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John 10:7-18

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luke 14:1, 7-14

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

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

Then, our text is divided into two parts.

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

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

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

Do you think we can actually do this??

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John 9:13-34

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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John 8:12

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

What do we know about light?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Through these teachings, we know that:

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

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

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

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

Luke 12:13-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Foolishness in God’s sight:

1 He believed that he controlled his life

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

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

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

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

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

True wealth toward God:

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

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

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

John 6:25-40

²⁵When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” ²⁶Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” ²⁸Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? ³¹Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³²Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” ³⁵Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; ³⁸for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

Jesus continues to draw large crowds, and He feeds the crowd of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Miraculously, everyone eats as much as they want, and there are still twelve baskets of leftovers. The people are convinced that He is the Messiah, and they want to make Him king by force, so He withdraws to the mountain by Himself.

The disciples get into a boat and start to sail to the other side. The wind starts to blow, and the sea gets rough, and three or four miles out, they see Jesus walking on the sea. As soon as Jesus enters the boat, they miraculously reach the other side.

When the crowd notice that Jesus and the disciples are gone, they too get into boats and go to Capernaum looking for them.

The feeding of the five thousand, Jesus walking on water, and Jesus declaring that He is the bread of life – It is natural to consider all these events separately. Especially since we probably tend to remember the miraculous feeding and the walking on water from the other gospels, rather than John’s version. But John makes it clear that he wants us to see the connection between the feeding and the bread of life statement.

In the beginning of this chapter, John informs us that the festival of the Passover is near. People would already be thinking about Moses, the ten plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the covenant with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, and the forty years of wandering, when the LORD fed the people with manna, the bread from heaven.

Then Jesus miraculously feeds the five thousand with bread. Because of this miracle of bread, the people are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, and that is the reason that they follow Him to Capernaum. Jesus had set the stage for the crowd to hear that He is the bread of life.

Jesus starts off by telling the crowd that He knows they followed Him because of the miracle of the loaves. Then He tells them that there is a more important thing then food that perishes that He can give them – Something that will last for eternity.

The crowd reminds Jesus that Moses gave their ancestors manna – What sign will Jesus provide them? Jesus tells the people that it was not Moses who gave their ancestors the manna, but it was God the Father. And the same God is sending Jesus to give eternal life to the world. Jesus then declares that He is the bread of life.

Jesus says that He will never drive away those who come to Him. This means that regardless of what sins you have committed, you can go to Him and He will accept you. Even if you stumble, as long as you go back to Him, He will not drive you away.

Jesus says that He came down from heaven. He is no mere human. He is fully God. Unlike sinful human leaders, Jesus is sinless and is one hundred percent God. That is why He was able to go to the cross for our sake, and for the forgiveness of our sins. That is why we can trust Him – He will not abandon us, nor drive us away, no matter what.

Jesus says that He will lose nothing that the Father has given Him but raise it up on the last day. This means that no matter what happens to us in this life, if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are assured that at the end of this age, we will be resurrected and will spend eternity with the Lord and other believers. He says this clearly in verse 40 – “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

Then Jesus goes on to talk about how it is necessary for people to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. For us living in the age where the New Testament has been completed and we have been taught about communion, this does not sound too strange. However, for people living at the time Jesus said this, they were perplexed and alarmed by the image of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Verse 66 tells us that many of His disciples turned back and no longer went about with Him.

Jesus then asks the twelve whether they also want to stop following Him, to which Peter responds in vv. 68-69 – “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

This is a great reminder for us, when things get tough and we see so many around us that will not follow Jesus. Jesus has the words of eternal life. Those words have been given to us, not only to hold onto, but to share with those who do not know Him. Let us continue to declare to all around us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

In Acts 20, Paul addresses the elders of the church of Ephesus for what he believes is the last time, he can tell them that he has completed his responsibilities to the people – That he did not shrink from declaring to them the whole purpose of God. Let us be reminded that we have a responsibility to be like Paul and declare to the people we encounter the whole purpose of God.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship of July 13, 2025.)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

We’re just finishing our July 4^th weekend. We thank God for his many blessings to us as a nation. But in our current national moment – one marked by division, outrage, confusion, and fear – many of us are asking: What can I do? For followers of Jesus, one of the oldest and most powerful answers is also one of the hardest: we pray.

But even that can feel like a daunting assignment. How do we pray for a country in turmoil? Where do we begin when we’re unsure how to speak to God about politics, injustice, or our fellow citizens?

Last week I listened to a podcast from a journalist named David French, who is a Christian, a lawyer, and a columnist for the New York Times. He shared some important thoughts about how he prays for America in these troubled times. Today, I thought it might be helpful to share some of those main points.

He lists 5 major areas of prayer. Today, we’ll look briefly at the first two. Then, in a later message we’ll look at the final three.

1 PRAY FOR PEACE / Immediate Calm

Eph. 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

We begin at the surface level, and with the visible fractures that dominate the news: protests, social unrest, culture wars, and online shouting matches. Our first instinct may be to “pick a side,” but instead we need to begin with a simple, powerful plea: “God, grant us peace.”

Not “peace-as-avoidance” or “peace-at-any-cost” or pretending the problems don’t exist. Instead, when we pray for God’s peace in these situations, we are begging that God would still angry crowds, lower the volume of voices, calm emotions, and help us avoid violence. We pray this for ALL – the protestors, law enforcement officials, political leaders, and vulnerable communities.

Prayer

“Lord, restrain our hands and our words. Break the cycle of outrage and vengeance. Let peace descend upon me, my neighborhood, my local government, and my state. Let this peace begin with me.”

2 PRAY FOR LONG-TERM JUSTICE

Micah 6:8  He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Peace, as vital as it is, cannot stand without justice. “If you’re praying for peace without praying for justice, you’re only applying a bandage to a deeper wound.” Justice isn’t only about headlines. It’s about systems, structures, and laws. It’s also about the daily choices we make – who we listen to, whose pain we validate, whose voices we believe?

We must pray for holistic justice – not justice rooted in the political party we think is “most right” but justice rooted in God’s vision for shalom. Justice requires empathy. It requires truth. And it rarely aligns perfectly with any political tribe.

Prayer:

God of truth and righteousness, awaken us to the injustices that persist around us. May our laws reflect your mercy. May our systems uplift the weak. And may we not turn away from what is hard or uncomfortable. Open my eyes further to true shalom and reveal to me my unique role in your bigger restoration of all things.

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Praying for our nation at this time is not always easy. As mentioned above, it can be frustrating and confusing at times. But let’s stay faithful in our prayers! Praying for peace (immediate calm) in difficult situations, and praying for long-term justice…. are just the first two ways that David French suggests that we pray. In another message, we’ll look at the final three: Praying for Grace, Praying for Repentance, and Praying for Reconciliation. In the meantime, I recommend that you listen to the entire podcast for yourself. It’s around 45 minutes in length….but well worth your time.

David French’s “Five Best Ways to Pray For America”

(the above is a summary…and a few important quotes…..from the message shared during our worship on July 6, 2025.)

Psalm 98:1-9

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn– shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Sing to the Lord a New Song!

Last November we looked together at Psalm 146 and considered the question “Is Now a Good Time to Praise?” Then again, in May, we looked together at Psalm 30 and asked ourselves “How can we be joyful and dance when the world around us seems in such crisis?!” Today, we look together at Psalm 98, which is also a song of great joy.

What kind of mood does this Psalmist have? The imagery is incredibly joyful:

• shout for joy!
• shout with a loud voice
• sing with joy
• sing songs of praise
• with the harp and flute
• the sea, and all that is in it!
• the earth , and all
• rivers, clap your hands!
• mountains, sing for joy

But what if I don’t feel thankful today? What if I don’t feel like singing?

What if God seems far away today?  What if my life is filled with sorrow? What if I lost all my family in last year’s tsunami or fire, along with my job and home? Even if I understand the importance and power of praising God, how can I really do that in a NEW way each day???

Psalm 98 gives us a couple of powerful lessons and hints for answering these very real and important questions:

1. Remembering what God has done for us in the PAST gives us reason to praise Him today.

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

For the Psalmist, it’s clear that remembering God’s work on Israel’s behalf in the past is key here: leading Israel out of Egypt and into a promised land; remembering how the law was given through Moses; remembering all the miracles along the way, throughout 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

For Christians, it may be recalling the cross, resurrection, and Jesus’ promise to ALWAYS be with us.

And of course most powerful of all might be a recollection of our own personal experiences of how God has worked on our behalf – last year, last week, or earlier today! Remembering the past is an important part of our praise today.

2. Believing in the promises of what God will do for us in the FUTURE, gives us reason to praise Him today.

9 let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Judgment may seem frightening, but to the righteous person, it is a thing of great HOPE. Finally, this crooked, unjust, unequal, unfair world will be put right. God will finally make things correct. Slaves, untouchables, those who are persecuted, weak, politically left out, who have no voice – all of these people will look forward to a day of judgment. For them, it represents a good thing!

Many other biblical passages point to our hope for the future as well. Two favorites:

Jer. 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord”

Rev. 21:4-5

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Considering all of God’s promises for our future gives us reason to praise God today! God, help us to remember the past, and hope for the future, as we live our lives in praise today!

(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on June 29, 2025.)