❖ Video ❖ Audio Shout for Joy to the Lord! Psalm 100 Andy Nagahara 1. The basis of our joy that makes us want to shout (1,5) 1 A psalm. For giving thanks.Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. 2. The relationship between us and the Lord (3) Know that the LORD is God.It is he who made us, and we are his ;we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 3. Worship and service (2,4) 2 Worship the LORD with gladness;come before him with joyful songs. 4 Enter his gates…

❖ Video ❖ Audio A Promise of Blessings as Numerous as the Stars Romans 4・Genesis 15:1-6 Mari Ikeda Today, we will be reading the whole chapter of the Romans chapter 4. I picked the whole chapter, as its content is one and cannot be split in the middle, but I will be skipping a good amount of its middle part. Let’s start from verses 1-3.  A. Abraham, father of the faith(1-3, Genesis15:1-6) 1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What…

❖ Video ❖ Audio Lord • King • God Psalm 99 Andy Nagahara 1. The Lord is King (1-3) 1 The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. 2 Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name– he is holy.  2. The King is God (4, 5) 4 The King is mighty, he loves justice– you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. 5 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.  3. God is Lord (6-9) 6 Moses…

❖ Video ❖ Audio A Gift from God to All People Romans 3:21-31 Mari Ikeda Today, we will be reading from Romans 3:21-31. The content reads as if Romans chapter 2 is beginning here. What Paul was trying to say is condensed here as the first introduction to a new content. And the core of our faith is also condensed in it. We should not forget that our faith is not based on whether we believe or not believe but it’s rather a gift that God wants to offer us. We will read bit by bit. First Verses 21-24 A. A gift from God 1. God’s desire is to save…

❖ Video ❖ Audio Sing Your Thanks! Sing Your Hopes! Psalm 98 Andy Nagahara The coronavirus continues to spread, and we have not been able to hold Sunday services as usual for over a year now. However, this is a good opportunity given by God. In what sense was it a good opportunity? First of all, we were able to realize that the worship services that we had gathered and offered as a matter of course were actually offered by being protected by God’s grace. The other thing is that we realized that we can worship together even if we can’t be in the same place at the same time.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio The Value of Being a “Christian” Romans 3:1-20 Mari Ikeda 1. We can prove that God will never forsake us even if we betray him (1-4) 1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you…

❖ Video ❖ Audio Rejoice! Psalm 97 Andy Nagahara 　　 (Translated by Raffael Eboku) Hey Smile! When told to do that in a group photo, there will be some people with slightly distorted smiles. Even people who have reservations on whether someone can really smile under such circumstances, still (force) a smile anyway.  However, it is not possible to rejoice when told to do so. Joy is from the heart and cannot be made up by (mere) facial expressions. So, when the Bible says, “Rejoice,” it is not a command, it means you have the material to rejoice. It is not the kind of “joy” that the world can give.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio A Joyful Morning Has Come Psalm 30 Mari Ikeda A. Jesus was risen from the dead (1-5) 1 I will exalt you, LORD,for you lifted me out of the depthsand did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 LORD my God, I called to you for help,and you healed me. 3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;you spared me from going down to the pit. 4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment,but his favor lasts a lifetime;weeping may stay for the night,but rejoicing comes in…

❖ Video ❖ Audio Meditations for Passion Week 2021 Andy Nagahara From today, we begin the Passion Week, which is the most important week of the year for followers of Jesus. I hope that you too will spend this week in a meaningful way. So, I will be taking a break from the series this week and next week to give a message for the Passion Week and resurrection. This week I will be sharing my message for Passion Week and what I would like you to do with me this week. That is to have time for meditation. Meditation as the (Chinese) kanji characters depict, means spending time together…

❖ Video ❖ Audio A Church Where the Adults Sing Enthusiastically Romans 2:17-29 Mari Ikeda A. Faith is not morality (17-24) 17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others,…