Author: Japanese Congregational Church

I John 1:1-3

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We’ve been looking at God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. God promised not only to bless Abraham with many children that would become a great nation; but that through this people, the entire world would be blessed. We’ve also seen that this is God’s plan – to bless the entire world! And amazingly, God desires to bless the entire world through us, God’s people.

But how do we do that….in a specific sense? We’ve used the acrostic BLESS, and looked at 5 natural ways that we can bless people around us and reach out to them with the good news of Jesus:

1. Begin with Prayer
2. Listen with Care
3. Eat together
4. Serve with love
5. Share your story (the story of Jesus in your life)

Today we’re looking at this last step – to actually share our own story about what God has done for us; what Jesus means to us. In some ways this last step in the BLESS process (how we can be a blessing to those around us who still don’t know Jesus) …. may feel like the most difficult.

What words do we use? What stories do we share? Of course, we want to talk about what Jesus means to us. What God has done for us. The story of salvation. God’s love for us.

1. Sharing Your  Story will come naturally – when it’s part of BLESSing others.

Sometimes we’re afraid of sharing our story because we feel pushy, boring, fanatical, and we don’t want to bother people. But sharing will follow naturally from praying, listening, eating, and serving, earlier steps that we’ve been talking about. To put it differently, those first steps have allowwed us to “earn their ear.”

Usually the problem comes in preaching at people too directly, without context. When I was in college we were challenged to share our faith with total strangers using the well-known booklet, the “Four Spiritual Laws”. While there is nothing wrong with this….and it’s been a tract that has been used with great results – it often falls into the trap of “talking AT people” without really knowing them…or understanding what their felt needs might be.

2. When Sharing Your Story – you don’t need to know everything…. But you need to know Jesus.

Another fear we have is that we won’t know everything. We feel that we don’t understand scripture adequately ourselves. What if they ask questions I can’t answer? This is natural but again, it’s also natural to say “I don’t know that one. But I DO know what Jesus has done for me.”

I John 1:1-3 – our text for today states it clearly. “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard.”

God has NOT asked us to explain Christianity, although that may be a good thing at times. God has NOT asked us to compare Christianity with other religions, although that might also be an excellent exercise. I love doing that and have often had chances to do so with Japanese friends. But those conversations, while interesting, almost always go nowhere in terms of helping people meet Jesus.

If my task as a missionary had been to convince people to change religions – I would have been so discouraged in Japan. Fortunately, God has asked me to do something else – to simply talk about my experience of Jesus.

So maybe getting ready to BLESS others by sharing our story means doing some soul searching about whether or not we’ve really set aside Christ as Lord in our heart, in the very core of who we are? Have I really seen Jesus recently? Have I heard from him recently?

I need to make sure that I have seen and heard from Jesus recently. I need to first have this relationship and then speak simply about it. That is my task!

In John 15:5 we have Jesus sharing these words with his disciples: “I am the Vine, your are the branches.  If you stay connected to me, you (sharing your story) will bear much fruit. If you’re not connected to me, you can do nothing (sharing your story will lack power).

We don’t need to know everything. But we want to know Jesus!

3. Sharing Your Story is not really a TASK, it’s a RESULT.

In Acts 3 we have the story of Peter and John healing a lame man in front of the temple. Although this should be reason for great rejoicing, the religious leaders are upset….and Peter and John are then called in and asked to account for the authority by which they did this. “In the name of Jesus” was their reply. Later, both the man who was healed, as well as his parents are called before the authorities to answer questions. Finally, Peter and John are again called before the religious leaders and firmly told “stop speaking about this Jesus.” But here was their famous reply:

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

There’s a sense in which their experience with Jesus, as well as the post-pentecost indwelling of the Holy Spirit, has created within them an almost irresistible need to share. Even if they tried, they couldn’t keep quiet!

Some of us may feel that we have little to share. I’ve often felt that way. My life isn’t very dramatic. I don’t have the spiritual power that Peter and John had. I’ve never miraculously healed anyone. No one is marveling at my faith. No one is saying “Wow, it’s so clear Tim that you’ve been with Jesus.” But we need to be careful. Peter and John’s strong witness had nothing to do with them either. Neither of them were powerful on their own. It was because of Jesus in their lives, because of the Holy Spirit working through them that they had such an impact.

Although “sharing your story” is often difficult and may even require courage at times… we look forward to the time when talking about Jesus is not so much a TASK that we crank up our courage for…. but instead that it becomes the natural RESULT of knowing Jesus.

I’m reminded of the old hymn my parents taught me and my siblings.

I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY

IT WILL BE MY THEME IN GLORY

TO TELL THAT OLD (AND CURRENT) STORY

OF JESUS, AND HIS LOVE

CONCLUSION

1. Sharing our story is natural, when part of a larger Blessing
2. When sharing our story, we don’t need to know everything, but we need to know Jesus
3. Sharing our story is not a TASK, but a RESULT

This challenges us to go deeper in our own relationship with Jesus. And this will result in maximum blessings for ourselves…. And for others!

Genesis 32:22-32

After Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob asked Laban to let him go back home with his wives and children. But Laban did not want to let Jacob go yet, since it was obvious that Laban’s wealth was growing because God was favoring Jacob. So, they made a deal that Jacob would gather all the speckled and spotted sheep and goats, as well as every black lamb for himself. Then going forward, all the young animals that are born with similar coloring would belong to Jacob, but all the usual-colored ones would belong to Laban.

Laban decided to cheat Jacob and went ahead and removed all the speckled and spotted sheep and goats, as well as all the black lambs, before Jacob could get them. So, Jacob placed striped rods when the strong animals were breeding, and all the young came out to be Jacob’s. When the weaker animals were breeding, Jacob would not place the striped rods, and the weaker offspring came out to be Laban’s. Through this method, Jacob became exceedingly rich.

Even though Jacob believed in his methodology, it makes no sense to us that the markings of the young animals would depend on whether Jacob placed a striped rod in front of the breeding animals or not. It had all to do with God’s intent to build a nation through Jacob.

Laban’s sons started to talk about how Jacob was somehow stealing from the family, so Jacob decides to flee back home with his family and possessions. Jacob had worked twenty years in total for Laban. He started with nothing, and now he was a very wealthy man.

As Jacob got closer to home, he remembered what he had done to Esau twenty years previous, and that Esau had vowed to kill Jacob. So, he sends messengers ahead to Esau, to explain what has happened since he left. Then the messengers returned with the alarming news that Esau is on his way with four hundred men. Jacob divides his people and possessions into two groups, thinking that if Esau attacked one group, the other could escape.

Then Jacob prays to God, reminding Him that He promised to protect Jacob and would bring him back to the land. He then divides his group into three and sends them ahead in intervals. Each group was to tell Esau that these animals are gifts for him from Jacob. Jacob and his family stayed behind in the camp. And now we come to this morning’s passage.

Jacob sends his two wives and their servants and their children ahead across the river. Knowing Jacob, he did this so if Esau destroys everything that was sent ahead, and his family, Jacob still might be able to escape with his life.

Jacob is now prepared as much as he can be for the anticipated meeting with Esau. However, he ends up having an encounter that he did not anticipate. Jacob is attacked by a mysterious man, and they wrestle throughout the night.

It apparently was an even match. Then the stranger strikes Jacob on the hip and dislocates it. Jacob still hangs on, not letting the man go.

As the day is breaking, the stranger asks Jacob to let go. Sensing an advantage, Jacob asks for a blessing in return for releasing the man. Instead, the stranger gives Jacob a new name – Israel.

Then Jacob asks the stranger for his name. The stranger does not reveal his name, but blesses Jacob, and departs. Whether Jacob lets the man go or the man simply goes on his own, the text does not say. But Jacob is sure that he just had an encounter with God and survived. Jacob got the blessing he wanted, but now he is marked with a limp, presumably for the rest of his life.

There is much that is intentionally ambiguous in this passage.  At the beginning of the encounter, we have no idea who this stranger is that attacks Jacob. The narrative leads us to the conclusion that the stranger is God. Then this makes us wonder why God would have to ask Jacob to let Him go, or why He needs to go because the day is breaking? The English translation of this passage has the meaning of Israel as “. . . striven with God and with humans and has prevailed.” But the fact that Jacob’s hip is now dislocated and that he will carry a limp going forward, while the stranger went away unscathed, would lead us to think that Jacob did not really win the physical fight.

Many aspects of this narrative remain open to interpretation and have been interpreted/explained in a variety of ways by scholars and preachers. But what is clear is that here, Jacob receives the name Israel, and this signifies changes in his life, as well as the beginnings of a nation that was to play a special role in God’s plans.

Besides the obvious limp, we can see that Jacob is now changed in the next section, Genesis 33:1-3:

¹Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. ²He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.

While the old Jacob would have put himself at the very back of the procession, Israel now stands in front of the procession. The unexpected encounter with God had changed and prepared Jacob for the encounter with Esau that he feared so much.

Although our encounters with God are probably not as dramatic as Jacob’s vision of a ladder to heaven or a wrestling match at Jabbok, God encountered us in a way that touched us. Our lives too will change if we acknowledge God and accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. We stop living just for ourselves. Like Jacob, we start the work to build a nation – The Kingdom of God.

When we face difficulties in our lives, we will find that facing God before facing the difficulty will help us to get through it. Jacob feared his encounter with Esau, but after his encounter with God, he was able to face Esau head-on. Of course, Israel still has a bit of Jacob left in him – He lies to Esau that they will meet at Seir, but instead, settles at Succoth. It is like that with us also – God will transform us step-by-step.

Jacob, although he received his new name, Israel, does not instantly become the nation of God. For us too, it will take time. But God will be with us each step along the way.

(The above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano at worship on August 27, 2023)

Genesis 29:15-30

Jacob finally reaches the land where his mother, Rebekah, is from. He sees some shepherds at the well and asks them if they know Laban, his uncle. They reply that they do know Laban, and then inform Jacob that Laban’s daughter, Rachel, is now approaching the well with her father’s sheep.

Jacob runs to Rachel, rolls away the large stone so that she can water the sheep, and introduces himself. Rachel runs back home and tells Laban, and Laban comes and invites Jacob to his house, and ends up staying there for a month. This brings us to this morning’s passage.

Jacob falls in love with Rachel and agrees to work for Laban for seven years so he can marry her. But at the end of seven years, Laban tricks Jacob and he ends up married to Leah, the older sister. When confronted by an angry Jacob, Laban’s excuse is that the custom of the country is for the older daughter to marry before the younger daughter. He offers to also give Rachel to Jacob after a week, if he commits to work Laban for an additional seven years. Jacob agrees, and his life with four women – Leah and her maid Zilpah, and Rachel and her maid Bilhah – begins.

When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb but kept Rachel barren. Leah gave birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah.

A baby war ensues and in Genesis 30, we find that Rachel, since she was barren, demands that Jacob use her maid, Bilhah to have babies. Bilhah gives birth to Dan and Naphtali. Not to be outdone, Leah gives her maid, Zilpah to Jacob and she gives birth to Gad and Asher.

Then Leah gives birth to two more sons – Issachar and Zebulun – and a daughter, Dinah. Rachel finally gets pregnant and gives birth to Jospeh. We also find in Genesis 35 that Rachel gives birth to Benjamin, and Rachel dies while giving birth.

In summary, thirteen children – twelve sons and one daughter – are born to Jacob through four women:

• Leah – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah
• Bilhah (Rachel’s maid) – Dan and Naphtali
• Zilpah (Leah’s maid) – Gad and Asher
• Rachel – Joseph and Benjamin

Eventually we will learn that Jacob will receive the name, Israel, from the LORD, and Jacob’s twelve sons will become ancestors to the twelve tribes of Israel. Later in the story of the nation of Israel, there is no tribe called Joseph, but there will be the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim – They are the two sons who will be born to Joseph in Egypt and will be considered half-tribes.

Joseph will play a major role later in Genesis, and from the list of mothers, we see why Joseph will have special regards for Benjamin. Benjamin is the only full brother among his siblings.

So far in Genesis, we see a pattern where contrary to human custom of giving priority to the oldest offspring, God seems to favor the younger, with no explanation given. God accepts Able’s offering but rejects Cain’s – Cain was the older brother. Abraham’s firstborn son was Ishmael, and although God blessed him also, the one chosen to carry on the promise was the younger son, Isaac. From the time Esau and Jacob were in their mother’s womb, God chooses the younger, Jacob, to carry on the promise to Abraham.

When Jacbo falls in love with Rachel, the younger daughter, it seems that the pattern of the younger sibling being chosen is continuing. However, when we look at which children came from which mother, we see that this is not the case. Even though Rachel’s sons end up playing major roles, it is Leah’s sons that have a primary role in Israel’s history. Moses and Aaron will come from the line of Levi, which means that the savior and liberator of Israel, as well as the priestly line will come through Leah’s sons. Also, through Judah will come David, Solomon and Jesus. God blessed the unloved Leah.

Rachel, the beloved of Jacob, also has offspring that play major roles. Joseph will end up becoming prime minister of Egypt at a time of crisis caused by a prolonged drought and ends up saving not only Egypt but the surrounding countries and the future of the nation of Israel. Also, Paul, from the tribe of Benjamin will end up becoming the greatest evangelist and the author of 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

In the narrative about Jacob, we see people trying to secure a piece of God’s promise. They scheme, lie, cheat and trick people so that they can have a better future. Rebekah wanted to make sure that Jacob gets all the blessings by lying and tricking her husband and her elder son. Jacob goes along with his mother’s schemes and puts them into action. Laban wants the piece of the future for himself and both of his daughters, so tricks Jacob into marrying Leah. Jacob tries to make a deal with God at Bethel, and then will scheme himself into becoming wealthy.

For us who were born into the New Testament period, we do not have to worry about being part of God’s kingdom. We do not have to compete with others to be a part of it. We do not have to scheme, cheat or trick others to make our possibilities better. Thanks to the work done on the cross by Jesus Christ, anyone who is willing to accept Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior can be a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

When we reach high school age, we start thinking and planning for the intermediate future of joining society and the workforce. The type of work we think we want to do will determine whether we will continue with schooling or not.  It will also determine what kind of income we will most likely have, which in turn will determine what we will most likely be able to afford in the type of housing, location, vehicles, lifestyle, etc.

If we marry and start a family, we will start planning for the future of our children – What we can provide for their future education, wedding, etc. As the children start to get older and they enter society as adults, we start focusing on when to retire and how to prepare for that.

Once we retire, we no longer focus on our own long-term future, since our remaining time on earth is getting shorter, so our focus turns to our short-term future, as well as the future of our kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Like Rebekah, Jacob, Laban, Leah and Rachel, we are all concerned about the future, and we will do what we can to secure it. But a lot of what will happen is not under our control. Sometimes things work out the way we plan, but other times, they go in an unexpected direction. This could be due to no fault of our own – Illness, economy, environment, politics, etc.

We cannot control the future, nor stop it from coming. There is a part of us that is excited for the future, but there is also part of us that fears it. However, one thing about the future that we can be sure of is that if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then our spiritual future is assured. And even though we cannot assure our children’s or our grandchildren’s or great grandchildren’s salvation and eternal life, we can devote ourselves to the be the best witnesses to them, so that they too can be saved.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano at our August 20, 2023 worship.)

Mark 7:31-37

We continue our sermon series today with our 4th letter of the acronym “BLESS”. You’ll remember that we’ve been studying together on how we can bless those around us. How can our lives be used by God to bless others? How can we best share this good news of the gospel with those we come in contact with? Our text and model for this is God’s promise in Genesis to Abraham… where God promises to make Abraham into a great nation….and to then bless the entire world through him.

God told Abraham: “I will bless you and make you a great nation, a great people. And then through you I will bless the whole world.”

This is God’s mission. It is His desire to bless the whole world. And He chooses to do it, not independently, but through his people. We too, can be part of this mission. God has blessed us, and it is God’s desire that we now bless others.

How can we do this?

We’ve used the acronym BLESS to consider 5 different activities:

1. Begin with Prayer
2. Listen with Care
3. Eat together
4. Serve with Love
5. Share your story

Today our theme is to “serve with love”.

After we’ve prayed to be available, after God has led us to someone, after listening with care to truly understand and know them, after eating and sharing meals and times of food together….

Then, the next step is to find ways to serve them with love.

What are their needs? What could we do for them? That is today’s theme. As always, Jesus will be our example of how to “serve with love”. In Mark 10:45 (which is a bit farther in the gospel than our text for today) Jesus says the following about serving others with love. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Our text today is from Mark 7:31-37, where Jesus heals the man who was unable to hear or speak.

In this account, Jesus has traveled a long ways….and people bring to him a person who cannot hear or speak. They beg Jesus to lay his hands on this man and heal him. Jesus does so in a very loving way and the people are amazed. I want to highlight just three aspects of this account:

1. Jesus has traveled a long way but he serves one who is brought to him. He serves someone who is right in front of him, close by

I believe God intends for us to serve those who are close to us. We may travel to another country as a missionary, we may fly across the country for work. We may cover vast distances, but when we serve others in love, it will be someone close.

Obviously, there are ways to serve and love those who are far away. We are being called on to pray for, to give toward, the people of Puerto Rico, Houston, Florida, or Mexico. We maybe can’t go there but our prayers and offerings matter.

But in our mission to bless others, the people we will be serving are close at hand. A family member?, someone you just met on the street?, a neighbor?  Take a moment to think about the needy that are near you.

2. Jesus reaches out to this man very sensitively, with love

This is where our term “serving in LOVE” becomes important. He takes the man aside – away from the crowd.

Maybe this person has been made fun of because he can’t talk properly. We don’t know. But Jesus very sensitively takes him away from the crowd and to a quiet spot by themselves.  He puts his fingers in the man’s ears, touches his tongue and then looking up to heaven groans, sighs, moans, feels the man’s pain, becomes personally involved – and then says “Epatha”, be open! 

3. Jesus heals him with power

When we serve others in love it’s important to remember that we do so with God’s power. No, we’re not Jesus so we may not have the same power Christ had. Yet, as the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the Spirit, scripture tells us that the Spirit has sent us, – and given us the same authority that Jesus had!

In other words, we are not to just see our serving others as a “good deed”, but instead as an act that embodies the power of God.  Maybe we can’t perform miracles ourselves, but we believe in miracles for others. When people are sick, we pray for their healing, even though we may have no power to heal them ourselves. When people are caught in addiction, we pray that they will be set free! – not just survive, but actually freed from bondage. We don’t have that power, but we believe God does. When serving others in love, it’s important to remember that God’s power and blessing is working THROUGH us! It’s not us, it’s God!

Close your eyes with me…..

• Think of someone close to you.
• Think of what you can do, and how you can do it sensitively.
• Believe that God is using you, that His power is flowing through your actions.

“Lord Jesus, we are yours. Please use us today….that we may serve others in love.”

(The above is a summary of the sermon that was shared during worship on August 6, 2023.)

Matthew 9:9-13

Several weeks ago we began a sermon series called “BLESS”.  It is based on Genesis 12:1-3 where God said to Abraham “I will bless you… in order that all nations will be blessed by you.”  When Jesus later said “Love God, Love Neighbor” it was another way of saying “thank God for how much He has blessed you, and make it your life work to bless those around you.”

We are loved by God….. so that we can love others.

We are reached  by God…. So that we can reach out to others.

We are saved by God… so that we can participate in the saving of others.

We are blessed by God…. So that we can be a blessing to others.

How can we love our neighbor? How can we bless our neighbor? How can we do that? We often feel so weak and unable to do so. This is the theme of our sermon series: BLESS

1. Begin with Prayer. 2. Listen with care 3. Eat together  4. Serve in Love  5. Share your story

Our theme this week is EATING. Eating together…..

When you think of Jesus and what he did on earth, what do you think of? Teaching, healing, dying on the cross…. But have you been aware of how many texts in the gospels have to do with Jesus eating with people?

• Feeding the 5,000 miraculously
• Enjoying the wedding feast in Cana and providing miraculous wine!
• Sharing the Passover (a last supper) with his disciples before he died
• Cooking fish for several of his disciples on the banks of Lake Galilee after the resurrection.
• Today’s text of attending a party of Matthew’s friends.

There are many texts with eating!

In our text for today, Matthew was so pleased to have been “called” by Jesus that it says “he followed”. He then calls all his friends together to celebrate and introduce them to Jesus. It wasn’t the elegant dinner party – it was most likely beer and bratts with chips on the side.  Jesus was criticized here for “eating with these sinners”.  

Of course, it’s not that some people were sinners…and some weren’t – “sinners” here refers to those who were openly involved in certain activities (prostitution, tax-collecting, common thievery, etc.) Jesus seems unconcerned with how he might be perceived. When he responds that “it’s the sick that need a doctor” he’s not really saying that Matthew and his friends are sick, while the religious teachers are healthy. He’s challenging them to live by the words of the Old Testament that they profess.  “God is more interested in mercy and compassion than He is in sacrifices and the keeping of religious rules.”

Jesus knows that eating with Matthew and his friends is the BEST way to reach out and bless them, to love them. Partying together is much better – and more fun – than judging others!

Who Do We Eat With?

• Sometimes I enjoy eating alone. Many people hate it. But usually I enjoy eating with others.
• My wife Andrea says that “happy family meals together” are her absolutely greatest joy and best memories – experiences to be treasured above all others.
• Have you ever noticed that we don’t eat with enemies. Why?  We seem to innately understand that eating is a sacred and wonderful thing. An act of thanksgiving and celebration. It’s almost impossible to do with people we don’t like.

Eating is not just a biological necessity, it is also a social and relational necessity.

Here is a quote I read recently:    “Sharing meals together on a regular basis is one of the most sacred practices we can engage in as believers. Missional hospitality is a tremendous opportunity to extend the kingdom of God. We can literally eat our way into the kingdom of God! If every Christian household regularly invited a stranger or a poor person into their home for a meal once a week, we would literally change the world by eating!”

Missional Eating – I like that phrase…

Obstacles to Eating Together

• I don’t have time (I barely eat with my own family)
• I don’t have time to clean the house
• I can’t cook

Yet, all of these can and should be able to be overcome if we really understood the sacred privilege and power of eating together.

I love that our church has a history of sharing lunch each Sunday!

• It requires a lot of work on someone’s part each Sunday
• Sometimes we’re uncomfortable about where to sit….or who to talk to.
• Yet, it’s a powerful and important part of our life together!

Conclusion:

Close your eyes with me. Think of our BLESS actions so far.

• Beginning with prayer… we tell God we’re available and that we desire to be instruments of blessing others.
• We make it a point to listen carefully and well to others. We really try to understand peoples’ world and situations before we start preaching or expressing opinions.
• And then thirdly, we seek opportunities to eat with people. Who might you eat with this week? Who might you invite over to your home for a meal?

Lord Jesus, help us this week to bless others, to love our neighbor, through eating together! Amen.

(The above is a summary of the message shared during worship on July 30, 2023.)

Genesis 28:10-22

Last time we covered how Isaac and Rebekah met. After that, Abraham dies at the age of 175 years. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. They were childless for twenty years, so Isaac prayed to the Lord, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

The two fought each other while still in the womb, and Rebekah asked the LORD what this was all about. The LORD tells her that there are two ancestors of nations inside her, but the older would end up serving the younger.

When it was time to give birth, Esau came out first, and Jacob second. Esau was hairy and a skilled hunter – a real outdoors type of a man. Jacob was a quiet man who liked to stay at home. Isaac favored Esau, since Isaac liked to eat game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

In ways we don’t understand, Esau had the birthright, and the blessing was also supposed to be given to Esau by his father, Isaac. But Jacob ends up buying the birthright from Esau with bread and stew, since Esau was hungry.

When Isaac was old and his eyesight was failing, Isaac decided it was time to bless Esau. He tells Esau to go hunt game and prepare a meal with it so that he could bless Esau. Rebekah overhears this and schemes for Jacob to get blessed by Isaac using trickery. She prepares a meal and has Jacob pretend to be Esau, by wearing Esau’s clothes and covering his hands and neck with goat skin so that his father would think it is Esau. Jacob obeys his mother, gets Isaac drunk, and steals the blessing.

The trickery is discovered when Esau comes back with game, prepares a meal, and brings it to Isaac. When they realize that they have been tricked, they are angry, but there is nothing they can do to reverse it. Through being blessed and owning the birthright, Jacob now is the leader over Esau.

Esau swears that he will kill Jacob, and Rebekah tells Jacob to run away to his uncle Laban’s house. Fearing for his life, Jacob starts his journey to Rebekah’s family. We pick up Jacob’s story with this morning’s passage.

The LORD speaks to Jacob in a dream. The vision he sees is a ladder, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. God did not create the world and then just step back and watch it go its own way – He is intimately connected and concerned with the world, sending His messengers to earth.

The LORD informs Jacob that He is the God of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob must have heard about the LORD from his parents and was familiar with the promise that was given to Abraham. Further, the LORD tells Jacob that he will be carrying on the promise and that Jacob’s descendants will become a great nation who will bless all the families of the earth. The LORD assures Jacob that wherever he goes, He will protect him and will bring him back to the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob.

Jacob senses that this is a special place – the place where heaven and earth meet. He calls it “Bethel”, the house of God.

It is interesting that even though he is in awe, Jacob is still trying to make a deal with God. His promises to make the LORD his God, as well as give a tenth of his possessions, only if God will keep him safe and give him food to eat and clothes to wear.

If a church was looking for someone to be a pastor, one would not choose someone like Jacob. Someone who will lie and cheat to get what he wants and tries to negotiate with God. But we must be reminded that God is not looking for a someone to fill a position – He is looking to build a nation. So, the lesson here is certainly not that we can act like Jacob and God will bless us for it. Jacob was chosen not because of what he did, but in spite of it.

It is interesting that Jesus refers to Jacob’s ladder in John 1:51 – “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection, He becomes the one who connects earth to heaven. By accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are assured of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And unlike Jacob’s ladder, Jesus is not restricted to just to one place. We do not have to travel to Bethel – We can meet Jesus anywhere and whenever.

Let us be like Jacob in feeling the awe of our connection to heaven through Jesus Christ. But let us not be like Jacob in lying, cheating, scheming and trying to negotiate with God. Let us simply declare that the LORD is our God and that all we have is His.

(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano with us during our worship on July 23, 2023.)

Luke 18:35-43

One time Jesus was questioned by a teacher as to “the most important law, the most important thing”. His answer: “Love God, Love Neighbor.”  Recognize that you are created and live and breathe because of God’s power. Honor and love God. Recognize that all humans are created by God’s power and share the same Heavenly Father. Treat all humans as your sisters and brothers. Treat them… as you would wish to be treated.  Love God, Love Neighbor. Jesus stated this as the most important thing that we should be doing.

But if we forget who God is….. and if we forget who our neighbor is…. Things can go very wrong. We experience this presently in our politics; where people of different political parties don’t even recognize each other as mutual citizens of the same country. We resort to name-calling. And if we can’t even recognize each other as fellow-Americans, how can we possibly see each other as brothers and sisters, created by the same heavenly father?? We see faces, and words, and attitudes that result from ignoring God, and saying “you are NOT my neighbor.” We’re stunned, we’re saddened, we’re sometimes frightened by the open hostility and violence.

In the middle of this anger and hatred… how do we as Jesus followers live out the “golden rule”? How do we love God and love our neighbor?

Two weeks ago we began a sermon series called “BLESS”.  It is based on Genesis 12:1-3 where God said to Abraham “I will bless you… in order that all nations will be blessed by you.”  It, too, is a way of saying “Love God, Love Neighbor.” Recognize how blessed you are by God. And then reach out and bless those around you.

We are loved by God….. so that we can love others.

We are reached  by God…. So that we can reach out to others.

We are saved by God… so that we can participate in the saving of others.

We are blessed by God…. So that we can be a blessing to others.

How can we love our neighbor? How can we bless our neighbor?

How can we do that? We often feel so weak and unable to do so.

This is the theme of our sermon series: BLESS

1. Begin with Prayer. 2. Listen with care 3. Eat together  4. Serve with Love  5. Share your story

Our theme this week is LISTEN. LISTEN with care…..

Listen with Care

Our text this morning is from Luke 18:35-43.

Jesus is traveling with his disciples to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho. On their way to the Passover feast. Huge crowds, lots of noise.  A blind man calls out. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!!” Others try to shut him down, but Jesus hears him and says, “bring him to me.” Then Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”. “Lord, I want to see” he says. Jesus then heals him saying, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.”

LISTENING TO PEOPLE

Jesus listened well. “What is it you want me to do for you?” He didn’t assume that he already knew what the blind man wanted.

Listening really well to another person requires skill and practice. It is not something that is easy for everyone.

When we think of the chaos and problems that we often see around us, and see people clashing in the streets and fighting with sticks and fists we know one thing for certain….. no one is really listening to the other.

But we have to admit that it’s difficult to really listen even to the people that are closest to us. Even among couples, perhaps “you’re not really listening to me!” is one of the most common complaints.

Sometimes we may find that rather than really listening to someone, we are merely rehearsing what we want to say next. The opposite of listening is not speaking, but “waiting to speak”. Have you ever experienced that?

To understand where a person is emotionally, the following questions may help:

“What are you most excited about?”

“What are you most anxious about?”

These may be questions that help us ascertain a person’s “emotional location.”

They may lead us to the question Jesus asked:

“What is it that I could do for you?”

“How can I bless you today?”

This kind of listening and responding has often been referred to as “playing catch”, as opposed to playing tennis or ping pong, where you’re trying to score a point.

LISTENING TO PLACES

Reading the paper, attending community events, being part of the PTA, or volunteer groups, or political action groups – all of these allow us to “listen” to a place. How could we “listen carefully” here in our neighborhood? Most of us no longer live here. What could we do to “better hear” where our neighbors are?

CONCLUSION

Please close your eyes with me. Picture people around you who are needy. Imagine a God who desires to reach out to each of those folks. Last time we began with prayer. We prayed to be available.

Are you available today? Are you willing to pray that way?

Today, we have talked about listening well. “Lord, how can we really listen well to those around us? Help us in our conversations to be good listeners Lord. Let us ask more questions, and offer less answers. Let us truly understand the emotional location of people. Finally, help us to listen to our neighborhood here as well. How can JCC bless this part of Seattle?”

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on July 9, 2023. It is part 2 of our 5-part sermon series entitled: BLESS. BLESS is an acronym describing 5 things that we do in order to bless those around us: 1. Begin with prayer 2. Listen with Care 3. Eat together 4. Serve with Love 5. Share our Story)

Genesis 24:62-67

Genesis 23 tells us that Sarah died at that age of 127. Abraham is now getting old and he is concerned about a wife for Isaac. After all, the son of the promise needs a wife to become a great nation. Abraham did not see any of the local women to be suitable, so he sends his trusted servant back to the old country.

Once there, the servant waits by the spring of water and prays to God to let the woman who not only gives water when asked, but also offers to water the camels be the woman who is to be the wife of Isaac. As he is praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban comes to the spring and offers water to the servant and also offers to water the camels. The servant gives Rebekah a golden nose-ring and two golden bracelets.

Rebekah runs back to her home and tells her family what happened, and Laban seeks out the servant and invites him to their home. The servant explains the situation to the family, and they agree to let Rebekah go and let her become Isaac’s wife but wanted to wait at least 10 days. However, when asked, Rebekah agrees to go immediately with the servant.

This section is a transition from the story of Abraham to Jacob. It does not linger on Isaac for very long. This seems like a nice love story that is developing, but Genesis does not dwell on it. The next time we encounter the couple, the narrative will be moving onto the story of Jacob, who will eventually receive the name, “Israel”, and then onto Joseph and the story of how the descendants ended up in Egypt to setup the Exodus narrative.

It could have just told us that Isaac married Rebekah and then moved onto the birth of the twins, Esau and Jacob. This leaves us to ponder for what reason this section is included with all the details. If we were to give a synopsis from Abram to Joseph, most of us would not bother to give the details of how Rebekah came into Isaac’s life.

What we notice in this chapter is that God does not give any commands, nor sends a messenger to guide and direct Abraham nor his servant. There is no vision or dream to guide in finding a wife for Isaac. We see the servant praying to God, as well as Abraham being confident that God will lead and help the servant, but it seems that God is passive in this chapter. A person on the street might conclude that it was good luck or fortune that things worked out this well, that a good and proper bride was found for Isaac.

This is in stark contrast to the narrative we looked at last week, where God issues a command to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Although Abraham must have been alarmed and heart broken, he faithfully intends to carry out God’s command. It must have been confusing, but he decided to hang onto God’s promise of a great nation coming from Isaac and proceeded. Abraham passed the test that God had put in front of him.

In this morning’s passage, we see that all the characters – Abraham, the servant, Bethuel, Laban, and Rebekah – All acknowledge the existence of God and that when they review what has happened, they accept that God was behind it, working and guiding.

We know that sometimes God acts in a visible and audible way. Appearing and speaking to people, sending a messenger, or using dreams and visions. We read of such occurrences in the Bible. However, that is probably not our experience. Of course, most of us are not part of nation building, or about to go into battle for God, or about to give birth to a special person who is going to change the course of history.

Most likely our experience mirrors what we read in this chapter, rather than what Abraham (or Moses or Paul) encountered. We know God is working in our lives and we prayerfully go and do what we hope is the Lord’s will. Things happen, and when we get to the appropriate place, we look back on all the things that have happened and realize that God had been with us all along, guiding, directing, helping, and empowering us.

Abraham knew that Isaac needed the right wife, and she was not going to be found in Canaan, so he asks his trusted servant to go find the right woman, confident that the LORD will help the servant. The servant does not quite know how this woman is to be found, but in faith, prays that the LORD will reveal the woman in a specific way. The woman and her family have not been aware of the guidance that the LORD has been giving to the servant, but upon hearing the story, agrees that Rebekah is the one to marry Isaac. This morning’s verses confirm that Rebekah was the woman God had in mind for Isaac.

So, I believe that one of the reasons this story of how Isaac and Rebekah marry is included, is to remind us that even though our life experiences do not include miraculous encounters with an angel, a burning bush, or even God Himself in a physical sense, God is still working in our lives. Even though we may not audibly hear God’s voice, nor see Him in a dream or a vision, God is still working in our lives and speaking to us through scripture as well as through the Holy Spirit.

We should be encouraged to continue to trust in God, continue to pray to Him, and then look back and wonder at all the ways God had worked in our lives.

At any point along the way, we may not know why God has us in certain situations, but at some point, we will look back and know that God was with us and gain some understanding about our experiences.

The important thing to keep in mind is that God is there, guiding and directing, and we continue to live our lives in faith and in prayer. Then at certain points in our lives, we can look back on all the events that led up to that moment and give thanks to God.

If we look back at all the events and people that God sent to us so that we could come to believe in Jesus and accept His forgiveness and salvation, we see how God used people and events in our lives to get us where we should be.

We should also be aware that as we encounter situations and people, we may also be playing a role in that person’s life. So, we should be able to look back and thank God. We should also be able to look at the encounters in our lives and have faith that even though we do not understand it yet, it is part of God’s plans for us and the people around us.

(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on July 2, 2023.)

Genesis 22:1-19

Isaac is finally born to Sarah and Abraham in Genesis 21. Seems like everything is going smoothly, until God decides to test Abraham by commanding that Isaac be offered as a burnt offering. Surprisingly, instead of putting up an argument or pleading, Abraham seems to act without hesitation and heads to the place where God indicated along with Isaac.

Along the way, Isaac asks where the lamb for the sacrifice is, but Abraham can only respond that the LORD will provide.

Arriving at the destination, Abraham readies to sacrifice Isaac, but as he was about to use the knife, the angel of the LORD stops him. Abraham notices a ram that is stuck in the thicket and offers it as a sacrifice.

The angel of the LORD tells Abraham that he had passed the test, and that God will indeed bless him and his descendants, who will bring blessing to the whole world.

This passage raises some difficult questions, since it deals with the nature of God that might be uncomfortable for us and not so easy to explain. Does God really test people this way? Why does He test?

The answer to the first question is obviously “yes”, since he did so with Abraham. The situation with Job is similar. And apparently, Jesus, as he was about to be arrested to be crucified, was tested, since he prays in the garden of Gethsemane that, if possible, the burden of the cross would be taken from Him. Also, in the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, is included the phrase, “lead us not into temptation”.

As to why God would test this way, that is a more difficult question. Does He not know what the outcome would be? It seems that the angel of the Lord did not know the outcome beforehand, since he states, “for now I know that you fear God”. Is it for the person’s sake that God tests? Is it for us, the reader? We really do not know the answer, but we must admit that for whatever reasons God tests, He has the right to do so. Whether God really wants to see how we react, or it is to teach or reveal something to us or to others, God apparently does test.

In Abraham’s case, the letter to the Hebrews, chapter eleven, gives us the insight that Abraham believed that God would fulfill His promise of descendants through Isaac. So, if Abraham goes ahead and sacrifices Isaac, God can raise him back from the dead. Abraham is not sure how God will fulfill His promise, but he has faith that God will keep His promise, even if the command to sacrifice Isaac makes no logical sense. Usually, there is no hope for coming back from death. Resurrection is finding hope of life, when only death is anticipated.

In the Old Testament, we see numerous occasions when God tests Israel to see if they would trust only Yahweh or if they would at the same time look to other gods. The testing times for Israel and for all of us who are spiritual heirs of Abraham are those times when it is attractive to find an easier, less demanding alternative to God. The testings drive us to find out whether we really mean what we say about our faith being grounded solely in the gospel.

Abraham passed his test – He hung on to God’s promise and acted in faith. And because of this, he did become the father of a great nation that would bring the ultimate blessing to the whole world – The Messiah. Job was faithful and through all of his great tragedies, did not curse God. Israel often failed.

What about us? When testings come, will God find us faithful? If we really think about it, the only good choice we have is to continue to believe in the promise of resurrection. Every one of us will die one day, but the gospel promises us that there will be forgiveness of sins and a resurrection and life eternal with the Lord and fellow believers. We were created to do good works and the work Jesus Christ did on the cross ensures us that everyone has a chance at eternal life. But they must be told how this can become so for them. We need to be witnesses for Jesus Christ – That He is the Son of God and the Savior of the World.

We cannot be effective witnesses without believing in God’s promises. We must also pass our tests – To believe that God will keep His promise, no matter what is happening in our lives.

In this passage, we see that God tests but also provides. We may prefer that He just provides and never tests, but that is not the case. We can be comforted by 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

If you are going through trying times, remember that God is faithful and will keep His promises. If we can hang on to that hope, then we too can pass any tests that might come our way.

(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship together on June 25, 2023.)

Genesis 12:1-3; Luke 6:12-13

Introduction to the BLESS sermon series

Towards the beginning of scripture, in Genesis 12:1-3 we see that God describes His plan for the world, and His plan for us.  God says to Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” In other words, I WILL BLESS YOU, SO THAT YOU CAN BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

We are loved by God….. so that we can love others.

We are reached  by God…. So that we can reach out to others.

We are saved by God… so that we can participate in the saving of others.

We are blessed by God…. So that we can be a blessing to others.

Most of us recognize how we have been blessed. But how do we bless others? How can we do that? We often feel so weak and unable to do so. This is the theme of our sermon series: BLESS – this acronym describes 5 topics that we will look at in order that we may become a blessing to those around us.

1. Begin with Prayer. 2. Listen with care 3. Eat together  4. Serve in Love  5. Share your story

Of course, this “BLESS” acronym doesn’t work in Japanese, but we will cover the same concepts.

These slides represent the 5 missional activities that we will be talking about over the next few weeks. All of them are natural, and in a way, simple. We don’t have to memorize lots of scripts, or learn new techniques, or go to a seminar. They are simple activities that each of us can practice in our own unique way. And it all begins with prayer.

WHY BEGIN WITH PRAYER?

We begin with prayer because Jesus himself began with prayer.

• In Luke 4 we see that Jesus, after his baptism,  was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for a time of prayer and fasting. It was important for Jesus to have this time of fasting and prayer as a preparation for the public ministry that he was about to begin.
• Two chapters later in Luke 6 we see that Jesus went out and spent the night in prayer just before he chose his 12 disciples. We’re not sure HOW he prayed but he evidently felt the need to spend this time with His Father, as a preparation for the important day and task which was coming.
• At the end of his earthly ministry, on the night when he was betrayed, Jesus said this to his disciples: “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a person remains in me, and I in them, that person will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) In other words, Jesus was saying that if the disciples wanted to be a blessing to others – to bear fruit in the lives of others – then they would need to stay connected to Jesus. They were not the blessing themselves, they were just the conduit – the pipe – that would allow the blessing to flow from God to others. The way that they would stay connected to Jesus was first of all by prayer.

So just as Jesus recognized the need for prayer in his ministry and outreach, we begin our ministry of blessing others with prayer. It’s a way of saying:

“I can’t do this on my own. I don’t know how to bless others. If I try to do this on my own, I know I will fail. So please come, Lord, and show me the way. In order for YOUR blessing to flow through me to others…. I choose to stay CONNECTED to YOU in prayer.”

THE PRAYER OF AVAILABILITY

In the past I have shared with you a formula for mission, for ministry that I learned in seminary:

(A Needy Person) + (an available Christian) + (God’s timing) =

                                    GOD’S MISSION /  A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

 A NEEDY PERSON…..

            AN AVAILABLE CHRISTIAN…

                        GOD’S TIMING….        =        GOD’S MISSION /

                                                                            A BLESSING TO OTHERS

In order for God’s Mission of “blessing the world” to take place we need 3 things:

• First, we need a “needy” person. That’s easy!!! They are all around us. People have financial, spiritual, emotional, physical needs!
• Secondly, we need God to work. That’s easy!!! Throughout scripture God promises to work on our behalf.
• The problem is the 3^rd thing: an available Christian. This one is more difficult. It requires a decision on our part. Are we available to God?

There is a hurting and needy world all around us. God loves the world and desires to reach out to this world. For some mysterious and wonderful reason, He has chosen to have us participate in that process. Are we available?

Example of my friend

In our ministry in Japan I would often pray this prayer of availability:

“Lord, please direct me to the person that I am supposed to speak with today.”

One day, I was swimming laps at our local pool during my lunch break. As I finished up by walking the length of the pool a couple times…. I noticed a young man walking toward me in the lane next to mine. As we passed each other he reached up his hand to give me a high-five and smiled. As we gave each other a high five I turned around, joined him in his lane and we began to walk together and talk. He had noticed me as a foreigner and had tried to connect with me in broken English but soon we were chatting in Japanese.

As it turned out, he was young – 21 or so – and going through rehabilitation. He had recently experienced a nervous / emotional breakdown while away at college, had returned home to enter a hospital and was now commuting for treatment as an outpatient. We discovered that we shared an interest in music and guitar and we made plans to meet again.

That began a friendship which continued many years. Hi-de had an interest in English so he joined one of Andrea’s English conversation classes. I continued to meet with him to enjoy music together but also to talk about the Bible and faith. While resistant at first, Hi-de eventually agreed to join us for an outdoor worship service in the park. It was his very first time to attend Christian worship. He heard the gospel through a short children’s story that we had prepared and during the picnic following worship asked to become a Christian. Several of us prayed with him right there in the park! No one was more surprised than us.

Within 6 months Hi-de was baptized and became a loved and important part of our church. While his emotional and psychological needs never really disappeared, he became a shining example of how new life in Jesus Christ could bring miraculous change to a person’s life.

His story is too long to tell here, but Hi-de eventually was diagnosed with stomach cancer. For the last 2 and a half months of his life people from our little church visited him faithfully in the hospital. They became a strong witness to Hi-de’s parents who noticed how genuinely the Christians loved and cared for their son. When Hi-de passed away at the age of 30 his family asked me and a Japanese colleague to perform the funeral service, even though none of them were yet Christian. When Hi-de’s mother died of cancer just 6 months after Hi-de, the church again rallied around the family. And today, years later, even though Hi-de’s father is not yet a professing believer, he often attends worship and is loved and cared for by the members of that church.

I share this story because it is an example of a “needy person, an available Christian, and God’s timing.” I couldn’t make any of this happen on my own. But I needed to be available to God in order for the blessing to begin.

Just because I am a missionary, it does not mean that I am always available to the Lord. It’s possible to get so busy, even with church tasks or mission tasks, that I really don’t stop to make myself open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, who do you want me to bless today?” “Lord, I’m available to you.”

But be careful when you pray that way! It can be a dangerous prayer! God will surely use you in order to be a blessing to others.

CONCLUSION

Please close your eyes with me.

Picture people around you who are needy.

Imagine a God who desires to reach out to each of those folks.

Are you available today?

Are you willing to pray that way?

Would you consider writing down the names of a few people who you know could be helped by God’s blessing and salvation?

As a first step toward blessing others, would you do this?

Of course, we don’t yet know HOW we will reach them or bless them.

We don’t know HOW God will use us to bless them.

But as a first step….

Let’s begin with prayer.

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on June 18, 2023.)