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Genesis 45:1-15

When the brothers came back to Egypt for the second time with Benjamin, Joseph insists that Benjamin stay in Egypt. After Judah pleads with Joseph to spare Benjamin for the sake of their father, Joseph could no longer keep quiet. He reveals himself to his brothers as Joseph.

When Pharaoh heard the news, he was pleased and told Joseph to have his brothers go back to Canaan and bring back their father. Pharaoh will provide them with the best land in Egypt as well as whatever they needed. They would be honored guests in the land, as the family of Joseph.

Joseph sends his brothers back to Canaan, including Benjamin, with much money, goods and provisions. When the brothers tell Jacob what happened and that Joseph is not only alive, but now the ruler of Egypt, Jacob is stunned and cannot believe them. But when told of the words of Joseph as well as all the wagons full of goods, Jacob believes and is eager to go to Egypt and see his son who he believed was dead.

The Joseph narrative started in Genesis 37 when the young, spoiled boy received two dreams from God. Dreams about reigning over his family. But gleefully sharing this dream with his family caused Joseph his childhood. The resentful and jealous brothers decided to negate the dream by selling Joseph to slave traders.

As for the brothers, they had to make up a lie about Joseph being killed by wild animals, and Jacob, the father, was thrown into grief and depression, with an exaggerated protectiveness towards his youngest son, Benjamin. The brothers were shadowed by guilt as the years went by.

Looking at Joseph’s actions in Genesis 42 and 44, it seems that Joseph, with the dreams coming to fulfillment, still had no real sense of why this happened, except some vague notion that God favored him. So, rather than reveal himself to his brothers, he decides to play a little revenge on them, playing tricks, making accusations, making demands – To make his brothers sweat a bit, fearing for their lives and the well-being of their father and Benjamin.

During the banquet, however, Joseph seems to gain clarity on why all this was happening. This causes him to reveal his identity to his brothers, as well as to share with them the insights he gained about God’s plans for them. We see this in Joseph’s own words – “God sent me before you to preserve life.”

As for the brothers, when Joseph reveals himself, they are dismayed. They now realized that the dreamer brother they had wronged had his dream come true and is now standing in front of them as the ruler of Egypt. They probably felt they were in trouble. Remembering that Joseph had caused them anguish and fear by tricking them, accusing them and making demands of them, they probably feared and worried about themselves going forward. They must have been anxious about being ruled by their brother who they sold into slavery. So, they must have been relieved, at least a little, to hear Joseph telling them not be distressed for selling him, since it was all under God’s plans. But as we will see later, we know that they are hopeful, but not one hundred percent certain that Joseph will not take revenge on them in the future.

As for Jacob, the news was too good to be believed – Ones who died do not come back to life. But once he is convinced that Joseph is alive, this knowledge revives him, and he is eager to go to Egypt to see Joseph. It must have been like the feeling Jesus’ followers felt when they heard the news that their Lord, who was killed tragically now lives.

The key verses in this chapter, if not the whole Joseph narrative, are found in Joseph’s speech, repeated three times:

• V.5 God sent me before you to preserve life
• V.7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth
• V.8 It was not you who sent me here, but God

Joseph now understands that he is part of God’s plan for the formation of the nation of Israel. He has been placed in his position of power not to take revenge on his brothers who sold him into slavery, but to preserve his family and the dreams of a future great nation. He realizes that all the hardships that he experienced brought him to the position he is in now – the fulfillment of the dreams he had been given by God. He now takes action in accordance with God’s plan, to bring Jacob to Egypt so that the whole family can survive.

We too may find ourselves reaching some goals/vision in our lives. It might be some position at work that we coveted, certain financial status, position of influence over others, parenthood, grandparenthood, retirement, etc.

We may have overcome oppositions and discouragements to get to the position for which we strived, and our desire might be to let those people who did not support and even opposed us know that we have succeeded despite their opposition. But at those times, we need to look back at all that got us to where we are, and we will most likely see that many things had to go just right for us to have arrived in this place. It should be a reminder that had we not had God’s help, we most likely would not have arrived. We might have worked hard, but we know things could have easily gone wrong, but they did not.

At those time, like Joseph, we need to realize that God has a plan and a purpose for getting us to that place. We should be thankful, as well as aware that God expects us to act, to use our situation for the furtherance of His kingdom, rather than for our selfish agenda.

So, when we find ourselves in positions of power or influence or being able to be helpful, we ought to pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit and act according to God’s expectations – To be a blessing to others, and be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world.

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

Genesis 43:1-15

The first time the brothers went to Egypt, they were sold grain and were allowed to return to Canaan, but they had to leave Simeon as a hostage. They were told that if they came back with their youngest brother, then that would be proof that they were not spies.

Jacob, believing that Joseph had died years ago, and now with Simeon in a prison in Egypt, was not willing to risk Benjamin, the only remaining son of the beloved Rachel. But now that they were running out of food, he knew that the only way to save his family was to let Benjamin travel to Egypt with his brothers.

Starting at verse 16, the passage tells us that when Joseph saw Benjamin, he decided to have a banquet with the brothers at his house at noon. The brothers were perplexed and afraid that they would be summoned to Joseph’s house. When the meal started, the brothers were amazed, since their seats were arranged in order of age. They also noticed that Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as theirs.

The story continues into Genesis 44. Joseph orders that the brothers’ sacks be filled with as much food as they can carry, along with the money they used to pay for the food. Further, he ordered that his personal silver cup be placed in Benjamin’s sack.

Once the brothers leave, Joseph has his steward chase after them and accuse them of stealing his silver cup. The brothers, believing that they are innocent, propose that the one they find with the silver cup should be executed, and the rest would become Joseph’s slaves. The Egyptian counter-proposes that the one who is found with the silver cup would become a slave, and the rest can go home. When the sacks were searched, the silver cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Once back at Joseph’s house, Judah tells him that they will all become Joseph’s slaves. Joseph insists that only Benjamin needs to stay, and the rest can go in peace to their father. Judah then explains that their father will die of sorrow if they return without Benjamin. Judah begs that Benjamin be allowed to return to his father, and that he would stay as Joseph’s slave.

Even though these two chapters, along with Genesis 43, move the Joseph narrative to the climax in Genesis 45, where Joseph will finally stop playing games and reveals his identity to his brothers, there is something we can learn from this morning’s passage.

If we look at Genesis 43:13-14, we can see the condition of Jacob’s faith in God. He knows that God has the power to make things turn out OK, but it could very well turn out not so well. It is a balancing act between hope and resignation. It is not about losing faith in God, but it is an acknowledgement about God’s sovereignty and his lack of knowledge about the details of God’s plans.

This reminds me of Daniel, when he and his two friends are about to be executed in a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a statue. He declared to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

Daniel believes that God has the power to save them. He also understands that God may choose not to save them. Daniel is resigned to the fact that should God choose not to intervene; he and his friends will die. But either way, Daniel will continue to believe and worship God and will not compromise his faith.

We find a similar situation with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where He is praying to the Father. Jesus knows that God has the power to release Him from being arrested, tortured and crucified. But Jesus also understands that the Father has a plan, and resigned to the fact that death on the cross is the Father’s will for Him.

We will at times in our lives face situations that we need help from God. It might be that we or someone we care for is in a crisis. In those times, we have the knowledge that God is powerful and that He could make things come out well for us. Our hope is embedded in that belief. We are also aware of the possibility that God’s plan is different than what we hope for.

I was reminded of Joni Eareckson Tada’s life story. When she was seventeen, she became a quadriplegic after diving into Chesapeake Bay and fracturing her spine. She knew that God had the power to cure her and prayed fervently for healing, which never came. But God was able to help her become an acclaimed painter, singer and an advocate for special-needs families worldwide. She looks back on her life and realized that had God healed her, she would not have had the large impact she now has, and the opportunity to do God’s work in such a way.

Jacob wants to protect Benjamin. Yet, they were running out of food. He realizes that the only way to save the rest of the family would be to let Benjamin go to Egypt. He knows that God has the power to keep Benjamin safe. Yet he also is resigned to the fact that he had already lost Rachel and Joseph, and so there is a possibility that Benjamin would become a slave in Egypt and that he will never see him again. Jacob knows that God had promised a great nation to come out of his descendants, so he knows that God’s plan is being played out, even though it may not go the way Jacob wants. So, he lets go of Benjamin.

We also need to keep in mind that God’s plans are being worked out in this world. We know that in the end, there is going to be a glorious future for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But until then, there could be some hardships and sadness along the way. Jesus even told us that for those of us who follow Him, there will be some trouble.

Like Jacob, we need to acknowledge that our hope for good outcomes can only come from God. At the same time, we need to acknowledge that God is sovereign and that His plans are being carried out. And regardless of what costs might be requested of us, like our Lord prayed in the garden, we need to pray, “nevertheless, Thy will be done.”

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

Luke 11:1; John 5:19

For the next several sermons we’ll be exploring the area of prayer. We’ll be using a resource provided by the Evangelical Covenant Church title “Deeply Rooted – A Call to Prayer”. It’s a series of 6 studies and our first study today is entitled “Learning to Pray.” The following sermon is based on an outline by Clay Peck, the lead pastor at Grace Place in Berthoud, Colorado.

Many of us struggle to pray – it seems like it should be simple, but often it’s not. Do you find it hard to pray?   To be honest, I’ve struggled with prayer for over 60 years. Sometimes it’s been a wonderful gift and happened easily….at other times it has been a struggle just to find the time and interest to pray.

Of course, we’re all different….. and the joys and difficulties of prayer vary a great deal during different periods of our lives. Why is prayer sometimes hard? Why do so many people struggle to pray? Here are a few possibilities:

• Too independent? 
  • I trust myself and my own talents and efforts and wisdom
  • I believe God is there, but he’s probably busy.
  • If I’m really in trouble – of course I’ll ask for help
  • Or….if I have a plan that I want him to bless, I’ll check in
  • But basically, I trust myself for most things.
• Too distracted?
  • I’m so busy, working on important things, or just wasting time
  • I’m consumed with work, multiple opportunities for entertainment, I want information
  • Bombarded by info / smartphones / noise all around us
  • I find it impossible to center my heart
• Too Grown Up?
  • I’m not a brand new Christian. Not a little kid. God’s important with bigger things to deal with,　and so am I…
  • What’s the point of talking to God about what he already knows?
  • Why should I bother God with details that aren’t that important?
  • I’ve moved beyond child-like faith; I’m grown up and become more “sophisticated”.
• Too cerebral?  
  • More head than heart / More theory more than practice
  • More thinking than feeling
  • I think more about prayer than actually praying!
• Too Cynical?
  • Maybe I’ve built up scar tissue from past disappointments
  • I start to question God’s goodness, I develop doubts
  • I wonder…..does prayer really make a difference?
  • Maybe that answer to prayer was just a coincidence?
  • Cynicism protects me from disappointment but cynicism paralyzes me from action
  • For a cynic prayer feels phony, because much of life is already phony

This isn’t a complete list. Maybe you don’t identify with all of the above. Or maybe you’ve experienced other problems and issues that keep you from praying? How can we learn to pray effectively?

Luke 11:1　One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

The disciples watch Jesus and listen to Jesus praying….and then ask Jesus to teach them. How can we pray more effectively?  What can we learn from the example of Jesus and his disciples? Here are a few things that we can see in the example and teachings of Jesus himself:

• A sense of helplessness and dependence
  • John 5:19  Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus states that he can do nothing of real import, no kingdom work, no bearing of fruit that really lasts for eternity or brings glory to God….unless, he’s connected to his father.
  • John 15:5  “I am the vine. You are the branches. Apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus then also relates this to us. In the same way… we can do NOTHING if we aren’t connected to Jesus!
  • Prayer only starts to make sense when we realize the level of our helplessness.
  • If I’m not praying, could that mean that I’m too confident in my own resources?
  • The fact is, if I’m confident that I can do life on my own….I will not pray.
• Making time for prayer
  • Mark 1:35  – Jesus rose early in the morning, while it was still dark, sought a solitary place to get away from the noise and distractions… in order to pray and spend time with his father. Could this be important for us as well?
  • Prayer doesn’t offer a less busy life. It offers a less busy heart. 
  • The Japanese Kanji (character) for the word “busy” is made up of two radicals: heart   心　　　and die  亡. When put together it looks like this:  忙　It’s read “isogashii”  The very definition of “busyness” in Japanese is a “heart that is dying”, i.e., one that is not calm and centered!
  • You can’t create intimacy. But you can allow space and time for it. (with spouse, friends, and God) Busyness kills intimacy. You can’t get to know God on the fly.
• Becoming more like a child
  • Matthew 18:1-5  –  Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? The disciples were arguing about this…and asked Jesus. He took a small child, put the child in their midst, and said “unless you become like this little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” What did he mean?
  • What are children like? How can we be child-like in prayer?  Children are usually honest, abrupt, messy, playful, trusting… Our prayers need to show these qualities. We need to come before the Lord as we are: messy, helpless, trusting, honest, etc. I want to bring my real self to Jesus, not a pretend self. Come expectant and eager. Come with a playful heart.
• Growing deeper in love
  • Even as Jesus expressed deep love for his father – “I and my father are one” he expressed love for his disciples (and all those around him) and by extension – for all of us! This becomes clear throughout the gospel accounts.
  • So as my prayer life grows, I will grow in my love for Jesus
  • Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” We are invited into a close relationship with Jesus. (To sit together at a table, eating, enjoying each other, sharing a conversation and relationship.)
  • I need to focus less on prayer, more on God. Prayer is a conversation. When conversing…we don’t concentrate on the conversation….but on the person. It would be like driving….and looking AT the windshield….rather than THROUGH it. Prayer is not the point. Getting to know God is the point.
• Fully trusting in the Lord
  • Even as Jesus put his full trust in the will and plan of his father “Lord, not my will but YOURS be done” ….so we are invited to place our full trust in God.
  • This posture of “completely trusting” is NOT something we master or learn once for all. It is a growing, a maturing of our faith…that comes about, partly, through expressing this trust in our prayer life.
  • There are texts that indicate that if our faith was even the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains! In another place scripture says “you don’t have it, because you haven’t asked for it.” But there have been many times when I’ve prayed in faith….and yet didn’t receive the answer I had hoped for. And there have been many times when I’ve specifically asked for something….and didn’t receive it. How do we process and understand this?
  • As we walk in faith, remaining in God’s word and prayer… we begin to realize that we never understand the complete picture. God is ALWAYS working in the background, on our behalf, in love and care….with the goal of our GOOD in mind, as we read in Romans 8:28. While we rarely understand all that is happening, God gives us glimpses of his amazing work on our behalf….enough to create in us a belief and deep sense of trust in his love and care.

Last week we sang the well-known hymn “This is My Father’s World” in worship. The last verse of the hymn beautifully describes this heart of fully trusting God!

This is my Father’s World, Oh let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world, Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is king; let the heavens ring

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

As we learn to pray, let’s remember some of these things that we can see in Jesus and his disciples:

1. Total helplessness, total dependence on God
2. The importance of making space and time for prayer
3. Becoming like a child…
4. Growing in my love for Jesus
5. Learning to put my full trust in the Lord

Can you see how these examples of Jesus become the exact solutions to my original problems?

Too Independent                               Total dependence on God

Too distracted                                     Making time for prayer

Too grown-up                                     Becoming like a child

Too Cerebral                                       Growing in my Love for Jesus

Too Cynical                                          Learning to trust

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

(the above summary is from the sermon shared in worship on January 7, 2023.)

Breaking news…..this just in! We’ve received word that Anna was able to raise the necessary support funds in order for her to return to Japan with SEND, Int. for a second term. Let’s continue to keep her in our daily prayers. Read the details here:

NEWS UPDATE FROM ANNA ROSENGREN

Genesis 42:1-25

The interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams that God provided to Joseph came true, and Egypt had seven years of plenty, when they stored a huge amount of grain, and now, the seven years of famine had started.

For Jacob, they were running out of food, so he sends ten of his remaining sons to Egypt to see if they could purchase grain. Rachel was the woman Jacob loved and who had given birth to Joseph and Benjamin. With Rachel dead, and believing that Joseph too was dead, Benjamin was all that he had left of Rachel. So, Jacob was not willing to put Benjamin in any sort of danger, and Benjamin stayed home with him.

When the brothers arrive in Egypt and bow themselves in front of Joseph to buy grain, Joseph recognizes them, but they did not recognize Joseph. Joseph also remembers the dreams he was given by God. Joseph chooses to hide his identity from his brothers, and treats them harshly, accusing them of being spies.

Joseph tells the brothers that if they want to be cleared of the suspicion of being spies, they need to send one of them back home and bring Benjamin, and then put them all in prison. Three days later, Joseph changes his mind and tells the brothers that he will sell them grain, but they need to leave one of them as a hostage, and the rest need to go home and bring back Benjamin. Joseph selects Simeon to be the hostage and has him bound.

Then Joseph gives orders to fill the brothers’ bags with grain, but also to give each man’s money back in his sack. After the brothers depart, they find that their money had been returned to them, and they are dismayed, fearing that the ruler who treated them harshly would conclude that the brothers cheated Egypt. After hearing what happened and of the demand that Benjamin be sent to Egypt, Jacob refuses. He is more willing to have Simeon stay in an Egyptian prison than to expose Benjamin to danger.

In chapter 37 when the original dreams were given to Joseph, he was young and guileless. Then in chapters 39-41, we find Joseph to be a man of high moral principles and integrity. But now, we find Joseph to be a shrewd, calculating and ruthless ruler. He knows that the dreams of power had come true. But he seems not to grasp that the reason for his power was not for the sake of power, but to preserve the dream of the great nation of Israel.

The brothers are bound in guilt and the lie they have been telling their father for all these years that Joseph was attacked and killed by wild animals. They are defined by this, and they have no notion of becoming a great nation. They are desperately trying to stay alive and keep the truth of what they really did to Joseph away from their father.

Because of the brothers’ lies, Jacob is hanging on desperately to Benjamin and the dream of a great nation, thinking that he must keep Benjamin safe at all costs.

Joseph finds himself in a contest with his father Jacob. Joseph desperately wants to see Benjamin, his full-blooded brother, while Jacob desperately wants to keep Benjamin from going to Egypt. We know that Joseph will eventually win, since he has the power and the food. Jacob will succumb, once he and Benjamin become hungry enough.

So, what can we take away from this passage? It would be necessary to look at what God’s plan for humanity might be. We find that when God created humanity, he placed them in the garden to dwell with Him. After sin separated humans from God, God decides to create a nation out of Abraham’s descendants. After increasing in numbers and wealth, God frees Israel from slavery in Egypt and leads them to Mt. Sinai, where He gives them the Law and has them construct the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle to house it, so that He can dwell with the people. Once they are established in the Promised Land, and the temple is built, that would be where God dwells with His people.

In Revelations, we are told that once this age is over and Jesus Christ comes back and finishes His work, the old earth and the heavens will be replaced by new ones. Then God will come down to dwell with His people forever. Somehow, some have come to believe that when we die, we go to heaven to be with God forever. However, Revelations makes it clear that at the end of this age, God will come down to dwell with us forever.

God’s plan for humanity has always been to be able to dwell with His people, who had been freed from sin. That’s the reason Jesus was sent to earth, so that by His death on the cross, He takes the punishment that we should receive. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven and our eternal future with God will be assured.

Joseph seems to believe that God gave him the dreams and put him in a position of power because he is loved. Understandable, since he was the obvious favorite of Jacob. What he does not realize is that God chose Joseph to save not only Egypt and the surrounding countries, but his own family, so that the plan for the nation of Israel can stay alive.

The brothers have sins that dominate their situation. They could not see that God was choosing Joseph to save them all so that the nation of Israel can be born eventually. They only felt jealousy for Joseph and the dreams he was given and decided to get rid of him. They had no clue concerning God’s plans.

Jacob, believing the lie that Joseph had died, is trying to preserve the promise that was given to Abraham, and then to Isaac, and then to him. With Joseph gone, Jacob probably believed that Benjamin, the only remaining son of his beloved Rachel, will carry on God’s promise of a great nation.

We probably have experienced similar things in our lives. Like Joseph, sometimes we are amazed at the good “fortune” in which we find ourselves, and just enjoy it, rather than wondering if God had other plans. Perhaps we were supposed to use what God gave us for His Kingdom work – People who needed some kind of help, people who needed to hear the Gospel, etc. – To be a blessing to others.

Perhaps at other times, like Joseph’s brothers, we see great things happening to other people and wonder why they are so lucky, not even thinking that God has a plan for those people to be a blessing to others.

And at other times, like Jacob, we may face a situation where we are forced to go in a direction we had not planned, nor wanted. At those times, we might need to think of the possibility that though our way seems unclear, it is nevertheless the direction God wants us to go for the furtherance of His kingdom.

We need to realize that God has a plan, and it is not just for our benefit, but so that we can be a blessing to others. Whether times seem good or bad, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us so that we can be used by God, and not get in His way.

(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on December 31, 2023.)

Luke 1:26-38

Immanuel! God With Us!

It’s a joy to be with you on this Christmas Eve morning! And I wish for each of you….and your families…. A very merry celebration and joyful time as we consider all that God has done for us, as individuals….and as a church family.

But to be honest…. It has been a strange week for me.

Following our Children’s Worship last Sunday, my cold seemed to settle in my chest and eventually…. I lost my voice. I suddenly feel like Zechariah in Luke chapter 1, where he lost his ability to speak until the baby – John the Baptist – was born!

But it’s not just my own physical condition that has felt dark. It’s also the news. The news from Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, home to thousands of Palestinian Christians and Arabs…as well as many Israeli settlements.

We usually hear about Bethlehem in the context of our Christmas celebrations. Bethlehem was not only the birthplace of King David, but of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It was the town where Joseph and Mary traveled to in order to register for the empire-wide census which was being taken. And of course, that is when Jesus was born as a baby.

I feel sad when I consider the fact that present-day Bethlehem is even less peaceful and maybe more stressful….than it was 2,000 years ago. The attacks on Israel by the group governing Gaza – Hamas – on October 7^th left over 1200 Israelis dead or taken as hostages. That triggered a thunderous response from the Israeli defense forces which has resulted (according to most reliable sources) in the death of over 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza alone. Along with this, over 240 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during this same time period… yes, near Bethlehem.

Why these things happen… and who is “more to blame…” – is too long a history to cover in my short devotional this morning. I merely point to these news items as reason for a sense of darkness and sadness that I have struggled with as a pastor during the past few days.

Our world longs for a Savior. We cry out to God for his mercy. Sometimes… our own smaller difficulties and struggles overwhelm us. Then when we think about those that are experiencing real war and deprivation in Ukraine, or Israel, or Gaza….we feel slightly embarrassed and maybe even guilty about our own struggles. But God knows all about each of us…. Whether our struggles are big or small. And God cares. So where can we find hope today?

Our text for today is the famous conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary. Gabriel announces that she will be pregnant, which is of course a great surprise to Mary. She then hears that this will not be a normal pregnancy, but in fact, a divine and miraculous one!

The child to be born will be named Jesus, and will be called Son of the Most High. In addition to all of this, her relative, Elizabeth, who was said to be barren, was also in her 6^th month of pregnancy.

While Mary is at first surprised and filled with questions….the conversation ends with her offering this final response to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

At this Christmas celebration today, I wish to leave you with three phrases, three promises that we find in our text today. Here’s the first one:

“Do not be afraid…. For you have found favor with God”

Imagine what it would feel like if Gabriel was saying this to you right now. Not to Mary… but to you. Put your own name in there.

None of us are Mary – and our situation is different but God’s word to us at Christmas is the same. “Don’t be afraid. I love you. I have found favor with you.”　Put your own name in there and hear God’s word to you.

In Isaiah 43:4 God speaks to the people of Israel – and to us – with these words:

“You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.” Let those words sink in deeply right now.

And here is the second key phrase for us today:

“For nothing will be impossible with God”

No, none of us are expecting to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Maybe Gabriel’s words to Mary seem like a bit of a stretch!

But, what are the areas in your life where you are struggling with faith? Are you experiencing struggles that seem like there are no easy solutions?

I challenge you to consider this word of Gabriel and how it might relate to your own life and situation.

“For nothing will be impossible with God”

And finally, the third phrase to consider, which was Mary’s response:

“Here I am. I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”

Mary’s response showed a heart of submission.

In fact, it’s very similar to Jesus’ final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, not my will, but yours….”

Again, our situations are different than Mary’s …. So it might be hard to imagine how we would respond to God. Can we offer our complete lives to God? Are we willing to trust God that far?!

If we believe that God really loves us and approves of us…. And if we believe that nothing is impossible with God…. Would we be willing to offer our lives to God?

I believe these three statements could change our lives today!

1. Don’t be afraid. God loves you!
2. Nothing is impossible for God. 
3. Here I am. Let it be to me according to your word.  My life is yours!

Take these statements – these truths with you this week.

Like Mary, ponder them in your hearts.

And as we pray for Bethlehem, and Gaza, and Israel, and Ukraine…and other areas of war and darkness, let us remember that Jesus was born in order to bring light and life into our dark world.

May you experience God’s great joy this Christmas!

(the above message was read by Gene Hanson, James Truesdale, and Rhys Farren as part of our Christmas worship on December 24, 2023.)

Mark 1:1-8

The Old Testament prophesied that before the coming of the Messiah, the savior of the world, a messenger would be sent ahead to prepare the way of the Lord. This messenger was often referred to as “Elijah” but we now know that John the Baptist would play this role.

The last words of God that had been spoken through a prophet were through the words of Malachi, some 400 years prior – Malachi 4:5-6:

“Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.“

With 400 years of no communication from God, people were starting to worry that God had rejected Israel. So, when John arrived and was recognized as a prophet, people were eager to go see him and to listen to what God had to say through him. John proclaimed the need for baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People reacted positively to his message and were baptized in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

John then announced that the Messiah was coming who was more powerful and who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, instead of water.

Although the people are told that the Messiah is coming, at this point in time, they do not know the identity of the Savior. We, of course, know – The Savior of the World is Jesus of Nazareth. Even though Mark’s gospel does not have a Christmas story, we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary.

Although most Jews expected that when the Messiah came, he would defeat the Romans, would sit on the throne of David, and re-establish the golden era of the nation of Israel for eternity. We know that Jesus was an unexpected Messiah, in that He would give up His life as an atonement for our sins. He would be arrested, tortured, executed on the cross, and then rise again on the third day. Anyone who would accept Him as Lord and Savior would be forgiven their sins and be saved, having assurance that their eternity would be spent with Him and His followers.

We also know that Jesus will come again, this time as king of kings and lord of lords and will establish His eternal kingdom.  When that will happen is unknown to us – It could be hundreds or thousands of years in the future, or it could be today or tomorrow.

John’s job was to prepare the way of the Lord. Instead of getting ready to receive and welcome a conquering king, John preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins – The required step to receive Jesus’ saving grace is the repentance of sins. So, it seems that John had some knowledge as to what the nature of Jesus’ ministry was going to be the first time around.

There are three sets of actions in this morning’s narrative – John preaches and baptizes, the hearers sin and repent, and God forgives.

If any of us have not accepted Jesus our Lord and Savior, the message to us is the same one that John proclaimed. We are sinners and we need to repent of our sins. God will forgive us, through the work of Christ on the cross.

If we are believers, then we have a similar role to play as John the Baptist – To prepare the way of the Lord for those who do not know Him yet.

Sometimes when we are called to do work for the Lord, we feel the weight of responsibility of doing God’s work. It is important to remember that we cannot do God’s work – only God can. We cannot get people to repent of their sins or accept the good news of Jesus Christ. What we are to do is to pave the way for the Lord to do His work. We can teach the need for repentance, we can share the Gospel, we can give testimonies of how great the Lord is, we can show love, kindness, grace to others, even to our enemies. This will prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to speak to the people’s hearts.

It is like in the parable of the sower. When God tells us to sow the seeds, we sow the seeds. Do not worry about the condition of the ground or the likelihood of successful growth or the interfering weeds – Just sow the seeds and let God take care of the rest. Sowing the seeds will not guarantee growth, but not sowing the seeds guarantees no growth.

So, this Advent season, let us be guided by the Holy Spirit and prepare the way of the Lord.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship of December 10, 2023)

Here’s a recent newsletter from Chris and Missy, our missionaries in Kandern, Germany….teaching and serving at the Black Forest Academy. What a treat it was to have them as guests in our worship service last Sunday. Please take a moment to read, pray, and consider becoming a prayer and financial partner with them!

Takano Times / Year-End Greeting

Here is the most recent news and Christmas greeting from Anna Rosengren, our missionary in Japan. Please read it….and maybe even consider joining her support team!

NEWS from ANNA!

Genesis 41:14-36

In our prior studies as we’ve moved through Genesis, we see that Joseph, who has been falsely imprisoned, remains in prison. Even though God had been with him and made him successful inside the prison, Joseph is not free. The initial pair of dreams that he was given that he would rule someday has not yet been fulfilled. Joseph had hoped that the cupbearer that he helped would have put in a good word to the Pharaoh, but the cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph, and Joseph remained imprisoned.

But two years later, the Pharaoh receives an unsettling pair of dreams, and is troubled. He gathers the wisest men in Egypt, but they were clueless as to what the dreams meant. So, the all-powerful king of Egypt was feeling powerless. This is when the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and how Joseph’s God had interpreted the dream the cupbearer had. He tells the Pharaoh about Joseph.

We now come to this morning’s passage. We see that the Pharaoh summons Joseph and tells him that he had two dreams, and no one has been able to tell him what they mean. Joseph declares that God can and will interpret the dreams. Pharaoh describes the two dreams to Joseph.

Joseph tells Pharaoh that both dreams mean the same thing. There will be seven years of plenty and seven years of drought, and the drought will be severe, and no one will remember the times of plenty once it hits. Joseph further explains that this is something that God is going to make happen, and the fact that there were two dreams with the same message means that this is fixed, and that God will shortly bring it about. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent it.

Joseph also adds a recommendation on how Pharaoh and Egypt can survive the approaching famine. He suggests that a wise man be selected to implement a program of putting enough food in storage during the seven years of plenty, to act as a reserve during the seven years of famine.

The fact that the first dream included the Nile must have shaken Pharaoh. The Nile is the life-giver of the whole area. It provides water and nutrients for Egypt to thrive, but now it is being associated with famine and death. Pharaoh believes what Joseph told him and decides to appoint Joseph in charge of the program to save Egypt through the coming seven years of famine.

Back in Genesis 37, Joseph was given a pair of dreams that told him that one day he would be a ruler and that even his brothers and father would bow before him. The brothers tried to destroy the dreams by selling Joseph into slavery, but unwittingly were pushing Joseph towards the dreams’ fulfillment.

It was not apparent to Joseph how the dream was going to come true, especially when he ended up in Egypt and in prison. But now the time of fulfillment had come. In later chapters, we will see how Joseph will reunite with his family.

We see through this narrative that God has His plans and earthly powers cannot stop them. However, this does not mean that we should just stand by and let things unfold. When we are given insights into God’s plans, then we should act with that in mind. That’s what Joseph did. Instead of just letting it be Egypt’s problem and letting them suffer and die, Joseph suggests a way to navigate within God’s plans. We are not to be spectators when we have been privy to God’s plans.

We might think that we have not been privy to God’s plans, but that is not true. We have been given God’s plans through the Bible. We may not know all the details, but we know enough. Sooner or later, this age is going to end, and a new earth and new heavens are going to be provided. This will happen after Jesus Christ returns. At that point, judgement will be rendered and all those who had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will go onto eternity with God, while the others will not. Although there is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening, with this knowledge, we know what we need to do. Instead of just letting this happen, we need to tell people what is going to happen and what they can do about it – That if they will believe and accept Jesus, they too can have their sins forgiven and have eternity with God and other believers assured.

With Thanksgiving done, we are headed to the advent season. There will be opportunities to witness to people – Inviting them to church, telling them about the real meaning of Christmas, telling them about what God has done for us.

Through the Bible, we know the reason Jesus was born on Christmas morning, died on the cross, and was resurrected. We know that Jesus is coming back, and when He does, it will be the end of this age, and at that point, each person’s eternal destination will be set. The time that this can still be changed is now, and we have been given a role to play — To be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Let us learn from Joseph and act boldly when the time for action comes.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano at our worship service on November 26, 2023.)