Passages:
Romans 14:22-23 22 The faith which you have [that gives you freedom of choice], have as your own conviction before God [just keep it between yourself and God, seeking His will]. Happy is he who has no reason to condemn himself for what he approves. 23 But he who is uncertain [about eating a particular thing] is condemned if he eats, because he is not acting from faith. Whatever is not from faith is sin [whatever is done with doubt is sinful]. 1 Corinthians 10:23-25 23 All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. 24 Let no one seek [only] his own good, but [also] that of the other person. 25 [Regarding meat offered to idols:] Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking any questions for the sake of your conscience, So today I want to start by checking in with you on our month of January Spiritual Disciplines theme and specifically "prayer and fasting". How did it go? I felt like it was good for most of the folks I talked with and many now see the need to look at this more and learn more about both especially fasting. That's great! We can pray and fast anytime and should do both more! So, don't give up and let's keep "training"- I like that term and way of thinking- we can imagine we are training for an event or trying to get in shape for maybe a competition or a fight and ...in fact... I think we are in a fight! And we WILL keep working on what are the so-called Spiritual Disciplines - although, I will add that there is no actual list in the Bible, but we know prayer and fasting and studying our Bibles are all part of staying fit- and today...if I were trying to make today's message fit in the Theme for this month, I would say this- The BIG 3 Spiritual Disciplines are: 1. Bible Studying and meditation, 2. Praying as Pastor Claudia and Brother Kwame shared with us last week and, 3. Team building- some might call it fellowship or just getting along with each other! Pastor Akiko touched on this last week. Others would say this is what Jesus called us to do with "Go and make disciples of all nations"- not listeners or an audience but disciples- I like to call this 'team building'. I want us today to just think of it like this- if our walk with God is like a sport- it's a TEAM sport and not an individual sport- yup, good news, bad news- it's better ...and harder...how to walk WITH God and/but at the same time we are called, required to be part of a team, build the team, support the team and be there for each other as encouragers and supporters- mentoring and being mentored- being a friend and above all- getting along! Unfortunately, most of us who are church goers know - this is perhaps our greatest challenge! And this is often what people see and hate about church- it can LOOK like Christians are LESS good at this than non-Christians! Bummer! Why is that??? Ok, so here is my angle on this issue for today- "Can you be right and wrong at the same time?" Pause As we were raising our 4 daughters in Japan I used to enjoy sharing "wisdom" with them- stuff I would think of or imagine was wise while in the midst of our crazy daily lives one of the better phrases or lessons I think was this; "You can be right and wrong at the same time." Another one like it was- "Be the most careful when you know you're right! " The point was...is...we are often too black or white in our thinking and in our walk with God we need to be more clever than that and see essentially A) our need to love and honor God while also B) loving and honoring our teammates- fellow church brothers and sisters. AND here is what is both great and tough- what if we are like we are here at KUC from over 20 countries and a couple of dozen church traditions and styles all with our own set of rules and do's and don'ts and what matters and what doesn't Great if we can appreciate each person's convictions and stories and tough if you think your way is the only way! A few weeks ago, at Sunday school we were talking about the wise men coming to see baby Jesus and we started to look at the approaches we all have towards things like astrology or Halloween or dabbling with gray areas of spirituality- gray for some and black for others and here is the rub. We are trying to honor God and walk right and be safe spiritually- be good Christians but often this is not the same for all of us. In this case we have a large group of us who strongly believe in the dangers of not taking the spiritual world seriously enough- I guess one could say there are some who have grown up with a very strong spiritual awareness and others who have simply not. In one sense, I liken this challenge to a similar one I feel we faced in raising our 4 daughters. Raising girls and having all their friends around and then having lots of foster girls I was quite aware of the challenge of how to train and guide them in being safe in the world. I wanted all my girls to be brave and confident and bold to go anywhere and do anything- no limits and more! I wanted them to know God's guidance and protection and.... to be wise and know how to discern trouble and when to be wise and avoid a situation. So, two attributes or skills both of which are good and true and valuable. With my brothers and sisters in Christ I feel just the same way. I want us all to know what the Bibles says, like in 1 John 4:4 "Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind]." True! Right! Powerful! and... to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves like it says in Matthew 10:16 I think a good case can be made for raising our kids not to fear "what mere man can do" and how to navigate with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and choose our battles! Similarly, in our church and as we approach various topics, we will find what may seem contradictions or varying levels of concern if something matters or not- which is not new. In the New Testament Bible days, we see Paul trying to help the early church navigate some issues which we could probably swap out for ours of today which can divide us. Let’s see how Paul was led to lead and guide the early church. A couple of the passages we can refer to were read today by Roy- by the way, can you feel that our brother feels these passages? As Kwame said last week at Sunday School- our #1 spiritual discipline is knowing our Bible so well it becomes part of us and it shows! So, brother Roy read today in 1 Corinthians 10:23 23 All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. So, the issues Paul was addressing were based on local culture and issues like eating meat which may have come from non-Christian activity and concern for which days to honor God - I won't list them all today but for homework you can do this and look up where those issues are mentioned in a way that would make you think- it DOES matter! What is interesting is that Paul's concern was to set the priority- the need to show concern for one's brothers and sisters. As I said at the start, we are trying to show honor and love for God AND love and encourage and support our team members. So, when my kids would get in a situation and one of them may have been right- BUT how they treated their sister was wrong- in other words even if you're right you can't be mean! Or don't beat someone up with your rightness! We used to say there are people- especially, can I say, in the States- who have weaponized the Bible- many of us have been beat up with or by Bible believing and following brothers BUT I would suggest- they may have been right ...but they may also have been wrong at the same time- if it didn't look like love. Love for God- zealous love- is good! BUT we also need zealous love for one another! In Acts 2:42 we read: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” Interesting – 4 key things which they devoted their time to- disciplines one might say-
Being a team was a high priority- Jesus said in John 13:35 of the NIV: 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 10:24-25, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another”. Ok, so here is what I hope you take home with you today: You can be right and wrong at the same time when you miss the priority God puts on taking care of one another and Jesus often upset the religious people of His time by not being strict enough for them and standing by their rules for pleasing God – whether it was healing on the sabbath or talking to the wrong group of people- but Jesus showed the value of loving people. You can also be foolish in not taking things seriously enough in the spiritual realm- we don’t want to live in fear, but we also don’t want to be foolish- we should embrace the promises God has given us about who are with God in us- the power we carry BUT/AND – one of my favorite phrases- BUT/AND we also want to have wisdom- discernment- don’t fight a battle God has not given you a green light for and as we learn to hear the whisper of the Holy spirit we know not only where to go but when and how – as the girls grew up, I have shared this before- I would say, “If you’re good with God you’re good to go.” So, I sent my girls to places many did not feel were safe- and I know they were right but I also taught them to cultivate their discernment so they would know when to walk away or not go somewhere. And so, I would love for us to consider this- go gently, share the truth you carry but do so in love; be ready for our increase in diversity and embrace our even greater unity. Our spiritual growth will be increased and enhanced as we learn from one another and our healing will come as we see others as a higher priority than ourselves- yup, that’s what Jesus meant and said! And this next month I am excited for our February theme: “Healing the broken heart”! What does the Bible say to us when we have been hurt and how to heal- looking forward to this- bring some friends! Ok, lets pray.
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01/24/2021 - “The Weight of Our Judgements” - Pastor Akiko Van Antwerpen - Matthew 7:1-5 (NRSV)1/23/2021 Judging Others 7:1 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s[a] eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor,[b] ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s[c] eye. Let us pray. Lord, your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Let us hear your word, and find in it the discipline to obey your word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen. Like any other parent, I often find myself asking my kids to clean up after themselves when they make a mess. After I ask, I give them time to work on it, and then I come back a little later to check on their progress. Sometimes, when I don’t see the progress I had hoped for, I can be a little mean; especially when I am particularly stressed out. I can find myself getting upset about the tiniest thing. I might pick up a tiny thread on the floor, and ask why it hasn’t been picked up, telling them that every toy, every piece of paper, every piece of anything really, needs to be picked up. But you know what? After I tell them all this, remind them sternly that they haven’t done what I asked, I would go back to my own bedroom, and find my clothes lying all over the floor, bed unmade, and an empty bag of chips sitting open on my nightstand. That’s when I realize what a giant double standard I have. I am not at all applying the same standard of measurement to myself, that I am using for my kids. This might be a silly example to use for today’s scripture reading but, at the same time, I think it hits something very close to home about who we are as human beings. In ourselves, we have a very natural, very normal tendency to judge. More than that, we have the tendency to look for things in others that confirm or affirm the judgements we have already made in our own heads. Let’s stick with this example of the messy room, for a moment. Think about someone you know, someone you might label as a messy person. (By the way, I’m not labeling my kids as messy, just in case you might be wondering about that!) When you go to the room of someone you have mentally labeled as messy and you look around, what you do, what we all do, is to look intentionally for a mess, in order to confirm our beliefs about that person. When we have judged someone in a certain way, we’re always on the look out for information that can confirm our own convictions. Our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds do this almost automatically. And this is something that today’s Scripture passage points out very explicitly. In verse 1 and 2, when we read the word “judgement,” we’re actually reading the English translation of a word that is much more specific than that. What it literally means is judgement, in a legal sense. It means finding specific faults in other people, for the purpose of determining punishment. It is, in a very real way, a form of censorship. We see this play out all the time on social media. Once a post is flagged as violating copyright, or community standards, the algorithms behind it start to pay closer attention to the account that posted it, looking for further rule violations. In fact, we used to run into this problem when we first started livestreaming over facebook; we found ourselves being censored heavily for copyright violations, even after we had secured the appropriate license for it. Because facebook judged that we had violated the rules and used that measurement to monitor us. We can be a people of censorship just like that sometimes. Once we’ve made up our minds in judgement of someone, we can very quickly start searching for faults about that person to confirm that judgement. “I knew it!” “I knew this person would say something like this, or do something like that.” This is the kind of mentality we have when we judge in this way. Before we see or hear anything authentically, we have already made up our mind about how a person will behave, and what they’re going to say. Look at what’s happening in the US right now. There are fights between Democrats and Republicans; divisions between Evangelical Christians and non-Evangelical Christians. There is finger-pointing between liberals and conservatives. These divisions have their roots in deep historical foundations, so much so that I cannot even pretend to understand them in all their aspects, Yet I can still see the things happening there which Jesus warns us against in today’s Scripture passage. Judgement is being passed on others; a measure being used on opponents that one would never use on oneself. There is constant attempting to take the speck out of the neighbor’s eye, out of the opponent’s eye, out of the enemy’s eye, while there is a great log sticking out of their own. And this isn’t just an issue for America, or American Christianity. This is an issue for any church, company, school, family, or place where there is a collection of people organized as a unit, institution, or group. When we pass judgement, we find ourselves breaking into groups by nature, dividing and distancing from each other, rather than remaining connected. Let’s look a little closer at the passage we read today. This passage is often believed to be a message from Jesus for some of the Pharisees. These Pharisees were a group of Jewish religious leaders that followed Jewish law very literally and specifically, and therefore opposed the deeds and teachings of Jesus. This part about judging others is found in chapter 7 of the book of Matthew, coming at the end of a big sermon series that Jesus preached to his disciples and followers from chapters 5-7 known as the Sermon on the Mount. These Pharisees were there, they came to Jesus sermon and followed him around, but not for the sake of learning from him and obeying his teachings, but rather to look for confirmation of their own judgement of his deeds and teachings. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus touched and healed a leper, the unclean. Jesus healed on Sabbath. Jesus turned over the table at the temple. Jesus declared forgiveness of sins! These Pharisees were offended by all of what Jesus said and did. They saw what Jesus did, and said that he was blaspheming, acting as though he was like God (Matthew 9:3). They watched him, looking to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath (Luke 6:7). They asked him, hoping to trap him, if it was lawful to cure on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10) These Pharisees set out to judge Jesus and his disciples. They went out of their way to find fault with them, pointing out that they were disobeying the letter of Jewish law. But they weren’t pointing all this out for the sake of God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, but for the sake of accusation and judgement itself, and promoting their own righteousness. This is the context into which Jesus is making this teaching. He is confronting the great rush of judgement he was experiencing, using very explicit language; “DO NOT JUDGE.” (Matthew 7:1) He is saying to them, “do not go looking for fault in people just to match them with the judgements you have already made in your mind.” And have you noticed yet, that Jesus doesn’t necessarily call these Pharisees out by name? With all the context given, we can understand fairly clearly that this is meant for them, but the closest he gets is in verse 5 when he calls out “you hypocrites!” I think that this is a good reminder of the fundamental humanity within us. Judging others, and holding a double standard for ourselves over those we seek to judge, is something we all do. We might never want to admit it, but we are often more like those Pharisees in our own remarks and behavior. If you would, take some time to read this passage slowly, verse by verse. And as you do, take notice of how quickly and easily we do these things that Jesus specifically warned against. We rush to judgement, especially with people we don’t really like. And then, we are just as quick to take action on that judgement, giving it out with a measure much different from what we would use for ourselves. And we go even further beyond that too; we try to pick up on little details, making them out to be giant stumbling blocks all while ignoring the great and terrible stumbling blocks that we have yet to examine in ourselves. When I look back over my own life, on those people who I have had a hard time forgiving, I can see myself doing the things that Jesus says not to do in verses 1 through 5. When it came to people I didn’t like, my eyes quickly focused on things that verified that dislike, my ears quickly picked up information to confirm my judgement. I had a hardened heart and firm convictions, convinced that I was completely right about the judgement I had made about that person. I wasn’t willing to see the great log in my own eye, but all too eager to see the speck in theirs. King David knew of our inherent tendency to be self-seeking, blindly believing that we are right. As Tabuchi-sense read during today’s Prayer of Confession, King David knew that our transgressions, our sins, are ever before us (Psalm 51:3) because, as we learn from today’s passage, we are quick to judge, and judge unfairly. We make our judgements using a measure that we would not use for ourselves, and we do it far more often than any of us would like to admit. We can see the speck in the other’s eyes so easily, but we have such a hard time practicing the awareness needed to see the log in our own eyes. And what’s worse, we often want to do something, or at least try to do something, about that speck in our neighbor’s eyes, before we’ve even done the work at looking for the log sticking out of our own eyes. I am not preaching on this topic because I know exactly how not to judge, or because I am free from judging myself. Rather I confess I struggle with it. I have more than my share of stories where I judged people unfairly, and it is something I still find myself doing. I have actively sought the fault in those who I have passed judgement on. I have focused so intently on the speck in the eyes of others, then I missed, completely, the giant log in my own eye. So I come back to this passage, and look at it as both a guide and an invitation to self discipline. And I would like to invite you all. To an invitation to engage in a truly spiritual discipline of self-awareness; awareness of our own judgemental nature. This is something we need to be intentional about, need to be disciplined about, because our judgemental nature, our tendency to engage in censorship and our eagerness to seek the wrongness in others is something fundamental about ourselves. We are creatures who desire to look at, talk about, and take action about the sins and faults of others, long before we can be convinced to look at our own. Still, I think it’s important to point out what verse 5 says in the end. It’s not that we never are allowed to act on the words, actions, or behaviors of others which have been hurtful, sinful, or wrong. That is a work of justice which God called us to engage too. Though, this passage is an invitation to first practice this discipline internally, to look at ourselves first, to look deeper within ourselves first, before we seek to approach others in their wrongdoing. If we all discipline ourselves not to go out of our way to find fault in others, I think we can all become better able to take seriously the feedback and concerns expressed about ourselves as well. If we can start to trust each other, as members of this Christian community, and take seriously the discernment that comes in faithful communication with each other, I think we can listen to each other, and begin then to examine the log in our own eyes. In the past, my mentor, my family members, and my good friends have all pointed out things about myself that I was blind to, and which were hurting either myself or others. I experienced what we hear in the hymn “Amazing Grace,” which says “I once was blind, but now I see.” in those moments. In the past, I was confronted with a tendency I had to gossip, with a tendency I had to dwell in misery and therefore fail to show compassion for others. Sometimes it hurts when God points these things out through these people, but, in the end, I am so very grateful for all these moments. Because these moments showed me how I was judging others while I wasn’t willing to be judged myself. They put me face-to-face with my own sins. When I was confronted with my tendency to gossip, with which I struggled in my early 20s, I realized that I was judging people and their behaviours in order to cover up my own insecurity about myself. I thought that I was not an interesting or likeable person the way I was, so I thought I needed something else, stories about other people, so that people would find me fun and interesting to talk to. This brought me face-to-face with my own, insecure self. Once I realized it, I simply brought this to God, and spoke honestly with those who had confronted me, and told them I was sorry. In that space, I received so much grace both from God and others. But it does not mean there isn’t any temptation. If I do not practice self awareness and spiritual discipline, the temptation to gossip is always going to be there. As I mentioned earlier, we live in a time and place full of temptations to division and distancing. It is hard work not to judge others who are different from us. It is hard work to share our concerns with each other without condemnation. It can be too easy to check out, or find ways to remain within our own comfortable, challenge-free circle. But I want to encourage you this morning, and throughout this week, to meditate on the word you received from God in today’s passage, and see how God might be speaking to you. Is there someone you have had a hard time judging, someone you find it hard to not find fault with? If you can identify this person in your head, I want to encourage you to practice self-awareness and discipline; to look at yourself, look deep in your heart, and consider your own attitudes and behaviors first, before you start pointing the finger at them. We need God with us and on our side to do this kind of disciplined work. Remember how Jesus stayed connected with those who judged him. Remember how for all his criticism, Jesus never rejected them. Remember how Jesus welcomed their questions and opposition. He may not have agreed with them, and he may have constantly confronted their double standards, but Jesus still loved them. Jesus still died on the cross for them. Jesus died on the cross for all of our judgemental, critical selves. This means that our judgemental selves are the sins which had to be put on the cross. It’s that big of a deal. But friends, the good news is where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. (Romans 5:20). Our God is a God of amazing grace, abounding in forgiveness and steadfast love. So take that to heart, and let us keep going on our journeys of spiritual discipline this month, whatever you are doing intentionally to grow close to God. We pastors would love to hear how you are doing. And I pray for you as you go on your journey, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of our God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen. Sermon title: “Standing in the Need of Prayer” - January 17, 2021 - Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto1/16/2021 Psalm 66:19-20
“But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Today’s sermon is “Standing in the Need of Prayer” and thank you Olivia for singing that hymn for us. Some of us at KUC are embarking on a journey of fasting during this month and a fast is a good way to spend more time in prayer. There are many kinds of prayer. Prayer isn’t just about asking God for things you need or desire. It’s about establishing a relationship with God built on faith and trust in God. God knows the desires of your heart long before you even think to ask, but God still loves to hear from you—whether you're asking for guidance or giving thanks—because it draws you closer to God. This month at KUC we are talking about Spiritual Disciplines. Spiritual Disciplines are those practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth. Daily prayer is a spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are habits, practices, and experiences that are designed to develop, grow, and strengthen certain qualities of spirit and expand the breadth of one’s inner life. They bring us closer to God. There are those spiritual disciplines that we practice alone and those that we practice with other Christians. Like prayer – we do alone and with one another. A few other spiritual disciplines are: Reading your Bible. Meditation. Journaling, Fasting. Simplicity. Service and Prayer. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (NASB). But we can’t do it without the Holy Spirit. We are not “godly” just because we practice the spiritual disciplines. That was the great error of the Pharisees. They felt by doing these things they were godly. No, these don’t make us godly but rightly motivated, they provide an opening for the Holy Spirit to work in you. Prayer is an important spiritual discipline. Mother Teresa said something interesting once. She came to Tokyo back in 1981 and I had the honor of meeting her and shaking her hand. I recall her saying after she was asked what message she would like to give people to remember and it was: “Tell them to pray.” We also can look at what the disciples asked of Jesus when they said; “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1-4) When they began following Jesus, they saw what prayer meant to him. Prayer was a power force for him. Watching Jesus, they saw that prayer was more than just begging God for something they wanted. The more they lived with him, the more they saw, they could never explain him or understand him unless they understood his praying. Prayer is the most powerful form of energy that one can generate because prayer links us to God. My son, Koh, read the scriptures for us today and this scripture from the apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to “pray without ceasing.” Praying every moment. Some scholars believe that the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians could be the earliest written text in the New Testament (52 AD) and “pray without ceasing’ is in that text. In other words, praying non-stop. How can we do that? Some of you have heard me talk about the Breath Prayer. Breath is also “Ruah” in Hebrew. God’s breath. I like many forms of prayer but this is one of my favorites. It is a prayer you say in one breath. You breathe in and out. You think of what you wish to say to God in a few words then say them again and again silently. For example, “Jesus, show me the way.” “God, give me strength.” “Lord of all, sustain me.” A short prayer that you can say in one breath. Breath prayers can be done anytime, anyplace, anywhere. For example, you can pray on the train, opening the door to your home, cooking, brushing your teeth, in the doctor’s office or in dentist’s chair, etc. Take a moment now to make up your own sentence breath prayer. If words don't come to you, use a line in a hymn like “Amazing Grace, save me.” “Jesus, my friend.” Or use one of the examples I gave you, “Jesus, show me the way.” “Holy Spirit, guide me.” Now breathe in and breathe out. Then silently pray it at least three times. I like three because of the Trinity but you can pray 5, 6,10 times. I invite you to pray this same prayer for a week or longer and use it anytime, anyplace, anywhere you can. When you wake up, when you go about your day, and before your sleep. Surround yourself with prayer. This is one way to stay focused throughout the day that God is with you. Another style of prayer I like is Contemplative Prayer or what we call Centering Prayer. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God. Choose a word – just one word - that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence. The word can be a word like Love or Faith and then be open to God’s divine action within you. It is being still and knowing that God is God. (Psalm 46:10) Here at KUC, we are a praying church. We have prayer in our ZOOM events and also we list each week in our Tuesday newsletter of people or places that need prayer. We’ve been holding prayer meetings on Saturday at 11am via Zoom every week. We pray for those in need. We pray prayers of hope for our world. We pray prayers of thanksgiving. Come join us in prayer! Prayer is living in God’s presence. That is what the disciples wanted to know from Jesus – teach them to pray and teach them to always be aware of God’s presence. (Luke 11:11) If we say yes to an awareness of God’s presence, then we will begin embracing Paul’s idea of praying without ceasing. Henri Nouwen, the Dutch theologian who wrote 39 books on the spiritual life once said, “The discipline of prayer is the intentional, concentrated, and regular effort to create space for God.” Creating space for God. That is what we do in prayer. We can pray wherever, whenever, and however you want. Anything done in the presence of God can become a means of prayer. What do we do when we pray and we hear nothing, and nothing changes? Does that mean we don’t have enough faith? It means God is there in the silence. Sometimes we need to just listen to God in the silence. Even if you do not hear God, you can always have a conversation with God. Some prayers can begin with, “Why is this happening to me? God! Where are you? Have you forgotten about me? Why don’t you do something!” God can take the pain of our words and sometimes angry words – just read the psalms of lament which are prayers. But the presence of God is continually moving in our lives whether we know it or not. God is there. Prayer is where we begin telling the truth about our own lives. In prayer we can acknowledge our own brokenness, our insecurities, anxieties, pain, fear and shame. Prayer is where we begin to learn how to do this. Once we confess things to God, it becomes much easier to be honest with others, too. When you pray, you just have to talk to God. In our “Sermon and Prayer Class” we give many examples of prayer and how God touches our lives. God changes us and others through prayer. You are welcome to join us today at 10:30am as Kwame shares more about prayer. Dance is a form of prayer. We used to have at KUC a Worship Dance Team taught by Meg Miyatani then by Megan Marlett who shared dance in worship. We will again after the pandemic. Sometimes when we are singing our praise songs here at KUC and when we lift our hands and even sway a little, that is a style of prayer. We are Christians but some Jews do what is called “Shuckling” from the Yiddish word meaning "to shake", or swaying usually forward and back but also from side to side. Taking prayer walks is another way good way to pray. Going on a silent retreat is another. There are so many ways to pray and KUC being a diverse church with many traditions, we can learn from one another. See this chair here next to where I am preaching? Maybe you wondered why it was here Anyway, I put it here to illustrate my closing story. A chaplain in the hospital came to see a dying man and noticed an empty chair very close to his bed. He asked the man about the chair. The man said; “Let me tell you about the chair. Many years ago I found it quite difficult to pray, so one day I shared this problem with my pastor. He told me not to worry about kneeling or speaking fancy words. He said just sit down, pull a chair in front of you and talk to God as you would talk to a friend. So I have been doing that ever since.” A few days later the man died peacefully in his bed. The chaplain came again and met the daughter. She said; “For some reason his hand was on that empty chair on the other side of the bed. Isn’t that strange?” The chaplain told her not at all. I understand perfectly. He was reaching out to his best friend.” That is also what prayer is – reaching out to God. Now we will have a Mission Moment from Rev. Tomoyo Akemoto, a minister who shows compassion for the poor, a former KUC member who is ordained in the Free Methodist tradition and works with the homeless in Chicago at the Olive Branch Mission which is one of our partner organizations that our KUC Global Missions Ministry supports. Prayer can lead us to the spiritual discipline of service, like it has for Pastor Tomoyo. Prayer can lead us to show compassion and care for others. Pastor Tomoyo has been led by prayer to a ministry of serving others. A few years ago, I was reading thru my Bible in a way I try to do often- a new translation or version and I try to read as if:
And I was reading one of my favorite passages in Matthew 17 – the passage we read today- and I stopped at that moment where, after the disciples had failed to heal the boy; they suddenly seemed to not have the power which in precious chapters they had- in our world chapters- I love this passage as I do many where I feel the humanity and weakness of people is highlighted- I feel like THIS I can relate to! And there they were- wow- what happened? Clearly, they had been healing and casting out demons and preaching the gospel- the things Jesus has told them to do- Jesus sent them out to DO exactly these things – so makes sense that they could, right? I mean he told them to in Matthew 10:7 and 8: “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” BUT now they are suddenly NOT been able, it even looks like Jesus was annoyed with them and clearly expected that they should have been able to handle this in verse 17 “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? and then they do what we should also do in such a situation- feels right…they ask! Verse 19: “Why could we not drive it out?” As I read this fresh, and pretend I am there, and read slowly…I listen carefully…. I read and hear Jesus say in v 20 and 21 (in the amplified): “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” So, in my special pretend moment I found myself say almost out loud- as if to Jesus- because I am there- “But you didn’t! You didn’t do that. You just told the demon to go!” Now I remember smiling because I had successfully fooled myself so well that I had an honest sincere reaction and so I repeated it like a prayer and asked God myself right then and there- “But you didn’t? What’s up with that?” And then – as rarely happens for me- I know it may sound like these things happen often, but they don’t – I just always share these moments! But most days I am just walking between these moments- I felt an answer… like Jesus said, “But I did, just not at that moment- I always did.” It was a moment. I got it- I felt he meant this is why he would go out and spend time in prayer, “as was his practice” it says; this is why we should practice prayer and fasting- it’s not for a moment to get something- it’s to BE close to God- to be connected- to have been doing the things that make you ready when a moment comes Selah- this is my message today- how we can BE ready for when we need to be- like firemen who spend most of the time in most fire stations- practicing and training and exercising and …waiting so when the moment comes- their trucks are ready; they are strong and ready to do what they need to do – right then. Okay, so Let’s pray and fast! Does that sound Japanese? Ok, anyway, I would like to propose that WE at KUC spend some time praying and fasting. Grow 2021! Increase Spiritual Growth! Kelly and I and some others will start tomorrow on the 11th and the idea is to do some kind of prayer and fasting for the next 21 days ending on Sunday the 31st. Now for some this may mean skipping lunch each day or following the Daniel Fast for those 21 days or perhaps fasting for 3 days during the 21 days. There is info on the KUC website, and we will be discussing this at Sunday School today- let me just say this- just as I would say there is an appropriate exercise plan of some kind for anyone and everyone – there is also a way to pray and fast for anyone and everyone- even one day – just do something Let me start by confessing that Kelly and I have fasted very little in our whole Christian lives- almost not at all really till about 15 years ago and the first serious fast I did was with one of my daughters called the lemonade fast, for ten days. Long story short- although we did it for fun, and like a fad, I felt like I got something: I felt like I saw that I HAD a body, but I was actually a spirit - which was bigger; but I had not been seeing this and how little I had been intentionally seeing and nourishing my spirit. So, at our church in LB, they do the Daniel fast every January. So, we have done that a few times and it was ok, pretty good. But 2 years ago, we decided this time to just do broth- clear soup- bone broth. Ok, it was also partly a fad thing- the bone broth- but this felt right to us- we’d fast to grow spiritually and maybe lose some weight and get some benefit from the broth- just being honest! But we both felt led to do it this way for 21 days. BUT it was great- after the first 4 days- which as I said- is rough- our bodies adjusted, and we started feeling good and then better and better- we did not change our daily routines, went to work, worked out and this time - we did focus on God and what He had for us and tried to use the extra time to pray and listen- a lot of listening. And honestly both of us were quite surprised how much we got! I ended up just doing 14 but Kelly did the 21 days. So, from this experience I am enthusiastically proposing we all fast. There are many Biblical reasons to fast, but I want to propose we focus this fast on getting closer to God To say, “God I need food and water- I do - but I need you more! And I will do this to show me and the spiritual world the priority I have for you. And I am asking you to use this sacrifice, this exercise, this practice – to speak to me and show me stuff- help us get closer more than to get any one thing. Help us see why you said “When you fast (in Matthew 6) not IF you fast but WHEN you fast- like they did in the book of Acts- it was and is supposed to be like When you pray…when you fast, when you pray… Jesus gave instructions for 2 practices we should practice and many of us in the church today forgot about the fasting part! So, here is how I would like to suggest we proceed: First, go thru your Bible and look for 3 things: The passages then; the patterns; and then; what Jesus said and did with the topic. See all the times fasting was mentioned- this is a great way to approach any subject or issue: What does the Bible say? What are the patterns and especially what did Jesus say and do around this topic- hence our 2 key passages for today. And luckily, we live in an age where this is easy! Go to https://biblehub.com or https://www.biblegateway.com or blueletterbible.org which Pastor Akiko mentioned or https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/phrases/Prayer-and-Fasting (screenshot) and finally, www.openbible.info/topics/prayer_and_fasting (screenshot) to make easier go to the KUC website and near the bottom you will see that each week’s sermon is there for you to read or ‘copy and paste’ and you can grab all these web links and give then a look. So that #1- what does the Bible say especially Jesus. And to summarize for you it looks like it’s assumed we would! And that prayer and fasting seem to go together. Second, what’s the pattern- we want the patterns not just the passages, the meaning, the point- patterns over passages- so what are the pattens for fasting – again if you google you can get a lot in a very short time and I want you to do that with this subject but I want to try to make this simpler now so although there are maybe a dozen patterns in the Bible and reasons God’s people fasted - that’s your homework to see all of those- I will pick one to focus on I want to look at how Jesus did it for 40 days- So, here is what I see with Jesus and that 40-day event- he went without food- he fasted, and he was tempted by Satan- so it’s a great story but let me highlight a key point I feel for us in it and a Biblical pattern for fasting. So, it says in Luke 3 and 4 he started that experience by being baptized with the Holy Spirit- by John and God one could say and then in Luke 4 “Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry.” He had the Holy spirt- but /and at the end – when he had fasted and stood against Satan it says in verses 14: Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread through the entire region. So, he was full of the spirit at the start and was in the power of the sprit by the end. Selah Do we live with the Holy Spirit in us but without the power we could have? That’s what we want: to be powered by the spirit. So, we read our Bible and all the passages; look for the patterns -especially what Jesus shared and then… we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us. We both look for and expect a personal experience being guided by the HS and humbly recognize a large part of …mystery…as is right of the big things of the spirit. We learn and study what we can, but we also humbly acknowledge that things of the spirit usually contain a large part of mystery and we need the HS to bring it home- to make it ours and personal and -and this is the key second step- ask the Holy Spirit to show YOU what to do with this- you specifically, and for the ‘now and how’- we are expecting to hear a whisper. Finally, the third step- make a plan to do! You studied your Bible and asked the HS now DO what you hear and see from that! So, Let’s fast! At Sunday school today some others will share their experience of fasting and I will add some notes to the KUC website under the last tab on the upper right where it says: “More”. AND I would like to offer a couple of morning pep sessions where each Tues and Friday from 7-730 am you can zoom in and some of us will be there for some prayer and share: Tuesday and Friday; so, 6 sessions over the next 21 days. Ok, lets pray: God, I pray you will bless us as we all try to pray and fast during these next 21 days. I pray you will help each person find the best way for them if a daily fast or 1 day or 3 days or 14 like me and Kelly or 21 - some form of fasting which you reveal. Help us get closer to you. In Jesus name Amen. Sunday, January 3, 2021 - Sermon: The Three Wisemen - Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 - Rev. Tabuchi1/2/2021 Very Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year! As I said at the very beginning of today’s service from Ashiya, may God lead and guide all our steps towards the year of 2021 as last year, even though it seemed to be hard and troublesome. The Christmas story, especially Matthew’s one is quite appropriate to be read at the very first Sunday service at the church , since it is the story about our guiding star, leading symbol to Jesus, newly born as our saviour and the Lord. There, three wisemen appeared on the stage led by that star just before the story starts. But actually they lost the star and they came to Jerusalem. Their visit to meet King Herod was a great mistake and caused a tragedy that happened later in this story, which is usually cut out from the pageant story at the church or schools. It was the massacre of all infant boys around Bethlehem, killed by the King, and their mother, “refusing to be comforted,” as the prophet Jeremaiah foretold (Matthew 2:18, Jeremiah 31:15). The reason for the wisemen coming to Jerusalem, is to find out the newly born king of Judea, but if they were sincerely following the star, the star would have told them where the baby king was born. But for some reason, the star disappeared from their sight. What will you do if you lose a very crucial guiding sign just before you are reaching your goal? These three people were traditionally called “the three wisemen”, and they thought that using their wisdom and knowledge, to find out their way to the final goal, even if they had lost the star. They had been expecting a newborn king, and it should be found at the Judean Palace, they thought. Hearing the news from these wisemen, King Herod got very upset and feared since they were saying there was born a new ruler replacing his throne. His political power and glory neared to end soon, and he would never accept as his reality. Even now, we may hear the same story somewhere, and a man of strong power is always jealous and fearful of his competitor. Herod sent out these visitors to Bethlehem assuring them they would report the exact location of the “new born king'' on the way back. But these wisemen never appeared in front of him again. Herod outrageously killed all baby boys around Bethlehem to keep his political position safe. Whenever I read this Matthew’s Christmas story, I wonder why they are called “wise men,” rather they were somehow careless to go to see Herod to tell their purpose of the journey. If they should not have met Herod, those boys never have been slain. Yes, they had a lot of wisdom and learnings, but they missed something. They were really men of wisdom but not men of the faith, prayer, and belief in God. St Paul claims that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”(1 Corinthians 3:19) When they lost the guiding star, they never became panicked and they relied on their wisdom to find out the way to go. But it was not the way which God prepared. If they were really guided by God’s guidance, and when they seem to have lost the guiding sign, the first thing to do was not to use their knowledge, but to pray, to ask, and wait for God's answer what to do. But they were not the men of prayer, they couldn’t wait, and without hesitation they went to Herod. Great mistake, they caused. It is very significant to read this tory at the very first Sunday worship context. This story shows us our basic attitude and style of everyday life. Start with prayer! Pray whenever you feel like it. What do you think is the most fundamental and “pragmatic” merit or advantage of the prayer? It is to halt my immediate action which is just about to do. Wait a minute! Is it OK to do it just now? Prayer is a spiritual break in our daily movement from God, to see your situation at that moment from a totally different view, that is from the eyes of Jesus. If you think it is necessary and very important, and if you feel more strongly you must do it now, then ask our God what to do first. As Jesus told us “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) I would encourage you to follow the leading star for your journey of your life, do stick to the guiding sign through prayers, because we are not following the sign only but led by our Lord, Jesus Christ himself. Happy New Year and be this year of 2021 fruitful and blessed to you all. Let us pray; “Dear God, be our guide not though only a visible sign which can be seen by our physical eyes, but your Spirit to be recognized by our soul and hear, to bring us to plausible goals but to the real goal of our life. Be with us and those who are really waiting for the Saviour’s birth in their heart. Give us your Christmas blessing to make us authentic Christmas People. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Poem and Devotion “Following the Light” Pastor Claudia Genung - Scripture Matt. 2:1-12 Long before there were electric lights of any kind, stars were what lit the sky at night and people began to recognize patterns of movement, predicting the location of the stars according to the time of year. They learned they could guide the direction of their travels by coordinating them with the stars. This is what the wise men did – they followed a star to Bethlehem. As you heard from Rev. Tabuchi , the wisemen were perhaps not so as they followed the light of the star because they detoured to King Herod’s Palace. I hope for us this New Year we do not loose sight of the light. Today is Epiphany Sunday. My sister- in- law Alexis is Greek American and grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church. They celebrate Epiphany big time! I was interested in some of the customs followed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Christian holiday of Theophany, also known as the Epiphany, is called "the Celebration of the Lights" or simply ta Fota (the Lights). In Eastern Orthodox churches, this season of light is celebrated just as much as the season of Christmas. In the Orthodox Church, this is the day when all of creation is illuminated by the sanctifying presence of God. in the Western Christian tradition, Epiphany focuses more on the visit of the Wise Men to the child Jesus. Some countries even call it "Three Kings Sunday” and have special cakes for that day. Epiphany is always the 12th day after Christmas, January 6, but we celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday closest to January 6. For many countries, this is a dark time of year so a good time of year to remember the light has come. For those who have made it through 2020, you may still be feeling some darkness in your life. But the light of Jesus Christ has come. The world was in darkness until the birth of Jesus who brought light into this world. The prophet Isaiah had his own Epiphany when they wrote this verse, “Arise, shine, for your light has come!” As we go forth this New Year, keep the image of the light of Christ lighting your life. The light showing you the way. The light that is to be shared with all. Those who are not yet Christian, let the light of Christ in your life. You can pray a simple pray to Jesus now to let Christ into your life. This month of January we will have the theme of Spiritual Disciplines for our sermons which include prayer and fasting. In today’s sermon, you heard how we are to begin the new year with prayer. As you pray, let the light of Christ in your hearts to show you the way. I would like to read to read a poem which is a pray and blessing by Jan Richardson called “Light.” I hope you will reflect on how the light comes to your lives. (janrichardson.com) “Light” By Jan Richardson Blessed are you who bear the light in unbearable times, who testify to its endurance amid the unendurable, who bear witness to its persistence when everything seems in shadow and grief. Blessed are you in whom the light lives, in whom the brightness blazes-- your heart a chapel, an altar where in the deepest night can be seen the fire that shines forth in you in unaccountable faith, in stubborn hope, in love that illumines every broken thing it finds. |
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