 by esther-yukie カテゴリ
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May 15th is church bazaar day at Kokura Immanuel. There will be no evening service, but a combined Japanese/English service at 9:00 a.m. The bazaar will open at 11 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m.
On regular Sundays we have a Japanese service at 11 a.m. and an English service at 6 p.m. Occasionally, we combine both services in the morning. When that happens, you will find a notice here. Occasionally we have other activities such as retreats, picnics etc. You are always welcome to participate in these events too. We look forward to meeting you and to having you worship and fellowship with us. We are also eager to help you get settled here in Japan if you are new, and to help you with your problems if you have any, even if you have been here a long time.
We are a friendly open Christian group. We hope you will enjoy our company and our worship. We welcome everyone to fellowship with us regardless of religion or background. Though our church is Anglican and we use the Book of Common Prayer for our services, we welcome all baptized people to communion with us.
After the first reading - Acts 2: 14a, 22~32 This is the first of six sermons in Acts, all dealing with the substance of the Christian message. This passage is about the death of our Savior which destroyed death’s finality, the resurrection which brought us new life, and the next coming of Christ in glory. This is why every Sunday at the consecration of the bread and wine we affirm, “Christ has died. Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” We must always be thankful to our Father in heaven, for giving us his Son to be our Savior. Jesus is truly the way, the truth, and the Life. After the second reading - 1 Peter 1: 3~9 This reading is probably a passage from a sermon by St. Peter given at a baptismal ceremony. In it he relates our baptism to the resurrection of Christ. As Christians, our baptism is a rebirth by water and the Spirit to a new and everlasting life of hope that will end up as eternal happiness in heaven. All of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection was for you, “who are being protected by the power of God through faith.” Jesus died for all of us who though we have never seen him, love him, and even though we are unable to see him, believe in him. For we who have been favored by God, it is of the utmost importance to keep personal faith alive. This can only be done by encouraging and admonishing each other in the Christian community. After the Gospel reading - John 20: 19~29 Then, Jesus said to Thomas, ...”Do not doubt, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.” St. Peter made the point that faith means believing in what we cannot see. This story of the unbelieving Thomas is one in which Jesus does the same thing. The popular expression, “Seeing is believing,” may seem to be proven here, but the essence of this lesson is that just seeing does not cause faith. Faith is the result of hearing the word of the risen Lord, who addresses Thomas personally. Faith for us comes from hearing the word of God with the understanding that God is addressing ME personally, just as he addressed St. Thomas. This relationship of God with you is hard to fathom, just as it is hard to explain why someone falls in love. Hard though it may be to explain, like love, it carries the deepest meaning of our lives. I have told this story before, but I just love it. The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming." The ambassador from Bolivia shows what it means to be a true diplomat. Seriously though, if you really want to rise with Christ both now and in the next life, you must really listen to the word of God and incorporate the advice and demands God makes into your daily living. If when you reach the gate of heaven and stand for your judgement God condemns you to hell, you certainly hope the saints will come to your defense. You don’t want St. Peter and St. Paul just standing on the sidelines saying, “I’m sure he had it coming,” do you?  By car The car park at the rear is open on Sundays only and fills up fast. By bus Bus stops: Komemachi or Sunatsu/Cha-Cha-Town 5-minute walk from each stop.
By post Kokura Immanuel Parish 2-3-9 Kajimachi, kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka 802-0004 Japan By phone (093) 551 0006 By fax (093) 551-0006 By email kokura-im@qtnet.ne.jp
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