「神の豊かな憐れみの中、共に前進し続けよう」
四月第一主日礼拝 宣教 2025年4月6日
ペトロの手紙一 1Peter 1章3〜5節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning, the 2025 fiscal year has began last Tuesday. Today is the first Lord’s Day of the new fiscal year. There are several children entering elementary school at our church. I thought they might be a little nervous because they are entering a new environment, so I gave a children’s message from Exodus 3:12, “God is with you always, no matter what time”. We are truly blessed to have children in our church. It is a great joy and privilege to be able to pray for God’s protection and blessings for the daily growth of these children and to love and encourage them.
We are thankful to be able to offer praise and worship with you on this first morning of the new month, but those of you who are attending our services online are confused today because starting this month, the deacons meeting has decided to refrain from distributing the prelude, hymn, and postlude to praise the Lord in worship, both the words and the music, due to copyright reasons for the hymns. Until last year, we had permission to use them without charge and without having to apply for permission to use them, but that permission has been removed from this year. Although I have some doubts about the copyright on the hymns we offer to God, the deacons meeting made this decision in order to avoid heavy penalties for continued unauthorized use of the hymns during live streaming.
We started live streaming at first as a response to the inability to gather in church due to the Corona pandemic that began in 2020, but over the past five years, thanks to the efforts and cooperation of various people, we have been able to set up facilities to deliver the online worship service and have been able to continue to deliver the morning and evening services for all these years. We thank God for all of this. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to those who worship online.
Well, the general meeting of the church was held last Sunday after the service, during which the activity plan and budget for the year 2025 were approved, and the annual motto and annual scripture for the new year were given. Although we are in the midst of the Lent, this is the first Sunday service of the 60th anniversary of Okubo Church, and we hope to receive God’s encouragement from the scriptures given to our church for this year.
You may have the weekly bulletin in hand, and on the left side of the front cover you will find the annual motto and the annual scripture. The motto is almost the same as the title of this morning’s message. The subtitle is “Let Us Go Forward Together in the Lord’s Abundant Mercy”. The subtitle is “A Church Alive and Responsive to Grace”. The scripture is 1 Peter 1:3-4. I will share the Word with you from here this morning.
First of all, the purpose of Okubo Church has not changed since it was established here 60 years ago as a church. It is to worship God and to serve Him faithfully. It is to praise and give thanks to God and Jesus for His love and saving work through worship. In verse 3, it says, “May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, be praised”.
This first letter of Peter was written to encourage Christians who had left their familiar lands and were scattered abroad due to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire.
To those whose faith in Jesus Christ as Savior has been completely denied and who have been placed in the midst of unbearable trials, to those who live in a time when it is very difficult to hold on to hope, to encourage them to continue to believe in God, to stay connected to Jesus Christ, and to hold on to the hope they have in the Lord. This letter was written for the purpose of encouraging them in the name of Jesus Christ.
Although there is no intense persecution of Christianity in Japan as there was then, the times are changing rapidly, and Japan is now an aging society with a declining birthrate, and various problems and issues are arising one after another. Over the past 30 years, the negative impact that several new religious groups have had on society has caused an increasing number of people to avoid having faith. In addition, the disparity between rich and poor is widening, and more and more people are living in poverty and suffering from isolation among them. The number of people who do not see hope is increasing.
Around the world, the effects of global warming have been strongly felt, and the number of serious natural disasters has been increasing year after year. Wars and conflicts continue, the number of refugees is at an all-time high, and the world is rejecting immigrants. There is an ongoing struggle for food. Those in power think only of themselves and their own countries, oppressing and excluding others more than necessary. These are chaotic times.
Okubo Church has had many ups and downs in its 60 years of existence, but through the abundant mercy of the Lord, we have been able to continue to exist as a church and continue to offer worship services. We are grateful for the love, prayers, patience, and work of our brothers and sisters who have carried on the work of the church. It is indeed difficult to share the gospel of Christ here in Japan, but with the Lord’s encouragement, we were able to confess the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and share the gospel. All of this is the Lord’s grace and mercy. Even in difficult times, God has mercy on us and pours out abundant strength to move forward, so we can continue to walk with hope.
This Okubo Church is the church of God and Jesus. We were led to this church in God’s abundant plan and mercy, planted in this church, and are able to live a life of faith and church life. What is the reason for this? It is for us to grow as we walk in this church, to continue to bear fruit that God will be pleased with, and to continue to praise God. That is why we are planted and kept alive in this church. Then, why do we continue to offer worship to God and testify of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection? Why do we serve God and people in this church?
The reason for this is given in the second half of verse 3 and verse 4 as follows. God, in his abundant mercy, has given us new birth and a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and has made you heirs of the riches that are stored up for you in heaven, which neither decay, nor become filthy, nor wither. And so it is. Here are three reasons.
First, “God, in His abundant mercy, has caused us to be born again. The reason is that we were living in sin and headed for death, and God had mercy on us, saved us through Jesus, made us born again through baptism, and made us live in His mercy and grace in a completely new life.
The second reason is that “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, He has given (us) a lively hope”. In our life in this world, we were suffering and struggling in the darkness, troubled by the breakdown of relationships and not finding the meaning of life and not finding hope, God took pity on us, let us encounter Jesus who triumphed over death and rose again, transferred us to the light, and taught us the reason for our existence and the meaning of life. In response to this grace and mercy, we praise God and serve the Lord Jesus.
The third reason is as it says, “He has made you heirs of the riches that are stored up for you in heaven, which will never decay, nor become filthy, nor wither. Because of God’s abundant mercy, through Jesus we are promised eternal life that never decays, never becomes unclean, and never withers, and in response to that grace we joyfully praise God and follow Jesus’ words.
Great encouragement is given from the annual scriptures given to Okubo Church. These all come from God’s mercy. This love is the living force that keeps us going. Without God’s mercy, we cannot take even a single step forward. Therefore, I feel that we are encouraged to pray and seek God’s abundant mercy together, listen to the Word together, share our hearts with one another in fellowship centered on Jesus, and encourage one another in this new year.
Verse 5 says, “You are kept by faith through the power of God unto salvation, which is prepared to be revealed at the time of the end.” Let us thank God for two things from this verse.
First of all, we do not need to worry or anxious. God will provide everything accordingly, so we just need to keep trusting God and following the words of Jesus. Second, it is important that we continue to believe without doubting that we are always protected by the power of God’s love, the Holy Spirit.
God, who is rich in mercy, has reconciled us through Jesus Christ our Savior, giving us faith and giving us new life. God says, “I have made you. I will carry you, I will bear you, I will deliver you,” promises Isaiah 46:4b. Let us continue to move forward together, trusting in the Lord as He responsibly protects and guides us with His abundant mercy.