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Exodus 4:1-17

In Exodus chapter 3 God calls out to Moses through a burning bush and tells him that he has been chosen to go to Egypt so that God can free the Israelites and lead them to the promised land. Moses is reluctant about accepting this assignment. He probably remembers that forty years earlier, he thought he might be the one to help the Israelites and when he tried to intervene in a quarrel between a Hebrew and an Egyptian, things did not go so well.

Moses had a real fear that the Israelites would not listen to him nor accept him as their leader. So, God reveals His name to Moses and promises that He will be with Moses and that he and the Israelites will one day worship God on the mountain on which he stands.

At the beginning of Exodus chapter 4, Moses still has concerns about the Israelites not accepting him nor believing that the LORD appeared to him. So, the LORD gives Moses two signs to show the Israelites. The first was his staff turning into a snake when thrown down on the ground and then back to a staff when held by the tail. The second sign was for Moses’ hand to turn leprous, and then back to clean.

Moses then points to his problem with giving speeches to a crowd. The LORD tells Moses that He is aware of his speech impediment and that it will not hinder him from doing the LORD’s work.

Moses runs out of excuses and simply tells the LORD to send someone else. The LORD gets angry with Moses and tells him to take his brother, Aaron, with him. The LORD will tell Moses what to say, and Moses will tell Aaron what to say. The Lord commands Moses to leave for Egypt with Aaron and his staff.

Moses goes back to his father-in-law and asks permission to go to Egypt, and then leaves. The LORD then instructs Moses to not only perform the signs to the Israelites, but also to Pharaoh.

Then we have the frightening scene where the LORD threatens to kill Moses, presumably because of uncircumcision. But Zipporah, Moses’ wife, performs circumcision on their son, and the Lord decides to leave him alone.

The LORD instructs Aaron to go into the wilderness to meet Moses. They meet at the mountain of God where Moses explains everything to Aaron. They go to Egypt and Aaron speaks to the Israelites and performs the signs, and the people believe. They are moved to hear that the LORD had paid attention to their misery and was now going to act on their behalf. They bow down and worship the LORD.

Everything is now set for confronting the Pharaoh and requesting that he let the Israelites go.

There are several things to note about this passage.

After the LORD assures Moses that He will be with Moses, Moses still has concerns. But the concern is not about whether the LORD will be with him, but about the people’s response. Even if the LORD is with him, Moses is worried that the people will not believe him and will not listen to him. And it is apparent that the LORD also is aware of this possibility, since in verses 8-9, He covers the possibility of the people not being persuaded by the first two signs.

It is obvious that even if God has the power to bend everyone’s will to His, He chooses not to. People have the freedom to act – To accept or to reject. This aligns with our experience in sharing the gospel – People have the freedom to accept or to reject.

Considering the interaction between God and Moses in this section, it would seem easier for God to deal with the Egyptians directly, rather than using a reluctant Moses. Surely if God would directly deal with Pharaoh and exercise His great and terrible powers, freedom for the Israelites would be secured quicker than going through Moses. Yet, God chooses to go through Moses, even though Moses’ reluctance eventually moves Him to anger. Here again, God chooses not to make Moses into an automaton – Moses keeps his ability to give excuses and asks God to send someone else.

It is also notable that after the LORD’s anger was kindled against him, there is no mention of Moses changing his attitude. There are others in the Bible that when called by God, obediently go about doing Kingdom work. Moses was not one of the eager ones. Even though we know that Moses ends up being the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, his beginnings as a servant of the LORD started out a bit bumpy.

We see that God chooses to form partnerships with humans to move His plans along. While God supplies His power, the human still must do their part. Even if God will turn the staff into a serpent and back, there would be no opportunity for this show of power unless Moses and Aaron speak all the words that the LORD gave them. It would just be a magic show without explaining what God is doing.

In verse 14, we are told that Aaron was already coming to see Moses, apparently out of love and the desire to be with him. God uses this special relationship that existed between Aaron and Moses in verse 27 by telling Aaron to go see Moses at the mountain of God. We see that God can use special relationships – familial relations, marriage, friendship, etc. – For His purposes.

Whether for small things or big things, God can choose to rely on us for His work. Like Moses, we can ask for God’s help, and He will provide it. And whether we are reluctant like Moses, or eager like Joshua or Paul, God can still use us if we do what God assigns us to do.

So, when God gets our attention in some way, and reveals to us what He relies on us to do, let us step up willingly and in firm belief that if we do our part, God will do His.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship service of April 28, 2024.)

Exodus 3:1-15

According to Acts, Moses was forty years old when he ran away from Egypt and spent another forty years as a shepherd. God is now ready to use Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land.

God calls out to Moses through a burning bush and introduces Himself as not only God of Moses’ father, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses’ parents must have taught him about God’s promise to his ancestors and how his people had come to live in Egypt through the activities of Joseph. It was important that Moses understands the relationship between God and his ancestors, and the future vision of the nation of Israel.

Moses feels that he needs to be able to tell the Israelites exactly which god has sent him, so God reveals His name to Moses. This name in some English Bibles is indicated by all upper-case LORD, and in Japanese Bibles with a bold 主. Due to misunderstanding, there was a time that people believed this name was “Jehovah”, but scholars now believe it is pronounced “Yahweh”.

If one wants to keep a distance from people, one does not reveal one’s name. The fact that God was willing to reveal His name to Moses means that He was seeking an intimate relationship with Moses and his descendants. He is not an aloof deity.

Although Moses’ father-in-law is a priest, Moses is not. He is not on a religious pilgrimage – He is just tending to a flock of sheep. Moses notices a strange sight, a bush that is burning and yet not consumed, and out of curiosity he decides to approach it. When God sees that Moses was paying attention, He calls out to him.

In our daily lives, we may find something that we find curious, or mysterious or interesting. It is possible that God is trying to get our attention. An example might be that we keep hearing about a certain Biblical passage over and over within a short period. That might be a good time to look at that passage and see how we might apply it to our lives. It might be an event or news about work or family or world events that make us look at scripture more closely. When God sees us stopping and paying attention, the Holy Spirit can lead us to what God desires of us.

God tells Moses that He is going to free the Israelites from the Egyptians and lead them to the Promised Land. It is a two-step process – Freedom and a fresh start. He does not just free them and leave them where they are.

For us, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and eternal life with God assured. We do not have to move to a new land once this happens, but our priorities will need to shift. If not, we will soon find ourselves living a life that is no different than before. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created to do the good works that God has prepared for us. Jesus commands us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God.

When God first calls to Moses, Moses is ready – “Here I am”. However, after hearing what God wants him to do, he is not so sure – “Who am I?”. Moses wants some assurance that this is really God’s plan for him.

God responds by assuring him that God will be with Moses and the sign that it is God who is sending him will be that they will come back to this mountain to worship God.

This is a bit curious, since many things will happen, and many days will have passed until Moses comes back to this mountain with the Israelites. How could something so far off in the distance be a sign for Moses at this juncture? It is true that by the time the Israelites are freed, and Moses leads them back to the mountain of God, everyone will know that it was God who sent Moses to Egypt. But how is this supposed to help Moses at this moment?

This is how God works. He wants us to step out in faith and rely on His promises. We have a great future promised to us – eternal life with our LORD and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes the task at hand seems daunting to us, but we too need to rely on God’s promise that He is with us. We may not be sure until the tasks are complete, and we are worshipping and praising God, but that is part of living in faith.

God’s promises give us hope. Not the “I wish this would happen” sort of hope, but the type of hope that is assured. We can trust in the promises of God and step out boldly in the direction to which He leads us.

So let us be like Moses and be curious of what is going on around us, pay attention to what God is doing, and be ready to say, “here I am” when God calls.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship of April 14, 2024.)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6

Today we are looking at the opening phrase “Devote yourselves to prayer….”  Or “pray without ceasing…”  　　

What does this phrase mean? At the very least, no matter how one defines “devote” or “without ceasing” we know that it means to prioritize prayer. To keep praying. To never stop praying. To make prayer important in our lives.

But this short text talks about more than prayer. It is Paul, begging his friends to pray for him….in order that he will be able to preach the gospel boldly. Paul wants his very life, even while in prison in Rome…to be a proclamation of the gospel.

Lastly, Paul gives advice to his readers about their attitudes and the power of their words. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. And let your words – your conversation – be full of grace and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

The over-arching theme of these verses is: God’s mission accomplished through us.

• Through our prayers  (v. 2-4)
• Through our lives (v. 5)
• Through our words (v. 6)

Let’s look at each of these:

Through our prayers –

• prayer is the basis for everything in our lives.  (remember the acronym “BLESS” from our sermon series on sharing our faith with others? The “B” stood for “Begin with prayer”!) Everything “begins with prayer”
• Prayer is our own lifeline to survival – we are completely dependent on God.
• Prayer causes us to be more watchful / alert, more thankful…
• I challenge you today, to devote yourselves to prayer….to begin everything with prayer!

Through our lives –

• Most people in Paul’s position (in prison!) would tend to think that little could be done. He asks everyone to pray for him – not to get out of prison – but that God would “open a door”, give him an opportunity – to preach the gospel boldly! (right where he was)
• Amazingly, while in prison (house arrest?), Paul finds the time and strength to write these letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. These epistles are still witnessing and blessing us today! Now that’s “making the most of every opportunity!”
• Paul was wise in the way he acted toward his captors ….and others, making the most of every opportunity he had. He suggests the same wisdom for us. Don’t waste time! Make the most of every relationship!
• May I be honest with you this morning? I’ve felt somewhat convicted by this passage. I realize that my prayer life is often weak. My faith is often cold. As your pastor, am I taking advantage of every opportunity? I challenge you today, to pray regularly, for me, your pastor, that I may be bold…and share the gospel clearly in the way I should!

Through our words –

• Has there ever been a time in our society when our words were more hurtful, more polarizing, more devastating than they are now? Paul’s words: “Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt…..so that you’ll always know how to answer each person.”
• In Proverbs 12:18 it says:  “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.“  
• How should we as Christians act toward outsiders…..not just those in a different political camp, but those from a different religious or cultural background? How can our conversations be full of grace, full of love, seasoned with salt….tasty and inviting?
• Why are Christians in our society and media so often seen as angry and judgmental?
• I challenge you today to engage in conversations with your neighbors that are filled with grace, not judgment – and seasoned with salt.

God desires to use each of us in reaching out to the lost. Each of us are to be involved in mission. According to Paul’s words today, that is…

• Through our prayers
• Through our lives
• Through our gracious words

And how do we begin? Hey….It ALL begins with PRAYER!!

(the above is a summary of the message shared during our worship on April 7, 2024.)

Luke 24:13-35

Our text for today is often referred to as “The Road to Emmaus”. It takes place on the afternoon of that first Easter Sunday.

Earlier in the day, at daybreak, the women had taken spices to the grave of Jesus, and found his body missing. Two men in gleaming white clothes spoke to them, “Why are you looking for Jesus here? He has risen, just like he told you he would.” When the women return to where the 11 disciples and other followers are, and report what they saw….no one really believed them. It seemed like nonsense to them. Peter actually runs to the tomb and checks it out for himself….and he finds it exactly as the women said, but doesn’t know what to make of it.

From there, we come to today’s text. That very afternoon two disciples are traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. We are told it’s a distance of 7 miles, so we know it would take 2-3 hours if walking. Cleopas is one of them, the other unnamed. They walk along discussing everything that’s happened, including the report from the women that very morning.

As they’re walking, Jesus joins them. But it says that “they were kept from recognizing him.” Jesus asks them “What are you discussing?” They are shocked. “Are you the only one in all of Jerusalem that doesn’t know what’s happened?” Jesus plays along…”what things?”

“About Jesus of Nazareth” they say. “He was a great prophet in word and deed. But our leaders condemned him to death and had him crucified. We had hoped that he was the one that was going to save Israel. And not only that…..three days have gone by, and this morning some of our women went to the tomb where Jesus was buried and found his body missing. They told us about seeing a vision of angels – who told them that Jesus was not there and was alive!”

Jesus then begins to teach them, starting with Moses and going through the prophets – concerning all of the writings about himself.

When they approached Emmaus, Jesus appeared to be traveling on but they convinced him to stay the night with them since it was getting late. And then, while at the table, Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and offers it to them. They suddenly recognize that it’s Jesus…..and he disappears from view.

They are so excited and amazed that they immediately rush back to Jerusalem that very night in order to report everything to the other disciples…. only to find out that Jesus has also appeared to Peter!

I love this story. But what should we take away from it?

• There are two phrases that become “bookends” – keys to this story. The first is “We had hoped…..” (v.21) This phrase represents for me a complete loss of hope. A complete death of the vision. Unless we understand the depth of disappointment, the complete dejection of these disciples…. we cannot truly understand how incredible the resurrection of their hope was. Think of an experience in your life that could be described with that phrase:
  • We had hoped that God would answer our prayer….. but He didn’t.
  • We had hoped that God would bring our son home safely…. but he died in battle.
  • We had hoped that God would heal our daughter…but she died.
  • Fill in your own.  Imagine again what it feels like to have your hope die.
• The second phrase is this:  “Were not our hearts burning within us?” While Jesus is walking with them and talking to them….they feel something. They couldn’t put a finger on it until later…..but when they look back they agree….. “we felt a burning in our heart” “we felt a new hope starting to flicker….” If the first phrase represents death, this second phrase represents resurrection.
  • Have you ever had this kind of experience? It’s maybe a bit harder to describe, but I can think back on a few incidents in my life where I sensed a deep hope, a new inspiration…..that wasn’t connected to my circumstances. It was like a hope that was from outside myself. A resurrection of hope in a difficult situation.

We are often quick to move from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, forgetting the agony, pain, and yes….complete loss of hope and death…..that the cross represents. Without a true sense of that death and loss, our understanding of resurrection remains artificial, and flimsy as well. He is Risen! And he offers us new life and new hope!

Two final (and important) thoughts from this story:

• Jesus is always walking with us, whether we recognize him or not, whether we’re aware of his presence….. or not. Do we really believe that?!
• It’s in fellowship with the living Christ, with Jesus, that we will recognize his presence, that we will sense that he is truly alive! In the breaking of bread, the disciples suddenly recognize Jesus. Revelation 3:20 says “Look, I stand at the door and knock….if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in, and eat with that person, and they with me.” Yes, it’s true. Jesus desires an intimate relationship with each of us. Only when we open the door of our heart, invite him to come in, and share fellowship and friendship with the living Christ….will we truly believe that He is risen!

(the above is a summary of the message shared during our Easter Worship on March 31, 2024.)

John 12:12-16

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” ¹⁶His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. 

Today is Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a young donkey, where He was greeted with excitement as the coming king. It is also the beginning of the Holy Week and will culminate next Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The crowd’s shout mirrors Zechariah 9:9 and points to the future messiah and king who will come riding not on a war steed, but a young donkey. This should have given a hint as to the peaceful nature of the coming king. Not a warrior king that is coming to defeat the Romans, but a king of peace, who will reconcile humanity to God.

The Romans conquered Judea in 64 BCE, which means the Jews had been under Roman rule for close to a hundred years by the time Jesus entered Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday. The people were hoping/believing in a messiah that would defeat the Romans and kick them out of Judea. They still believed that would happen on that Sunday, so Jesus was welcomed in as a conquering king. But as events moved forward and it was clear that Jesus was not going to lead a rebellion and defeat the Romans, most of the population regard Him as an imposter who had raised false hopes and is ready to see Him crucified.

Let us look at some of the events and teachings of Christ leading up to His resurrection in the Gospel of John.

After the entry, Jesus talks about His impending death. He also teaches that whoever serves Him must follow Him and that whoever serves Him, the Father will honor.

The crowd questioned Jesus about what He said about dying. They believed that the Messiah would rule forever, so how could Jesus be the Messiah, if He is going to die? Jesus explained that He has come not to judge the world but to save the world. No one was going to understand this until after the resurrection.

At the last supper Jesus leaves an example to His disciples by washing their feet – They too are to humble themselves and serve others.

Jesus then foretells of His betrayal by one of the Twelve, and then gives them a new commandment to love one another. And this love for each other should be so obvious that everyone would know that they are followers of Christ through this love.

Jesus then foretells Peter’s denial – That Peter would deny that he knows Jesus three times before the cock crows the next morning.

Jesus then promises that after He departs this world, the Holy Spirit will be given to them, who will abide with each believer. Even though they will weep and mourn at His death, their pain will turn to joy. He also prays for peace for the disciples, since He knows that their lives are going to be turned upside down.

Then Jesus goes to a garden to pray and to prepare Himself for what was to come.  There, He is betrayed by Judas and is arrested. As foretold, Peter denies Jesus. Then Jesus is put on trial. Pilate finds Jesus not guilty, but the Jews insist that He be executed. Pilate tries to save Jesus by having the crowd choose to free either Jesus or Barabbas, but the crowd chooses Barabbas to be freed.

Pilate has Jesus flogged and tortured, hoping that this would appease the crowd. But the crowd is not appeased and threaten Pilate that he would be considered a traitor against the emperor, since they insist that Jesus claimed to be a king, and a king would be against the emperor. Pilate feels trapped and sentences Jesus to death.

On the day of Preparation for the Passover Jesus is crucified. He dies as the Passover lambs are being sacrificed. Truly the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” as John the Baptist declared in the first chapter of John’s gospel.

Resurrection day, or more commonly referred to as Easter, is the most celebration-worthy day in the Christian church calendar. Christmas has become the greater celebration world-wide, due to its popularity even amongst non-Christians. But Christ’s resurrection is the more meaningful event. If Jesus had not gone through with the crucifixion, or if He had not rose from the dead, He wouldn’t be remembered today, nor would we be celebrating His birth. As 1 Corinthians 15:17 says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.”

Historically, Christmas was included in the church calendar two to three hundred years later than Easter.

Next Sunday is Easter, and a day of great celebration. Palm Sunday, in contrast is to contemplate on what Christ went through so that our sins can be forgiven. Yes, there was a crowd celebrating and cheering for Jesus when he entered Jerusalem, but that was based on a mistaken assumption. They were not really celebrating Jesus, but the great Messiah that they were hoping who would drive the Romans from the land.

So, what should we be doing to prepare our hearts for next Sunday’s celebration?

We should realize that being God, Jesus had the power and the free will to not go through with the cross. Or He could have numbed Himself to the pain of being flogged, having nails driven into his wrist and ankles, and the excruciating pain of being crucified. He also had the power to just come down from the cross. But He did none of these things. For the punishment that humanity deserved for their sins, Jesus had to endure the pain and die. So, even though Jesus understood the pain and sufferings that awaited Him, He freely chose to go through with it until death.

We should also remember why Jesus had to die on the cross. It was for our sins. We may not consider our sins as being too bad, but it was bad enough that a sacrifice of an animal would not do – The Son of God had to die for our sins to be forgiven.

Because of what He went through on our behalf, all we must do is to confess our sinfulness and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we do that, then our sins are forgiven, we become sons and daughters of God, and are assured eternal life with our Lord.

We should also remember what Jesus taught during the Holy Week. For us to humble ourselves and to love one another in a way that stands as a witness to the world of God’s love. We should be grateful of the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will guide and teach our lives, as well as give us the love and strength sufficient to love God and love others.

We should also realize that we too deny Christ through what we say, what we think and what we do or do not do. When we are reminded that we have denied Christ, we should ask for forgiveness and then go on serving Him.

Romans 14:9 reminds us that, “For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” So, we should also contemplate how best to serve our Lord, who was willing to suffer and die for us.

Let us do these things to prepare ourselves for the great celebration next Sunday.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on Palm Sunday, March 24th)

March, 2024

It has been 12 years since our last home-service (furlough).  Normally, the missionary is overseas for 4 years, and then comes home for a year furlough to refresh, reconnect with supporters, and raise support.  But when one is not overseas, taking a home-service is a little different and difficult.  It’s not about going home because we are home (in the States).

Starting this month in March, SEND is requiring us to be on home-service.  It will be a chance for me to visit churches and supporters and to see many of you and report face-to-face.  And we will have 6 months to raise our support to 100%.  We are currently at about 80%.  Please pray with us for the Lord’s wisdom, guidance, discernment, and provision.

Missions and how it is funded is changing.  In one recent talk with a local pastor, he mentioned how overall giving was down, with missions across the board seeing this downward trend.  Mission boards agree.  This is causing many of us to look at new options and opportunities.  One of these new options is to explore business partnerships.

I’ve been involved in a prayer breakfast with business leaders called “Better Things Breakfast”.  These Christians have the desire to bridge the gap between the sacred (ministry) and the secular (business) worlds.  From their point of view, ALL jobs are sacred.  And they are using their business platforms to spread the Gospel. My prayer is to find my role in being part of the solution in bringing the Gospel to the Japanese businesses (over 125 in the DFW area) community.  How do we partner with like-minded businesses?

Homeschool National Basketball Tournament

We continue to be amazed at the Homeschool Sports League and the opportunities provided.  We went to Missouri to cheer Nathan and his team (THESA Riders) on.  There were over 500 teams there!  There were 12U(under), 14U, 16U, and 18U boys and girls teams, with different divisions under each, according to their level of skills.  And surprise, surprise, surprise, Nathan’s team won their Division III Gold Ball (medal) award!  The team finally began to work as a team, and the wins kept coming.  It was so fun to watch. Glory to God!

Family Reunion

What a joy it was to have all the kids in one place again this past February.  As they grew older, it was getting more and more difficult to get together.  It was so much fun, but way too short!

Back row: Nathan, Kayla, Alisha, Hanna, and Brandon /  Front row:  Dennis (Keri’s father), Keri, and Richard Nakamura

Thank you for all your prayers, support and encouragement over the years!

Richard & Keri – SEND International

Nakamura Contact Information:

3421 Beekman Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76244

206-499-8262

SEND International: PO Box 513, Farmington, MI 48332 / SEND Office (800) SEND-808

Support: Click Here Richard & Keri – SEND International

Exodus 2:1-10

Exodus 1 starts out by naming all of Jacob’s family who came to Egypt, establishing a continuity with the end of Genesis. It tells of how God blessed them and multiplied them, to the point where “the land was filled with them.”

Then a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. It worried him that the Israelites now outnumbered Egyptians and thus represented a clear danger if they rebelled. So, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites and oppressed them. But God was with them, and the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied.

The king ordered the Hebrew midwives to let the girl babies live, but to kill the boy babies by throwing them into the Nile. But the midwives, who feared God more than they feared the king, let the boy babies live.

Into this situation Moses is born of parents, who were both of the tribe of Levi. The parents hid the child as long as they could, and then placed him in a basket and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. Moses’ older sister watched the baby being found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who apparently decided to keep him. The sister intervenes and the result is that not only Moses’ mother got to raise him, but even got paid for it. Moses grew up as a prince of Egypt.

While they had him, Moses’ parents must have taught him about the history of his people – How they have a land waiting for them and that their God was one day going to take them there. Moses must have learned about Joseph and how he ended up saving the family and having them settle in Egypt. He may have felt that he was in his special privileged situation because he had a role in leading his people to the Promise Land – Similar to Joseph.

When Moses sees a fellow Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian, he comes to the rescue and ends up killing the Egyptian and hiding the body. The next day, Moses tries to break up a fight between two Hebrews and realizes that people are aware of what he did to the Egyptian. Fearing being arrested, he flees to the land of Midian.

In Midian, he settles down, marries and becomes a shepherd. He spent his first forty years as a prince, and then the next forty years as a herder of sheep. We will soon see him herding people in the next phase of his life.

The last three verses of Exodus 2 anticipate that God is going to take strong actions going forward:

²³After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. ²⁴God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

Pharaoh is worried about the ever-increasing population of Israelites. He tries oppression but they increased even more. He is not aware of Israel’s God and does not realize that he is fighting a losing battle. He then orders that while female babies be allowed to live, all male babies should be killed.

This is a real crisis for the Israelites and their future. If male babies are not allowed to live, eventually the population will only decrease, since population cannot be kept stable nor grow without males.

It is interesting that women take action to save the future of Israel, even though they themselves are not aware that that is what they are doing:

• The two midwives, at the risk of being punished or killed, defy Pharaoh’s order to kill all male babies.
• The mother of Moses keeps him hidden and when this was no longer possible, rather than killing him, puts him in a basket and places the basket on the banks of the Nile.
• Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby and decides to keep him and raise him as her son.
• The baby’s older sister, who Pharaoh allowed to live, intervenes and arranges for the baby to be raised by his mother.
• His mother nurtures and raises the baby through his youth.

Each of these women are not acting because they are trying to save the future of the nation of Israel. They are driven by a sense of compassion, justice and courage. And God uses them to keep His promise of a great nation in the promised land.

In this time of great danger to their people/nation, the two midwives risk their lives to do what they believe is right. Instead of succumbing to fear or paralysis or losing faith in God, they choose to act in faith.

This reminds me of Micah 6:8, which answers the question of what God requires of us – “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

From this, we can learn that when we are faced with dark times, whether for us or for the church or for the nation or for the world, we can take hope in the fact that God is working, and His plan is going forward. What we can do is to continue to walk in faith and keep in mind what God requires of us – To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during worship on March 10, 2024.)

A couple of years ago, our church board decided to use a specific prayer on a regular basis, a prayer asking for unity among us, and also asking God for guidance. Although our situation as a church has continued to change little by little, I offer this prayer again for our use together. It emphasizes our continued desire for God’s will to be done through us. We continue to ask for God’s will as we seek to minister as a church family in this community. And we continue to pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with our old building. Join us in praying regularly!

GRATITUDE

• God, we thank you for walking with us and leading us throughout our history.
• Thank you for the many who have gone before us and for their faith and service. Thank you for their example of love and sacrifice.
• Thank you that you are with us now, and that you desire to communicate with us.

CONFESSION

• Forgive us for the times that we have not earnestly sought your will, or when we have failed to accurately hear your voice.

PETITION

• We ask for oneness in spirit… not that we will all have the same opinion, but that we will all sense your spirit leading us.
• We pray that all will know our faith is real….by the way we show love for each other.
• When we talk together as a board, and as a congregation, help us to truly listen and hear each other.
• We continue to pray for guidance in these areas:
  • Resolution to the problem of our old building
  • Our continuing ministry and outreach as a church – our future together!

CLOSING

• Finally, Lord, help each of us to place our own desires and wishes at your feet. We are each willing to give up our own opinions in order that Your will for JCC (in all matters) may be done. Please make clear to us what that is.
• We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ,  Amen.

Hebrews 4:15-16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Today our theme is “Praying for Deliverance”  or maybe more simply, “praying for help”.

The text above, from Hebrews 4, is a powerful verse. We’re not really sure who wrote the book of Hebrews or even who the original audience was. But it’s clear that those reading the text would have been very familiar with all the Jewish old testament writings, law, sacrificial system, and history. If we were to summarize the entire book of Hebrews we might say the following:

• Jesus is higher and more important than angels, than Moses, than any high priest – in short, he is the culmination of Jewish and world history. While fully God, he has experienced all of human experience. He knows what we are going through.
• Therefore….. don’t give up the fight! Keep on keeping on! (Six times the writer warns the readers not to be like ancient Israel in the wilderness, giving up on faith and giving up on God. It seems clear that the original readers must have been going through severe persecution and trials. This letter is meant as an encouragement to them.)

In many ways, our short text for today is a good summary of the entire book of Hebrews. What do we find here?

• Jesus is our high priest. He is the mediator between us and God. His death caused the temple curtain to be torn in two – No more barrier between God and us!　　
• Jesus has empathy for us. He understands what we’re going through. He has experienced everything we have – Hunger, sadness, ridicule, physical pain and discomfort, etc.
• Jesus understands temptation.　While the scripture doesn’t give many examples of this, there are a few important ones: Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness (for fame, power, a “quick fix”), and his temptation to avoid the cross (as seen in his final prayer in Gethsemane). He didn’t sin, but he’s experienced our trials and pain…..and temptation….so he can empathize!

So what does this have to do with “Praying for our needs”? How does this help us in crying out for HELP?

The writer of Hebrews points out that because of the work…and characteristics of Jesus, our level of access to God has completely changed!

• We have access to God, not through a human high priest, but through the death of Jesus on the cross. He became both our priest and sacrifice. The curtain of the temple – separating God from his people – was completely torn in two! The “holy of holies” became accessible to each of us!
• Therefore…..We can approach God with confidence! We no longer have to be afraid….we can come directly to God BOLDLY with our needs and requests.
• We receive deliverance and help – through the mercy and grace of God!

God wants us to be free and delivered from various problems that bind us and keep us chained! To be helped….and healed! Do you really believe that?

Where do you need deliverance today? What kinds of things hold you back….from going to God boldly? What are the “strongholds” – the stubborn issues in our lives that keep us from receiving God’s grace and freedom?

Here are a few that I have experienced and that I can think of:

anger, addiction, apathy, anxiety, control, comparison, cynicism, distraction, fear, greed, lust, people-pleasing, pride, legalism, selfishness, shame, unforgiveness…

Quite a list right? And of course there are more. Have you ever experienced any of these? They can act like strongholds, like chains – that keep us from being really free.

Will you join me this morning in a prayer? As we close our eyes right now, take a posture of surrender, maybe opening our hands to God. Imagine coming boldly before God. Imagine God warmly welcoming you. Take a few moments to tell God about the thing (or things) that most bind you, and keep you captive today. Tell God freely and boldly that you wish to experience deliverance and freedom! Receive that freedom from God! Amen.

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on March 3, 2024. The outline for the sermon is taken from a message by Pastor Stephanie O’Brien, pastor of Mill City Church in Minneapolis, MN, as part of the series entitled: Deeply Rooted: A Call To Prayer)

Genesis 50:15-26

We have come to the end of Joseph’s story, which is also the end of the book of Genesis. However, this is really not an ending – It is actually the beginning of the story about the nation of Israel, which will continue in Exodus.

When we first meet Joseph, he is a young boy who is given dreams from God – Ones which foretold of his eventual rise to a position of power where all his brothers would bow down to him. We see this being fulfilled in v. 18 where the brothers fall down before Joseph, offering themselves as Joseph’s slaves.

Joseph’s response to his brothers shows that Joseph now knows why all of these things happened – To fulfill God’s plan to transform the family into a great nation – The fulfillment of the promise that was originally given to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob.

The brothers are still fearful that Joseph still holds a grudge against them, and that he has the power of life and death over them. So, they make up a story about the message their father asked them to deliver to Joseph – To forgive their crime against Joseph. Joseph probably knows that this is just made up, since if Jacob wanted to give him a message, he would have done so directly, and not go through the brothers.

Joseph seems to understand that vengeance is up to God, and not to humans. The phrase he uses in verse 19, “Am I in the place of God?” is reminiscent of what Jacob said to Rachel in Genesis 30. This is when Rachel, being jealous of the fact that Leah had given sons to Jacob, but she had not, demanded that Jacob give her babies. Even though Jacob was the husband, he knew that he could not guarantee that Rachel would become pregnant – Only God could do that. Likewise, Joseph now understands that vengeance is God’s and not his.

Even though all parties must have been aware of God’s promise of a great nation to come from Jacob, none were privy to the details of how this would come to be. So, when God gave the two dreams of power to Joseph, they did not connect this with the Promise of a great nation. Each only were able to look at this from how this would affect them. Joseph was delighted and bragged about it to his family. The brothers did not see any good coming to them from having to bow down to their younger brother, so they decided to get rid of him. Jacob did not quite understand it either and reprimanded Joseph for bragging about the dreams.

Joseph now understands that God’s plan was to put him in power so that the promise of the nation of Israel could continue by keeping Jacob and the rest of the family alive and thriving.

The interesting part about all of this is leading up to this moment, the characters are all acting from a selfish or self-centered point of view. Events just seem to happen that progresses towards the fulfillment of God’s plan. We see that the plan of God was playing out all along. Even though each party was acting as a free agent, they were still serving God’s plan, even if they were not aware of this.

Even those who meant ill to Joseph inadvertently ended up playing roles which forwarded God’s plan — The brothers selling Joseph as a slave and the woman who falsely accused Joseph – They played a role in Joseph getting to Egypt and coming into power.

Throughout the narrative about Joseph, the older brothers of Joseph seem to be limited by their jealousy and guilt. When they hear about the dreams Joseph was given, they are driven by jealousy. After they sell Joseph and lie to their father, their lives are restricted by their guilt. Now that they are left alone with Joseph who has the power of life and death over them, they can only think about their guilt. They understand that a wronged relationship can only be made right if the wronged party is willing to have it so. The only thing that the offending party can do is to ask for forgiveness.

On the other hand, Joseph, who had every reason to be vengeful towards his older brothers, is not focused on their guilt nor revenge. The reason is that Joseph now understands God’s plan, and being part of it is his lot in life – In this case, to make sure that the family is kept safe and can grow into a nation.

We can see that in the background of everyday life, God’s plan for humanity is at work – The one that will culminate in God coming down from heaven to dwell with His people in the new earth forever. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that is the future that awaits us. If we have not, there is still time to do so, but not unlimited time. The Lord could come back at any time, or our earthly lives could come to an end suddenly, and we need to come to faith before either happens.

We can be certain that God is always at work. Sometimes, we may not know how our lives fit into His plans, while at other times He makes it clear what we are to do. While there can be hardships in our day to day lives, we can be assured that the ultimate destiny is a glorious one.

If we have wronged someone, we should ask for forgiveness. If someone has wronged us, we should be like Joseph and be willing to let it go and trust that God’s plan is at work, even if that person meant us harm.

There are a lot of things that can worry us today – The various armed conflicts, extreme weather, earthquakes, social changes, bad behavior being tolerated or even celebrated. Leaders of people leading by bad example instead of good. Hateful speech becoming the norm. But know that God is still working in the background for His ultimate plan.

Since worrying does not solve anything, let us focus on what God would have us do – The big and little assignments we get from God through the Holy Spirit or our church leaders; asking for forgiveness when we wrong people; forgiving those who wrong us; witnessing to others that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

We are in the season of Lent, where we are supposed to focus on the sufferings that Christ went through for us. Like Joseph, Jesus was wronged unjustly. Yet, Jesus was willing to die for the ones who wronged Him so that their sins could be forgiven. As hard as it was for His followers that Jesus was arrested, tortured and was crucified, when Jesus was resurrected, they realized that God was at work all along so His plan to save humanity could move forward.

So, when we are burdened with worry, have faith that even through the hard times, God is still at work. This is the hope that we have in Christ – The hope that we can share with others.

(the above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano during worship on February 25, 2024.)