❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) We Fail To See Jesus, Who Is With Us Luke 24:13-35 Mari Ikeda As you know, Easter Sunday is the day to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but how real do you feel that Jesus is resurrected and lives with us? Do you truly believe and rejoice for Jesus being close to you, guiding your life and walking with you? I’m asking you and myself. I sometimes lose faith and doubt. However, reading the text today, I can be sure that it is my problem if I don’t see him, because he is indeed always just in front of us. The text today…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Invitation to the Last Supper Mark 14:22-25, John 13:3-8, 12-15 (Matthew 26:26-30, Luke 22:14-20, 1Corinthians 11:23-26) Andy Nagahara Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Passion Week. Though I often talk about how I spend this week each year, today I am going to talk about what happened the day before Jesus was crucified. If you would like to read each event of the week in the Bible in order and daily, please visit the YourChurch’s website and check the 2021 Palm Sunday message. Today’s episode is the famous painting “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.In fact, everyone who was not alive at…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Jesus’ Sorrow and Anger John 2:13-25 Mari Ikeda Today we continue to read John’s Gospel. Today’s passage is the second half of chapter 2. I’d like to divide it into three parts, but the main part is the first two parts, as the last part, which is v.23-25, is like a side note. Let’s start with reading the first half, v.13-17. A. Jesus’ anger (13-17) 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ס（Samekh) Double-Minded Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　15/22 Psalm 119:113-120 Andy Nagahara This is the fifteenth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Today, we will focus on verses 113-120, in which the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ס（Samekh)” is placed at the beginning of each line of the fifteenth paragraph.Let’s start reading. 1. Double-minded (113, 114) 113 I hate double-minded men,but I love your law.114 You are my refuge and my shield;I have put my hope in your word. The “double-mindedness” that appears at the beginning of this passage is the…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Water for Purification Turned to Wine Mari Ikeda Last month I used two Sundays of my turn to talk about the covenant of the members of this church, I’d like to go back to my series on John’s Gospel. Today’s reading is 2:1-12. It’s a little long, but let’s read the whole passage to start. 1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) נ (Nun) A Lamp To My Feet And A Light For My Path Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　14/22 Psalm 119:105-112 Andy Nagahara This is the fourteenth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Today, we will focus on verses 105-112, in which the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “נ　（Nun),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the fourteenth paragraph.Since the last time around, the atmosphere of the psalm has changed a bit. In the last part, there were no words at all like the previously familiar cries for help.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Make Your Weakness the Source of Your Strength Your church Covenant II Mari Ikeda How are we practicing in the church the second promise of Your Church Covenant, “Love and serve each other”? Whether or not we actually practice it well, what kind of community are we trying to become? Today, I’d like to learn from the conversations between Jesus and Peter, what church is, and how we should be. There are three important points. Let us start with reading the passage of the first encounter of Jesus and Peter in John 1. A. Be yourself 1. Jesus chose you because you were you Andrew,…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) מ(Mem) The perfect food sweeter than honey Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　13/22 Psalm 119:97-104 Andy Nagahara This is the thirteenth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Today, we will focus on verses 97-104, in which the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “מ（Mem),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the thirteenth paragraph. Mem is the Hebrew letter equivalent to the Greek letter Μμmu, and the English letter M. The character is believed to have originated from a letter depicting water (Hebrew: מים mayim). For the people who had…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) “From Solitude to Community to Ministry” Luke 6:12-26　 Yourchurch Covenant, (* This message is based on Henry Nouwen’s essay in 1995 titled, “Moving from Solitude to Community to Ministry.”) Mari Ikeda Today I’d like to leave my series on John’s Gospel, to talk about the membership of this church. In this church, members are not members forever once they become members. Rather, we ask everyone including pastors to decide annually. To be specific, we ask people to make a covenant to keep three promises. Three promises are, first to love God, second to love each other in the church, and third to go out from…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) ל (Lamedh) The Secret of Eternal Life Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law　12/22 Psalm 119:89-96 Andy Nagahara This is the twelfth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Finally, we are now in the second half of the Psalm 119. We will focus on verses 89-96, in which the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ל (lamedh),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the twelfth paragraph.This is equivalent to the Greek letter lambda, and the English letter L. It is considered to derive from a script depicting a shepherd’s staff…