After last week’s overnight trip to Ibaraki, it was nice to be back in a groove this week with “normal” stuff going on. We managed to not get a ton of pictures, but hopefully that just means that we were present and engaged with people all the more. English readers and music class participants have been sweet times together now that we have a little more familiarity with each other. A couple of new readers started recently, so that is encouraging too. Several of our readers have started to really ask meaningful questions, and we pray that the Spirit continues to quicken their hearts and keep them thinking.
I was privileged to give the message during Worship again this week. I followed up last time’s message about following Jesus with taking a step back and looking at who Jesus is from the perspective of Psalm 118 (the stone the builders rejected, now the cornerstone). It was well received and several in attendance chatted with me afterward about how they were moved to think in new ways. Such positive feedback is always encouraging, and I am thankful for the opportunity to share from Scripture as I am able to.
This week, I also prepared a short message for the children. Tachikawa has a worship practice of singing several songs followed by the Lord’s Supper and another song. Before the sermon, though, all of the children present come to the front row and the preacher will give a mini-sermon just for them before they head upstairs for children’s church. Of course, everyone in the room gets to listen in, but it is a sweet time to focus on the kids for a bit in a corporate way during worship. Nao-san jokes that sometimes the adults tell him later that they got more from his kids message than they did from the main sermon!
I chose to focus on the idea of rescue. Japan is no stranger to natural disasters, so I showed a few images of damage from earthquakes, fire, and flooding, but then followed each one with a picture of someone heading in to rescue people caught in those situations. Then I showed a picture of a discouraged person and explained that sometimes we are broken inside our hearts and that can lead to sin. God wants to rescue each and every person from this broken place, and so he sent Jesus to rescue us. Maybe there is something to just sticking with the kid’s version of sermons sometimes!
Although it was a pretty normal week in most regards, we did take the opportunity for a day trip to visit Brother Obata in Haruna. Haruna is a smaller community nestled at the edge of a mountain range North of the Tokyo area. It is a couple hours away by car, so we rode along with Nao for the day. Shiro Obata is a treasure of a man who has faithfully served the churches in Japan for decades. He turned 90 this year, but doesn’t let that stop him from preaching each week and smiling the entire time. He showed us around the Haruna church building and the many pictures and mementos that he keeps there, and then we drove further up the valley on a very winding road. There is a caldera lake near the top of Mt. Haruna and next to it one of Obata-san’s favorite restaurants. We feasted on a delicious lunch of Gunma-sourced sirloin and got to spend several hours talking about faith, church, and Japan.
Tuesday of this week, I braved the warm, humid weather for a day spent at Showa Kenin Park in Tachikawa. As part of my Summer coursework for HST, I spent the day in personal retreat dwelling in the Word and in prayer. It was pretty muggy, but thankfully there was a bit of a breeze blowing along with plenty of shady spots to sit, read, and pray. As I have grown this past year in my faith and in my practice, it is becoming increasingly more important to make time for contemplative practices like this, and I am grateful for the opportunity to set aside the bulk of a whole day. There were few other people in the park, so it really did feel like it was just me and the Lord spending precious time together.
And for my parting shot this week, just take a look at this young man! He is giving his best sumo stance and he’s ready for his next bout. The wide foot placement, the angle of his back, and the fists ready to touch for the tachiai show that he means business. Most of all, you can see the determination in his face as he psychs himself up for another win. He will be sporting a top-knot in no time. You heard it here first!
はっけよい! (Hakkeyoi!)
~ Clay
Fowlers in Japan 
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