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John 5:25-29

²⁵“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; ²⁷and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Just before this section, Jesus spoke words that will help us to understand. In vv. 22-24, Jesus said, ²²“The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

The fact that Jesus speaks of people in their graves, or physically dead in v. 28, tells us that He is speaking of those who are spiritually dead in v. 25. Ever since humanity’s fall into sin with Adam, everyone has been born spiritually dead. Now with the arrival of the Messiah, we, who were dead spiritually can be made alive by listening to the voice of the Son of God.

Paul teaches the same thing in Ephesians 2:4-5 ⁴“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.“

Then in vv. 26-27, Jesus states that God the Father has given him authority to execute judgement. Further He says that the reason for this is because Jesus is the Son of Man. It is interesting that He alludes to Himself as the “Son of God” in v. 25, but here, He uses “Son of Man”.

There are two possible meanings to this. “Son of Man” could be a reference to Jesus’ being born a human, as well as being the Son of God. Since Jesus is 100% divine and 100% human, He understands both sides and is uniquely qualified to execute judgment.

Or the “Son of Man” could be a direct reference to Daniel 7:13-14 ¹³“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Either way, the one who will judge humanity at the end of this age is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Jesus then tells us that the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out. Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

After Jesus was resurrected, He stayed with His follower for forty days to teach and train them before being lifted to heaven. We know that salvation is not dependent on doing good or bad works. It is through faith – To accept Jesus Christ as one’s lord and savior. So, He is saying that those who have accepted Him will come out of their graves to the resurrection of life, while those who did not accept Him will come out of their graves to the resurrection of condemnation.

We who have been saved can look forward to when Jesus returns and we go to our eternal place where we will live with the Lord and other believers in a wonderful place full of light and joy, where there will be no tears and hurts.

But today’s sobering passage reminds us that everyone will be resurrected into eternity. Ones who died not accepting Jesus Christ will be resurrected to eternity of condemnation, apart from God and light and joy. Passages like 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Matthew 25:41 and Revelations 20:14-15 describe what this eternity of condemnation will be like.

There are too many people that are headed to a dark eternity – Many that are close to us. They still have time to accept Jesus, and it is our role to be witnesses for Jesus, so that their eternal destination might change from dark to light.

Now is the time that salvation is available to all. As Jesus said, “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” We are the ones who can makes sure that the people who are spiritually dead can hear the voice of the Son of God, before it is too late for them.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship of June 22, 2025.)

Acts 2:1-21

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs–we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine. ” 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “`In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

In the Fall of 1984 I left Japan to return to the U.S. in order to enter seminary. My travels took me from Japan, to Hong Kong, to mainland China, to Thailand, and then to Nepal. In all, I was on the road from the beginning of September to around the middle of December. During most of that time, I never spoke much English with anybody. I had many days where I was actually traveling alone. I was constantly in a sea of other languages: Chinese, Thai, Nepalese. Sign language…and something close to Pictionary – was how I communicated.

My final trip was between Kathmandu and London, via stops in New Delhi, Tashkent, and Moscow. I can remember clearly –  landing at Heathrow Airport and going through customs. The British customs agent greeted me with a smile, inquired about my intended stay, and after looking at my passport…sent me off with a cheery “have a wonderful visit!”  I can remember be startled. I had NEVER been in England, yet I understood everything this man said to me. True, he spoke in English – the shared language of our countries – but nevertheless England and the United States had had separate histories for 3-4 centuries. And I had just spent 90 days surrounded by languages that weren’t my own, understanding very little of what was said. So when I heard this British man speak to me in my own language – I honestly felt like I had just returned home!

In the Pentecost story that we just read together, we see this same phenomenon played out. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we see the gathered disciples receive the power to speak in over 15 different languages. But not just ANY languages – the specific languages of the devout Jews from every nation who were in Jerusalem, either as immigrants, or as travelers to the festival. (verse 5)

What would it have felt like for these Jews from all over the world, to hear their mother tongues spoken clearly…maybe for the first time in years! Do you think they might have felt a little bit like I did, dropping down in London, and feeling at home…..though I had never been there before. All because I heard my own mother tongue / language so clearly spoken and so easy for me to understand!!

This gift of the Holy Spirit that marks the birth of the church is a gift expressly for those outside the Jesus movement, those who had lived displaced in a language-world not their own. We cannot miss this! It is a spiritual gift given not for the disciples themselves, but for the outsiders listening. God’s gift reaches outward to those outside of this immediate circle of Jesus followers.

But this language gift of the Spirit seemed crazy. Some people in the crowd sneered. (verse 13) But Peter tells them “No! we aren’t drunk…. This miracle is the fulfillment of the OT prophet Joel, who said: “God’s spirit will be poured out on ALL flesh – that means young and old, women and men, slave and free, everyone! And “it’s happening NOW!”

This was very challenging to the religious tradition at that time….and it’s a challenge and discomfort for many churches today as well! The indwelling of the  Holy Spirit caused an outpouring of proclamation. Again, this gift was NOT primarily for the disciples, for the Jesus Community – it was for those OUTSIDE the community. It was so that those who had NEVER heard this good news, could hear it clearly in their own language.

It seems that one mark of the Holy Spirit’s gifting is that it empowers us to connect to others. That’s our sermon title for today. “The power to connect to others.”

Hear Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8   “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

So how about right here at JCC? What language would you speak in your neighborhood? In this community?, if you were filled with the Holy Spirit? How might those outside your congregation hear their mother tongue and be welcomed home?

I want you to think about that. What is the mother-tongue of those outside our congregation? It could be a specific language like Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Ethiopian, etc. Or it might be a form of communication – like emojis, or texting, or digital images…or maybe it’s the language of science or music? Can we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to gift us with these necessary languages in order that we may connect with others??!!

The gift of the Holy Spirit is to fill us with power, in order to connect with others. In order to speak their languages so that they will feel heard, and loved….and so that they, too, can feel at home in the church, in Christ’s body. May it be so at JCC!

(credit for this main sermon point goes to Professor Amy Oden, a teacher in Oklahoma City; the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on June 8, 2025)

John 4:7-26

⁷A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 
⁸(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹²Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” ¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” ¹⁷The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” ¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

The strained relationship between Jews and Samaritans came to a head after the death of Solomon. Rehoboam, son of Solomon became king and refused to ease the heavy taxation, and so the northern tribes rebelled, made Jeroboam king, and became the northern kingdom of Israel with Samaria as their capitol. This was prophesied by Ahijah, who foretold that Jeroboam would rule over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel, as a judgment against Solomon’s idolatry. Israel split into two kingdoms around 930 BCE. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of them gentiles. He allowed them to keep their religions, and this led to his idolatry.

Jeroboam did not want his people to keep going to Jerusalem to worship the LORD, so he set up two worship centers in Bethel and Dan. Then in mid-5^th century BCE during Persian rule, the Israelites who were not exiled were allowed to build a temple on Mount Gerizim. Then three hundred years later, Alexander the Great rebuilt the temple for them.

The Jews regarded the temple on Mount Gerizim as an affront to the LORD and in 110 BCE, invaded Samaria and destroyed it. This added to the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews.

Under Roman rule, there really was no country called Israel. Just Roman provinces – Galilee to the north, then Samaria, then Judea, and Idumea. If one wanted to go from Galilee to Judea, or from Judea to Galilee, one would have to go through Samaria. Many Jews went around Samaria, but Jesus was going straight through.

So, when Jesus, a Jew, speaks to the woman of Samaria at the well and asks her for a drink of water, she is surprised, since Jewish men usually wanted nothing to do with Samaritan women and would not touch anything a Samaritan woman would touch.

Jesus tells her that He can give her water that would give her eternal life. He lets her know that He knows all about her and her relationships with six men. He also declares that the time is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and it will not require going to either the Samaritan place of worship, nor the Jewish place of worship.

When the woman tells Jesus that she knows that the Messiah is coming, Jesus reveals to her that He is that Messiah.

The woman tells everyone in town that she thinks she met the Messiah – One that knew everything about her. Curious, the people ask Jesus to stay, so that they can talk with Him. Jesus ends up staying for two days, and through His teachings, many believe that He is the Savior of the world.

It is interesting to note that John points out that there were two types of people who believed. Some believed because of what the woman told them. There were also those who did not believe because of what the woman told them but believed after hearing Jesus. What the woman told them was not enough for them to believe, but it was enough to raise their curiosity to dig further. And when they did and spent time with Jesus, they believed.

What the woman did after her encounter with Jesus resulted in many believing in Jesus. Directly or indirectly, people believed because of what the woman did.

All Christians have gained eternal life because we had encounters with Jesus. None of us met Jesus face to face, but we encountered Him through either people telling us about Him or through reading the Bible. And someone was praying for us, that as we encountered Him, our hearts and spirits would be touched by Him.

Let this morning’s passage remind us that we are under obligation to tell others about our encounter with Jesus. Some may come to believe because of this but they may not. But it is possible that because of what we tell them, their curiosity leads them to seek further. We are not able to take them to Jesus to listen to His words, but His words are recorded in the gospels, and we can encourage them to read the gospels or listen to audio versions or attend a church service or Bible study.

The woman also reminds us that an effective way of witnessing for Christ is not to discuss theology or compare religions but simply share what the Lord has done for us.

So, with much prayer and help from the Holy Spirit, let us go about telling people about Jesus Christ – How He is the Son of God and the Savior of the World, and through Him and only Him, can we receive salvation.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano at our worship of June 1, 2025.)

John 3:1-21

As we continue through the gospel of John, we see that by now Jesus had started His ministry. After calling His first disciples, He attended a wedding at Cana, where He performed His first sign – Turning water into wine. Then they go to Jerusalem during the Passover and when Jesus saw all of the people conducting business at the temple, He overturned their tables and drove them away.

Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader, comes at night to speak with Jesus. What exactly made Nicodemus seek out Jesus is not stated, but apparently, he believes that Jesus has been doing signs.

At Cana, although only His mother and the disciples directly witnessed this, the servants probably figured out what happened, when somehow the water they put into the stone jars ended up being fine wine. This would be seen as a miracle and gave hopes that maybe Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. So, the word could have spread quickly. And perhaps Nicodemus also had misgivings about people conducting business in the temple and thought that what Jesus did would be the same thing the Messiah would do if He saw what was going on.

For whatever reason moved Nicodemus to visit Jesus and have a conversation with Him, it gives us one of the most familiar and well-loved of NT scripture – John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

The meaning of this is so clear, it really requires no explanation. However, due to its fame and weight, it is easy to miss the other things Jesus said.

Jesus made it clear that in order to enter the kingdom of God, one has to be born again – born of water and born of Spirit. There have been many discussions about what this really means. Does it mean being baptized by water and baptized by the Spirit? Based on this understanding some churches have insisted that one would have to be baptized by water and then have some supernatural manifestation of the Spirit like speaking in tongues. This is not supported in the Bible.

Often, the simplest explanation is the most useful. Born of water probably means our physical birth, surrounded by amniotic fluid, while born of Spirit meaning our spiritual birth when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

In verse 13 Jesus makes it clear that He came from heaven and He will return there.

He reminds Nicodemus of what happened to Israel while they were wandering in the wilderness, written about in Numbers 21. The people spoke out against the LORD and poisonous snakes appeared and people died. They repented and asked Moses to get help from God, and God directed Moses to have a serpent made and set it on a pole. God told them that whoever is bitten and looks up at the bronze snake would live. Those who believed and looked up were saved, while those who did not perished.

Saying that He would be lifted up on a pole like the serpent seems to point to being hung on a cross. Those who realize that they are headed for eternal death just need to look to Jesus for eternal life. The rest will perish.

Many believed that when the Messiah came, He would perish His enemies. They did not grasp that this would mean that they would perish also, since they had not been able to keep all of God’s commandments. It is for this reason that Jesus was sent, not to condemn the world, but to be able to save the world through his work on the cross.

The light came into this dark world in the form of Jesus. Now it is up to us to reflect that light into the darkness so that those who have not seen the light will be drawn near and have the opportunity to be saved.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during worship on May 25, 2025.)

During the Fall of 2019, the JCC board committed to sharing in a time of prayer –  every night at 9:00 p.m.  Each in our own location, we would stop and offer a prayer for our church. The prayer we prayed together is the one found below.

Almost 6 years have passed since then…. and God has continued to guide us and answer our prayers. But at certain periods of our history, and at various milestones along the way, we need to be reminded that the act of praying together as a congregation – praying in agreement – is a powerful resource that God provides for us.

Yesterday, we started a new book study together at JCC. We are looking at a brief devotional book entitled “21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer – The Power of Agreement”. As we began this study, it was suggested that we once more take out this prayer “from our recent past”…. and pray in agreement for the future of our church and for the special leading of the Holy Spirit in our congregational life. Would you join us? It doesn’t need to be at a specific time….or even daily, but as often as God prompts you. May God continue to help us grow in our faith and relationship with God – through this prayer!

Prayer for JCC as we consider our Future

GRATITUDE

• God, we thank you for walking with us and leading us throughout our history.
• Thank you for the many who have gone before us and for their faith and service. Thank you for their example of love and sacrifice.
• Thank you that you are with us now, and that you desire to communicate with us.

CONFESSION

• Forgive us for the times that we have not earnestly sought your will, or when we have failed to accurately hear your voice.

PETITION

• We ask for oneness in spirit… not that we will all have the same opinion, but that we will all sense your spirit leading us.
• When we talk together as members of this JCC family, help us to truly listen and hear each other.
• We have considered many options to date – but “doing nothing” no longer seems possible or prudent. Show us Lord the direction that we should go. Are we to stay and continue here? Are we to sell and continue in a different place? Are we to close our doors and turn our assets over to another group? Are there possibilities that we have not yet imagined? Help us to see this situation as you see it…Give us wisdom.

CLOSING

• Finally, Lord, help each of us to place our own desires and wishes at your feet. We are each willing to give up our own opinions in order that Your will for JCC may be done. Please make clear to us what that is.
• We pray all of this in agreement, and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

John 2:1-12

¹On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. ⁹When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. ¹²After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days.

This familiar passage usually evokes several questions. Weddings were well-planned and wine was an important part, so why did the wedding planners not have sufficient wine? Why was Jesus’ mother concerned about the wine running out? As Jesus states, it really is not their concern. Why did Mary ask Jesus to do something about it? Obviously, she must have been convinced that Jesus could do something to remedy the situation. Why does Jesus turn His mother’s request down, saying that His hour has not yet come, and yet, He goes ahead and turns the water into wine? At which point did the water turn into wine – Did Jesus turn all the water in the jars at once right after they were filled with water? Or was it when the water was drawn from the jar? Or did it happen when the water was being carried to the steward?

We can conject all we want to do with these questions, but there really is no way to know the answers for sure. Nor is it important to answer them, since these details are not of interest to John, the gospel writer.

What the writer tells us is that this was the first of Jesus’ signs. He also tells us why Jesus performed this sign – So that His glory would be revealed to His disciples and that they would believe. We will see two kinds of signs in this gospel. The sign in Cana was so that the faith of the disciples, who believed that Jesus is the Messiah, would be strengthened. We also see the second type of sign later in verse 23, where it says, “. . . many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.”

In between, He also spoke about a sign that people will remember after His death and resurrection. When Jesus overturned the tables and drove out the merchants from the temple, He was asked by the Jews, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus was talking about His resurrection, and the disciples will remember and will believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah that was prophesied from long ago.

 Often, when John refers to what Jesus did as a “sign”, there is symbolism involved which guides us to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. In the previous chapter, Nathanael believes that Jesus is the Son of God, just by the words Jesus spoke. In this narrative, Jesus goes beyond just words and works a miracle.

The narrative starts with the words, “On the third day”, which brings to mind Jesus’ resurrection. Even though the time of Jesus’ death, which forgives humanity’s sins, has not come, Jesus starting His ministry is already inaugurating a new age. Today, when we think of “the end times”, we think about the return of Jesus. However, that is the end of “the end times”.  The end times started with the arrival of Jesus. We are living in “the end times”.

The steward declares that the new wine is better than the old. The old way God’s people tried to attain righteousness was by trying to follow the Law. The new way, which Jesus will inaugurate with His death on the cross and resurrection is better. Rather than trying to obey the Law, the new way to become righteous is by faith in Jesus Christ. By believing what Jesus did and accepting Him as Lord and Savior, we become righteous in God’s eyes.

The wedding in Cana is a reminder to us that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of the world. In a small private way, we are introduced to the immense power that Jesus has. This was done to strengthen the faith of the disciples as well as our own faith.

It is also a reminder that we are living in the end times – Jesus could come back at any time. And when He does come back and the whole world sees Him, it is no longer possible to believe by faith. So, when He comes back, the chance to accept Him by faith ends.

There are many around us who have not accepted Jesus. Before it is too late, we have a responsibility to share Christ with them and to be good witnesses.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul writes that he is a debtor to those who do not know Christ. There are two ways to become a debtor. One is to borrow money from someone – one is in debt until the loan is paid off. The second is to be given money for someone by a third person – until the money is delivered to that person, one is in debt to that person. That’s how Paul felt about the gospel – It was given to him by God to give to others. Until Paul gives the gospel to others, he is indebted to them.

This is the same with us. God has given us the gospel. We have believed and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Now we have the task to tell others. Until we do, we are in debt to them.

So, let the miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding at Cana be a sign to us that strengthens our faith, in order for us to go do the Kingdom work that the Lord has given us.  

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano at our worship of May 11, 2025.)

Psalm 30:1-12

1 I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.” 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Our psalm today is a song of joyful praise. It is a song of Easter resurrection and praise!

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

But here is my question: In light of the world’s immense suffering…is this kind of praise appropriate?

• We look at the world at large: Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine – places wracked with violence and war.
• Aid organizations estimate that ½ of the world’s population – 3.5 billion people – live on the edge of subsistence. They are one flood, or one earthquake, or one disaster away from extinction.
• In our own country, we are going through a crisis of leadership and polarity. Millions here, too, are just a paycheck away from being homeless….while thousands, even in our own city,  actually are.
• When we look around us at all the tragedy, poverty, and injustice… it may seem almost obscene to talk about dancing with joy….how can any of us in good conscience feel happy while so many are struggling and miserable?

But the praise of this psalmist (and other Psalms) doesn’t come out of some sense of naivety. This song should NOT be mistaken for a kind of mood music. The psalmist sings out of a depth of suffering and pain himself. Here are a few of of those phrases…

• you lifted me out of the depths
• I called to you for help
• you brought me up from the grave　
• Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me　
• O LORD, be my help.　

This song of praise represents the joy of redemption, hope in redemption, confidence that God is always with us, no matter our circumstances. This joy reflects our assurance that God keeps his promises, that God is good and God’s goodness will somehow prevail, despite all the troubles around us.

In other words, this joy recognizes pain and suffering….but it sees them from a different perspective.　

So once again, is this kind of praise and joy, this kind of dancing appropriate in our world that is so full of cruelty, injustice, and oppression? Yes!

Do we need sensitivity? Yes, by all means. It is possible to express our joy and confidence in a way that is insensitive to the pain of those around us. We need to express our joy in deep humility and empathy for those who are not “feeling it” right now.

I believe it is appropriate, and even necessary….for the following reasons:

• It is a confession of our faith. Stating these truths about God – even in the midst of struggles – keeps us focused on God’s strengths instead of our own weaknesses and limits. 
• It remembers the past. We all, individually, and as a church, can point to times when God truly has stood with us “through it all” – where we know for certain, that we could not have “made it through” but for the miracles of God. Joy and dancing today is an appropriate way to remember those experiences.
  • You lifted me out of the depths….I called for help and you healed me
  • You turned my wailing into dancing
• It points to hope in the future. Even if things are tough now….we have reason to believe in resurrection power – that God will come through for us. That even if he doesn’t…He is with us and surrounding us with His love.
  • that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
• Finally, it is a witness – Our joy and praise, when expressed sensitively, can be an encouragement to those who are suffering and struggling. Especially if we ourselves are suffering. (Paul and Silas singing and praising God in prison is a great biblical example.)

Where do you feel mourning today?

Where do you feel the deepest sadness?

May God turn that mourning into dancing and rejoicing – not because our circumstances have suddenly changed…. But because God is unchanging – always hearing us, always merciful, always loving us!

(The above is a summary of the message shared during our worship on May 4, 2025.)

John 1:1-13

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

Most scholars believe that Mark was the earliest of the gospels, written around 60-65 AD.  Next came Matthew and Luke, both probably written between the years 60-80 AD. Scholars believe that John was the newest, and probably written around 80-90 AD.

John’s gospel is historically based but his primary goal is persuasion, not a chronicle of events. We know this because of what he wrote in John 20:30-31 – ³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

John starts his gospel with the exact same words that Genesis begins with – “In the beginning.”  This signifies that John believes this is a new beginning for humanity – That they can become children of God through the work of Christ.

He starts the first paragraph telling us of the diving nature of Jesus – That He is the Word of God and He was there from the beginning of things. Not only was He with God, He is God. Jesus is the creative force of the Trinity and everything that was created in the universe came into being through Him.

Then John makes certain that the readers would know that John the Baptist was not the Messiah, but one that would identify Jesus as the true Messiah, the long-awaited savior of not only the Jews, but of all humanity.

He continues to tell us that Jesus came down from heaven to live in the world He created. John also tells us of the tragic outcome that generally, his own people, the Jews, did not accept him. However, to all those who received him, he gave power to become children of God.

John then tells us in vv. 14-18 that Jesus was not only God, but also human. Then he tells of how John the Baptist testified to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah and gives a hint of how Jesus was going to make it possible for humans to become children of God. The Baptist declares that Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Lamb signifies that Jesus was going to play the role of the sacrificial lamb. A spotless sacrifice that was needed to cleanse humanity’s sin.

Then in vv. 35-51, John writes about how Jesus called the first disciples – Andrew and his brother, Peter, and Philip and his brother, Nathanael. Jesus tells them, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

The implication of this image that would evoke the vision God gave to Jacob at Bethel is that Jesus was going to be connector between heaven and earth – Between God and humanity.

So, in the first chapter, John lays out all the pertinent points of his gospel. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus was sent to earth so that those who accept Him as Lord and Savior would become children of God.

We have two options for what to do with this knowledge. One option is to accept this as truth, receive Jesus as your savior, and become a child of God.  The other option is to reject this as truth. There really is no third option, since if we do not accept it, we are rejecting it.

The consequence of rejecting Christ is that when this life is over, eternity would be spent apart from the Lord and all His followers. For the remainder of time that is left for you to be alive, you will do your best pursuing whatever goals you think are worth pursuing.

If you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and become a child of God, then you will have responsibilities for the remainder of your life – To do the good works of God that He has prepared for you since the beginning of time. The main task is that with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will be given to you at the time of accepting Christ, to be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I would offer that it is a much more fulfilling and joyous life to be a child of God. If anyone here has not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I would urge you to do so now. And for those who are already sons or daughters of God, witness to those who are not, so that they might have the chance to join the family of God.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano in our worship on April 27, 2025.)

Luke 23:44-49

⁴⁴It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 
⁴⁶Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. ⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” ⁴⁸And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Luke describes the death of Jesus in six sentences. His creation reacts by going dark while He hangs on the cross dying. The curtain of the temple is torn in two. Both Mark and Matthew report the rendering of the curtain after Christ’s death, while here in Luke it appears to be torn prior to Jesus’ death. Not certain if the difference is significant, but it still has the same meaning – That Jesus’ act on the cross makes access to the Father now possible to all.

Then Jesus commends His spirit to the Father and breathes His last.

The centurion declares that Jesus was innocent, and the women are witnesses to His death. This is an important point, since the same women would later witness the burial and the resurrection. They will be able to testify that the person who died on the cross and was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, is the same one who was resurrected.

Why did Jesus have to die? The Bible tells us that Jesus, who had no sin, died on the cross to pay for humanity’s sins. But since God is all powerful and loving, could He not just forgive humanity’s sins without sending His Son to the cross?

It has to do with justice. Injustice can go two ways. An innocent person being declared guilty and made to pay a penalty would be an injustice. A guilty person being declared not guilty and not having to pay the penalty would also be an injustice.

Humans, being sinful and fallible, means that every human justice system has seen its share of injustice being done.

Every single human since Adam has sinned. Sins of commission, sins of omission, sins of the heart – We have all fallen short of God’s standards. And Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.

God is just and so the penalty for sin must be paid. Since every human is sinful, that would mean eternal death for all. Yet, God loves us so much, He was willing to form a plan which would bring salvation to humanity. Humans could do nothing, since they deserved eternal death. Which meant that no human could pay the penalty for humanity’s sins. So, God sent His Son, who had no sin, to die on the cross so that humanity’s penalty would be paid.

Now all we need to do is accept this act of love and repent, and we would be saved. That is the meaning of John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

The Roman justice system was not concerned about whether a method of execution was cruel or unnecessarily painful. In fact, that was the whole point. A very agonizing and painful death was the reason they reserved the cross for the worst offenders against the empire. Fear of being crucified was supposed to be a deterrent to committing acts against the empire. For such a wide-ranging empire, they felt it was an effective method to keep order throughout the empire.

The excruciating pain of having large spikes driven into one’s hands and feet, and then once the cross is stood up, the gravity would put unceasing agony to the wounds. Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified at 9:00am and Luke tells us that Jesus died at 3:00pm . This would mean that Jesus hung on the cross in excruciating pain for six hours.

As the day of the crucifixion approached, Jesus was aware of the pain that was to come. He even asked in the garden of Gethsemane whether there was another way to accomplish His work. But when it was made clear that there was no other way, He went willingly.

We know by John 3:16 that from the point of view of God the Father, Jesus was sent to the cross because God the Father loved us and wanted to save us.

Romans 14:9 gives us the reason why Jesus was willing to go to the cross – “For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”

Jesus wanted not only for us to be saved, but He wanted to be our Lord. To happily accept the fact that Jesus died for our sins and took the punishment that we deserved, while insisting that we live the way we want to live, is tantamount to telling Jesus, “Thank you for dying for me, but I will not have you lord over me.”

As we head into celebrating Jesus’ resurrection next week, let us keep in mind that through what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have been given the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. All we have to do is to accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.

Kingdom implies a king and his subjects. Jesus is our king and we are His subjects. Instead of putting our interests first, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

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

John 15:1-8

Our text today follows from last week, where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet.

In these chapters, John 13-17, Jesus is giving final teachings and instructions to the disciples. He tells them

• that they are to wash each others’ feet
• that they are to love each other (as Jesus and the Father love each other)
• that he will be leaving them, but will come again
• that the Holy Spirit will be given to them… to remind, teach, and lead
• He prays for his disciples….and for us, those that would become the church

And remember, these are some of the last words spoken to his disciples before he is arrested later that evening, and eventually killed the following day.

In this example that Jesus gives, God is the vine grower, Jesus represents the main vine (“true vine”), and the disciples (that’s us!) are the many branches that are connected to the vine.

This is an invitation to relationship / connectedness

• In these short verses, Jesus uses the word “remain” 8 times to represent this connectedness.
• There is no such thing as a solo Christian
• No possibility of “Just me and Jesus” / a merely private faith
• When you are connected to the true vine – Christ – you are connected to all other believers.
• If you ARE alone…. there’s NO fruit – nothing can be done. (verse 5)
• None of us are “self-made”. We are all nourished by our connection to Christ.
• Not independent… or self-dependent – but interdependent.

Cutting and Pruning are necessary….and for our good!

• In our analogy, God is the vine grower. He cuts and prunes the branches (that’s us!) that are all connected to the main vine (the “true vine”)
• This relationship involves pruning and cutting… God shaping us…
• Pruning also may involve pain and change…
• Why prune? Because it all produces more fruitfulness.

There is no command to “bear fruit!”…. just to “remain in me”

• The whole point of a vineyard is to bear fruit
• When we prove our connectedness to Jesus by bearing fruit, the fruit will prove that we are his disciples, and it brings glory to God. (v.8)
• And yet, there is NO command here to “bear fruit!”  Jesus simply says “remain in me” 
• We are to focus on the connection, not the fruit. It’s easy for us to get confused….and to try to produce fruit….sometimes even focusing on our lack of  fruit. But Jesus says we need to focus on connection… remaining in Him.

(this outline is a summary of the message shared during our worship on April 6, 2025.)