❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Christmas is the birthday of the true King (Psalm 149・The Third Week of the Advent) Andy Nagahara Today is the third Sunday of Advent, when we look forward to Christmas. Normally I would take a break from the Psalm series and take up a text about events just before Christmas, but this year I decided to continue with the Psalm series and read Psalm 149. This is because the joyful anticipation sung in this verse is appropriate for Advent, when we anticipate the birth of Jesus. 1. Christmas which was expected to be the birth of a new king (1-3) 1 Praise the LORD.Sing to…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Most Wonderful Gift in the World (Matthew 1:18-25・The Second Week of the Advent) Mari Ikeda Today is the second Sunday of Advent. Today let’s quickly start by reading Matthew 1:18-25. 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Shining in the Darkness (John 1:1-13) Guest Speaker: Wayne Jansen 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Lights and Shadows of the Story of Healing for the Deaf Series “Theology of Interdependence and Disability,” Part 5 (Mark 7:31-37) Mari Ikeda      This July, we began a series of readings from Kathy Black’s book to reconsider the Bible from the perspective of people with disabilities, and today is the fifth in the series. Today we will look at Mark 7:31-37. This is the only passage in the Bible that records an episode in which Jesus heals a deaf man, unrelated to the casting out of demons. Because it is the only passage in the Bible, this passage has been important for deaf…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Let us praise the name of the LORD (Psalm 148) Andy Nagahara Today’s psalm is the 148th. The word that appears most frequently in today’s verse is “Praise.” This psalm sings, “Praise the Lord” or “Praise the name of the Lord,” and actually I covered the difference between these phrases in my talk about Psalm 124 about a year ago, so if you’re interested, please read it again. Jesus Is The Name Of The Lord (Psalm 124)https://yourchurch.jp/wpe/2023/10/08/e231008 This morning I would like to consider why we should praise the Lord. First, let’s read up to verse  1. Let us give thanks for creation and praise…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Let us have sincerity from the heart rather than piety in appearance (John 10:22-39) Mari Ikeda     Today we continue in the Gospel of John, reading 10:22-39. This passage records a dispute between Jesus and the Jews. It is an exchange that has been repeated in the past, but I believe that this passage calls us once again to be sincere with God. What God wants from us is not for us to be respectable believers in the eyes of others. Rather, what God asks of us is that we face our own weaknesses and come before God as we are, even if we…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) How pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalm 147) Andy Nagahara Today’s psalm is the 147th. This poem, like many of our modern worship songs, has a sequential structure that is repeated several times. In modern terms, it is a song with one to three verses. Now it is impossible to recreate what the melody was like, and we can only imagine what the sound of the harp was like at the time, but I would like to read it while keeping in mind that it is a song that was sung in worship services.Before reading the text, let’s check the structure of the song.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Struggle Against Discrimination and Despair Series “Theology of Interdependence and Disability,” Part 4 (Mark 10:46-52) Mari Ikeda      This is the fourth in the series of readings from Kathy Black’s book today. The theme of this series is “Disability and Theology of Interdependence,” in which we consider the importance of living in dependence on one another for both people with and without disabilities. Today we will read the story of the blind man Bartimaeus in the Gospel of Mark chapter 10.      This story has much to teach us, and today I would like to consider it from two different angles in the…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Who do we trust to live? (Psalm 146) Andy Nagahara Today’s psalm is the 146th. We have been reading the Psalms almost every other week since the fall of 2016, and finally today we will start reading the last five psalms. First we will read the whole thing. 1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Shepherd Who Sacrifices His Life for His Sheep (John 10:1-18) Mari Ikeda      Today we are going to begin Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. The passage we will read today is the story of how we are a flock of sheep being led by Jesus. As usual, we will read a little at a time. First, verses 1-6. A. A parable (1-6) 1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate…