Presby

  Hello, my name is Satoru Nakanishi.  I am mainly serving with the Japanese language ministries here at Presby.  So I particularly treasure this rare occasion to deliver a sermon in English.  And today, I am especially glad because it’s been exactly one year since I came on staff at Presby.  Thanks for the opportunity. 

  Many of you know that my wife is pregnant.  And our baby will be born in October.  This past week we found out that the baby is a girl.  Last summer, our congregation was blessed with 3 babies and they were all boys.  Boys are great!  But if a new trend is starting, that will be fun too. 

  Expecting a baby is such an interesting time, isn’t it.  Because, in a sense, my daughter is already here.  She exists here and now.  But at the same time she is not here yet.  She is already here because she is already living in my wife’s tummy, which is getting increasingly bigger.  We can feel her movement.  We can feel her cute kicks.  We talk to her, assuming that she can hear us.  A few days ago I asked my 3 year old son if he remembers hearing our voices while he was in mommy’s tummy, he replies, “no”.  That’s ok…I still love him.  And I still continue talking to her anyway.

  She is already here, but at the same time she is not yet here because she is not born.  We cannot see her face.  We cannot hold her.  She doesn’t even have an official name.  She is already here, but not yet here.  She is hidden, waiting to be manifested when the time is ripe.

  Today’s verse is only 3 words long.  “Your Kingdom come”….but it is in fact an overwhelmingly huge and important subject because announcing the coming of God’s kingdom is the focus of Jesus’ ministry and teaching.  The kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven was the central theme of Jesus’ mission.  “"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent (Luke 4:43)."  And he taught about God’s kingdom using parables: The parable of the muster seed, the parable of the yeast, the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the fine pearls…just to name a few.

  Obviously, the kingdom of God is a very important subject in the Bible.  But it is also an often misunderstood subject.  After I became a follower of Jesus Christ, for a long time I thought that the kingdom of God was somewhere up there where I would go after I die.  No…the Bible actually teaches that the kingdom of God is NOT somewhere we will go, but something that comes to us.  This is why the Lord taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come”, and NOT “may we go to your kingdom.”  Simply put, the kingdom of God is heaven arriving to earth.  It is God’s reign on earth…that’s where God reigns, as he does in heaven.

  God’s kingdom started when King Jesus Christ came on earth.    Thus, the kingdom of God is NOT someday, somewhere thing, but it is here and now thing. 

  Let me read one of Jesus’ parables:

"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”  (Mar 4:30-32 NIV)

  The kingdom of God is here and now.  But it is hidden like a tiny muster seed…like a treasure in the field.  It is already here, but not yet fully manifested… we eagerly wait for its full manifestation when Jesus Christ comes back again in Glory…when the time is ripe…

  So what does it mean us to pray this short, but extremely important prayer?  First, it means that we desire God’s reign, His control, His will to be done on earth here and now. 

 I have a question…My question is “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?”  I am asking this because historically the human race has repeatedly failed to desire God’s kingdom.  Consider Adam and Eve…they disobeyed God and hid themselves.  Consider the Israelites at the time of Samuel in the Old Testament.  They demanded a human king…and God responded, “they have rejected me as their king.” (1Sa 8:7 NIV) 

  Let me repeat the question, “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?”  We cannot pray “bYour kingdom come” lightly because necessarily the flip side of this prayer is “Our kingdom go.”  We must let go of our kingdom first.  Can we do that?  How?

  I want to be in control of my life and in my household and by the way, I want to control the world!  I don’t want any king ruling over me….I want to be the king!  I find it interesting that in many children’s stories in Japan or America or Europe, kings and queens are often depicted as bad and stupid.  And as the story unfolds, the “Happy Ending” is that the main character becomes the new king.  Maybe, these stories are reflecting the deep rooted human desire to rule, and not to be ruled.

  So “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?”  Is it even possible for us to pray this prayer and really mean it?  My answer is that it is possible.  And that is the good news.  It is possible precisely because this kingdom we are praying for is our FATHER’S kingdom.  Jesus Christ showed the world that God is not an evil tyranny like White Witch in the Narnia Story.  But He is welcoming, loving, merciful, and just Father. 

  Obviously, I am not a king in any sense…but if I were a king, I would give my children the best that my kingship can offer them.   Wouldn’t you?  That is even so for our heavenly Father for his children.  This is why the Bible does not tell us to go to the kingdom…or build the kingdom.  The Bible says that we receive the kingdom.  We inherit the kingdom as a gift.  And this is why we can pray confidently and truly, “Your kingdom come, our kingdom go, Father reign more and more on earth here and now.”

  Praying “Your kingdom come” means that we belong to our Father’s kingdom.  How many of you have seen Toy Story?  I recently watched Toy Story (1 of 3)…borrowed a DVD from Pastor J.P.  In the movie, there is a character called Buzz.  He is a toy, but at first he does not realize that he is a toy.  He thinks he really is a space ranger.  And being a space ranger was his identity and it drives how he lives.  He sees the toy world from a space ranger’s perspective.  He tries to fly, saying “To Infinity and beyond!”  He tries to ride a spaceship.  He shoots with a beam.  But later in the movie, he finds out that he is just a toy—not a true space ranger.  And what does he do?  He gets depressed completely.  He doesn’t have any energy…he cannot do anything even when his life is threatened.   Let’s see the clip.

  At this moment, Buzz found his new and true identity….it is the identity based on NOT what he is…BUT whose he is.  He is indeed just a toy…but he is Andy’s toy.  He belongs to Andy, the child who loves him deeply… and he has Andy’s name on himself!  And this new, true identity now drives how he lives.

  Let us ask ourselves….NOT what we are, or what we can do, or how we look, or what we have…but whose are we?  To whom do we belong? 

  We are living in tension of many kingdoms today…. The kingdom of money and profit,  the kingdom of 'feeling good', Anger, Fear…and so on.  Which kingdom drives how we live?  Which kingdom has its name on you?  On us?

  If you are in Jesus Christ, God has his name on you.  You belong to the Father’s kingdom here and now.  And the values of God’s kingdom drive how you live….love, joy, forgiveness, mercy, peace, justice, and wholeness….and we become the sign of God’s kingdom.  The world will notice it because we are so indescribably different from the world. 

  A year ago, when I came to Presby, that’s what I thought…I could see, I could smell, I could hear God’s kingdom in this church because of WHOSE YOU ARE. 

  Many of us serve the poor in the community, we care for one another, the sense of belonging we enjoy, the uncontainable joy we have in this congregation is amazing, building the two houses to be a blessing to the neighborhood, and more!….we are doing these not because we have to…but because of whose we are…because we belong to our Father’s kingdom. 

  “Your Kingdom come” – let us continue to pray this prayer…you are the children of the KING!  God has his name on you.  May our lives continue reflecting the values of our Father’s kingdom….HERE and NOW.

 Here and now at this open table, we will together taste our Father’s kingdom.  It is the kingdom of grace and forgiveness, where sinners and outcasts are warmly invited.  The church doesn’t own the table…..it is the Lord’s table.  Are you a sinner and desire forgiveness?  Are you an outcast and wants healing and restoration?  Do you love Jesus and want to love him more?  If yes, then this table is for you.  The Lord Jesus welcomes you here and now.    Let us smell, taste, and experience our Father’s kingdom together so that we live as the foretaste of God’s kingdom in the world…until our Lord Jesus returns.

 「この人生は旅である。」そう書いたのは、小説家の吉川英治だそう。新牧師館への引越しを終えた今、実感をもってそう思います。振り返れば僕の人生、移動の繰り返し。18歳のときに生まれ育った横浜の親元を離れてシカゴの大学へ。その後の足取りは、シカゴ→横浜→東京→名古屋→バンクーバー（カナダ）→シアトルで、引越しの数は12回に上ります。結婚して以来、2年以上同じ家に住んだ経験はほとんどありません（妻よ、すまん）。

  物理的な移り変わりだけではありません。自分自身も刻々と変化し続けています。肉体的な衰えはもちろん、大学生→社会人→夫→神学生→父（一児）→牧師見習い→父（二児）、と大雑把に考えたけでもやっぱり「この人生は旅だなー」と思いますね。

 吉川英治の言葉は続きます。「その旅は片道切符の旅である。往きはあるが帰りはない。我々はこの旅において、さまざまな人と道中道連れになる。」この観察は聖書が語る人間論とかなり近いものがあります。イエス・キリストにある私達の人生には目的地があります。それは、神の国。そこには罪も涙もなく、神さまの平安と喜びを永遠に楽しむことができる場所。想像できますか？私達はこの神の国に希望をもって、今日を歩んでいるでしょうか？

  ３歳半になる息子の歯を磨くのに毎日苦労しています。なかなか協力してくれないのでいらいらすることも。「虫歯になるよ！歯医者さんに行きたくないでしょ！」と説得を試みても、虫歯を経験をしたこともなければ、歯を削られる苦痛を想像できない彼には何の効果もありません。それと同じように、完全な神の国を経験したことのない私達には、それを想像し、それに希望を持つということが難しいことがあります。でも、目的地にはっきり照準を合わせないと、旅って危険だし、最終的には空回りってこともありますよね。

  人生の旅路はなかなか「右肩上がり」というわけにはいきません。渇ききった砂漠もあれば時には死の陰の谷をも経験しなければなりません。そんな時、特に必要なのはなんといっても「道連れ」。共に葛藤し、共に汗を流し、励まし、助け、祈ってくれる仲間。「共に」という言葉抜きに歩み続けられるほど、私達は強くありませんよね。（引越しをお手伝いしてくださった皆様ありがとう！）

  最後にもう一度だけ吉川英治の言葉。「それらの人々と、楽しくスムーズにやっていくには、”人生のパスポート”が大切である。それがお辞儀とあいさつである。」お辞儀とあいさつの大切さは言うまでもありません。しかし、聖書はもっとも根本的な“人生のパスポート”を教えてくれます。それは、三位一体の神さまご自身。私達クリスチャンひとりひとりの内にいてくださり、信仰、愛、一致、知恵を与えつつ、旅を導いてくださいます。

  人生は旅です。イエス・キリストにある私達にとって、それはまさに「神から出て、神によって保たれ、神に向かっている（ローマ11:36）」いる旅なのです。ものすごい旅ですね！！！

  “This life is a journey,” wrote Japanese novelist Eiji Yoshikawa.  Now that I’ve completed my move to the new manse, I can concur wholeheartedly.  Looking back at my life, I am amazed how often I moved.  I left Yokohama, my hometown, at the age of 18, and went to Chicago.  After that, Chicago→Yokohama→Tokyo→Nagoya→Vancouver, B.C. →Seattle… I changed my residence 12 times total; since we got married we moved almost every two years or more (forgive me, wife…).

  Beyond relocation, my circumstances are constantly changing too.   Not to mention my physical aging, my sense of identity has shifted quite a bit the last several years: University student→businessman→husband→seminary student→father→church staff→soon to be a father of two children.  Wow…indeed, this life is a journey!

  Eiji Yoshikawa continues, “The journey is a journey with a one-way ticket—we go, but we don’t return.  Along the way, we meet various people and become fellow travellers.”  Eiji’s observation is similar to the biblical view of human life.  The lives of those who are in Christ move toward a destination, which is the wholeness of the Kingdom of God.  No more sin.  No more tears.  In it, we will eternally enjoy God’s Shalom (peace, justice, and celebration)!  Can you imagine?  Are we living today in light of his great hope?

  It is always a painful struggle to brush my 3.5 year-old son’s teeth as he is not at all cooperative (I used to be like that too).  Out of frustration I often tell him, “You are going to get cavities.  We are going to have to take you to a dentist!!”  But it doesn’t mean anything to him because he’s never had cavities.  He’s never had an excruciating experience of tooth drilling at a dentist.  In a similar vein, we have not yet experienced the fullness of God’s kingdom.  Therefore, it is often challenging to maintain our hope for our ultimate destination.  Let us be watchful--unless we keep our focus on our journey’s end, we might end up going in circles. 

  In our journey, we cannot expect that everything will be perfect….not until we reach our destination.  Most likely we travel though dry deserts and walk through the valley of the shadow of death more than we like to.  Especially during such tough times we need fellow travellers, don’t we?  We need someone who are willing to struggle with us, encourage us, help us, and pray with us.  We are not strong enough to travel by ourselves.  (Thank you all for helping us move!)

  Eiji Yoshikawa concludes: “We need “Life’s Passport” in order to get along well with them.  That is bowing and greetings.”   Obviously polite greetings are very important.  But I think the Bible is teaching us the most essential “Life’s Passport.”  That is Triune God Himself.  He dwells in each Christian and provides faith, love, unity, and wisdom…while guiding our way!

  Life is a journey.  There’s no question about that.  And for us who are in Christ, our journey is “from him, through him, and to him (Rom 11:36)”.  What an awesome journey!!!    

 私たちは人生の苦しみや葛藤に対してどの様に対応しているでしょうか？こんな歌がヒットしました。「どうしようもないことや。寂しいときに、男は。酒を飲むのでしょう。飲んで、飲んで、飲まれて、飲んで、飲んで、飲みつかれて眠るまで飲んで。やがて、男は、静かに眠るのでしょう。」また、耐えて耐えて、歯を食いしばって耐えて、そして耐えられなくなったら、いっそう死のうか、という心情も一般的。特に日本ではよく聞かれますよね。「社会に負けた。いや世間に負けた。いっそきれいに死のうか…昭和かれすすき」。このような対処法（あきらめ？）は多くの人の共感を得るようですが、聖書はどのよう教えているでしょうか。旧約聖書のヨブ記からみてみましょう。物質的、肉体的、精神的、霊的、また人間関係の苦しみの中でヨブは何をしたでしょうか？

  ヨブ記を一貫する重要な鍵は「語る」ということです。ヨブ記は全部で42章ありますが、そのうちのほとんどが会話です。特に3章から42章まではヨブと4人の友人が苦しみについて、罪について、人生について、そして神さまについて語り合います。それを聞いていた神さまは最後の最後で、友人らに怒りを発し、ヨブを受け入れます。その理由は、友人らは正しく語らなかったから。そして、ヨブは正しく語ったから（ヨブ42:7-9）というもの。

  苦しみの中で「正しく語る」とはいったいどういう意味なのでしょうか？友人たちとヨブの言葉の決定的な違いは、「ついて」と「向かって」であらわすことができます。ヨブと友人たちは様々な事に「ついて」議論しました。しかし、ヨブだけは最終的には神さまに「向かって」直接語りかけ、叫ぶのです。友人たちは多くの言葉を費やす中で一言も神さまに向かって言葉を発しませんでしたが、ヨブが神さまに直接語りかけた言葉は50節以上もあるのです。

  耐え難い苦しみの中でも、決して神さまに向かって語りかけることをやめなかったヨブ。すごいですね。ヨブの神さまへの語りかけの内容を見ると、たしかに多くの誤解や適切ではないような言葉が含まれています。それでも、神に向かって語り続けることが大切であり、内容によってではなく、神と対話する姿勢によってヨブは主から受け入れられました。

  私たちは苦しみの中で、様々ことに「ついて」語って、それで終わりにしていないでしょうか？弱音でもいい、文句でも、愚痴でもいい、唸ることだけでもいい、それを直接、愛なる神さまに向けてみませんか？そして、神さまの応答に共に耳をかたむけましょう。

How do we deal with suffering?  Popular Japanese songs often suggest drinking and even suicide, and they are gaining much of public sympathy.  What does the Bible suggest?  Let us learn from Job in the Old Testament.  What did he do when he was suffering materially, physically, mentally, spiritually, and relationally.

"Speaking" is one of the key words in the book of Job.  Conversations dominate the entire book.  Especially from Chapter 3 to Chapter 42, Job and his friends talk about suffering, sin, life, and God.   At the end of the book, God became angry at Job's friends while advocating Job.  Why?  Because Job spoke "rightly" while his friends did not speak "rightly" (42:7-9).

What does it mean to speak "rightly" in suffering?  The major difference between Job's speech and his friends' speech is "toward" and "about".  While they all spoke about many subjects, only Job spoke directly toward God.  Job's friends never talked to God while Job, in 58 verses, spoke to God.

The content of Job's direct speech to God is often inappropriate.  His speech is sometimes rude and mistaken.  Yet, the Lord welcomes Job not because Job said the right things, but because Job remained in conversation with God.

Are you suffering right now?  It is necessary to speak about many things.  But let us continue to speak directly toward our loving Father.  Our utterance may it be complaint, groaning, misunderstanding, or confusion.  But what's important is that we remain in conversation with God. 

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Please email me if you would like to see the pictures.  I will email you the link.

4月17日の日本語修養会は約30名の参加者が与えられ、大変祝福されました。共に「教会とは？」を聖書から学び、様々なことを話し合いました。その中でも皆さんからの反響が特に大きかったポイントをもう一度復習してみましょう。

それは教会とはゆるされた罪人の集まりであるということです。私たちはゆるされた罪人であり、主イエスキリストがもう一度来られる時まで、罪の性質と常に葛藤し続けます。神を礼拝する礼拝者は罪人であり、残念ながら罪を犯し続けます。その現実は、牧師も長老も代わりありません。

教会とはゆるされた罪人の集まりですから、教会には常にさまざまな問題が存在します。完璧な教会は存在し得ないし、完璧な礼拝も存在し得ない、ということは常に頭に入れておく必要があります。どんなにかんばっても今の私たちは不完全なのです。

その不完全なわたしたちが神様を礼拝するのですから、教会・礼拝に完璧を求めることはできません。教会に集われる方は真面目な傾向が強いし、何よりも完璧である神様を礼拝するわけですから、油断をすると私達は完璧主義に陥ります。完璧に聖書朗読を読まなくてはいけない。完璧に司会をしなくてはいけない。完璧に奏楽をして完璧に歌を歌わなくてはいけない。完璧に、完璧に…、と意気込み出すと、私達の「doing」がフォーカスになってしまい、本来の目的である神様をあがめるという礼拝ができなくなってしまいます。失敗を恐れて萎縮する。自分が失敗すれば自己嫌悪を感じ、他人が失敗すればその人を裁きたくなる。教会に不一致が起こる…という結果が待っています。もちろん、自分たちのできるベストを心を込めて尽くす、ということは良いことだし、するべきことです。しかし、完璧を追求することは、はっきり言って人間の領分を越えた、危険な行為なのです。

神学校時代、このようなことが起きました。神学校では毎週チャペルの時間があり、チャペルディレクターが礼拝の企画、奏楽をします。神学校で神学者、神学生を相手にするなんて大変なプレッシャーだろうな、と神学校1年生の僕は思っていました。あるチャペルの時間、彼女が大きなろうそくを一本チャペルの真ん中に立ててそれに火をつけました。「このろうそくの灯りは私達と共にいてくださるイエス様の象徴です」と言って。そのとき事件は起きました。そのろうそくは周りにプラスチックが施してある特別なろうそくでした。そしてなんと、ろうそくの火がそのプラスチックに燃え移り、見るからに有害な黒い煙が「キリストの灯り」からモクモクとたちはじめたのです！200人近い神学者・神学生の前で！それをみている僕は、彼女はどう対応するかなぁ、とドキドキでした。彼女はその火を消し、一言「やっぱり私たちは完璧ではありません、神様を賛美しましょう」といって礼拝を続けたのです。

そのとき僕は思いました、わたしたち人間は罪人であり、神様のように完璧ではない、だからこそ完璧な神様を礼拝するのだ、と。不完全な私達の不完全な礼拝を心から喜んで受けてくださる神様の愛は何と素晴らしいでしょう。3歳児が描いたぐちゃぐちゃな絵でも、親にとっては宝物であるように、神様はわたしたちの不完全な礼拝を宝物のように喜んでくださるのです。 神様を礼拝しましょう。

On April 17^th, God greatly blessed Nihongo Ministries’ one-day retreat at Presby.  We had about 30 attendants and learned from the Bible the 5W1H (Why? What? Where? When? Who? How?) of CHURCH.  We discussed many points, but let me share with you just one, that received positive feedback from the attendants.

The church consists of forgiven sinners.  Yes, we are forgiven.  But unfortunately, we are still sinners.  Therefore, until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, we continue to struggle with our sinful nature.  Yes, the object of our worship, that is God, is perfect.  But we, the worshippers, are imperfect--and pastors and elders are no exceptions.

Let us keep in mind that for this reason the church or our worship is never perfect no matter how hard we try.  We must not pursue perfection.  We are often drawn to perfectionism partly because we tend to be serious about worshipping our perfect God.   We may think: “I need to read the Scripture perfectly”, “I have to do a perfect job at MC”, “I want to play the piano and sing perfectly”, and so on.  If we fall into perfectionism, our “doing” becomes our main focus rather than God Himself.  And we become afraid of making mistakes.  If I make a mistake, then I will blame myself and my self-esteem goes down.  If other people make mistakes, then I am tempted to judge them, which could create division among God’s people.

Do you see how dangerous it is for us to pursue perfection?  While we are to love God with everything we have, and that and pursuing perfection may sound similar, the difference is actually quite significant.

At my seminary, we had Chapel Director, who led weekly chapel service.  Can you imagine the pressure she was under in leading 200 theologians and seminarians in worship?  One morning, she lit a large candle in front of everyone, saying, “This symbolizes our Lord Jesus who is always with us.”  This candle was special, in that it was wrapped in plastic.  Then accidentally the plastic caught fire, and black, seemingly harmful smoke arose from this Jesus Candle!!   Looking at this, I was very nervous!  She messed it up!  What is she going to do?  Quietly smiling, she put away the fire and said, “We are not perfect….let us continue to worship God.”

Then I realized that indeed we are not perfect and that that’s why we worship our perfect God.  What a great God He is that He rejoices and treasures our imperfect worship, just like parents treasure even indiscernible scribbles drawn by their 3-year-old. 

Let us worship this great God!