❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) What Is The “Life” God Gives Us? (John 5:19-30) Mari Ikeda Last Wednesday, Kazu, one of the members of this church, passed away. Yesterday was his funeral. His battle with cancer had already begun when he first came to this church 10 years ago, but perhaps what we all remember in common is that he was always calm and smiling. Sometimes he made us laugh with his humor, and many times he brought us delicious food. I also remember the expression on his face when he quietly said “thank you” after we prayed together. Over the past year, he has had many bad days, so…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) שָׁלוֹם・平和・Peace (Psalm 120) Andy Nagahara In the Japanese Bible, these 15 psalms, from today’s 120 to 134, are titled “A song of ascents” The original word simply means “to go up,” as the English Bible translates it, and so the word has been interpreted in various ways: for example, to go to Jerusalem, the city of the temple; to go up to the temple; to go up the 15 steps in the temple, and so on. But it is not possible to say for sure which one it is.However, all the theories agree that going up means getting closer to God. It is a sincere…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Hearts that are hurt and distorted by society (John 5:1-18) Mari Ikeda Today we continue with the Gospel of John, and today we will read 5:1-18. I thought about dividing this passage into two parts because it is long, but I decided to put it together in one part because I thought there are things we can only see by reading it as a whole. What we can see is that no matter how much our hearts are hurt and distorted in society and we no longer trust anyone, Jesus is the one who comes into our despair and resignation and patiently continues to heal…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ת（Tau) 　keep trusting and waiting Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (22/22) Psalm 119:169–176 Andy Nagahrara Today, in the final part of our series on Psalm 119, we will focus on verses 169-176, where the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ת (tau),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the paragraph. We have spent 13 months reading this Psalm 119, 8 verses each time. It was an attempt to find the gospel of Jesus from the poems of the time when Jesus was not yet known, but I wonder if it helped you…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Believing Without Seeing (John 4:43-54) Mari Ikeda      Today we will read John 4:43-45 as we continue reading John’s Gospel. Today’s passage teaches us that when we believe in God, we don’t believe because God has done something for us. Faith is trusting that God will lead us in the right direction at all times, whether the reality we see is good or bad. Let’s start reading. I’d like to read it in two parts. First, verses 43-45.  A. People seek what they can see (43-45, 2:23-25) 43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ש（Shin) Love for law Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (21/22) Psalm 119:160–168 Andy Nagahrara Today is the 21st in a series on Psalm 119. We will cover verses 161-168, where the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ש (Shin)” is placed at the beginning of each line of the 21st paragraph.The reading of this letter is said to be related to the Hebrew word for tooth (שן šen), but there are different theories.Today, let’s consider what it means for us to “love the law,” which appears three times in this text. 1. The word of the Lord,…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Joy That Fills and Moves Our Hearts (John 4:27-42) Mari Ikeda Continuing from last time, today we will read the second half of the story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus. It’s John 4:27-42. Today’s keyword is “joy.” As you read today’s section, you can see the joy and excitement of everyone involved, including Jesus. First, in verses 27-30, we see the joy of the Samaritan woman. Her joy was her surprise and excitement, joy and anticipation that Jesus knew her so well. It is also the joy that all of us get when we meet Jesus. Let’s read verses 27-30. A. The joy…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ר（Resh) Preserve My Life Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (20/22) Psalm 119:153–160 Andy Nagahrara Today we continue with the very long Psalm 119 that I have been sharing with you in the series, and we will take up verses 153-160, where the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ר（Resh)” is placed at the beginning of each line of the 20th paragraph.The character is derived from the Hebrew: ראש roš, which depicts a head.　Today’s text is characterized by the repetition of the wish, “Preserve my life according to __.”　Last week, we thought about the water of life that…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Jesus Values Encountering Each Person Personally (John 4:1-26) Mari Ikeda Today we will read 4:1-26 as a continuation of the Gospel of John. 4:1-42 is actually one story, but since it is so long, I decided to read it in two parts. Even so, today’s verses 1-26 are long enough, so today I would like to read them by omitting some of the detailed explanations. Today’s passage depicts an encounter between a woman and Jesus. I think it is shown here that Jesus is the one who values the encounters with each one of us. Now, let’s start reading, firstly verses 1-6. A. God’s plan…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ק (Qoph) Call out to the Lord with all my heart　 Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (19/22) Psalm 119:145–152 Andy Nagahrara We continue with Psalm 119, which I have been talking about in a series for a while. Today we will take up verses 145-152, where the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ק (Qoph),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the 19th paragraph. What is impressive in today’s part is how the psalmist repeatedly calls out to God. Have you ever had the experience of calling out to God or crying out to…