❖ Video (Whole Worship Service) ❖ Audio (Message) Who was Jesus? John 1:1-18 Mari Ikeda Starting from today, I’d like to start reading the Gospel according to John, because I feel it’s about time to go back to the actual words of Jesus after we have read Romans for nearly 2 years and kept hearing from Paul. Also because I have read other Gospels in the past, but not John, I picked John. If you have read the Gospel of John, you may well know that it is quite different from the other three Gospels and that it has many passages that sound very philosophical and difficult to understand. However,…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ז (Zayin)　Your promise preserves my life Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　7/22 Psalm 119:49-56 Andy Nagahara The seventh in the series of Psalm 119, called Hymn to the Law, is the seventh paragraph in the entire series. It is verses 49 through 56, where the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Zayin, is placed at the beginning of each line. The name of the letter is the same as the Hebrew word for weapon (זין　zayin). 1. My comfort in my suffering (49, 50, 52) 49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 50 My comfort in my…

❖ Video (Whole Worship Service) ❖ Audio (Message) Church: A Community of Mutual Support that Transcends Sex, Status, and Ethnicity Romans 16 (Last Sermon in the Series on Paul’s Letter to the Romans) Mari Ikeda Finally, this is my last sermon in the series on Romans. We’ll read its last chapter, chapter 16, but I want to skip a part of it as it’s quite long. It’s long because so many people’s names are listed up, 24 in total. As I have said before, as Paul had never been to Rome, most people in the churches in Rome did not know Paul personally. Perhaps Paul listed up the names of…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ו (Waw)  “I trust in your word” Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　6/22 Psalm 119:41-48 Andy Nagahara The sixth in the series of Psalm 119, called Hymn to the Law, is the sixth paragraph in the entire series. It is verses 41 through 4８, where the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Waw, is placed at the beginning of each line. Although there are different theories, this character is supposed to derive from the “וו” (hook) in its form. This paragraph consists of two parts: the first half is the psalmist’s requests to God, and the second half is the…

❖ Video (Whole Worship Service) ❖ Audio (Message) More Difficult and More Important Than Going to the Ends of the Earth Romans 15:22-23 (Reference: Acts 20:22-23, 21:13, 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, 2 Corinthians 8-9) Mari Ikeda Today I’d like to read through the whole passage for today first, which is Romans 15:22-33. I’ll divide it into three parts according to subject and read them Japanese and English alternately.  22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ה (He)： What we should seek from God Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　5/22 Psalm 119:33-40 Andy Nagahara The fifth in the series of Psalm 119, called Hymn to the Law, is the fifth paragraph in the entire series. It is verses 33 through 40, where the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, he, is placed at the beginning of each line. The origin of this script is unfortunately not known. Today, we will read each of the verses, with a focus on the psalmist’s requests to God. hey have actually always been and still are not only good requests…

❖ Video (Whole Worship Service) ❖ Audio (Message) Why We Stay Connected to Other People Romans 15:14-21 Mari Ikeda We are back in Romans today after a long time. But actually we are finally approaching to the end of Romans. The text today, 15:14-21, is also the initial part of the closing dedication.  　I gave my message today the title, “Why we stay connected to other people.” Because we can learn through the text today how active person Paul was in staying connected to others. However, it doesn’t mean that the text is pushing us to stay connected with others.   Or are you a type of person who enjoys being…

❖ Video ❖ Audio This Treasure, in Jars of Clay 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Guest Speaker: Yuko Honjo (Pastor, The UCCJ Osaka church) 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for…

❖ Video ❖ Audio What It Means To Forgive Psalm 61:1-9 Yasunobu Ishimaru(The UCCJ Pastor / Joshigakuin School Teacher) Thank you for inviting me to the worship service of Your Church.  I heard that you have been hearing the messages from the Bible focusing on the subject of peace this August.  We all, indeed, need peace.。 It’s important for us to pay attention with love to various events happening in the world to seek peace. However, it is also necessary at the same time for us to spend time to reflect on ourselves who are living in this world.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” He calls us  “peacemakers.”  Peace…

❖ Video ❖ Audio War and Peace [Anniversary of the end of World War II] Mari Ikeda It will be the 77th anniversary of the end of WWII tomorrow. As I said last week, I think many of us are forced to think about war and peace more than we do usually in August, because of the war in Ukraine since last February. Thus, I’d like to focus on war and peace in this message today, leaving from the series of Romans. Let’s start with the Book of Isaiah, chapter 9. A. Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9) 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;…