Sunday Worship Service June 29, 2025

Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 55:12
Hymn JBC#61 Morning has broken like the first morning
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 262 Holy Spirit, breathe on me
Offering
Scripture Acts 3:1～21
Prayer
Sermon “Rise in the name of Jesus Christ”
Prayer
Hymn JBC #492 My hope is built on nothing less
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements

Since the beginning of this fiscal year (starting from April), we have been listening together to the words of ‘the Book of Acts’ as our worship message.
The beginning part of chapter 3 (verses 1-10) is given to us as our Bible verse for today.
Two men, Peter and John, went up to the temple for the afternoon 3 o' clock prayer time. During this time, the Jewish people had three times a day for prayer: 9AM in the morning, noon, and 3PM in the afternoon.
Praying and worshiping God can be done anytime and anywhere, as long as there is time. It is possible to pray even if it is not at a fixed time.
I believe that the Jewish people of that time, and the Christians who came to believe in Christ, also prayed alone and at their own convenient time.
However, the fact that Peter and John go up to the temple at the appointed time of prayer in today's passage shows that they regarded it important to observe both the appointed time of prayer and the temple as a place of prayer.

It is very important to regularly offer prayer and worship at the appointed times and in the appointed places.
It is also important for us Christians today. We can, of course, read, study the Bible, and pray at our own convenience.
But it is very important for our life of faith and for sharing God's grace together that we worship together at a mutually agreed upon time, at a fixed time, in a fixed place, as we do now, as a public worship service.
　Rather than each of us putting our own lives first and worshiping God or reading the Bible IF we have extra time, we should set aside time from the beginning to devote to time with God and to worship together with our brothers and sisters in faith.
It is important to offer our lives to God first and to align ourselves (dedicate) ourselves to God, not to make God conform to our convenience.
In our church's weekly bulletin, we are informed of the next week's Bible verses and hymns that we will be singing.
If possible, I would like to encourage everyone to read the Bible verses (and hymns, too) in advance to prepare spiritually for the next week's service.
It would be a power and blessing for our whole church if you could remember the next week's service and pray from the week before, praying that the message we need for that new week will be given to us through those verses.
This is a story I heard at my home church. One of the older church members, in order to attend Sunday services, would start getting in shape from a week before.

I guess if you are young you do not have to prepare so far in advance, but in that person’s case, the person needed to get in shape to be able to go to the service a week in advance.
　I think that is a lovely thing, and a happy thing to do as a believer. Because it seems to me that it is a God-centered, worship-centered joyful life.
Just as athletes prepare for the day of a game by getting into top physical condition, I hope that we can also prepare for our worship of God with that same level of preparation and prayer.
In today's scene, John and Peter are at the gate of the temple (the gate called Beautiful) where they meet a man who is lame since birth.
The place of prayer and worship is also the place where we meet each other. We are called by God to meet one another, meet new people, too and that is the Church.
It is written that the man who was born lame was brought there daily and placed “by the gate” so that he could beg for alms from others who came to the temple. He was there so that he could beg for money from others who came to the temple.
The man saw Peter and John about to enter the temple courts and asked for money.

Then it is written that Peter and John “looked straight at” him (verse 4).
Peter and John could have walked quickly past the lame man.
Or they could have finished their conversation as quickly as possible (or given him some money, if they had any) and hurried on to pray, the very purpose of their visit to the temple.
　But Peter and John stared at the man. When Peter and John looked at the lame man, I think it means that they tried to understand him as much as possible.
　They took time to get to know the person, what kind of person he was, what kind of situation he was in, and what he was thinking.

　I often judge others based only on what I see on the surface, and do not try to understand their deeper circumstances or what is in their hearts.
　It is difficult, but I think it is important for us to face people sincerely and firmly.
Peter looked at the lame man and said, "Look at us”.
These words of Peter indicate that he was trying to show the man the honestly who they are without adorning themselves (not trying to look themselves better).
Both Peter and John were former fishermen from Galilee
Peter might have wanted to say to the lame man, "I want you to see us well. We are not very rich, nor are we particularly learned. We don't have any special talents or great things."

But Peter puts it this way.
“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Gold and silver (money) are necessary for life. I do not think Peter is denying that.
But then Peter was convinced that, "What this lame man needs now is faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That faith will sustain this person for the rest of his life. And Jesus will surely give him the strength to stand up too."
Then Peter took the man by the right hand and helped him up, written in verse 7. The casual action of Peter taking the man's right hand is also important.
Peter made known the name of the true God, the name of the One who is truly powerful to that man, by saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
By taking his right hand, Peter also helped the man to believe in the name of God and to stand up.
Peter told the man the name of Jesus Christ and helped him in any way he could. He did all this while trusting in God.

　We, too, wish to share God's name and do evangelistic work, while actually helping others through what we can do.
　We can still hear Peter's words as words of encouragement and faith to us; “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
　Some of you may be in various difficult and painful situations right now.
Even if it is not actually being lame, there may be people who are having difficulty “standing up and walking” mentally and spiritually.
　At such times, my hope is that we can encourage each other in the name of Christ and, if necessary, take each other's hands and help each other to get up on our feet.
　It is the Lord Jesus Christ (“Jesus of Nazareth” in the sense that He lived as a man) who truly makes us stand.
　Even when we fall down, even when we are about to run out of strength and can no longer stand up by ourselves, Christ is with us.
Jesus is always there by our side, gently taking our hands and helping us to get back up and walk again after we have fallen.
Jesus walks with us. Therefore, we want to encourage one another, believing that Jesus Christ gives us hope and strength.

　This lame man danced up, stood up, and began to walk. He walked and danced and praised God. What an expression of great joy!
　This man must have been so happy. It was such a joyous event to be made known to God and to receive the power from God to actually stand up.
　The man was so happy that he expressed his joy to the point of dancing, praising God as much as he could with all his strength.
Our place of worship is also a place where we can express our joy and gratitude for our salvation.
Therefore, I hope that we will offer a worship service that is overflowing with gratitude and joy that we have been saved by the God of Jesus Christ and that we have received the strength to rise up and walk daily.
Whether we actually dance or not, if we can confirm that “worship is a place of joy and gladness,” we hope it will be transmitted to others as a natural joy.

　Let me read the last verse of today's passage (verse 10).
they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
　Those who had seen and known the lame man, who had been sitting by the “Gate called Beautiful” and asking for money, were astonished to see him standing up and praising God.
　It must have been simple wonder that something so impossible could have happened.
But we know that the event at which they were so surprised was made possible by God's grace and power.
We are told by today's passage of the truth of hope that the name of Jesus Christ, the power of Christ, can change us so much. We can be changed by God.
　We can rise again from the fallen by the power of Christ.
　Even though we may not fall now, we are able to live and walk in life every day because Christ gives us that strength and gives us life.
　We want to believe again and again, "It is the grace of Jesus that supports me, helps me, empowers me, makes me stand up, makes me walk, and allows me to live."
And if we truly believe this, then our figure of ourselves as such (living joyfully and encouraged by Christ) will be a great surprise to others and will communicate God's grace and power to them as well.
　Let us walk daily in faith, offering joy, thanksgiving, and praise to the God of Jesus Christ, the source of our strength.