❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Righteousness・Justice・Fairness (Proverbs 2:1-9) Andy Nagahara Today we begin chapter 2 of our series on reading Proverbs. Here again the exhortation comes in the form of a father speaking to his son. What will God teach us today? Let’s listen with anticipation. Let’s read up to verse 5. 1. Seeking God’s will as if seeking hidden treasure (1-5) 1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Why Jesus Had to Die (First Sunday of Lent) Mari Ikeda Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. This year, Lent runs from March 5 to April 17, with Easter on April 20. During this time, as is the tradition of the Church, we are especially encouraged to spend time reflecting on the suffering of Jesus. Today we will continue to read the Gospel of John, and I think it is an appropriate passage to begin Lent. I hope that through today’s passage we can reflect on what Jesus suffered for…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) There Is No One Who Is Unclean Series “Theology of Interdependence and Disability” Part 7 (Mark 1:40-45) Mari Ikeda Today is the seventh in our monthly series, an attempt to re-read the Bible from the perspective of a person with a disability, based on the book by Kathy Black. Today we will read Mark 1:40-45. Since this is a short passage, I would like to begin reading it as a whole quickly. 40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) This is not a church! (Matthew 10:1, 5-8, Mark 6:30,31, Luke 10:38-42) Andy Nagahara I am very happy to say that we have had an increase in the number of people who are new to Your Church or have not been here for a long time and have joined us again in worship together, so this morning I would like to talk about how we value the way we are as a church. Of course, we would also like those of you who have been here a long time to take this opportunity to double-check, so please listen carefully. A. Worship service and Mini-church 1. Where…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) If you listen to wisdom (Proverbs 1:20-33) Andy Nagahara Today, in the third time of our Proverbs series, we will read from verse 20 of chapter 1 onward. This part is not written in the form of a father admonishing his son as in the previous passage, but rather as “wisdom” speaking to him.The Japanese Bible does not make it clear what the personified “Wisdom” who speaks is, but the English Bible, the NIV, tells us that she is a woman.As we continue reading Proverbs, we come across another personified woman in chapter 9. This woman also speaks to people just like “Wisdom,” but her…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Resurrection of the Dead? (John 11:1-44) Mari Ikeda Today we will continue our series on the Gospel of John by reading chapter 11. This chapter is the story of Jesus raising a man named Lazarus from the dead, and it is a long passage that goes from verse 1 to verse 44, so today I will skip some parts of it. The resurrection of the dead is something that is scientifically impossible, and there is no scientific proof that it actually happened. However, the heart of the Christian faith lies in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we cannot talk about faith in Jesus…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Who will you walk with? (Proverbs 1:8-19) Andy Nagahara Last time we read the introduction to Proverbs, which introduced its characteristics, its purpose, and its central theme.　Today we will read the next verses, from verse 8 to verse 19.Although not all Bibles are like this, both the NIV and the Joint Inter confessional Translation (JBSIV), which we use, have headings in units smaller than chapters. In today’s part, the NIV says “Exhortations to embrace wisdom,” while the JBSIV says “A Father’s admonition.” The NIV’s are headings that describe the content, while the JBSIV’s are headings that describe the format. Taking both together, today’s text is…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Faith That Breaks Down Social Barriers Series “Theology of Interdependence and Disability,” Part 6 (Mark 2:1-12) Mari Ikeda Since last summer, once a month, I have been doing a series on “Theology of Disability and Interdependence,” an attempt to re-read the Bible from the perspective of people with disabilities, based on Kathy Black’s book. Today is the sixth in the series. Following the order of the book, today we will read Mark 2:1-12. We will read the first half and the second half separately. First, verses 1-5. A. The model shown by Jesus (1-5) 1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:1-7) Andy Nagahara After finishing the series of Psalms that I had been reading over the course of several years, I thought over the New Year holidays about what to read next, and I decided to continue with Proverbs, which come after Psalms in the Old Testament, and then Ecclesiastes, which comes after them.Today I would like to start with the first part of Proverbs, talk about what kind of book it is and how we should read it. 1. About Proverbs (1) Let me read the first verse. The proverbs of Solomon son…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) A Statement of Determination that “I Am Yours.” (Your Church Member’s Covenant Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-37) Mari Ikeda Today I would like to talk about church membership. Christian churches around the world have membership systems, and this church has one as well, but the way the system works differs from church to church. Some churches automatically renew membership semi-permanently once a person becomes a member, while others confirm each person’s commitment every year. At that time, some churches also confirm how much each member plans to contribute each month, and budget accordingly. At Your Church, membership is not automatically renewed, and although we confirm each…