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Genesis 3:1-24

God had created an idyllic world for the man and the woman. They didn’t have to work hard for a living. All they could want to eat was readily available to them – They just had to pick them off of the trees when they felt the need. They didn’t have to work for a living or worry about death or illness. They just had to keep themselves from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Then the crafty snake appears and starts a conversation with the woman. He starts off by overstating God’s prohibition – “Did God say you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?”

The truth is that God was magnanimous in that He gave them approval to eat from any tree in the garden. There was only one prohibition – The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So there must have been hundreds of trees from which they can eat, and only one from which they cannot. The allowed things far outnumbered the one prohibited thing. What this did was to put the focus on the one prohibition, rather than on all of the other things that were allowed. This is akin to saying, “whatever you do, don’t think about a white elephant” – For a bit, that’s all you can picture in your mind. Likewise, when we encounter an unpleasant situation, we start to wonder why God would allow this, and start to not feel grateful for all the other good things/situations that He has given us.

Then the serpent suggests to the woman that God is preventing her from growing in knowledge, and He is keeping her from reaching her potential. So, the serpent has the woman thinking that what God had said to protect the man and the woman, was instead, something God was doing to hold them back. This is like when parents prohibit their teenaged son from drinking for his protection, but seeing his friends drinking, starts to feel that his parents are just keeping him from having fun and growing up.

She may have thought that things would be better if she had the knowledge of good and evil, just like God. Then she would be able to be a little less dependent on God. So, the woman is faced with a decision, and she goes against God’s prohibition. Not only that, she also offers the fruit to the man, and he also ate. The first thing that happens is that they both realize that they were naked, and they tried to cover up using fig leaves.

The second thing that happens is that when they hear God coming, they hide. When asked, the man admits to breaking the one prohibition. And in the end, because of their actions, the man and the woman are expelled from the garden, and an angel with a flaming sword is set as guard so that they cannot return.

Between the sinning and the expulsion, there are things in this chapter of which we should take note.

God tells the serpent that because of what he did, he will now go on his belly. Interestingly enough, in some snakes like the python, you can still see rudimentary legs – often, there are short little claw tips growing out of the belly. God also tells the serpent that the woman’s offspring will strike his head, while his offspring will strike the heel of the woman’s offspring. This seems to foretell what is going to happen with Christ – He will be hung on the cross, but He will ultimately defeat sin.

Because of what the woman did, childbearing will now be painful, and the relationship between a man and a woman will not be equal.

And for the man, now he will have to work hard all his life just to be able to eat.

Then God clothed the man and the woman with garments of skins. Apparently, the garments made from fig leaves were not sufficient, and animals had to be killed so they could be clothed. And this seems to be the start of the sacrificial system, where blood must be shed to cover sin.

So we can see the seriousness of the effects of sin – It changed the world. We may think that when we sin, it only affects us, but often, the effects of our sins radiate out into the world.

The thought that made the woman sin was to become like God. The thought of being able to make up her own mind rather than simply living the life God wanted her to live must have been very attractive. Independence or less reliance on God might seem like an attractive thing, but that is the basis of sin. We want to live our own lives and make our own decisions based on our knowledge/wisdom.

A place with a wonderful climate and all the food you can eat when you want to eat, without having to pay for it with hard earned money. Where there is health and no fear of degrading body or mind. Longing for this sort of situation has driven humanity – Better health, prolonging lifespan without degrading the quality of life. In other words, getting back to the Garden. We could put all sorts of resources and efforts toward achieving such a goal, but humanity will not get there through their own efforts. But God has already unveiled His plan on getting us to where we ought to be.

Through the work on the cross, Jesus Christ has paved our way back to the life God always wanted for us.  By accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our sins are forgiven, we are given Christ’s righteousness, and assured of a wonderful new earth and the heavens, where we can live in an idyllic world – Much like the Garden prior to man’s sinful action.

Paul tells us in Romans 5:18 “Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”  We are blessed that God didn’t simply abandon mankind, but gave us a means where we can be guided back into the presence of God.

(the above is a summary of the message that Shun Takano shared with us during our worship on February 26, 2023.)

Matthew 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

For two weeks we looked together at the beatitudes, the opening of the “sermon on the mount.” Today we look at the next 3 verses, where Jesus talks about salt and light.

First, I want you to notice how Jesus states this:

You ARE the salt of the earth.

You ARE the light of the world.

He doesn’t say to act like salt or shine like light….. He states that if you are my disciples….you ARE the salt and light of the world!

What does that mean?

SALT 

• precious, important, valuable (from ancient civilizations…. until about 100 years ago!)
• cleans, purifies, used in rituals
• medicinal uses
• preserves (fish and meat) – keeps them from rotting!
• Enhances taste!

Salt, by itself, has little function or purpose….. but when it is used with other items like food or water, or as medicine – it can purify, and preserve, …..and add taste!

Jesus says that our lives….when lived in this world, in our communities….when connecting with other people…should add a zesty taste….and preserve all that is good. (in the same way that salt preserves meat and fish….and keeps it from rotting, our lives should keep society from rotting!)

But we must be careful. Too much salt can ruin a good dish, but not enough salt leaves it bland. Salt on an open wound can burn…salt, rather than inducing thirst, can sometimes exacerbate it. In our human bodies – too much salt….and we die; too little salt….and we die.  We must always be gentle and humble….careful in our flavoring.

What does Jesus mean by salt losing its taste and function? In our metaphor and example here….one way would be simply to not share it, not use it, not make it available…..keep it in a jar, in a container, in the cupboard. Salt has NO value,  NO purpose if it is not used.

We are to be adding flavor, preserving the good, and live as examples of the “tasty life” that God offers!

LIGHT

In our age of electric power, we often feel like we can control light. But in ancient times it was different. Half the time was light, half the time was dark. Candles and lampstands were important.

Here Jesus says “No one lights a lamp….and then covers it up with a bushel basket!” Ridiculous! The light is meant to help everyone in the household. So instead, it’s put on a stand and is able to light the whole house.

But light, like salt, doesn’t exist just for itself. It’s no good under a bushel. It fulfills its purpose when it is used, poured out. It can completely change our environment – throwing clarity and sight into places that were formerly just dark and black.

If we are Jesus’ disciples…..we are light! Shedding clarity on what it means to live in the kingdom of God; offering brightness and sight to those that had been lost and stuck in darkness.

In other words, our lives and witness – as salt and light – make a difference to the world around us. Or at least they should. Our faith is not just a personal matter. It is to have an effect on those around us.

So the question then is….if we are not functioning as salt or light, why not?

If our lives don’t have much effect on those around us….what is blocking that?

In the case of salt….as we mentioned above, it might mean that we are withholding salt, keeping it in our container (just having it for ourselves here at church), keeping it in the cupboard.

• Maybe we’re afraid
• Maybe we don’t believe that our lives are powerful enough to flavor our society
• Maybe we believe that we’re not good enough Christians to really be used by God in this way?

And we know already that we ARE light, according to Jesus. So if our light is NOT shining, it must be because we’ve covered it with a bushel. What kinds of things might be our BUSHELS?

• Inferiority complex (comparing ourselves to another church, or another era?)
• A church building? (keeping our good news inside our own walls?)
• Our own history (while our history is to be honored, does it sometimes keep us from becoming something new?)

Well here’s the hopeful and challenging word today.

You are the salt of the earth!             あなたがたは、地の塩です

You are the light of the world!         あなたがたは、世界の光です

That means that you are:

Valuable, important, precious

Your lives are “tasty” and “lit-up”

Lord, help us to be tasty and lit-up this week!

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on February 19, 2023.)

Matthew 5:1-12

Two weeks ago we looked at this passage together. I offered some questions but I also offered these four observations about this text – known as the beatitudes.

The beatitudes are, first of all, words of blessing.

• They speak of God’s blessing and reward to people traditionally thought of as weak, poor, marginalized, and largely forgotten.
• To all of these categories of people, the words of Jesus are powerful words of comfort.

The beatitudes are also words of description.

• Although these are Jesus’ first words of teaching in the gospel of Matthew –  there are no guidelines, or rules, or “how to get into the kingdom” sort of tips here.
• But there is nothing here like that. No laws, no rules, no guidelines.
• No description of our sins, nor our need to believe or obey Christ.
• No victorious….or triumphant language here…
• Instead, he describes what God’s kingdom is like. And in that kingdom LOTS of people are blessed and specially loved by God.

The beatitudes are also words of invitation.

• Don’t get me wrong…..Jesus doesn’t invite us to be poor in spirit, or to mourn, or to be meek…..
• But he does perhaps indirectly invite us to live lives that are merciful, pure, righteous, and filled with peace-making.
• Even if you’re not sure HOW to do those things….or to live in those ways…doesn’t it at least make you want to try? Doesn’t it create a hunger and thirst for that kind of living?

Finally, the beatitudes act as a kind of protest.

• Although these are kind and gentle words… they DO describe a world which is upside down from the normal. That was true for Jesus’ disciples…..and it’s true in our day as well.
• It’s a world where God specially blesses and loves LOTS of different kinds of people – especially those that are weak, or marginalized, or discouraged, or who feel powerless.
• It is a protest against our “worldly beatitudes”: the understanding that only the rich, well-educated, healthy, and strong are truly blessed.
• Instead, Jesus’ blessings show that real happiness and the blessing of God is available to all – and especially to those who in this present world may feel un-blessed, or unloved, or unlucky: the poor and poor in spirit, the mournful, the sick, and the weak.
• And so these words, while gentle and loving, are a kind of natural protest against our “normal” way of thinking when it comes to blessings.

Sometimes I’ve read the beatitudes as “suggestions” for how to be. In other words, “IF I can become more pure of heart…..then maybe I’ll see God”  or “If I can more completely hunger and thirst for righteousness….then maybe God will fill me”.  Almost like “conditions for blessing”.

But again, remember, these are not rules or conditions for God blessing us. Jesus simply blesses the mourning, poverty-stricken, discouraged, and powerless. Unconditional blessing! Not earned.

God wants to bless us MORE than we even want to be blessed! Do you believe that??

Do we see God as a stern, condition-filled blessing-giver? Or do we continue to see ourselves as undeserving of this blessing and love? Do you believe that God just loves you unconditionally…..and wants to bless you? This is crucial to understand.

What encouragement can you take today….just knowing that true blessing and happiness come NOT from power, education, and wealth….. but from a right relationship with God?

I wasn’t sure today what God most wanted me to share through these beatitudes.

It seems like God would want us all to feel deeply blessed….and to bless others freely.

Our society has become very tribal, very polarized, very “us against them”. Jesus said that “they will know you are my disciples by how you love each other.” We sing “they will know we are Christians by our love.” Is that true today? What would happen if we refused to join the “us against them” game? If we refused to withhold blessings and service to anyone?

What would happen if we decided to bless others and serve others regardless of who they are?

This quote from the theologian Rachel Held Evans gives us reason to take stock of our present situation:

“I’ve been watching people with golden crosses around their necks and on their lapels shout at the TV about how serving gay and lesbian people is a violation of their “sincerely-held religious beliefs.” And I can’t help but laugh at the sad irony of it. Two-thousand years ago, Jesus hung from that cross, looked out on the people who put him there and said, “Father, forgive them.” Jesus served sinners all the way to the cross. The truth is, evangelical Christians have already “lost” the culture wars. And it’s not because the “other side” won or because evangelicals have failed to protect our own religious liberties. Evangelicals lost the culture wars the moment they committed to fighting them, the moment they decided to stop washing feet and start waging war. And I fear that we’ve lost not only the culture wars, but also our Christian identity, when the “right to refuse” service has become a more sincerely-held and widely-known Christian belief than the impulse to give it.”

We might simply replace the word “service” in the above quote with “blessing”. What would happen if we truly understood our blessings from God…..and offered blessing and service to everyone freely??

God loves you unconditionally!

God wants to bless you….unconditionally!

You can’t live perfectly – you can’t earn God’s blessing!

He just loves you and wants to bless you.

1. Close your eyes…..think of one way (great or small) that God has blessed you this week.
2. With your eyes closed…..think of one way that you can bless someone else today. (a comment, a compliment, a helping hand, a financial gift?)
3. Think of a person that you have difficulty with…..can you offer a prayer of blessing on them….right now?
4. Are you convinced that God loves you just as you are? Yes, God will help us grow….and wishes for our continuing maturity…..and yes, often our growth will come through sorrow and pain. But the question remains….do you really believe that God loves you just as you are? Right now?

Hear the words of the benediction:

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

(the above was part 2 of the sermon on the Beatitudes, shared on Sunday, February 12, 2023.)

Genesis 2:15-25

¹⁵The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” ¹⁸Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” ¹⁹So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. ²¹So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” ²⁴Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. ²⁵And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

After God created the heavens and the earth, and all the plants and creatures, He created the garden of Eden with every tree that is good for food. Included were two special trees – the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Then he placed the man in it to till it and keep it. God than gave permission to the man to eat the fruit of any of the trees. But God also gave prohibition to the man against eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with the warning that if he did, he would die.

Then God declared that it was not good for the man to be alone, and that he needed a partner. Every animal and bird were brought before the man so that he could name them. The man named all the animals and birds, but none was appropriate to be the man’s partner. So, God made an additional creation, the woman, to be the man’s partner.

The man, the woman and the forbidden fruit will come together to greatly change the world and the relationship between God and man, but that story is for the next time. In the meanwhile, there are some observations and learnings that we can glean from this chapter.

What we tend to remember in the narrative about Adam and Eve is the prohibition that God gave to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But it is important to remember that God also gave two other things before he gave the prohibition – Vocation and permission. The vocation that God gave to man was to work and take care of the garden. The permission was to freely eat of every tree of the garden. Vocation, permission and prohibition is what God gives to us also.

Since we live in a world after the prohibition was broken, we cannot go back into the garden and work it and take care of it. So, what is the vocation that God has given to us in today’s world? In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes, “¹For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” And what is this good works? It is to be witnesses to those near and far that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

As for permission or the freedom that Christ gives us, Romans 6 tells us that when we were slaves of sin, we could not pursue righteousness, which is the right relationship with God. But now that we have been freed from sin, through the works of Christ on the cross, we are now free to pursue righteousness. Before being saved, all we could do was sin. But now that we have been saved, we can choose not to sin and free to do the good works that God prepared for us.

As for the prohibition, Paul writes in the letter to the Ephesians to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. He goes on to explain in Ephesians 4:31-32, “³¹Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,   ³²and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. “

As for a helper for man, God decided not to play that role, so a different helper was needed. Of course God can and will help, but the day-to-day role of a partner/helper was going to be another creature – a created one. They went through all of the birds and animals, but none were appropriate for the role. So, another human was created. This is a good indicator that God planned man to not to be living through life solo, but in community with other humans. The partner, the wife or husband, that God has given to us, as well as our brothers and sisters in the faith – The church family – are the day-to-day helper/partner that God had intended from the beginning.

According to Genesis 2:9, there were two special trees that God planted in the garden – The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The prohibition was that man was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But we know from Genesis 3 that the reason Adam and Eve were ousted from the garden was so that they would not eat from the tree of life, now that they had eaten from the prohibited tree.

Why did God put these trees in the garden? If they were not put there, man could have stayed in the garden, since there would have been no prohibition that man would have been tempted to break. The text does not give a reason. However, it is clear that God has the right to do with His creation as He sees fit.

However, we can get an idea of the plans of God by how things are today. We are in the age between Jesus returning to heaven and Jesus coming back to earth again. The letter to the Romans makes it clear that once we are freed from the bondage of sin, we now have the choice of sinning or not. Before, we had no choice but to sin, but now we have been given the freedom not to sin. From this, we can surmise that God desires people who choose to fellowship with Him. People who will accept the vocation given to them, not because they have no choice, but because they have that choice.

But history proved that no human who has the freedom to sin or not to sin, could stay free of sin. So God sent Jesus, who was able to stay sin-free until the end, to go to the cross and take the punishment that we deserve. The proof of this was that Jesus was resurrected. Because of this, by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can reestablish the right relationship with God, and are given eternal life.

We need to keep in mind that God designed it so that we are the helpers/partners to each other. We should be willing to partner with our wife, our husband, our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the work that God created us to do. So let us not find reasons not the help each other, but find reasons to partner with one another.

Let us not give in to the temptation to shirk our responsibilities from God and just pursue whatever pleases us. Let us support one another to spread the word that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

(the above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano during our worship on February 5, 2023.)

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Our text for today is the first portion of the Sermon on the Mount – referred to as the “Beatitudes”. I’ve used a question as the title for today’s message. “Do we really hunger and thirst for righteousness?” or more personally –  “Do I really seek for righteousness?”  This is what I’ve been pondering for the past couple of days. It of course comes from Jesus’ words in verse 6 where he says “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness….for they shall be filled.” Let me just say that I won’t attempt to completely answer that question today. I will be preaching on this text for two Sundays. But allow me to share some initial thoughts that may get us started.

Remember, these are the first words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. It’s the first time he’s opened his mouth. We’re told that his disciples came to him….but so far in Matthew….he’s only chosen 4 of them – Peter, Andrew, James and John. It appears that there is also a crowd that has gathered around and are listening.

• How should we understand the words of Jesus?
• What did you feel when you heard them read this morning? Did you have a sense of joy?…..of sadness? Maybe of some confusion?  Any cynicism? Be honest….
• We are not really told how his disciples felt either…..but we can be fairly certain that the kingdom being described….was not like the one they lived in either.
• To be more clear, the world Jesus decribes here is pretty much upside down, completely reversed from the world and societies that we’ve come to know…. where the rich get richer, the strong get stronger, and poverty is often just a generational disease that keeps getting handed down….
• How are we to understand the beatitudes?

The beatitudes ARE words of blessing.

• They speak of God’s blessing and reward to people traditionally thought of as weak, poor, marginalized, and largely forgotten.
• To all of these categories of people, the words of Jesus are powerful words of comfort.
• When I first heard these words as a child, I knew that it described a very different world than the one I lived in….but I also had a deep sense of “rightness” and “comfort” about Jesus’ words.
• So if you felt joy or peace today when you heard these words, that’s totally appropriate.

The beatitudes are also words of description.

• Remember these are Jesus’ first words. Don’t you think he would offer to his newly chosen disciples some guidelines, or rules, or “how to get into the kingdom” sort of tips?
• But there is nothing here like that. No laws, no rules, no guidelines.
• No description of our sins, nor our need to believe or obey Christ.
• No victorious….or triumphant language here…
• Instead, he describes what God’s kingdom is like.
• He doesn’t give them instant answers….but they must have been curious!
• So if you felt some confusion, or even cynicism earlier when you heard the text this morning, I think that’s pretty appropriate too.

The beatitudes are also words of invitation.

• Don’t get me wrong…..Jesus doesn’t invite us to be poor in spirit, or to mourn, or to be meek…..
• But he does invite us to live lives that are merciful, pure, righteous, and filled with peace-making.
• Even if you’re not sure HOW to do those things….or to live in those ways…doesn’t it at least make you want to try? Doesn’t it create a hunger and thirst for that kind of living?
• So if you felt a bit restless, or a hunger or longing….when you heard these words this morning, that’s appropriate.

Finally, the beatitudes are words of protest.

• You didn’t hear them that way?
• Does any of the gospel message sound like a protest to you?
• Jesus was probably not crucified because he blessed people. He was not crucified because he described people (although some of his descriptions of the Jewish leaders sure made them mad), he wasn’t crucified because he invited people to live holy lives. It’s pretty clear that he was crucified because his gospel was a total threat to the powers that be. Speaking truth and standing up for the marginalized and poor, spending time with “the enemy”, with “them”, with “sinners” – this could rock the boat and tip it over. In short, he was killed because his message represented a strong protest…
• Jesus himself says in verse 11-12 – my paraphrase – “Oh, and by the way….if you live lives that are merciful, and pure, and righteous, and filled with peace-making…and you stand up for those that are weak, poor in spirit, and have no voice….. get ready…. because they’re going to hate you!”

Back to the original question. Do I really hunger and thirst after righteousness? Given that the beatitudes can be understood in these various ways….I offer these further thoughts.

• Maybe I’ve become accustomed to blessing people, or describing the kingdom of God, or inviting people to live fuller lives…. But I may be hesitant to protest the lack of justice and righteousness around me.
• I naturally avoid conflict, arguments, I’ll do anything not to directly rock the boat. This doesn’t mean I don’t have a strong opinion. It’s just that I hate solving conflicts so directly. I was raised in Japan, after all, the “land of consensus”.
• And so at the end of this week, I’m thinking that sometimes my lack of hunger and thirst for righteousness is because I’m not willing to protest enough. Maybe my gospel is too timid and tame.
• In fact, when was the last time I was persecuted for speaking the gospel?

I’m reminded of this famous account:

When the renowned theologian St. Thomas Aquinas visited the Vatican in the Thirteenth Century AD, Pope Innocent IV invited him to view the breathtaking treasures that had been amassed by the Church. With great pride, the pope told him, “No longer can the Church say, ‘Silver and gold have we none’!” To this, St. Thomas Aquinas answered, “Holy Father, that is very true indeed. But neither can we say to the poor and afflicted, ‘But what I DO have I give you, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, Rise up and walk!’”

This, too, seems to be a case where the “protest” part of the gospel had been lost. The Church, by the 13th century, had become financially and politically strong, accepted in society. It was no longer persecuted or marginalized….. but it also had lost it’s deep connection to Jesus and to the power of the Kingdom of God.

How about Christians in our present time? Do we comfortably fit in? Does our faith in any way serve as a protest to unrighteousness around us? Is persecution rare? Are we deeply connected to Jesus and gospel power?

More next week!

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on January 29, 2023.)

Genesis 1:1-23

This beginning section of the Bible is not an eyewitness account, since humans have not been created yet. So, we can assume that God either told or showed someone about how the world was created. Whether this would have been to Adam or one of his descendants, we do not know. It must have been passed down verbally until someone decided it was a good idea to create a written record of it. Then eventually, it would have been gathered along with a collection of accounts until we get the current collection of writings that we call the Old Testament.

The first 23 verses cover the first five “days” of creation. Humans are created on the sixth “day”. The Hebrew term used for “day” could be a literal 24-hour day, or it could be figurative, meaning a “period”. Considering that the sun and the moon are not created until the fourth day, it is most likely not meant to be a 24-hour period.

Here is the order of creation:

• Day 1 – The heavens, the earth, light, day, night
• Day 2 – Dome to separate the water below and water above, and the dome was called “sky” (the original Hebrew used means “dome” but are also translated as “firmament” or “sky”)
• Day 3 – Dry land appears amongst the water, vegetation
• Day 4 – Sun, moon, stars, seasons
• Day 5 – Sea creatures, birds
• Day 6 – Land animals, humans

I first read Genesis after I got interested in reading the Bible for myself. I first read through the New Testament, starting with Matthew and all the way to the end of Revelations. By that time, I was sufficiently interested in the person of Jesus that I thought I’d better read through the Old Testament also. However, the one book I had some reservations about reading was Genesis – especially the first few chapters. The reason was because I was a science major at the University of Washington, and it seemed that there was some general disrespect of the sciences by the Christians and disrespect for the Christians by the scientists. I was grateful for the fact that God had brought into my life some brilliant science majors who were also faithful Christians, to show that some sort of straddling both sides might be possible.

So much of today’s society is polarized, with vocal people taking extreme views. How the world came to be is no different. On one hand, there are those who do not believe that God had a hand in this. They would say the big bang happened randomly and it was just natural forces over billions of years that got us to where we are. Then there are those who would take Genesis 1 literally and insist that God created the universe as we know it in 6 literal 24-hour days, all around 6,000 years ago or so.

There are problems with both views. Purely physical explanations still have some holes to fill to explain everything we observe, and totally ignore God’s role in physical and human history. The other side is not lacking in problems either. The days and nights happening before the sun is created is one, as well as the view of the earth where there is a physical dome over it with water below and above it. And if the moon is embedded into the dome, the space missions and probes that went to the moon and beyond should have encountered the dome.

In the early 1980s, there was a book written by a professor at Wheaton College that speculated that perhaps Genesis 1 was not dictated verbatim from God, but whoever was first to be taught the creation account was shown a high-speed vision from the surface of the earth perspective. The misty conditions would have, at the beginning, obscured details. So, one would have seen the effects of the sun and the moon in terms of day and night but would not have been able to see the actual sun, moon and the stars until the mist cleared up. If we were to buy into this premise, then things seem to generally fit what the scientific community believed about how the earth as we know it came to be. Probably a book like this would have been rejected by both sides of the argument.

It is important to keep in mind that the main reason Genesis was written was not to describe the mechanism of how God created the heavens and the earth. The main point is that God is the one who created. Just by speaking, God brought all these things in to being. The domed world was the accepted view of the ancient Middle East, and Genesis tells us who created it. A comparable message today might be, “The Big Bang, tectonic movement – God caused all of this to happen.”

We do not know exactly when Genesis was first made available to be read by the Israelites, but we speculate that it was an important book of hope and blessings at the time of the Babylonian exile. The Babylonians believed in numerous gods and goddesses, as well as believing that the stars had power over their lives.  By the fact that they were able to conquer and subjugate the Jews, they would have concluded that their gods and goddesses were superior to Yahweh, the God of the Jews.

Worse, many of the Jews would have come to the same conclusion, especially as time dragged on and a whole generation of Jews who only knew life under Babylonian rule became the majority. But Genesis reminded the Jews that their God was powerful and was still in command. Their God was the one who created the heavens and the earth, even the stars that the Babylonians believed had heavy sway over their lives. The Genesis account even made the creation of the stars almost as an afterthought by God – “God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars.”

The world we live in today, probably has some resemblance to Babylon. Many people’s lives are ruled by things other than God – Money, fame, power, promise of security. The societal values do not truly reflect the values that the Bible teaches. Even within churches, we are seeing non-Christian values and elements creeping in. Sunday morning services used to be the main vessel for worshipping and evangelizing for Jesus Christ. Now often, we see things like self-improvement hints, entertainment and politics sharing time with the Gospel. It often makes us long for the return of Jesus Christ, to take us all out of this mess.

In a world like this, the message of Genesis is important. Just like it must have done for the Jews in Babylon, it can give us hope and blessings. It reminds us that God is powerful and is still with us. He created us for a purpose and saved us through the cross of Jesus so that we can do the good works He created us for. We need to be reminded that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins, not just to take us from this mess, but also for this mess. We are to have one foot in heaven and one foot on earth, so that we can be guided by heaven to do work on earth.

It may seem daunting to be witnesses for Christ in this world. We can imagine the resistance we will face from our family, friends and co-workers as we tell them that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But remember that God has the power to create the universe just with his voice, and that His Holy Spirit is with us to guide and help us to do God’s work on earth.

(The above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano during our worship on January 22, 2023.)

John 1:29-42

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, `A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

In our text for today, we have two main sections:

1. Verses 29-34   John the Baptist witnesses to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He tells this to his disciples. In earlier verses he has also told this to the Jewish leaders who question him.
2. Verses 35-42   Two of John’s disciples follow Jesus, encounter him, have a conversation with him, and then become his followers, bringing other friends along.

Jesus’ first words in the book of John are a question: “What do you want?” or “What are you looking for?” …or  “What do you seek?”

The disciples respond with a question of their own “Where are you staying?” From the context and translation it seems clear that they are asking, not where he is literally staying….but more… “Where can we find you? Where shall we go to be with you, to receive what you have to offer? Where can we be in the very presence of God?”

Jesus then answers them “Come, and see….”

The gospel of John goes on to answer what Jesus might mean by this simple statement:

• If you want to drink water that will always quench your thirst….
• If you want to be born again….
• If you want bread that never perishes….
• If you want to see the light of the world…..
• If you want to experience the way, the truth, and the life…
• If you want to enter into eternal life….

Then, come….and see Jesus. Abide in Jesus. If you want to know God, then come and see Jesus. Encounter Jesus for yourself!

The two disciples end up spending the day with Jesus. We don’t know what they did….or the details. But it’s obvious that it was life changing because the “Come and see” statement of Jesus now repeats itself in the lives of the disciples.

• In verse 41, Andrew – one of the first two disciples – goes and finds his brother Simon (Peter) and says. “We’ve found the Messiah…. Come ….and see..”
• In the passage directly after this one, Philip becomes a follower of Jesus and immediately tells his friend Nathaniel about Jesus….using the same words as Jesus…”come and see” – verse 1:46.
• In John chapter 4 the Samaritan woman does the same thing. She encounters Jesus deeply, his identity is revealed to her, and she receives eternal life. She immediately goes and testifies about Jesus to the people of her town saying…. “come and see”.

Two statements from Jesus today:

1. What are you seeking?  
2. Come and see

The first question is one that each of us as individuals must continually ask ourselves and reconfirm. Are we seeking a world that can be attained through stuff, wealth, health?, etc. Or are we seeking for something deeper, something that will last longer, that is more eternal, that is more in line with the Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of?

It is also a question that we must ask as a church / congregation. What are we seeking to do? Are we seeking to survive, to not close our doors, to maintain our buildings properly? What are the goals that are most important to us? Are we truly seeking to invite others to “Come and See… come and meet Jesus”?

The second statement of Jesus is an invitation….to each of us….and to JCC as a church. Come and See! It’s an invitation to encounter Jesus deeply…..and to experience God through Jesus, and to find meaning and abundant answers to all of our longings and desires….through Jesus.

We then can invite others using the same words…..

WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING?         

COME AND SEE…..!

Acts 28:23-31

The last time we were in Acts, God, as promised, preserved the lives of all on board.  While their ship sank, everyone reached the shores of Malta safely.

In this final chapter of Acts, Luke records some interesting details about how God continued to protect and use Paul. While gathering wood for the fire, a viper fastens on his hands. The natives assumed that Paul was an evil man being punished, since although he just escaped from a sinking ship, he was now bitten by a poisonous snake. They were expecting Paul to swell up and die, but as nothing happened to Paul, they started to think that Paul was a god.

Then Paul healed the father of a village leader through prayer and laying on of hands, and soon, the sick people came to Paul and were healed. By the time they were to leave the island, they were honoring Paul and they provided all the provisions they needed.

After three months in Malta, they set sail and finally reach Rome. Many believers in the area came to greet them. Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier guarding him.

Paul gathers the local Jewish leaders and explains why he is in Rome. The leaders had not heard any reports of Paul from the Jews of Jerusalem, nor heard any negative reports about him. They wanted to hear Paul’s message and set a date to meet.

On that date, many Jews of the areas showed up to Paul’s residence and Paul explained about Jesus from morning to evening. Some were convinced, while others refused to believe. As they were leaving, Paul told them that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles.

And the book of Acts ends on this:  ³⁰He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

Most scholars believe that Luke wrote this book well after the Romans executed Paul. So we are left to wonder why Luke ended the story here, rather than with Paul’s death.

If we go back to the beginning of the book and reread Luke’s introduction, it becomes a little clearer. Luke reminds us that in his first book (The Gospel According to Luke), he wrote about what Jesus did and taught, as well as his crucifixion and resurrection. About how Jesus told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. And finally, Luke writes about how Jesus was lifted into the sky and the angels telling them that Jesus will come back. Then Luke continues with how Judas’ replacement was chosen, and how the Holy Spirit came to them during Pentecost. The rest of the book is how the Holy Spirit worked with the church and individuals so that the gospel of how Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Savior of the world could be spread to the ends of the earth.

So, the book is not primarily about Paul. If it were, then the account of Paul’s death would be included. But in the book of Acts, Paul is one of many faithful servants that helped to spread the gospel. The book is more about how the Holy Spirit will help the believers to live and spread the gospel in the time before the return of Jesus.

We might envy Paul that he had such concrete evidence that he was a chosen vessel – The encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus; specific instructions and visions that God had given to them concerning Paul’s mission; manifestation of God’s power through Paul (healings, exorcisms, etc.); miraculous healings from being stoned, shipwrecked, snakebites; etc. But not too many of us would change places with Paul.

If we look closely at our lives, we probably can find those times that God had protected us for His purpose. 

Even if nothing comes to mind, the fact that we are saved and alive tells us that God has use for us. And even if we are not sure exactly what we are supposed to do until either death or the return of Christ happens, we know that we have been created to do good works that God has planned for us – to be witnesses to the ends of the earth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.  To Paul, the ends of the earth was Spain. We are not certain that Paul ever got there, but Paul tells us in the letter to the Romans that this was his intent.

Thanks to the internet and air travel, the ends of the earth for us could be anywhere on earth. But whether it ends up being our neighborhood, city, county, state, country, continent, or the world, let us continue to be witnesses for Christ as long as we live here on earth, with the help of the Holy Spirit. That’s what we see the believers in Acts doing, and Paul is one of the best examples on how to live.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano with us on Sunday, January 8, 2023.)

Be joyful in hope, patient in suffering, faithful in prayer… Romans 12:12

Happy New Year! As we begin 2023 this morning we look at just one verse from Romans chapter 12. It’s made up of three short phrases which encourage us toward three actions.

 Be Joyful in Hope

Can we be joyful just by trying to follow a command? Can we make ourselves hope-filled – hopeful – just by thinking about it?

No, joy and hope are a result of other things:  being told “I love you” or… “Don’t worry, it will be all right” may be statements that give us joy or hope. Family love, feeling needed, having things turn out…all of these will occasionally result in a sense of joy or hope. Here is a strong promise by God to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. Listen to these words this morning as if they were spoken directly to you.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Seeking God’s plan for us…accepting God’s will in our lives…believing that God has wonderful plans for us….creates hope  and joy. Here’s another well known scripture about faith and hope.

Hebrews 11:1

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

How can we seek God’s will….how can we know God’s will for our life? Whether it’s through scripture, friends, or a direct word or vision from God…. It always requires faith.

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

This is the title of a famous piece of music by J.S. Bach. In this text, Jesus, himself becomes the source of our hope and joy. So perhaps we can rejoice in hope this morning by understanding that God has plans of future and hope for us, as well as recognizing the hope and joy we have in a relationship with Jesus.

Be Patient in Suffering

This second phrase is difficult. Why would we want to be patient in the midst of suffering?  What good does it do? This well-known passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans may give us a few hints.

Romans 5:1-5

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

I don’t pretend to be able to unpack all of this for you. But the inference seems to be that God can use our sufferings and difficulties….to make us more patient, to help us grow deeper in our faith. Perhaps you’ve experienced this in your own life.

• Our hope and our sufferings are connected.
• Our growth is connected to suffering.
• Therefore our joy is also connected to suffering…. or how about this passage from James?

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Here we are not only commanded to be patient….but to rejoice (!) whenever we face trials or suffering. Again, the inference is that these trials and difficulties may be used by God to mature us and complete us!

So be patient. Let God use the struggles and problems in our lives for his glory and for our growth.

Remember, God doesn’t protect us from difficulties….He sustains us in those difficulties.

Be Faithful in Prayer   

Prayer is how we most directly communicate with God. Of course, there are many different kinds of prayer. In the psalms we find examples of prayer that include complaints, thanks, laments, as well as praise.

We are also told that the spiritual weapon most feared by our enemy, Satan, is prayer. Prayer is a life-long communication and we continue to grow in this practice and skill. If we’re ever confused or wonder HOW we should pray….remember that the simplest (and often most effective) prayer is to shout the simple word “HELP!” God is always near. Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians this way:

Ephesians 6:18-20

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Let’s be a praying church this year. Find your manner and rhythm to regularly speak with God.

(the above is a summary of a few of the thoughts shared during our worship time on January 1, 2023.)

John 1:9-14

John chapter 1 is filled with many images and beautiful descriptions. Today, I want to take just three of the images that appear in our short text. These images also represent three important invitations that each of us receive.

Light

In verse 9 we read that Jesus is the true light that brings light to all people. Into the darkness of our lives, comes the true light that is Christ. But we see that there is a problem. In verse 5 we read the following: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Although the true light has entered the world, those in darkness have not always been able to comprehend it, to understand it, to see its importance.

In verses 6-8 we read the following about John the Baptist: “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all people might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”

Jesus himself later spoke of us as salt and light. That we should shine our light. We’re not the true light, but we give witness to the light. And so this is our first invitation: Become a Light!

Shine your light. Become a light in the darkness around you. Of course, we’re not the true light. But we share the truth of Jesus, in order that people may leave their darkness and live in the light.

A Child

At Christmas we celebrate the fact that Jesus was born as a human baby. He becomes quite literally the child of God, later called the Son of God. Were people happy to welcome him? Did people welcome him as God’s child… as God’s son? We read in verses 10-11: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

But some people did recognize him, and accepted him. And do you know what happened to them? It says in verse 12 that everyone who received him, recognized him, and believed him, were allowed to become children of God. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

And so this is our 2^nd invitation in today’s text: Become a child of God!

How are we supposed to become children? Become like the infant Jesus? Are we supposed to return to our mother’s womb and be born as children again? No. Remember Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter 3. Jesus tells him – being born again, becoming a child of God – is not a physical but a spiritual reality. By accepting Jesus as the true light, and believing in his name, we become children of God.

Incarnation

This is a difficult word. It means that God, who is a spirit, takes on the physical body of we humans. Jesus is born as a human baby. In verse 14 we read: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,  who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God became flesh and lived among us. Another famous paraphrase puts it like this: “God moved into our neighborhood.”

God became human so that he could communicate most effectively to us about his love, about the need for salvation, about eternal life which he offers to all people.

Jesus taught his disciples: “Do as I do, wash each others’ feet as I have washed your feet, spend time with those who are rejected by others, feed the hungry, heal the sick, sit with the dying, visit those in prison, give water to the thirsty.” In short, come along side of people, join their world, take on their problems, listen well to those around you. Just as Jesus came into OUR world and our neighborhood, we are commanded to go into the neighborhoods and “worlds” of our friends and neighbors. Join them where THEY are.

This is our 3^rd Invitation: Practice Incarnation! It’s a bit more abstract than the first two invitations, but it basically means that we need to live as Jesus lived. Live our lives in such a way – as good neighbors – that we will have the opportunity to share the love of God and the good news of the gospel with those who we meet and interact with.

As a church, how do we practice living incarnationally?

• It means getting to know our neighbors
• It means getting involved in their lives, in their struggles
• It means communicating the love of God and the good news of salvation in language that they can understand.

So let’s joyfully accept these three invitations this Christmas:

Become a light – witnessing to the truth and light of Christ

Become a child of God – accepting Jesus, believing in his name

Practice Incarnation – join “the world” of those around us