❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) What we must do to pave the way for the future (Psalm 143) Andy Nagahara Today’s text is Psalm 143. It contains the secrets that will enable us to move forward into the future with hope, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Let’s read with anticipation. 1. There is no one righteous (0-4) 0 A psalm of David.1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground;…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Racism and Church (Matthew 25:31-46 and others) Mari Ikeda      Today I would like to speak specially on the subject of “Racism and Church”. I will tell you later why I decided to do so. First, I would like to begin by reading the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 25:31-46. 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Jesus Healing the Blind Man and Our Society that Continues to Discriminate (Part I) Series “Theology of Interdependence and Disability,” Part 2 (John 9:1-23) Mari Ikeda      Last month we began a series on Kathy Black’s book, and today is the second in the series. In the first part, we read the first five verses of John 9 and talked about what Kathy Black calls “the theology of interdependence.” Today we will read the entire chapter 9, which is a continuation of that series, but since it is long, I decided to split it into two parts, one for today and the other for…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Lift up your voice to the LORD for mercy (Psalm 142) Andy Nagahara Today’s text is Psalm 142. It is a psalm written by the psalmist imagining David’s prayer about the events that occurred before he became king of Israel. Let’s read the whole thing first. 0 A of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Efforts We Must Continue To Make To Avoid Repeating Our Mistakes (John8:31-47) Mari Ikeda      August is a time for Japan to recall memories of the war, but this year, due to the heat of the Paris Olympics, I have the impression that media coverage of war-related issues has been reduced compared to previous years. Last week, there were Peace Memorial Ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. Hiroshima did not invite the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus, and Nagasaki did not invite the ambassador of Israel in addition to those two countries.      The cover of today’s bulletin is a picture of the…