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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.)

Genesis 47:7-12

We will close out Jacob’s life this morning, and then we will close out Joseph’s life the next time.

After hearing the good news that Joseph is still alive, Jacob is eager to see his son who he believed was dead. He must still have not been too sure about whether he should leave the promised land, so we see in the beginning of Genesis 46 that God speaks to him and assures him that it is OK to go to Egypt. God further explains that it is in Egypt where He will grow the family into a great nation and that He will bring them back to the promised land.

So, Jacob and his whole household heads for Egypt, where Joseph greets him, and they have a happy reunion. After that, it was time for Jacob to meet the Pharaoh, and we come to this morning’s passage.

It is an interesting encounter. Pharaoh attempts to make small talk, but Jacob simply describes how unsettled his and his ancestors’ lives have been. Pharaoh has land, security and food, while Jacob has none. What Jacob has is God’s promise that his descendants will become a great nation in the future. So, unlike Pharaoh, who already has everything, Jacob must have faith and hope for the future – Not for himself, but for the future generations. However, it is obvious who God is with, since it is Jacob who blesses the Pharaoh, and not the other way around.

The last part of the chapter tells us that Jacob survives the famine and is near death seventeen years after coming to Egypt. He is 147 years old at this point. There must have been temptation to just accept Egypt as his home, but he is loyal to God’s plans. He makes Joseph promise that after Jacob dies, he will not be buried in Egypt.

Joseph brings his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by Jacob. Joseph makes sure that Manasseh, the elder, is placed near Jacob’s right hand, while Ephraim, the younger was placed near Jacob’s left hand. Apparently, the prime blessing is to be done with the right hand. But when it came time for the blessing, Jacob crossed his hands so that Ephraim was blessed with the right hand. Joseph tries to object, but Jacob seems to know that he is giving the blessings as God intends. Much like when Jacob was given the blessing instead of his older brother, the younger brother is being given the prime blessing. History will prove this, with Ephraim becoming the much more significant tribe than Manasseh, who ends up being half in and half out of the promised land.

Then Jacob gathers his sons and speaks to them, giving blessings and prophesies. Then he gives them his final directions – That they carry his body back to the cave in the field at Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah are buried. Even though his beloved Rachel is buried at Bethlehem, his direction is for him to be buried with Leah. It seems that he is honoring the fact that Leah was his first wife. It may also have something to do with the fact that Leah was the mother of Judah, whose tribe will generate the king whose scepter shall not depart.

Then Jacob dies and is given full honors by the Egyptians, as if he were royalty. They officially mourn for him for forty days, and then all the dignitaries of Egypt and the sons of Jacob travel to Canaan and bury him there.

It has been quite a journey for Jacob. From fighting with his older brother while in their mother’s womb, to trading Esau’s birthright for food, and scheming with his mother to trick his father into giving him the blessing that was intended for Esau, he was all about gaining advantage for himself, no matter how it affected others.

Then the table gets turned a little when his uncle Laban tricks him into marrying the older, less attractive daughter, Leah, rather than the lovely Rachel who Jacob loved. He ends up marrying both daughters, and together with the women’s servants, produces twelve sons and a daughter.

After that, it seems that sadness followed him, starting with the death of his beloved Rachel, who died while giving birth to Benjamin. Then the news that Joseph, his favorite son, had been torn apart by wild animals.

He gains peace and joy in his final years when he finds out that Joseph is alive. Not only that, the dreams Joseph was given by God in his youth had come true. Joseph had become not only the de facto ruler of Egypt, but the savior of the whole region.

Some people start out being on the right track, but then get derailed a bit towards the end. Some examples we find in the Bible include Gideon and Solomon. Others start out not so good, but end up very strong. Jacob was one of the latter.

The characteristics we see in the earlier Jacob are not very complimentary – Trickster, liar, grabber, selfish and self-centered. Not the type of man who you would want to see your daughter marry. His early relationship with God is one of commerce – “If you would do this for me, then I will worship you”.

Then towards the end, we see a different Jacob. We see someone who better understands what God is doing – That God has been working so that a great nation can come into being and to occupy the promised land. Jacob understands that something much greater than himself is at stake. It is not about him, but about the kingdom of God.

How did this transformation happen? Much has to do with God reminding him that He is present and working. God encountering Jacob at Bethel with the vision of the stairway to heaven. God encountering him at Peniel in a wrestling match, giving him a new name – Israel. God encountering him on his way to Egypt, assuring him that this is part of God’s plan to start transforming the family of Jacob into the nation of Israel.

Towards the end, Jacob knew that he would die in Egypt and would not see the promised land. It would have been easy to fall into the temptation to be content with the good and plentiful life in Egypt, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. But he believed that his hope and dream were in the promised land, so he insisted that he be buried in Canaan, along with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. This would serve as a reminder to his descendants that their eventual home was not in Egypt, but in the promised land.

Like Jacob, we too are probably not going to see our final destination during our current earthly lives – A new earth with God coming down from heaven to dwell with us. Like Jacob, we need to look forward to the Kingdom of God. But we ought not to be content with the fact that we are part of the Kingdom – We became citizens of the Kingdom when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – But realize that we need to do all we can so that others can also become part of the Kingdom. Jacob’s role in God’s plan was to be transformed to Israel. Our role in God’s plan is to do the good works that God has planned for each one of us – To be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on February 11, 2024.)

Matthew 6:9-14

Last month we began a series on prayer. Our first message was titled “Learning to Pray”. Now obviously that’s a huge topic. We are learning to pray, and learning about prayer…. our entire lives. So we can’t possibly cover everything!

But we started by considering a few of the items that keep us from prayer….that make prayer seem difficult at times. For example, a sense of self-confidence or independence – that may lead to feeling that we have no real need of prayer; a busy life – that may lead to a schedule that’s out of control; distractions – that keep us from ever becoming quiet, still, or focused. And so on…

We then looked at the example of Jesus and his disciples and saw that the following were all characteristics of prayer in Jesus’ example and teaching.

• A sense of weakness, helplessness
• Prioritizing prayer time
• Becoming like a child 
• Growing love toward God (viewing prayer as a relationship)　
• Learning total trust　

Today our topic is: “Praying for our Needs”

• What kind of needs do you have?  (so many, right?)
• Is it OK to pray about all of them? (are any of them so small that they seem  insignificant? Are any of them so big that you feel that your prayers would be insignificant?)　
• Is it possible for our prayers to ever get self-centered…or selfish?　
• Is there a proper way to pray? An improper way?　

And these are only a few of the questions that we may have when praying about our needs.

The following two cases from scripture may help us in understanding a proper way to pray:

• Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple:
  • The Pharisee prays in a prideful way “Thank you God that I am not like that tax collector, that sinner.”
  • The tax collector prays in anguish and humility “God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
  • Jesus tells his disciples that it was the tax collector’s prayer that God heard.
  • So yes, it appears that there may be prayers that God doesn’t hear….because of our attitudes, sin in our lives, and other barriers that come between us and God.

• Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:18
  • “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
  • Paul’s words would seem to indicate that when it comes to “needs” there are no “off-limit” requests. Pray about EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME!
  • So perhaps when thinking about “praying for our needs” the best advice is Paul’s – don’t worry about whether a prayer is correct or not…..just pray about everything…..all of the time!

Throughout the Bible we see people praying for various kinds of needs:

• Many prayed for children:  Samuel’s mother Hannah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Jacob’s wife Rachel, and many others.
• Many prayed for God’s wisdom and leading: Hezekiah – for guidance and help when being attacked, Solomon – for wisdom to rule, Nehemiah – for specific guidance and plans for rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls.
• David prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.
• Anna, at 84, prayed to be able to see the Messiah before she died.
• Paul prayed for a successful missionary journey.　
• John prayed for good health and wellbeing.　
• Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies.　

So while scripture doesn’t teach us one, correct way to pray, or about topics that may be acceptable or off-limits, Jesus himself, when asked, said this to his disciples:

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  Matthew 6:9-14

Many have therefore seen this as a model prayer, and one that should be studied and followed. Indeed, we say this prayer together every Sunday in our worship, and most of us have used it on many occasions in our own homes. Uncountable sermons have been preached on this prayer…and so much excellent analysis that could help us in our prayer life. But today, I offer one very simple formula, or idea, that may help us when praying for our needs.

Three movements of God in this prayer:

• God’s provinces – God reigns between heaven and earth. He connects the spiritual and physical worlds. Through a spiritual practice (prayer) the physical world is affected / changed! Here Jesus teaches us to pray for the reality of God’s reign to come on earth, just as it is already a reality in heaven.
  • Our Father in heaven….
  • Hallowed be your name….
  • Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth….as it is in heaven
• God’s provision –  As our heavenly parent, God knows our needs and cares about them.
  • Give us today our daily bread…
  • “Don’t worry about your food, drink, clothing, or shelter. I know all about these real needs that you have.” (Mt. 6:25-33)
  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil 4:6)
• God’s protection – Against the evil one, against death, against sickness
  • And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one　

And so in this model prayer that Jesus offers to his disciples – and to us – we pray for the reign of God, for the Kingdom of God, to become a reality right here and now. We also are not shy about praying for our physical needs –  for our food, drink, clothing, and shelter,  knowing that God cares about these things. Finally, we recognize our need for God’s protection as we walk daily through this world and through life.

Final Thoughts:

1. Praying for our needs…..comes out of our deep sense of personal need and lack.
2. There is not a single, correct way to pray. There are no “off-limits” prayers. “Pray about everything all the time”. Yes, our prayers will change over time. They may move from self-centered to God-centered. But this is something we practice and grow into…..start where you are!
3. Our “prayer tip” for this week: The three “P’s”. God’s provinces, God’s provision, and God’s protection

Take a moment to write down some needs that you are praying about:

• Three personal needs that you consider top priority
• Three JCC needs (needs of our church family) that you consider the most important.

Share these with God, and with each other, as we continue to grow in our prayer lives!

(the above is a summary and outline of the message shared during our worship on February 4, 2024.)

On March 16, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. there will be an RJC Regional Conference held at the Japanese Presbyterian Church. “RJC” – Reaching Japanese For Christ” is an organization for networking and encouragement among Japanese Churches and other organizations that are working together to share the gospel with Japanese – both here in the U.S. as well as in Japan. March 16th will be a day for folks and organizations from our Seattle area to gather to hear reports, testimonies, and for general encouragement. I hope that several of you will be able to attend that day! You can check out their Facebook Event Page…. and register here:  RJC Registration  (there is a $20 cost for the day, which includes lunch). I encourage you to register soon. Below is the flyer for this event. Share it with your friends!

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.)