Sunday Worship Service February 5, 2023

Call to Worship Psalm 71:20
Hymn JBC # 94 We are called to be God’s people
Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Offertory Prayer
Scripture Luke 1:39～56
Prayer
Sermon “The Mighty One has Done Great Things for Me”
https://youtu.be/8okezvTQNMs
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 455 Jesus is tenderly calling thee home
Doxology JBC # 672
Benediction


　The stories in the Bible are filled with a variety of people. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the people in these stories have a variety of personalities and traits.
　In the Old Testament, we have Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God. There are also Adam and Eve's two sons, Cain and Abel. We see the shocking story of Cain killing his brother Abel in a fit of anger in Genesis.
　I think it portrays how tragic and terrible the consequences of human emotions such as anger and jealousy can be.
　There is Noah, who built an ark and saved himself, his family, and many animals from the Flood.
There is also King David, the great king of the Kingdom of Israel. The Bible tells us that this King David also made a great mistake.

　Every human being is a sinner who makes mistakes and sins - that is one of the truths that the Bible teaches us.
In the New Testament, Peter (originally named Simon), who became Jesus' first disciple, and the other direct disciples of Jesus (the 12 disciples), are each portrayed as having a unique character.
The Gospels tell us of the shocking fact of Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, betraying Jesus by turning Him over to the chief priests (Jewish religious leaders) in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Paul, who had initially persecuted Christians who believed in Jesus Christ, encountered the resurrected Jesus Christ and became a great evangelist of Christ to the Gentiles (non-Jews).

Many other people are also mentioned in the Bible. So, who is the "main character" in the Bible? Should we say that there is no one main character in the Bible because it contains many different stories with many different characters?
Not at all. The Bible clearly has a main character. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, the Bible's main character is Jesus Christ. Throughout the entire Bible, we see and read about Jesus.

In the gospel of John 5:39, Jesus himself says
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

Jesus himself does not appear in the Old Testament. However, throughout the Old Testament, the Scriptures point to and testify about Jesus Christ, who would come as Savior to the world. Jesus Himself said so.
Therefore, the Old and New Testaments contain many stories, records, and teachings from God to us, but we Christians believe that they all bear witness to Jesus Christ.
The Bible is a book that teaches us about Jesus Christ in its entirety. It is through the words of the Bible that God speaks to us spiritually, even now.
We share with other believers the Word of Jesus Christ our God, who still speaks to us in this way. We share the Word of God with other believers because it is a great joy for a believer in Christ to share the Word of God.

The two women in today's passage, Mary and Elizabeth (we read that they were relatives), were also filled with great joy as they shared the news from the Lord God.
In today's passage, Mary is told by the angel Gabriel, "You will give birth to a son who will be a great king and will rule over Israel.” Afterwards, Mary goes to see her relative Elizabeth.
Mary was also told by the angel that her relative Elizabeth, despite her old age, is pregnant with a son. (1:36)

Verses 39-40 at the beginning of today's reading say the following:
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

The Bible hides many rather surprising facts in seemingly inconspicuous verses, and verse 39 is one such verse.
A casual reading of verse 39 likely will only reveal that Mary went to see Elizabeth (the home of her husband Zachariah), who lived nearby.
However, Mary lived in a town called Nazareth in Galilee. It was in Nazareth that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would give birth to Christ.

From Nazareth of Galilee to the "mountains of Judea" (we don't know exactly which part of Judea) where Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah lived was about 120 to 160 km to the south.
So Mary going to see Elizabeth was, in fact, no simple matter.
　It would have been an arduous journey that would have taken at least several days. Traveling in those days involved many more dangers (robberies, attacks by beasts, etc.) than it does today.

Mary was a woman and pregnant. Some have speculated that Mary traveled to Judea as part of what we would now call a "travel group" in order to travel as safely as possible.
　But Mary wanted to see Elizabeth to the point of undertaking a long and dangerous journey. It was for the two of them to share about the work of grace the Lord had done for them.
Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit and was to give birth to Jesus Christ, the one who would eventually become the Savior of the world. And her relative, Elizabeth, became pregnant despite her old age.
Elizabeth's child was none other than John the Baptist, the one who was to prepare the way for Jesus's ministry.
Sharing God's grace with others is something worth doing, even if it means making a perilous journey of hundreds of kilometers. It was something that any believer would sincerely desire to do.

　Many missionaries throughout history have traveled far from their native lands, braving many dangers to spread the gospel of Christ to foreign lands beyond the seas.
It is because of the work of such missionaries that we now have the Bible and faith in Christ.
Through the work of the many missionaries with the God-given zeal and desire to evangelize, the gospel is now being preached throughout the world.
　Let us too become vessels to carry the Gospel of Christ and His light to the people we meet every day in our own neighborhoods, even if we are don’t go abroad or don't go beyond 100km.
We read in verse 41 that when Elizabeth heard Mary's words of greeting, even the child in her womb danced with her and rejoiced. There we see how much joy the news of God's great work can bring to a person.

Then Elisabeth says in verse 45
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Elisabeth said to Mary, "Blessed are you." Why? Because Mary believed "what the Lord has said (promised).
We can trust in what the Lord God said, His Word, and His promises - that is true happiness for us.
When I think about it, I realize that I, as a pastor, have a very happy job. I can read the Bible and trust that the words of the Bible are true.
And I can declare (preach) to the world that "This Word is true. We should rejoice in it together.”
I was reminded again of the grace and joy that you, the people of the church, have entrusted me the pastor with this task, and I wanted to thank you all for it.

　　And of course, even if you are not a pastor, it is entrusted to every Christian to believe the Word of God, and to share and communicate it to others. Let us all share the gospel with great joy.
Beginning with verse 46, we find "Mary's Song (hymn)" (a song of praise to God), in which she praises God.

From verse 48 to 49
　he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me?

“The Lord took notice of me, even though I am so small", she says. Mary praises God from the bottom of her heart, saying, "The Lord, the Mighty One, has done great things for me”.
“From now on all generations will call me blessed-" These words of Mary indicate that what happened to Mary (and Elizabeth) here was not only about Mary, but about God's promise given to all people.
The work of God's grace, the Word of God, is eternal, Mary declares here. She proclaims God's promise to all of us is here.
Thus, we can trust that God has done great things for Mary, and that His promises are available to us today as well.
Let us believe and rejoice with all our hearts that the Lord God took notice of us, no matter how small we may feel, and did great things.
Let us continue to share the words of the Bible that tell us how much the Lord God cares for and loves each one of us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and let us continue to share in God's grace.

 January 29, 2023 Sunday Worship Service

Call to Worship Micah 6:8
Hymn JBC # 80 Father, we love You
The Lord’s Prayer
Offertory Prayer
Testimony and praise
Scripture 1 John 1:1～4
Prayer
Sermon “Our Fellowship”
https://youtu.be/uvOgm4RAjTU
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 363 Lord of the Church, we pray for our renewing
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction



Today's biblical passage begins with a sentence; "That which was from the beginning" (the beginning of the first chapter of John 1)
John, the author of this letter, also wrote "that which was from the beginning" as "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched."
What John is referring to here is Jesus Christ Himself. That is very clear. For the message "Jesus Christ existed from the beginning of the world" is one of the content of faith that the entire Bible conveys.
　Jesus Christ is equal to our Father in heaven, God the Creator, who made everything in our world. Therefore, Jesus Christ is "from the beginning."

　Jesus Christ is also eternal. He is the One who has been from the beginning, the One who is always present, the One whose existence is eternal, that is Jesus Christ.
　What is surprising is that John "saw, touched, and heard" such a person (Jesus Christ, the One who has existed from the beginning and is eternal).
　The eternal One who existed from the beginning and who is eternal is so different from us human, who are finite beings, that it must be that we essentially cannot see, hear, or even touch Him.
But the Bible tells us that God became man (Jesus Christ) and lived with ordinary people. Truly He "came down" from God's side into man's world so that man could see, hear, and touch Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus lived with people, taught them about the Kingdom of God, and healed many the sick.
Those who became Jesus' disciples were also very ordinary people. Just being chosen by Jesus, they became His disciples to work with Him for the Kingdom of God.
However, John and the other first disciples were very special in that they heard Jesus' words firsthand, saw him in action, and later actually witnessed his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.
We are now witnessing the testimony of the first disciples, "the precious testimony of faith that they saw Jesus Christ, the God who became man with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and touched with their own hands

　　John refers to Jesus as "the Word of life" (verse 1). I believe that the writer of this letter, John himself, felt "the presence of Jesus Christ, who is alive still now" as he was writing this letter.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Even the letter that John himself wrote with the pen in his hand, that is the Spirit of God that set his heart on fire, guided his soul, and led him to write every word of it.
　As he recalled each of Jesus' words, he undoubtedly felt that there was a certain "life" in those words that kept him alive. That is why John also refers to Jesus as "the Word of life.
Today we too can be in the presence of Lord Jesus Christ, who still lives in His words, WHEN we listen to the Word of the Bible with an open heart, especially when we listen to the Word of the Bible together as we worship God in the church.

　So the Word of the Bible is special, the Church of Christ is also special, and this grace of worship given to us is also very special. It is a special grace that is provided only to and for the Christian church.
It is in no way to mean that we who gather in the church are somehow excellent or that we are good people.
Just as Jesus' disciples were chosen by Him, though they were ordinary people (sinners as well), so we have been chosen just by God's grace and are gathered here.
We are ordinary (sinful) human beings. Since we have been chosen by God and given the grace to receive the Word of God, the Word of life, let us humble ourselves before that grace and be thankful for it.
John, while writing this letter, says in verse 3 that there is a clear purpose in testifying and communicating about Jesus Christ.

　The following is written in verse 3
　3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

John says that we proclaim to the people what we have seen and heard in order to invite them into our "fellowship" that has already been given to us. And that fellowship is with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
John wants them to have that special kind of fellowship, a fellowship united by our God Jesus Christ.
What kind of person is a Christian? A Christian is, of course, a person who believes in Jesus Christ. Belief, of course, means more than just knowing about Christ in one's mind, either conceptually or through knowledge
To believe in Christ is also to be connected to (remain in) him.
Jesus spoke of this through the parable of the vine in the Gospel of John chapter 15.

　Jesus referred to Himself as the "Vine (tree)," the "true vine (tree)" (John 15), and told His disciples to be connected (attached) to that vine.
A tree branch cannot obtain nutrients unless it is connected to the tree. Nor can it bear fruit.
In the same way, believers in Christ must be connected to the tree of Jesus Christ in order to receive the nourishment of life, to grow, and to bear the fruit of faith.
To be connected to the vine is means to be connected to the Church. This is because the Church is the "Body of Christ".

Just as a branch dies if it is cut off from the tree, so a Christian cannot preserve his spiritual life without being connected to the Church, the body of Christ.
　We should remain connected to the Church, which is the body of Christ, and through that fellowship of faith, we can receive food for spiritual joy and growth.
Unfortunately, however, there are some organizations that call themselves "churches" or "Christian churches" but in reality is not a church that is centered in the faith in Christ.
A lot of destructive cult groups have caused and are still causing many victims. We hope and pray that such damage will not happen or spread.
But at the same time, do remember that our church is not perfect and is also prone to mistakes.

We should never think that we are an exception (that we do not make mistakes).
For this reason, it is important for churches to have fellowship and connection with other churches. Just as a believer cannot live alone, a church cannot live its life of faith on its own.
　Churches can also learn and grow through fellowship in faith with other churches.
It is also important for churches to be open and transparent about what they believe and how they believe, and to examine their own faith in fellowship and study with other churches, especially those that are part of the same Baptist denomination.
And through the fellowship of the churches, we are able to rejoice and encourage each other. What great joy it is for us !

Today (at the second service), memberｓ of the congregation of Oita Church, the mother church of our church, will share a testimony. It is a great joy and encouragement for us to hear the testimony from someone of the Baptist denomination, all the more from the mother church of our church.
And today, seminary students Bro.N who have been doing pastoral training at our church will finish his training period at our church as of today.
I think it is fair to say that the fact that the Bro.N did his training at our church is a part of our cooperation and fellowship between the church that sent him and our church.
We will continue to rejoice in such fellowship among the churches bonded together in Christ and in cooperative evangelism.

The following is written in the last part of today's message (verse 4)
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
This verse tells us that John finds abounding joy in writing his testimony about Christ and in inviting others to fellowship with believers in Christ.
Believing in Christ, following Him, and living under His protection is already a great joy in itself.
In addition, we believers can serve in the wonderful work of sharing the gospel of Christ with others and inviting those who have not yet known (or accepted) the grace of Christ to come to live in Christ.

Through such work our joy will overflow. God's grace is never ending. The joy that is in God's grace and faith overflows more and more in us, even more through our work of evangelism.
Let us hope and pray that the good news of Christ's grace and joy (the gospel of Christ) will be shared more and more to the world through the church, and that God will continue to fill us with joy as well.