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John 12:20-36

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

²⁷“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. ³⁴The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah^£ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”

In our passage for today it is Palm Sunday and earlier in the chapter, Jesus had made his entry into Jerusalem. A great crowd that was in town for the festival heard that Jesus was coming and welcomed Him with great excitement.

Some Greek speaking Jews wanted to see Jesus, so they sought out Philip, one of the twelve that had a Greek name. Philip tells Andrew (also with a Greek name) and together, they tell Jesus.

The Greeks probably wanted to talk to Jesus about His coming into power and bringing back glory to Israel. Instead, Jesus talks about His coming death.

This perplexes the crowd, since they believe that the Jewish scriptures teach that the reign of the Messiah will last forever. They cannot reconcile this with Jesus’ words that He is going to be crucified.

Verse 37 says that “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him.”

Israel has been waiting for a long time for the Messiah to arrive. Their expectations were based on several well-known scripture passages. Here are two examples.

Isaiah 9:7 – His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.

Daniel 7:14 – To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

They are led to believe that when the Messiah finally arrives, He will establish His kingdom and reign forever as the King of Israel. They hear and see all the wonderful and powerful things Jesus is doing, they get their hopes up that Jesus is the Messiah and that they will be freed from Roman rule.

So, when Jesus starts to talk about His impending death, most conclude that He cannot be the Messiah, even though they have witnessed Jesus doing things that only the Messiah should be able to do. Further, the invitation that Jesus gives them – To follow Him in giving up the things of this earth – does not appeal to them, especially now that they conclude that Jesus is not the Messiah.

Today, thanks to the completed New Testament, we now understand that the establishment of an eternal kingdom under the rule of the Messiah will happen the next time Jesus comes to earth.

Jesus came the first time to suffer and die for our sins. He took the punishment that we deserved, so that by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven, and we would be assured of eternity with the Lord and our fellow believers.

However, if our expectations of the role of Jesus in our lives is not accurate, we can still make the same mistake that people made some two thousand years ago.

If our expectations of Jesus is that He is going to help us in our pursuit of earthly happiness, then this will hinder us in our lives. If we really believe that Jesus is our helper in whatever we do, then we will undoubtedly be disappointed when things do not go according to our plans – When we get sick; a loved one dies; we lose our job; when relationships fail; etc.

There are promises that God will help us, but it is associated with when we are pursuing works on behalf of the Kingdom of God. Luke 12:31 – “Strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Jesus’ invitation to follow Him still stands for us – To put priority on doing the work of the Kingdom, instead of putting first our pursuit of pleasures and happiness. Once we are willing to put to death our selfish tendencies, we will become a fruitful citizen of the Kingdom of God.

There are many around us that need to see the light of Jesus. The opportunity for people to be saved is not endless – The Lord could come back any day. This dark world needs the children of light to make it less dark.

To this world, we need to make the same invitation that Jesus made – “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship on October 12, 2025.)

Luke 17:5-10

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 7 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, `Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Would he not rather say, `Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'”

In our text today…..the disciples ask for more faith! Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt that if you just had more faith….you could accomplish more for God…that you could be a “better Christian”?

The passages leading up to today’s text are about discipleship.

What does it take to follow Jesus? What will be required of them? In verses 1-4 Jesus has just told them that it would be terrible for them to ever cause a little one to stumble, and that they need to forgive people seven times if asked.

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,’ forgive him.”

So it’s no wonder in verse 5 that the disciples ask for more faith! Who could live up to that standard? Have you ever felt that way? That being a Christian requires a lot, and you’re not sure you’re up for it?

Jesus’ answer seems somewhat strange: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would happen.” Is Jesus saying that they don’t even have faith the size of a mustard seed? Is he saying that they should really be uprooting trees and moving them around? No. Instead, Jesus seems to be directing them to a different problem than their “amount” of faith.

Jesus seems to be saying that FAITH is not something that you measure. E.g., “if I had more faith, I could do more things for God.” Instead, faith is like a muscle…. You don’t need more of it…you just need to exercise it more. As you use it, it will grow in strength.

“Disciples, you already have enough faith. You have all the faith you need. You just need to use it! Just do it!”

In verse 7-10, we have another story that seems to elaborate on this point of simply stepping out with the faith you have. Jesus seems to be saying to his disciples. “You don’t need more faith. You just need to be faithful and obedient in doing the tasks that are right before you. Just as a servant does what’s asked of him without expecting any special thanks or reward – you, too, as my disciple, should simply do the little and big things that are right in front of you – not always considering what your reward will be, or what’s in it for you….but simply out of obedience and faithfulness to your master. Then you will experience growth in your faith.”

Conclusion:

• Faith is not something you measure – it’s something you do. It’s a muscle you use.
• You show your faithfulness and obedience by performing the little (and big) things that are right in front of you. Not with hesitation..or with calculating what your reward will be – but simply as your duty to your master.
• Then you will experience a natural increase in your faith!

(The above is a summary and outline of the message shared in worship on October 5, 2025.)

John 11:17-27

¹⁷Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Before this morning’s passage, this is what occurred:

Jesus was very close to the three siblings — Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. John repeatedly states that Jesus loves them. The sisters send a message to Jesus that Lazarus is ill.

Jesus seems to know right away that this was happening so that the power of God would be seen by the people and that God would be glorified. This is what He means in v. 4, when He says, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

So, instead of heading immediately for Bethany, Jesus stays where He was for two days longer, making certain that Lazarus would die before Jesus arrived.

When Jesus arrives, He assures Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha is thinking that Jesus is talking about the resurrection that will happen at the end of this age. Jesus declares another “I am” statement – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Then Jesus asks Martha whether she believes what He told her, and she answers, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Jesus then goes to the cave that was Lazarus’ tomb and asks that the stone that was covering the opening be removed. Over the objection that it had been four days since Lazarus died, and that there would be an odor, Jesus enters and commands Lazarus to come out, and Lazarus comes back to life.

This is different than the resurrection that we will experience at the end of this age. Lazarus was resuscitated, but he will die again. When we are resurrected, our existence will continue for eternity. The final destiny will depend on whether or not we have been saved by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Those who have believed will spend eternity with the Lord and other believers, while the rest will spend eternity away from God.

Lazarus was allowed to die so that Jesus can reveal that He can overcome even death.

The Bible does not tell us what happens between the time we die and the time we are resurrected. Some believe that we will have a purely spiritual existence, while others believe that after we die, the next time we are conscious is when we are resurrected.

Regardless, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that the believers will be resurrected at the end of this age, after the final trumpet sounds. At that time, we will receive an imperishable body. What kind of body will it be? It will be recognizable as a human body, even though it will be a spiritual body instead of a natural body.

We will have been transformed but still recognizable. Jesus’ resurrected body is the clearest model. He could be touched, ate food, and bore the marks of crucifixion – Yet He also appeared and disappeared at will. This suggests a body that is physical but glorified, not bound by ordinary limitations.

The rest of the details, we will not know until we are resurrected. But it will be a wonderful eternity with no more pain nor tears. We will be in a perfect state in the presence of the Lord, on a new earth. All because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And by accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the savior of the world, we are assured of our resurrection and eternal life. Death is still sad and might be painful, but we have this great hope – Not the type of hope that you wish would happen, but the type of hope that is assured by the promise of God. So, there is no need to fear death.

But we are reminded that there are those around us who have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and so do not have such hope. And it is our responsibility to do all we can to tell them about this great hope, so that they too can receive the resurrection and life from Christ.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship on September 28, 2025.)

John 10:7-18

⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

In this section, we have a couple more “I am” statements from Jesus. Previously, He declared that He is the bread of life in John 6, and the light of the world in John 8 and 9. There will be three more of these statements in John 11-15.

There have been and will be others who are thieves and bandits who come to kill and destroy, but Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. He is the gate and whoever enters by Him will be saved.

Jesus is also the good shepherd. Unlike the hired hands who will abandon the sheep when they feel threatened for their safety, Jesus came to lay down His life for the sheep. By stating that He will also bring in sheep who do not belong to this fold, He implies that He is the good shepherd not only of Israel, but of the whole world. There will be one flock and one shepherd. He also states that He is about to lay down His life – No one is taking it from Him – And that He will live again.

In Matthew chapter seven, Jesus said, “¹³Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

This is probably an accurate way that the public perceives the Christian faith. Many may think that if one is a faithful Christian, one would have to go to church on Sunday mornings as well as some midweek Bible study or prayer meeting, give money to the church and missionaries, stop smoking, swearing and heavy drinking. One needs to be at least a bit self-sacrificing, at least on the surface, and pretend to love others. It is much easier not to have to deal with all that and do what you please and sleep in on Sunday morning and only associate with those you like and not be embarrassed by having to push your religious beliefs onto others.

This point of view is understandable if we believe that we have only one life to live and once we die, there is nothing more. But if we believe that there is eternal life, as the Bible teaches, and that there are two destinations in eternity – One with the Lord and one away from the Lord, then the picture shifts. If we want to spend eternity with the Lord and other believers, then there is only one way – Through Jesus Christ. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins, we enter the narrow gate that leads to eternal life with our Lord. It only looks hard – It is easy to enter, but it is a narrow gate, and only one person can enter at a time. Each person must enter on his or her own. One does not automatically enter just because one’s parents or siblings or spouse entered the gate.

In Luke chapter thirteen, Jesus encourages people to enter through the narrow door, since it is open now. When the owner stands up and closes the door, no one will be able to enter it. In other words, the time of salvation is now, but it will not last forever. One day, that door will close.

When we think of Jesus the good shepherd, we are reminded of Psalm 23, one of the most beloved and famous passages of the Bible.

¹The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ²He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. ³He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

When we accept Jesus as our shepherd, He will provide us with what we need. He will restore our souls and lead us in paths of righteousness. There will be no need to fear evil for He will protect and guide us. And when this life is over, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

For us who are believers the thought of Jesus being our good shepherd is a comforting thought that we can turn to. But for those who are following other shepherds, including themselves, they do not have the privilege or advantage of having Jesus Christ as their shepherd.

Jesus is calling out to those who are outside of His flock. We have a responsibility to give those people a chance to hear and listen to Jesus’ voice. Before the gate closes, we have the task of witnessing to those outside of the flock that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He is the Good Shepherd.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano at our worship on September 14, 2025.)

Luke 14:1, 7-14

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.　7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, `Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, `Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”　12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In our text today, we see Jesus visiting the home of a Pharisee, one of the Jewish religious leaders. In verse 1 we see that he is being “carefully watched”.

Then, our text is divided into two parts.

• In the first part Jesus notices everyone’s desire to take the best seats around the table. He speaks about humility and the fact that “those who humble themselves will be exalted….and those that exalt themselves….will be humbled.” At first glance, this appears to be a kind of common sense lesson in etiquette. A similar teaching appears in other biblical examples: James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Is this just common sense? A lesson in etiquette? Yet, Jesus goes on in the second part of our text to address the host, the Pharisee who had invited him to this meal:

• He says, “When you throw a party, or plan a feast, don’t invite the people to dinner who can repay you. Don’t invite folks who can easily return the favor.” Instead, invite people who cannot repay you, the poor, the blind, the cripple, those who don’t expect it and can’t return the favor. That will be a real blessing to you!

Do you think we can actually do this??

Jesus seems to be saying “Stop Counting! Don’t count the costs, benefits, or rewards of your actions…but live with a sense of God’s abundance and blessing! 

The world tells us that there is never enough….that we are all competing for limited resources. We’re always counting. We check  our bank accounts, we count our “likes” on Facebook, we wonder what our neighbors will think?, we worry about our food, clothes, and housing for tomorrow. And none of this is necessarily wrong. But Jesus teaches us to count correctly! Count accurately! Seek FIRST the kingdom of God, and all of these other things will be taken care of.

What if we really believed that there was enough for everyone? Would we be more generous? Would we worry less? Would we try to give more away….and hold on to less? I believe that is what Jesus is getting at in this account.

• True humility is to recognize that WE are the poor, blind, lame….undeserving of God’s grace – yet, we have been invited to the great feast….God’s table of abundance, through Jesus Christ! 
• True blessing is to be found in showing hospitality and kindness to those who cannot repay us. Stop counting….and start blessing others!  

Who in my life could I invite into my circle who cannot “repay” me?

How can JCC embody Jesus’ banquet table in our community?

(The above is a summary of the message shared during worship on August 31, 2025.)

John 9:13-34

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) ²³Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

Jesus sees a man blind from birth. He spits on the ground, making mud, and applies it to the man’s eyes. Jesus then tells the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. When the man does what Jesus told him, he can see.

Since this was on a Sabbath day, the Pharisees are concerned and ask the man how he received his sight. When the man tells them what Jesus did, the Pharisees inform him that Jesus is not from God, since He is not keeping the Sabbath. The man asks how a sinner can do such signs, to which the Pharisees have no response.

The Jews speculate that the man was never blind. They call on the man’s parents, but the man’s parents verify that the man was blind from birth, but now he can see. The Jews ask the parents how it came to be that their son can now see, to which they reply that all they know is that their son was blind but now can see – They do not know why or who gave him his sight, and that they should ask their son as to what happened.

So, the man who was born blind was called again and he tells them what happened. When the Jews insist that Jesus is a sinner, the man counters with his thought that God does not listen to sinners, but this man was able to perform this miraculous sign. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. The Jews then cast the man out.

Jesus hears that the man has been cast out and goes to him. Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of Man and tells him, that “. . . Those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

Earlier in verse five, Jesus had said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” The image of Jesus being the light of the world comes readily. The world is in darkness and Jesus came to shine and drive out the darkness. And we as His followers are supposed to reflect the light of Christ, acting as a mirror and pointing His light into the dark places

But what about Jesus’ statement that “those who see may become blind?” What does this mean?

I just read a novel in which the bad guys and the good guys are in darkness. The bad guys came with night vision goggles and had the advantage. The good guys turn this around by using bright lights which temporarily blind the bad guys.

We probably have all experienced something like this in less dramatic situations. When we go from bright sunshine into a cave, it takes a few minutes for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they adjust, we are temporarily blinded when we go back into the bright sunshine. The same thing happens when we are driving through a long tunnel and then suddenly come out into the bright sunshine.

Bright light can help us to see in the dark. But a bright light can also make us blind if our eyes are adjusted for darkness. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “those who see may become blind”.

Some of us, who were living in darkness, saw the light of Christ and were able to see the truth. Others, who have been living in darkness for a long time and their eyes have been adjusted for darkness, can be blinded when all of the sudden the light of Christ shines in their eyes.

This is probably the reason why most people do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the World when they first hear it. They cannot understand that Jesus, dying on the cross and taking the punishment that we deserved, gave us a way to be saved.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The longer people have gotten used to living in the dark, the more time it can take for their eyes to adjust to the bright light of the gospel. What Jesus tells us about “those, who presently see… becoming blind “ should be a good reminder to us that sometimes we are going to have to be patient when witnessing for Christ. It might take numerous exposures to the light before the eyes adjust enough to stop being blinded by the light. Once adjusted, they will have a better chance to be saved and say, “I was blind but now I see.”

(The above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano at our worship on August 24, 2025.)

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John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 

What do we know about light?

• Behaves both as a wave and a particle
• If we focus on visible light, the basic colors are red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet
• Speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per second

But the scientific facts about light are interesting but do not shed any light as to what Jesus is saying in our passage. If we go back to Genesis, we see that on the first day of creation, God created light to separate the light from darkness. Most people listening to Jesus would have this simple dual concept of light and dark.

What Jesus tells them is that He is the light of the world, and that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

From this, we can glean that without Jesus, we are walking in darkness, and that we lack the light that will give us life. Since all the hearers were alive, we know that Jesus was not talking about physical life, but spiritual life. Before we become followers of Jesus, even though we are physically alive, we are spiritually dead. For followers of Jesus, when life on earth ends, we have eternal life with Jesus and other followers. For those who do not follow Jesus, when life on earth ends, they will have eternity away from the Lord.

When we do not have Jesus’ light we are in spiritual darkness. We have no idea as to how to live nor what happens to us when we physically die. Many have guessed throughout the ages. Many have been confused by Satan and believe things that are contrary to the truth. This is why there are so many different religions and so many different philosophies for how to live our lives.

There are those who believe that when this life is over, then one is born again. What they are reborn as depends on how well or poorly they lived their previous lives.

There are those who believe that there is a heaven and a hell and if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, they get to go to heaven.

There are those who believe that humans start out as purely spiritual and the ones who are good will be given physical bodies. And those who follow the teachings of their church, they will one day become gods of their own universe.

There are those who believe that they will be deemed righteous if they follow all the laws of their religion. Their sins and oversights can be cleansed by a priest who offer animal sacrifices on their behalf. And one day, a savior will appear that will establish an eternal kingdom with those who have been faithful to their laws.

There are also those who believe that they are given one life and once it is over, they are extinguished.

There are many other beliefs besides these. And they are all incorrect because they do not have the light that gives life, and the truth is dark to them.

Today, we have the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. The four gospels tell us about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The book of Acts tells us about the Holy Spirit and how He worked with Jesus’ followers to establish the church of Jesus Christ and how it spread. There are twenty-one letters that teach us about the truth and how to live as one living in the light of Jesus. Revelation tells us about how the end of this age will come and the glorious future that awaits the believers.

Importantly, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell in us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit will guide, teach, explain the truth and how to live for the Lord, just like He did for those who started the church as well as write the words that became our New Testament.

Through these teachings, we know that:

• We are all born with a sinful nature
• We cannot be made righteous by any acts that we perform
• Jesus came as fully God and fully man – The only man with no sin who is worthy to take the penalty for humanity’s sins
• Jesus took the punishment we deserve and died, but was resurrected
• Anyone who repents and accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be saved
• We are only given one life to live, and where and with whom we spend eternity depends on whether we believe or not
• Until our physical death, our task in life is to be witnesses to the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the savior of the world, and the Holy Spirit will empower us to do so

For those of us who consider Jesus as our Lord, we are called to reflect the true light of the world – Jesus Christ – Like a mirror and shine His light into the dark places around us.

For those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ into your hearts, do so now, and you will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship on August 10, 2025.)

Luke 12:13-21

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, `This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘ 20 “But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

A rich farmer has a bumper crop. Since his barns are too small to hold the harvest, he decides to build bigger ones. He tells himself smugly, “Now that I have lots of stuff that will last for many years, I can relax – eat, drink, and be merry.” But the story comes to an abrupt finish when his life suddenly ends; or, as the story states it, when God demands his life of him. “So it is”, Jesus concludes,“with everyone who stores up possessions for themsleves – but is not rich toward God.”

Why was this rich farmer called a FOOL by God? After all…

• He was clearly a successful farmer
• His land produced abundantly
• He built large barns so he could store his excess grain and goods for the future
• He had a good retirement plan

By most common standards, he would be considered a WISE man.

• He wasn’t a fool for being successful.
• He wasn’t a fool for planning and saving for the future.
• He wasn’t even a fool for hoping to enjoy his retirement with food and drink and dancing. God is pleased to bless us with good gifts!

However, by a different standard….God’s standard….he was considered a complete fool. Why?

Foolishness in God’s sight:

1 He believed that he controlled his life

• He felt that if he succeeded in farming and saved amply for the future that he could secure a comfortable retirement. But what about sickness, tragedy, forces beyond our control?
• Or as Jesus once put it, the number of hairs on our head, or the number of days of our lives…are not items that we can control!
• He learns the hard way that “You can’t take it with you.” Ecc. 2:18-19   “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.”

2 He believed that his life was his own, instead of a gift of God

• In this account, the rich farmer only talks to himself.
• He seems unaware of God’s part in his success…no gratitude.
• He seems unaware of his many workers and their help in his success.
• He seems unaware that God may require much of him, since he has been given much.
• He is unaware that his life belongs to God.
• He lives only for himself.

How can we be wise? How can we secure our future?

• Like the rich farmer, we are tempted to think that having large amounts of money and possessions stored up will make us secure.
• Sooner or later, however, we learn that no amount of wealth or property can secure our lives.
• No amount of wealth can protect us from a genetically inherited disease, for instance, or from a tragic accident. No amount of wealth can keep our relationships healthy and our families from falling apart.
• In fact, wealth and property can easily drive a wedge between family members, as in the case of the brothers fighting over their inheritance at the beginning of this text.
• In fact, Jesus repeatedly warns that wealth can get in the way of our relationship with God. “Take care!” he says. “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

True wealth toward God:

• Right priorities: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God. (A relationship with God)”
• How are we investing our lives? (our time, talent, and treasure?)
• Understand that all that we have is God’s. We are only stewards.
  • NOT “earned and owned”….but “gift….and to be shared”
• Because all that we are and all that we have belongs to God, our future is secure beyond all measure when we recognize this, and trust our heavenly Father to provide all we need.

Jesus’ words at the end of Luke 12 are both encouraging and most appropriate: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

(the above is a summary and outline of the message shared during our worship on August 3, 2025.)