❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Love defines justice Andy Nagahara Today, I would like to focus on some proverbs from the 12th chapter of Proverbs. Firstly, let me introduce two proverbs. A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. (3)In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. (28) These two proverbs are today’s theme. Despite the atrocities committed in the name of “justice” around the world, here is our hope. The justice described here is, of course, not the justice that the tyrants of the world are selfishly claiming today, but the justice that God seeks. It says that even…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Amidst Conflict and Confusion John 15:18-16:4 Mari Yoshino Today, I’d like to return to our series on the Gospel of John after some time. We’ll be looking at John 15:18–16:4. I believe this passage can be easily misunderstood if not read carefully. Let’s start reading right away. As usual, we’ll read it bit by bit. First, verses 18–21. A. Things to remember when undertaking God’s work 1. The world that hated Jesus was the very world He desired to save.（18-21) 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The leaves of the tree of life Andy Nagahara As we return to the Proverbs series, today’s message is　also with next week’s huddle meeting in mind. A huddle is a meeting of members who have signed the Your Church Covenant. This is a meeting where we discuss and pray about various things so that Your Church can walk in accordance with God’s will. Today’s proverb teaches us what it means for us to be a “church” and the values ​​that guide the church as it walks in accordance with God’s will. Today I will be focusing on some proverbs from chapter 11, so there will…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Where does the strength come from to keep the Your Church Covenant? (Your Church Covenant II) Andy Nagahara Last week we heard a message about the Your Church Covenant. Today I would like to continue talking about the Covenant. That being said, I won’t be repeating the content. Remember the three pillars of the Covenant? They are to love God, love one another, and love the world. Now, I would like to ask those of you who were members of the Covenant last year: Please raise your hand if you were able to keep 100% of your Covenant commitments. So, then how about 50%… if…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) A Promise to Live Loving God and Loving Others (Your Church Covenant) Mari Yoshino 1. Love and serve God a. Trust and obey God above all else (Mark 12:29-31, 8:34-37) 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31) These two commandments spoken by Jesus encompass all three commitments of…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Heroes and villains (Proverbs 10) Andy Nagahara The Proverbs series has been on hold for a while, but starting today we will begin a new part both in content and format. The section we will be looking at today, from chapter 10 to chapter 22, is the second part of the book of Proverbs, entitled “The Proverbs of Solomon.” It contains 375 proverbs, each verse counted as a proverb. Although there are some unusual parts in the structure, most of the book presents two opposing ideas and encourages us to live a good life.However, what we should understand is not so simple, and there is…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Remain in Jesus (John15:1-17) Mari Yoshino The new year has begun. How are you feeling? For the first worship service of the year, I always choose a Bible passage I want to keep in mind throughout the year. This time, I felt a passage continuing from the Gospel of John was fitting. It’s a well-known passage from Jesus’ words: “I am the vine; you are the branches.” In the Old Testament, the vine represents the people of Israel and is often spoken of in a lamenting context, signifying that despite being planted and nurtured by God, it failed to bear fruit. Jesus, of course, knew…

❖ 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…