Christmas at Kyoritsu Hospital

Dec. 10th, the Abundant Life Christ Church served some patients at Kyoritsu Hospital near Matsumoto station. Others shared the Christmas story and some songs. Above picture: I gave a short Christmas message. Please pray that the staff and patients at the hospital would experience Christ's shalom.

Articles on Christmas...

If your interested in Japan, this is a must read. Japan's first Christmas | The Japan Times “'High-class men and women assembled in great numbers in the priestly residence,' missionary Duarte da Silva writes in a letter about the Japanese Christmas of 1553, also in Yamaguchi City. 'From one in the morning, they listened to stories from the Bible — hearing of the creation of heaven and Earth and of man’s sin, then of Noah’s flood, the separation of languages, the beginning of idol worship, the destruction of Sodom, the story of Nineveh, the story of Joseph’s son of Jacob, the Babylonian captivity, the 10 commandments of Moses and the flight from Egypt, then of the prophet Elisha, Judith, Nebuchadnezzar’s statue — according to the ages — and finally the story of Daniel brought us into the dead of night.' Such protracted instruction in Old Testament storytelling was meant to bring home the necessity of Christ’s advent — which the Japanese converts learned about during the second half of the night."

   "The first of these Christmas plays took place in Bungo — today’s Oita Prefecture — in 1560. People traveled from distant towns and villages to witness the event. Enacted by Japanese believers, the play told the story of Adam and Eve, and a tree decorated with golden apples was placed in the middle of the stage, according to a letter by Juan Fernandez. The set also included a stable and crib to symbolize the birth of Christ. Such was the performance’s hypnotic spell that when Lucifer proceeded to tempt Eve beneath the apple tree, the spectators — men, women and children alike — are said to have burst into tears. The distress escalated to fever pitch as an angel appeared and led Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. For the playgoers, relief came only when the angel reappeared before the first man and woman — wearing the clothing given to them by God — and consoled them with news of a distant day of salvation."

Tim Keller, Christmas is the most unsentimental way of looking at life | New York Post

What a Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christma... | Pivot | A Blog by Karl Vaters

GLS

We had a great ‎Global Leadership Summit last month (Matsumoto area). The live speaker was Shigeto Sanada. He spoke on servant leadership. There were about 70 people there… May the Lord raise up a multitude of servant leaders in this land, not only for the church, but for the nation as a whole.

Grace and Culture

A must read! Why Grace Is Hard for Me as an Asian American Here are some quotes. 'A gift given means a gift must be repaid…. Many Asian-American Christians operate under the assumption that God’s gift toward them must be reciprocated, so as to not be trapped in God’s debt…. My family’s social dynamics, both American and Chinese, generally reflected principles found in Confucian-influenced world views…. “If we were to characterize in one word the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, the word could be Confucian.”… Regardless of how right it may feel to one’s Christian faith, trying to repay God for his grace kills faith…. If you want to honor his grace in Christ, see how he has undertaken your infinite debt. No payment needs to be made. Only a life waiting to be lived full tilt the praise of his glorious grace.'

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Another thought provoking article. Why I've Stopped Saying ‘Church Growth’ – And What I Say Instead | Pivot | A Blog by Karl Vaters

Another article. Anne Lamott writes,“Earth is Forgiveness School. You might as well start at the dinner table…" Fighting with My Husband and the Work of Shalom | CT Women | ChristianityToday.com

Incredible Perspective on the 2016 Election

Please listen to Ernie Johnson's Incredible Perspective on the 2016 Election. This is it's context. Shaq, Chuck, Kenny And Ernie Talk About Trump Winning The Election.

1 Timothy 2:1-3, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior…"

Things that still bother me. A poll [PRRI/Brookings]: Q: Can elected officials behave ethically and fulfill their public duties even if they have committed immoral acts in their personal life? In 2011 30% of self-identified white evangelicals said yes. In 2016 72% said yes. Why this big gap. Another poll [Washington Post/ABC News]: 44% of self-identified white evangelicals think Trump has strong moral character. However, 49% think Trump does not. Are Christians in America losing our "center" concerning morality in America?

Global Evangelical Leaders: Trump’s Win Will Harm the Church’s Witness | Gleanings | ChristianityToday.com, 

No, the Majority of American Evangelicals Did Not Vote for Trump

11 Barack Obama Quotes About Michelle, Because We All Need Something To Believe In

You should pray for Donald Trump no matter how you voted - The Washington Post

After Trump….

"We believe the most important political statement we make each week is not announcing to whom we’ve given our support (politically) but proclaiming the King who has given us his very life." Read more: After Trump, Should Evangelical Christians Part Ways? | Christianity Today

Mark Galli quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his book Life Together: “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community, even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial. God hates this wishful dreaming because it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. Those who dream of this idolized community demand that it be fulfilled by God, by others and by themselves. They enter the community of Christians with their demands set up by their own law, and judge one another and God accordingly.”

Also another Bonhoeffer quote, “It is not we who build. Christ builds the church. Whoever is mindful to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it, for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confess he builds. We must proclaim, he builds. We must pray to him, and he will build.”

Don't be afraid….

"Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong." Tim Keller  Don’t Fear the Future - YouTube. Roundtable video with Tim Keller, Russell Moore and Collin Hansen. Praying Our Fears – Timothy Keller [Sermon] - YouTube Luke 12:32, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

Why I Forgave the Man I Once Plotted to Kill | Christianity Today

Ministry in a Multi-faith Society Means Confrontation | Christianity Today

The Gospel for Daily Life: Martin Luther—Biblical Counselor | Biblical Counseling Coalition Quotes from Martin Luther in this article. “Consequently one ought to be disposed to say, ‘It is true. I have sinned. But I will not despair on this account." "You say that the sins which we commit every day offend God, and therefore we are not saints. To this I reply: Mother love is stronger than the filth and scabbiness on a child, and so the love of God toward us is stronger than the dirt that clings to us. Accordingly, although we are sinners, we do not lose our filial relation on account of our filthiness, nor do we fall from grace on account of our sin."