Breaking news…..this just in! We’ve received word that Anna was able to raise the necessary support funds in order for her to return to Japan with SEND, Int. for a second term. Let’s continue to keep her in our daily prayers. Read the details here:
Genesis 42:1-25
The interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams that God provided to Joseph came true, and Egypt had seven years of plenty, when they stored a huge amount of grain, and now, the seven years of famine had started.
For Jacob, they were running out of food, so he sends ten of his remaining sons to Egypt to see if they could purchase grain. Rachel was the woman Jacob loved and who had given birth to Joseph and Benjamin. With Rachel dead, and believing that Joseph too was dead, Benjamin was all that he had left of Rachel. So, Jacob was not willing to put Benjamin in any sort of danger, and Benjamin stayed home with him.
When the brothers arrive in Egypt and bow themselves in front of Joseph to buy grain, Joseph recognizes them, but they did not recognize Joseph. Joseph also remembers the dreams he was given by God. Joseph chooses to hide his identity from his brothers, and treats them harshly, accusing them of being spies.
Joseph tells the brothers that if they want to be cleared of the suspicion of being spies, they need to send one of them back home and bring Benjamin, and then put them all in prison. Three days later, Joseph changes his mind and tells the brothers that he will sell them grain, but they need to leave one of them as a hostage, and the rest need to go home and bring back Benjamin. Joseph selects Simeon to be the hostage and has him bound.
Then Joseph gives orders to fill the brothers’ bags with grain, but also to give each man’s money back in his sack. After the brothers depart, they find that their money had been returned to them, and they are dismayed, fearing that the ruler who treated them harshly would conclude that the brothers cheated Egypt. After hearing what happened and of the demand that Benjamin be sent to Egypt, Jacob refuses. He is more willing to have Simeon stay in an Egyptian prison than to expose Benjamin to danger.
In chapter 37 when the original dreams were given to Joseph, he was young and guileless. Then in chapters 39-41, we find Joseph to be a man of high moral principles and integrity. But now, we find Joseph to be a shrewd, calculating and ruthless ruler. He knows that the dreams of power had come true. But he seems not to grasp that the reason for his power was not for the sake of power, but to preserve the dream of the great nation of Israel.
The brothers are bound in guilt and the lie they have been telling their father for all these years that Joseph was attacked and killed by wild animals. They are defined by this, and they have no notion of becoming a great nation. They are desperately trying to stay alive and keep the truth of what they really did to Joseph away from their father.
Because of the brothers’ lies, Jacob is hanging on desperately to Benjamin and the dream of a great nation, thinking that he must keep Benjamin safe at all costs.
Joseph finds himself in a contest with his father Jacob. Joseph desperately wants to see Benjamin, his full-blooded brother, while Jacob desperately wants to keep Benjamin from going to Egypt. We know that Joseph will eventually win, since he has the power and the food. Jacob will succumb, once he and Benjamin become hungry enough.
So, what can we take away from this passage? It would be necessary to look at what God’s plan for humanity might be. We find that when God created humanity, he placed them in the garden to dwell with Him. After sin separated humans from God, God decides to create a nation out of Abraham’s descendants. After increasing in numbers and wealth, God frees Israel from slavery in Egypt and leads them to Mt. Sinai, where He gives them the Law and has them construct the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle to house it, so that He can dwell with the people. Once they are established in the Promised Land, and the temple is built, that would be where God dwells with His people.
In Revelations, we are told that once this age is over and Jesus Christ comes back and finishes His work, the old earth and the heavens will be replaced by new ones. Then God will come down to dwell with His people forever. Somehow, some have come to believe that when we die, we go to heaven to be with God forever. However, Revelations makes it clear that at the end of this age, God will come down to dwell with us forever.
God’s plan for humanity has always been to be able to dwell with His people, who had been freed from sin. That’s the reason Jesus was sent to earth, so that by His death on the cross, He takes the punishment that we should receive. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven and our eternal future with God will be assured.
Joseph seems to believe that God gave him the dreams and put him in a position of power because he is loved. Understandable, since he was the obvious favorite of Jacob. What he does not realize is that God chose Joseph to save not only Egypt and the surrounding countries, but his own family, so that the plan for the nation of Israel can stay alive.
The brothers have sins that dominate their situation. They could not see that God was choosing Joseph to save them all so that the nation of Israel can be born eventually. They only felt jealousy for Joseph and the dreams he was given and decided to get rid of him. They had no clue concerning God’s plans.
Jacob, believing the lie that Joseph had died, is trying to preserve the promise that was given to Abraham, and then to Isaac, and then to him. With Joseph gone, Jacob probably believed that Benjamin, the only remaining son of his beloved Rachel, will carry on God’s promise of a great nation.
We probably have experienced similar things in our lives. Like Joseph, sometimes we are amazed at the good “fortune” in which we find ourselves, and just enjoy it, rather than wondering if God had other plans. Perhaps we were supposed to use what God gave us for His Kingdom work – People who needed some kind of help, people who needed to hear the Gospel, etc. – To be a blessing to others.
Perhaps at other times, like Joseph’s brothers, we see great things happening to other people and wonder why they are so lucky, not even thinking that God has a plan for those people to be a blessing to others.
And at other times, like Jacob, we may face a situation where we are forced to go in a direction we had not planned, nor wanted. At those times, we might need to think of the possibility that though our way seems unclear, it is nevertheless the direction God wants us to go for the furtherance of His kingdom.
We need to realize that God has a plan, and it is not just for our benefit, but so that we can be a blessing to others. Whether times seem good or bad, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us so that we can be used by God, and not get in His way.
(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on December 31, 2023.)
Luke 1:26-38
Immanuel! God With Us!
It’s a joy to be with you on this Christmas Eve morning! And I wish for each of you….and your families…. A very merry celebration and joyful time as we consider all that God has done for us, as individuals….and as a church family.
But to be honest…. It has been a strange week for me.
Following our Children’s Worship last Sunday, my cold seemed to settle in my chest and eventually…. I lost my voice. I suddenly feel like Zechariah in Luke chapter 1, where he lost his ability to speak until the baby – John the Baptist – was born!
But it’s not just my own physical condition that has felt dark. It’s also the news. The news from Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, home to thousands of Palestinian Christians and Arabs…as well as many Israeli settlements.
We usually hear about Bethlehem in the context of our Christmas celebrations. Bethlehem was not only the birthplace of King David, but of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It was the town where Joseph and Mary traveled to in order to register for the empire-wide census which was being taken. And of course, that is when Jesus was born as a baby.
I feel sad when I consider the fact that present-day Bethlehem is even less peaceful and maybe more stressful….than it was 2,000 years ago. The attacks on Israel by the group governing Gaza – Hamas – on October 7th left over 1200 Israelis dead or taken as hostages. That triggered a thunderous response from the Israeli defense forces which has resulted (according to most reliable sources) in the death of over 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza alone. Along with this, over 240 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during this same time period… yes, near Bethlehem.
Why these things happen… and who is “more to blame…” – is too long a history to cover in my short devotional this morning. I merely point to these news items as reason for a sense of darkness and sadness that I have struggled with as a pastor during the past few days.
Our world longs for a Savior. We cry out to God for his mercy. Sometimes… our own smaller difficulties and struggles overwhelm us. Then when we think about those that are experiencing real war and deprivation in Ukraine, or Israel, or Gaza….we feel slightly embarrassed and maybe even guilty about our own struggles. But God knows all about each of us…. Whether our struggles are big or small. And God cares. So where can we find hope today?
Our text for today is the famous conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary. Gabriel announces that she will be pregnant, which is of course a great surprise to Mary. She then hears that this will not be a normal pregnancy, but in fact, a divine and miraculous one!
The child to be born will be named Jesus, and will be called Son of the Most High. In addition to all of this, her relative, Elizabeth, who was said to be barren, was also in her 6th month of pregnancy.
While Mary is at first surprised and filled with questions….the conversation ends with her offering this final response to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
At this Christmas celebration today, I wish to leave you with three phrases, three promises that we find in our text today. Here’s the first one:
“Do not be afraid…. For you have found favor with God”
Imagine what it would feel like if Gabriel was saying this to you right now. Not to Mary… but to you. Put your own name in there.
None of us are Mary – and our situation is different but God’s word to us at Christmas is the same. “Don’t be afraid. I love you. I have found favor with you.” Put your own name in there and hear God’s word to you.
In Isaiah 43:4 God speaks to the people of Israel – and to us – with these words:
“You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.” Let those words sink in deeply right now.
And here is the second key phrase for us today:
“For nothing will be impossible with God”
No, none of us are expecting to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Maybe Gabriel’s words to Mary seem like a bit of a stretch!
But, what are the areas in your life where you are struggling with faith? Are you experiencing struggles that seem like there are no easy solutions?
I challenge you to consider this word of Gabriel and how it might relate to your own life and situation.
“For nothing will be impossible with God”
And finally, the third phrase to consider, which was Mary’s response:
“Here I am. I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary’s response showed a heart of submission.
In fact, it’s very similar to Jesus’ final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, not my will, but yours….”
Again, our situations are different than Mary’s …. So it might be hard to imagine how we would respond to God. Can we offer our complete lives to God? Are we willing to trust God that far?!
If we believe that God really loves us and approves of us…. And if we believe that nothing is impossible with God…. Would we be willing to offer our lives to God?
I believe these three statements could change our lives today!
Take these statements – these truths with you this week.
Like Mary, ponder them in your hearts.
And as we pray for Bethlehem, and Gaza, and Israel, and Ukraine…and other areas of war and darkness, let us remember that Jesus was born in order to bring light and life into our dark world.
May you experience God’s great joy this Christmas!
(the above message was read by Gene Hanson, James Truesdale, and Rhys Farren as part of our Christmas worship on December 24, 2023.)
Mark 1:1-8
The Old Testament prophesied that before the coming of the Messiah, the savior of the world, a messenger would be sent ahead to prepare the way of the Lord. This messenger was often referred to as “Elijah” but we now know that John the Baptist would play this role.
The last words of God that had been spoken through a prophet were through the words of Malachi, some 400 years prior – Malachi 4:5-6:
“Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.“
With 400 years of no communication from God, people were starting to worry that God had rejected Israel. So, when John arrived and was recognized as a prophet, people were eager to go see him and to listen to what God had to say through him. John proclaimed the need for baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People reacted positively to his message and were baptized in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
John then announced that the Messiah was coming who was more powerful and who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, instead of water.
Although the people are told that the Messiah is coming, at this point in time, they do not know the identity of the Savior. We, of course, know – The Savior of the World is Jesus of Nazareth. Even though Mark’s gospel does not have a Christmas story, we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary.
Although most Jews expected that when the Messiah came, he would defeat the Romans, would sit on the throne of David, and re-establish the golden era of the nation of Israel for eternity. We know that Jesus was an unexpected Messiah, in that He would give up His life as an atonement for our sins. He would be arrested, tortured, executed on the cross, and then rise again on the third day. Anyone who would accept Him as Lord and Savior would be forgiven their sins and be saved, having assurance that their eternity would be spent with Him and His followers.
We also know that Jesus will come again, this time as king of kings and lord of lords and will establish His eternal kingdom. When that will happen is unknown to us – It could be hundreds or thousands of years in the future, or it could be today or tomorrow.
John’s job was to prepare the way of the Lord. Instead of getting ready to receive and welcome a conquering king, John preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins – The required step to receive Jesus’ saving grace is the repentance of sins. So, it seems that John had some knowledge as to what the nature of Jesus’ ministry was going to be the first time around.
There are three sets of actions in this morning’s narrative – John preaches and baptizes, the hearers sin and repent, and God forgives.
If any of us have not accepted Jesus our Lord and Savior, the message to us is the same one that John proclaimed. We are sinners and we need to repent of our sins. God will forgive us, through the work of Christ on the cross.
If we are believers, then we have a similar role to play as John the Baptist – To prepare the way of the Lord for those who do not know Him yet.
Sometimes when we are called to do work for the Lord, we feel the weight of responsibility of doing God’s work. It is important to remember that we cannot do God’s work – only God can. We cannot get people to repent of their sins or accept the good news of Jesus Christ. What we are to do is to pave the way for the Lord to do His work. We can teach the need for repentance, we can share the Gospel, we can give testimonies of how great the Lord is, we can show love, kindness, grace to others, even to our enemies. This will prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to speak to the people’s hearts.
It is like in the parable of the sower. When God tells us to sow the seeds, we sow the seeds. Do not worry about the condition of the ground or the likelihood of successful growth or the interfering weeds – Just sow the seeds and let God take care of the rest. Sowing the seeds will not guarantee growth, but not sowing the seeds guarantees no growth.
So, this Advent season, let us be guided by the Holy Spirit and prepare the way of the Lord.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship of December 10, 2023)
Here’s a recent newsletter from Chris and Missy, our missionaries in Kandern, Germany….teaching and serving at the Black Forest Academy. What a treat it was to have them as guests in our worship service last Sunday. Please take a moment to read, pray, and consider becoming a prayer and financial partner with them!
Here is the most recent news and Christmas greeting from Anna Rosengren, our missionary in Japan. Please read it….and maybe even consider joining her support team!
Genesis 41:14-36
In our prior studies as we’ve moved through Genesis, we see that Joseph, who has been falsely imprisoned, remains in prison. Even though God had been with him and made him successful inside the prison, Joseph is not free. The initial pair of dreams that he was given that he would rule someday has not yet been fulfilled. Joseph had hoped that the cupbearer that he helped would have put in a good word to the Pharaoh, but the cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph, and Joseph remained imprisoned.
But two years later, the Pharaoh receives an unsettling pair of dreams, and is troubled. He gathers the wisest men in Egypt, but they were clueless as to what the dreams meant. So, the all-powerful king of Egypt was feeling powerless. This is when the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and how Joseph’s God had interpreted the dream the cupbearer had. He tells the Pharaoh about Joseph.
We now come to this morning’s passage. We see that the Pharaoh summons Joseph and tells him that he had two dreams, and no one has been able to tell him what they mean. Joseph declares that God can and will interpret the dreams. Pharaoh describes the two dreams to Joseph.
Joseph tells Pharaoh that both dreams mean the same thing. There will be seven years of plenty and seven years of drought, and the drought will be severe, and no one will remember the times of plenty once it hits. Joseph further explains that this is something that God is going to make happen, and the fact that there were two dreams with the same message means that this is fixed, and that God will shortly bring it about. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent it.
Joseph also adds a recommendation on how Pharaoh and Egypt can survive the approaching famine. He suggests that a wise man be selected to implement a program of putting enough food in storage during the seven years of plenty, to act as a reserve during the seven years of famine.
The fact that the first dream included the Nile must have shaken Pharaoh. The Nile is the life-giver of the whole area. It provides water and nutrients for Egypt to thrive, but now it is being associated with famine and death. Pharaoh believes what Joseph told him and decides to appoint Joseph in charge of the program to save Egypt through the coming seven years of famine.
Back in Genesis 37, Joseph was given a pair of dreams that told him that one day he would be a ruler and that even his brothers and father would bow before him. The brothers tried to destroy the dreams by selling Joseph into slavery, but unwittingly were pushing Joseph towards the dreams’ fulfillment.
It was not apparent to Joseph how the dream was going to come true, especially when he ended up in Egypt and in prison. But now the time of fulfillment had come. In later chapters, we will see how Joseph will reunite with his family.
We see through this narrative that God has His plans and earthly powers cannot stop them. However, this does not mean that we should just stand by and let things unfold. When we are given insights into God’s plans, then we should act with that in mind. That’s what Joseph did. Instead of just letting it be Egypt’s problem and letting them suffer and die, Joseph suggests a way to navigate within God’s plans. We are not to be spectators when we have been privy to God’s plans.
We might think that we have not been privy to God’s plans, but that is not true. We have been given God’s plans through the Bible. We may not know all the details, but we know enough. Sooner or later, this age is going to end, and a new earth and new heavens are going to be provided. This will happen after Jesus Christ returns. At that point, judgement will be rendered and all those who had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will go onto eternity with God, while the others will not. Although there is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening, with this knowledge, we know what we need to do. Instead of just letting this happen, we need to tell people what is going to happen and what they can do about it – That if they will believe and accept Jesus, they too can have their sins forgiven and have eternity with God and other believers assured.
With Thanksgiving done, we are headed to the advent season. There will be opportunities to witness to people – Inviting them to church, telling them about the real meaning of Christmas, telling them about what God has done for us.
Through the Bible, we know the reason Jesus was born on Christmas morning, died on the cross, and was resurrected. We know that Jesus is coming back, and when He does, it will be the end of this age, and at that point, each person’s eternal destination will be set. The time that this can still be changed is now, and we have been given a role to play — To be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Let us learn from Joseph and act boldly when the time for action comes.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano at our worship service on November 26, 2023.)
We just received this Thanksgiving greeting from Anna. Please take time to read it….and then let’s continue praying regularly for her as she finishes her time in the U.S., completes the raising of necessary funds in order to serve another 4 years with SEND, and finally….as she returns to Japan on January 9th!
Just click HERE to see the November Update.
Genesis 40:9-23
In our last message we saw Joseph in prison, after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. But the LORD was with Joseph and brought him success even in prison – He impressed the chief jailer so much that Joseph was basically running the prison.
One day, both the chief cupbearer and the chief baker offended the king of Egypt and were thrown into prison. The captain of the guard put Joseph in charge of them. Then one night both had troubling dreams. It was apparent to Joseph that something was bothering the cupbearer and the baker, so he asked them what was upsetting them, and they confided to Joseph that they both had had troubling dreams, and they had no idea what they meant. Joseph convinced them that God was able to interpret dreams, so they agreed to tell their dreams to Joseph.
The interpretation of the chief cupbearer’s dream was that he would regain his former position. The interpretation of the chief baker’s dream was not so positive – that Pharaoh would have him executed.
To the chief cupbearer, Joseph requested that when he had been restored to his former position and things were well with him, he would remember Joseph and plead his case with Pharaoh to let him out of prison. But when the time came, the chief cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph, so Joseph remained in prison. In fact, we learn in the next chapter that he would remain in prison for two more years.
Even though Joseph was falsely imprisoned, the LORD continued to bless him and those around him. Joseph does not know when help is going to come for him, but we get a sense that he is doing his best to hang onto God’s promise. He takes his job seriously and excels at it – We can see that in the fact that the chief cupbearer and the chief baker trusts Joseph enough to tell him their dreams.
Joseph also makes it clear that it is God who can do great things, and that he serves this God. He does not declare that he can interpret dreams, but that God can. This implies that Joseph serves this God that can interpret dreams.
In the interpretation of the chief cupbearer’s dream, Joseph senses a chance to get out of prison, so he requests that when the chief cupbearer is restored, that he tells Pharaoh about what Joseph has done, in hopes that he would be able to get out.
We may conclude that the chief cupbearer was self-centered and promptly forgot about Joseph. Seems like an ungrateful type of person. But chapter 41 will tell us that this would be a wrong assumption. When an incident happens that reminds the chief cupbearer about Joseph, he regrets that he had not spoken about Joseph to Pharaoh for two years. We also can see that had he spoken about Joesph earlier, it probably would not have gotten him out of prison. Chapter 41 is the perfect time for Joseph to be remembered as someone who serves the God that can interpret dreams.
Often, things do not go according to our plans. We may think that we have done everything we can to get the results we want, but nothing happens – Especially when we believe that we are in God’s will. We forget that God has His timeline for things to happen, but we are often impatient.
Although Joseph believed that God was going to get him out of prison someday, he probably got a little impatient waiting, and so when he realized that the chief cupbearer’s dream meant that he was going to get released, Joseph took the opportunity to ask the chief cupbearer to put in a good word to the king for him. But God had a different timing for Joseph’s release.
Once I was asked to pick up from the airport a missionary to Japan who was on home assignment. When she found out that I was just starting my seminary studies and was taking a class on world missions, she asked me who the professor was. When I told her his name, she shared with me that this professor used to be on the board of the mission society that she had applied to, and was the one who had rejected her application for candidacy. The man’s opinion was that she was not quite ready to go out on the field, and that she should shore up her knowledge base, and suggested that she enroll in a program at a Bible college.
She was a bit perplexed and disappointed. She was sure that God had called her into missions and to the Japanese. Since she kept hearing that there was a great need for more missionaries, she assumed that they would welcome her in and send her to Japan after some training.
She also shared that looking back, she realized there was God’s timing in all of this. Even though she was not happy with the assessment, she did go to Prairie Bible Institute, and she felt that the knowledge she gained there and more importantly the lifelong friendships she formed with others who would end up in missions were valuable and necessary.
What about us? Are there things that we are getting a little impatient about while waiting for God to act? Just know that He knows the perfect timing for things to happen. It is not for us to try to hurry God or force Him to act. Like Joseph, we need to focus on our immediate situation and act in ways that God commands – With integrity, with honor, and in faithful service to God.
Or are there people who seem to be getting in our way of serving God for no reason? It is quite possible that God is influencing them so that God’s plan will be done in His timing, and not ours.
Like Joseph, there will come times that we are a little impatient, but like Joseph, we need to hang our hopes on God’s promises.
Instead of getting impatient with God and acting like He needs our help, we need to remind ourselves that there is nothing impossible with God, and He certainly can make His promises come true without our advice on when or how.
When we acknowledge God and His power and wisdom, it will help us to be more patient while we wait for His timing. It will also help us when God invites us to do things that we do not think we can do – With God providing His Holy Spirit to help us, we can be confident that He will get us through any tasks He assigns us. This is the lesson that Joseph is learning. And this is the lesson that we too can learn from Joseph.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on November 12, 2023.)
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139 is one of the best known and loved psalms. It’s a song that expresses the wonder of God’s presence in our lives. It expresses the wonder of being known intimately by God. The psalmist sings “You know me intimately…” “You are always with me. You will never leave me.” “You created me…You have always known me.”
The thoughts I share with you today come from verses 9-10: “Though I settle on the far side of the sea…even there your hand will guide me.”
In 1989 Andrea and I took our first trip together to the “far side of the sea”, traveling from our home in the U.S. to a new home in Japan. We had been married for three years. We had finished seminary and completed our assignment of working together at a church outside of Chicago. We were filled with hope and dreams for what our life in Japan might be. Of course, there was some anxiety as well… but mostly we were excited.
Little did we know….that we would continue to live and work there for almost 30 years. During that time, we had both joyful events (welcoming 4 children into our family, 3 by adoption, 1 biologically), as well as difficult events (losing one of our daughters at the age of 8). We saw God give us many wonderful Japanese friends and ministry opportunities…. We also experienced some deep disappointments – like when we had to close down one of the congregations that we had worked so hard to plant. Sometimes we felt very separated from family back here in the States…and like we were truly living on the far side of the sea.
Yet, in looking back, I can truly say that God was leading us and guiding us throughout that journey.
In 2014 we returned to the U.S. for what we thought would be a 1-year home assignment. But something was changing in our hearts. We felt God was talking to us and we wanted to hear His voice correctly. One year turned into two… and finally at the end of that 2nd year we felt clearly that we were to stay in the U.S. and not return to our ministry in Japan. There were family issues…and aging parents who needed us. This was an incredibly difficult decision. That “far side of the sea” had now become our home. Our children had wanted to return to Tokyo to continue their schooling there among old friends. We both resigned from the mission in August of 2016, not realizing how difficult it would be to find jobs and get re-settled on “this side of the sea”. In fact, it felt like we were once again traveling to “the far side of the sea” from where we had become accustomed to living.
Yet, in looking back, I can truly say that God was leading us and guiding us throughout that journey.
We can hardly believe that 9 years have passed since we left Japan. But truly, no matter what side of the sea we are on…God is with us and guiding us. He has provided us with everything we’ve needed. Meaningful work, new relationships, the chance to live in proximity to our children. I thank God for providing this JCC family to me. You have been a great encouragement to me – as well as a chance to continue serving as a pastor. Through ups and downs…joys and trials, God has been there with us.
In the past two weeks we had a chance to travel across the sea again. Of course, this was just a brief trip and yet… it gave Andrea and me another chance to reflect on this Psalm. Another chance to visit with Japanese friends with whom we’ve shared life and ministry. Another chance to be reminded of God’s faithfulness to us. I encourage you this week to take time to read Psalm 139 in its entirety…and to reflect on how God has been with YOU, even when you’ve been “on the far side of the sea.”
(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on October 29, 2023. The photo at the top is of “Kagami no Ike” or “Mirror Pond” in Togakushi, Nagano.)
Japanese Congregational Church 