heard
of my favorite Christmas song, Nū ʻoli,
which translates from the Hawaiian language to Glad Tidings. I first
heard it when I was living in Hawaii and it has been a Christmas standard for
me ever since. The artists are the Brothers Cazimero, beloved and well known
through the islands. Their harmonies are beautiful and whenever I play it, I
can’t help but feel a smile in my heart. The chorus is especially uplifting,
even if you don’t understand the Hawaiian language.
I’ve included a link in
case you want to hear it for yourself. The original Hawaiian lyrics and the
English translation are provided below.
Nū ʻoli! Nū ʻoli!
He nū kamahaʻo!
He nū no ke ola mai luna mai nō
No kānaka nui, no kamaliʻi nei
A ʻoi ka nani i ke gula aʻiaʻi
Hui:
Nū ʻoli! Nū ʻoli!
Nū kamahaʻo, kamahaʻo, kamahaʻo ē!
Nū ʻoli! nū ʻoli!
He nū no ke ola e hau'oli ē!
Nū ʻoli! Nū ʻoli!
Ua pili ia nū
I ka poʻe ʻilihune, ka poʻe luʻuluʻu
Neʻe mai a paulele hahai iā Iesū
A pau nō ka hune a maha ʻoukou
Nū ʻoli! Nū ʻoli!
Hauʻoli ʻoukou
Ka poʻe akahai a haʻahaʻa ka naʻau
Na Iesū e kala a hoʻohānau hou
A kaʻi mai nei aʻe i ka nani ma ʻō
Glad tidings! Glad tidings!
What wonderful news! Such news of salvation from above For great men and for little children, too
More glorious than brilliant and shining gold
Chorus: Glad tidings! Glad tidings! News so wonderful, astonishing, remarkable too Glad tidings! Glad tidings! Such news of salvation, 'tis happiness and joy!
Glad tidings! Glad tidings!
Clinging to the news Are the poor and the sorrowful in burdensome
straits Push ahead in faith and follow Jesus All you who are poor and burdened too
Glad tidings! Glad tidings!
Happy are you Those who are meek and humble too 'Tis Jesus who frees us and gives us new life And on to the glory by Him we are led
Tim Woodcock writes: In these strange times, under the shadow of Covid-19, our economy is temporarily stripped down to the basics. The shopping malls are empty but the parks are full. Our workplaces, schools, and community organizations are migrating into our homes. Everything feels off-kilter. Churches worldwide are asking themselves how can they operate in the absence of regular services and the use of a physical building. This blog is an attempt to make an online space in which the Second Pres. community can stay connected and can offer each other spiritual sustenance and encouragement. I'd like to invite people to share their spiritual insights related to the pandemic experience: spiritual revelations, great and small; new appreciations and evolving understandings; reflections on what you've been reading and watching recently; hopes for the future. If you have an idea of something you'd like to write about, please drop me a line at timwoodcock [AT] speedpost.net . ...
Tim Woodcock writes: While we wait for the election results, a word that has risen to new-found prominence is patience . I am sure that after the fact we could run a search on transcripts of all the news reporting and commentary from the last few days and see a massive spike in the use of the word. That led me to think, what exactly does the good book, have to say about patience? There’s no shortage of Bible verses to choose from. Using Bible Gateway to find translations that favored patience over near-synonym “perseverance” and “steadfastness,” here’s what caught my eye. Romans 5:3-4 says, ”We also boast in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope.” (Modern English Version). “We boast in tribulation” is translated as “we glory in suffering” in the NIV. 2 Peter 1:5-9 takes a similar idea of how one virtue builds upon another. “For this reason make every effort to add virtue to y...
Tim Woodcock writes: At the weekend we attended a (virtual) Bat Mitzvah for our niece. One of the many fascinating parts of the service was when the rabbi addressed the congregation as “God wrestlers.” What an intriguing phrase! It sent me down a rabbit hole of research that I’m not going to recount here. But wouldn’t it be interesting if Christian congregations started using that phrase, too?
Comments
Post a Comment