「あなたの必要を知り、与えてくださる神」 二月第三主日礼拝 宣教 2026年2月15日
マタイによる福音書 Matthew 6章25〜34節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning. Give thanks to the Lord that we have been called by God to this chapel once again this morning and can worship together. We also welcome those joining us online. This year’s Lenten season begins this Wednesday, the 18th, and will continue until April 4th. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, who walked the path to the cross as our substitute, giving His life on the cross to save us from sin and death. Let us walk this path with our hearts fully devoted.
Now, last Tuesday morning, I had visitors at church. It was my first time meeting them—Mr. and Mrs. T, members of GP Church in Hawaii. They are a Japanese-American couple. Since 2018, a mission team of about 10 to 20 people has been sent from GP Church every June. However, due to work commitments, the couple couldn’t join the summer team. This time, they came to Tokyo on vacation, found Okubo Church, and visited us. They encouraged me, saying, “We always remember Okubo Church in our prayers,” which was very moving. Next week, on the 22nd, LT from GP Church is scheduled to attend our worship service. She is also someone who always remembers and prays for Okubo Church. Looking forward seeing her again.
Additionally, regarding the speaker on the left side of the chapel that had broken down and become unusable, we have now received a new speaker as a gift from O Baptist Church in the United States, the sending church for the S missionary family. This was a completely unexpected gift, so I was very surprised. The speakers actually arrived last week, and now we just need to install them together. We will prepare a thank-you card for everyone at OB Church soon. I hope that all of you who regularly attend worship services at the chapel will also write your names on the card and join us in expressing our gratitude.
What I want to share with you all this morning is that our church is remembered, loved, and prayed for in various places around the world. Some of these people we have already met; others we have yet to meet. But this Okubo Church is certainly loved and prayed for. This is God’s kindness, encouragement, and provision of grace. How can we express our deep emotion and gratitude for this grace in a way that makes God smile? It is by remembering GP Church and OB Church and praying for God’s blessing upon them, and by remembering and praying for the many churches in Japan that need God’s encouragement. There are numerous churches facing hardship throughout the nation.
Next month, we will spend a Sunday remembering the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku as they mark 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and praying for the three churches that continue to be built there. We will dedicate the Sunday worship service on March 8th as a “Worship Service Remembering 3.11.” We desire to pray for these three churches in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, and to support them through our offerings. As we journey through this Lenten season, please remember this and prepare accordingly. Let us pray that God will bless and use our faith, prayers, and offerings.
Now, in February, we are listening to the Word under the theme of “God’s Provision.” The most important thing in this message from God is to trust in the Lord God. In our daily lives, we are to discover God’s love, mercy, and provision, and continue living by trusting in the Lord. In this rapidly changing era, the path Okubo Church will walk in the future lies within God’s plan. We believe that God has already prepared blessings far beyond our human understanding, and He will give us His powerful guidance and encouragement.
In such circumstances, I want us to be fully conscious not only that God bears the responsibility of protecting and guiding Okubo Church, but also that we gathered here at Okubo Church have our own responsibilities and roles to fulfill toward God. Without this awareness and bearing this responsibility, there can be no growth or survival for the church. Without a response of faith to God, who loves us and richly bestows His grace, there can be no formation, growth, or fruitfulness of the church as the body of Christ. While we are planted in Okubo Church, let us respond to God’s grace within this church and return glory to the Lord.
This morning, I would like to share a message based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34, focusing on the theme that since God knows our needs and provides for them, we should place our trust in this God. As we read through this passage, the verb “worry” appears six times, revealing that freedom from worry is one of the major themes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Not only the crowd to whom Jesus spoke passionately, but also we who are alive today likely have various things that cause us to worry. If we were to categorize these worries, how many different types could we sort them into?
The other day, I participated online in a lecture where the speaker mentioned that human beings have 1) physical troubles, 2) mental troubles, 3) social troubles, and 4) spiritual troubles, suggesting that troubles can fundamentally be categorized into these four types. Physical troubles refer to health issues like illness, injury, and aging. Mental troubles include anxiety and anger stemming from loneliness or strained relationships. Social troubles encompass poverty, declining birthrates and aging populations, division, and war. Spiritual troubles involve losing sight of life’s meaning, purpose, and joy.
Physical concerns are mostly resolved by medical professionals, mental concerns by psychiatrists and others, social concerns by social resources, and spiritual concerns through the support of churches and pastors. However, this lecture taught me that it is crucial to remember that behind all these lies God’s love and provision.
Jesus tells us in verse 25, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” We often worry about food, clothing, and shelter, but Jesus teaches us that our ‘life’ is the most important thing. This life is a wonderful “gift” given to us by God. When we lose sight of God, the source of this grace, or ignore Him, we start thinking we must live by our own strength. We convince ourselves that life will somehow work out through our own efforts. However, a life without God is a daily succession of worries. Far from decreasing through effort, these troubles only increase. It becomes a life filled with constant anxiety, fear, worry, and suffering.
Taking mercy on us in such a state, Jesus says in verse 26, “Look at the birds of the air,” and in verse 28, “Consider how the wildflowers grow.” He encourages us to shift our perspective on life, to notice the birds of the air and the wildflowers sustained by God, and to observe how these small creatures are cared for by Him.
Jesus said to the crowd and to us in verse 25, “The birds of the air neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Even the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, God clothes in this way.“ He tells the crowd and us, ”Are you not of more value than the birds or the flowers of the field?” He declares that we are precious and valuable in God’s sight.
Jesus exhorts us, saying, “You will certainly have many worries. But before you struggle with limited wisdom and strength and become troubled, know today that you are loved by God and receive His true love. To hear and know that you are loved by God, yet still strive daily to improve your quality of life by your own strength, thereby becoming troubled—this is the way of those with little faith.”
In verses 31 and 32, Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans eagerly pursue all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Here, “the pagans” refers to those who do not know or believe in God. For us who believe in God, the Lord’s will is that we rejoice in trusting Him—believing that He knows all our needs and will bless us with what we truly require—and that we place our trust in Him.
In verse 33, Jesus encourages us: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” What we must seek above all else is the “kingdom of God”—the real experience of living within God’s care, His rule, and His hand. If we receive God’s love, He will provide everything else we need. Seeking “God’s righteousness” means seeking to believe in Jesus and live by obeying His words. It is not about how we want to live, but about hearing from Jesus what God desires for us to live, and seeking to live according to His word.
The Chinese character for “righteousness”(義) shows us how we should live in the Lord. Above the character for “I” (我) sits the character for ‘sheep’ (羊). This “sheep” (羊) represents the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ—the Lord who gave us salvation, peace, and eternal life. To live daily placing this Lord above us, always keeping our eyes fixed on Him as we walk—to those who live this way, God provides and fulfills all their needs.
Verse 34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus says, “Trust me and follow me,” inviting us into His blessing.