❖ 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…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Peace That Jesus Gives (John14:25-31) Mari Yoshino Today we continue with the Gospel of John, reading from 14:25-31. This passage summarizes the teachings Jesus gave to His disciples, which began in chapter 13. One of the most memorable and well-known statements in today’s passage is Jesus’ words in verse 27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” When we hear the word “peace,” we usually think of “ the absence of war.” But the peace Jesus gives us is not merely the absence of war. Even in the midst of war, even in the midst of any suffering, it is an…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Which invitation will you accept? (Proverbs 9) Andy Nagahara This morning we are reading chapter 9 of the Proverbs series. The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and can be divided into five major parts, and today’s text is the last chapter of Part 1. One of the features of the first part was the way in which personified wisdom spoke to us, but here, along with wisdom, its opposite concept, “foolishness,” is also personified, and yet it speaks to and invites people in the same way. Chapter 9 begins with an invitation to wisdom and ends with an invitation to foolishness. The book has…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Because “Love One Another” is difficult (John14:15-24) Mari Yoshino Today we continue with the Gospel of John, reading from 14:15-24. Let’s quickly begin by reading the first verse. John 14:15. A. “Love one another” 1. If we receive Jesus’ love and love Him (15) 15 “If you love me, keep my commands.  Jesus’ commandment was stated a little earlier. It’s 13:34. 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. “Love one another.” This is the command Jesus gave us. I don’t think anyone would oppose this command, whether they believe in Jesus…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Happy? Lucky? Blessed? (Proverbs 8:32-36) Andy Nagahara Today’s reading of Proverbs in the series is chapter 8, verses 32-36. Today we would like to listen again to what God is telling us from here. This section is a summary of the first part that we have read so far. It may be difficult to understand just by reading this part, so let’s briefly review the content so far and the background. The Old Testament is the Jewish scriptures that existed before Jesus Christ came to this world. The 39 documents are arranged into four types: 1) the history of Judaism and the Israelites, 2) commandments…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Meaning of Believing in Jesus and Its Fruit (John14:8-14) Mari Yoshino Today we continue with the Gospel of John, reading from 14:8-14. This passage begins with one of the disciples, who could not quite grasp who Jesus was, asking Him a question. Jesus’ response teaches us what it means to know Him and thereby know God, and what faith truly is. Furthermore, Jesus also reveals what we gain through having faith. As usual, let’s read it bit by bit. First, verses 8-9. A. Knowing God through Jesus 1. We desire to see God’s face directly (8-9) 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father…