❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Immanuel (God with us) The Third Advent (Matthew 1:18-25) Andy Nagahara The third week of Advent begins today. This year, Christmas is next Monday, so this is essentially the last week of waiting for Christmas. Although the end of the year is approaching and the atmosphere is hectic, today I would like to introduce a text that will help you spend this week thinking deeply about the meaning of Christmas. That is Matthew 1:18-25. At first, let’s read up to verse 21. A. How was the infant named Jesus? (18-21) 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) How To Achieve True Peace (Isaiah 11:1-9) Mari Ikeda It is the second Sunday of Christmas. Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus who was born to bring peace to this world, but with the recent world situation only increasing wars and conflicts, it may be getting harder and harder to believe that a King of Peace was born.Today, I would like to read Isaiah 11 and consider what the King of Peace prophesied in the Bible is like and what true peace is. I’d like to divide the passage into two parts. Firstly let’s read verses 1-5. A. The One who brings true peace…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The light of the world The first Advent (Isaiah 9:2-6, John 1:9-14) Andy Nagahara Starting today, the Christian church’s calendar begins a four-week period of anticipation for Christmas called Advent. Every year at this time, four candles are placed like this, and one candle is lit today, the first week of the month, and each week the number of candles is increased by one. All four candles are lit during the Christmas service on the last Sunday of Advent. It expresses the feeling of waiting and longing.The text we will read first today is a prophecy recorded in chapter 9 of Isaiah, one of the…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) While We Try To Be Strong, Jesus Chooses and Loves the Weak (John 6:60-71) Mari Ikeda Today we continue with the Gospel of John, and today we will read 6:60-71. Over the past two months and four messages, I have spoken from Chapter 6. In particular, the last two messages have been on the theme “Jesus is the Bread of Life,” in which I have explained that the bread of life that brings us eternal life is Jesus Himself, and that we must eat Him to have a true life. Today’s passage records the disciples’ response to this teaching. As we will read, it is…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) How To Live in Vain (Psalm 127:1, 2) Andy Nagahara Let’s listen to the words of Jesus Christ speaking to us through the Psalm today. Today’s text is the Psalm 12７. This psalm has different contents sung in the first and second halves. The first half of this psalm sings that all human activities are futile if they don’t recognize God’s work in them. The second half of the song is a blessing about having descendants, especially sons. And the content of this latter half is connected to the content of the next psalm 128 . The latter half of Psalm 127 and Psalm 128…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Living by “Eating” the Death of Jesus (John 6:41-59) Mari Ikeda Today we continue with the Gospel of John, and today we will read 6:41-59. This is a passage that deals with the theme of “Jesus is the Bread of Life” through three times, last time, today, and next time. Today’s passage is the heart of the series. The main part is from verse 48 onward, but before that, in verses 41-47, the important things that we confirmed last time are discussed in more detail. Let’s read from verses 41-47. A. Faith is something God gives us (41-47) 41 At this the Jews there began…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Jesus the sower (Psalm 126) Andy Nagahara Let’s listen to the words of Jesus Christ speaking to us through the Psalm today. Today’s text is Psalm 126. Let’s read the whole thing first. 0 A song of ascents. 1 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.5…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Eternally Valuable (John 6:22-40) Mari Ikeda Today we continue with the Gospel of John, and today we will read 6:22-40. Actually there is only one theme addressed from today’s passage to the end of this chapter 6, but since it is very long, I will divide it into three sermons. After those three sermons, we will enter the Advent, Christmas season. So, starting today, I would like to spend the next three sermons gradually considering the theme that Jesus is the bread of life that God has given to us. The core of the story is what we will read next time, and today’s passage…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Those who trust in the LORD (Psalm 125) Andy Nagahara Let’s listen to the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, who speaks to us again through the psalm today. Today’s text is Psalm 125. Let’s read up to verse 2 first. 1. The LORD surrounds us (1,2) 0 A song of ascents.1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,which cannot be shaken but endures forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,so the LORD surrounds his peopleboth now and forevermore. The phrase we want to focus on is the subject of today’s entire message: that of those who “trust in the Lord”, “Those who trust…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) We Meet Jesus In The Storm (John 6:16-21) Mari Ikeda Today we continue with the Gospel of John, and today we will read 6:16-21. This is another famous passage, like the previous one, which records the miracle of Jesus walking on the water during the storm and catching up with the disciples in their boat. While the previous miracle of the feeding of the crowd of 5,000, which we read last time, is recorded in all four Gospels, today’s passage is recorded in three Gospels other than Luke. And since all three Gospels record the previous passage and today’s passage consecutively, it is likely that…