❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Birth of Jesus as “the Word” (John 1:1-14) Andy Nagahara All the Advent candles have been lit, and today marks the last Sunday of Advent. Like many churches, we have always held a Christmas service on the Sunday just before Christmas Day. Last week we learned that before His birth it was prophesied that He would be named Jesus, which means “Lord is salvation,” and that He would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” And from that, we learned that the salvation we need is to walk through life with Jesus. Today, let’s start by looking at the beginning of the Gospel…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Immanuel, God With Us (Matthew 1:18-25) Mari Yoshino One word we often hear during this Christmas season is “Immanuel.” It is a Hebrew word meaning “God is with us.” How have we experienced this truth throughout this past year, and even at this very moment? “God is with us” means that God knows us completely, will not leave our suffering unattended, and will always lead us to what is good. Therefore, if we can believe in “Immanuel,” we should be able to regain hope even in the midst of any suffering. Yet we are not that strong. Even so, Jesus proved that “Immanuel” is a…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Receive like Mary, proclaim like John (Luke 1:28-45, 68-79) Andy Nagahara It’s the second Sunday of Advent. This chapel has changed completely since last week, and now it looks more like Advent. Decorating for Christmas is fun and exciting no matter what age we are, but it also reminds us of the anticipation people had at the time for the Savior to come. Thank you to everyone who helped put up Christmas decorations after the service last week. In reality, however, very few people were expecting and waiting for Jesus on the day he came. Although the Jews had been informed of the coming of…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Peace Through Violence and Peace Through Justice (Matthew 2:1-3, Luke 2:8-14, Matthew 10:34-39) Mari Yoshino Today is the first Sunday of Advent, marking the beginning of the season when we await the birth of Jesus. Christmas is often associated with a message of peace. This is likely because Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace” at His birth, and the image of the infant Jesus laid in a manger connects to this idea of peace. For the past three weeks at Your Church, whether in our Proverbs series or our Gospel of John series, the theme of what God’s peace truly is has continued. Though…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Awaiting the King of Peace (Zechariah ９：9-１０、Matthew 21:1-9) Andy Nagahara Although we have not entered Advent, today, as Advent Week 0, I would like to introduce one of the prophecies about Jesus recorded in the Old Testament.  We will resume our Proverbs series again next year. This prophecy also deepens our understanding of the true peace that only Jesus can give, which we learned about last week. Today we will look at the words of the prophet Zechariah.Zechariah’s prophecy is placed second to last among the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament.Zechariah was active about 500 years before the birth of Jesus, and he was…