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-Invitation to the memorial Sunday Service on 30th anniversary-
Please allow me to jump to a conclusion on my
free will that you are as “the second generation of the Hyakunincho Church”. I
write so, since I feel you near by.
By the way, November of this year is 30th
anniversary of the Hyakunincho. Your parents left from the Mitake Church 30
years ago. And they started prayer service in a room of the Kyoufu-Kaikan near
Ookubo-Station, and then 30years has gone. Meanwhile the Ookubo-Meeting changed
name to the Hyakunincho Church, and principal pastor has been changed from
Pastor Aso to pastor Ka. And the Hyakunincho is keeping free atmosphere still and
in a lively way as well as old days. We have been proud of the Hyakunincho
since keeping practice on true nature of the church. It is unique and unchanged
as it was in the past even on today. Meanwhile, generation of your parents is
getting just 30 years old. It is the same for you, who have grown up adult. All
together, we had a Sunday service, Sunday school for children, or retreat. We
enjoyed a camp fire, fire works, playing, dancing, and a banquet. Do you
remember? In the retreat, sometimes, we had three programs; one for children,
second for junior high school and university students, and third for seniors.
I believe you never forget the exciting
impression of warm reception by Korean people in the chance of having joint
retreat with our sister church in Korea, don’t you? I believe also you had
grown up big though many meaningful experiences. Moreover, you are raised and
educated by the parents, who are member of the Hyakunincho. I think you should
have not only knowledge but also a heritage of belief. And the heritage is a
part or all of your parents had. Of course, belief is a part of free decision.
Our constitution preserves freedom of belief. And we think that is important
and we have been fighting to support.
Well, the ceremony of 30th anniversary
is going to reach on 29th November in this year, as a special day at
the Ookubo. The special day means that usage of the Kyoufu-Kaikan is
possibility to end by this physical year and we are looking for new place
instead. Therefore, I am dreaming we’d like to have a Sunday service together
with all of you, people of second generation, on the day of 30 years. If it
comes true, it will be wonderful time for all, don’t you think so? This is a
just old parents dream, we’d like invite you. We are not imposing you, but
please arrange your time to come.
On that day, we will expect to have a testimony
by Mr. Goro Kakei, who is original member when we left the Mitake Church. I am
sure you would have his heart moved talk, as working on your emotion. The first
generation will be attended, of course, as much as possible.
As adding at the last, there is almost no
attendance from second generation of the Hyakunincho. And it might be general
feeling as resulted by parents’ entire fault or loss of faith. But I don’t
think so, and parents don’t also. We believe people of second generation would
be alive grandly as second generation. Furthermore, we pretend to act tough and
think you grow up not a sweet people who will attend the same church your
parents come. Therefore, I believe you will come on the 30th Anniversary.
This reunion would be possible dream we could have, and we have believed up to
now we would have such relation. Keep good health, have a good work, and lead a
wonderful life throughout your lifetime.
(October 10th, 2000. The Hyakunincho Church
representatives, the responsibility for the wording of an article by Toshifumi
Aso)
There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered
them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the
other Galileans, because they suffered thus? 3 I tell you, No; but unless
you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen upon whom
the tower in Si-lo’am fell and killed them, do you think that they were
worse offenders than all the others who dwelt I Jerusalem? 5 I tell you,
No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 6 And he told
this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came
seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo,
these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I found
none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered
him, ‘Let it alone. sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on
manure. 9 And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you
can cut it down.’ ”
When considering what kinds of meaning we have
on “current”, two phases would be counted as same as last my talk. One phase is
counted “current” as a process, and other is as an incident or event.
Firstly, if “current” is deemed as a process,
what kinds of matter could be thought as a future? In that case we call the
world to come or after death, it has already a certain fixed time in the mind.
If you believe so, the time of “current” is just passing point from yesterday
or past to tomorrow or future. When we think along with this line, the time of “current”
is time of endurance and just passing through.
On the other hand, if “current” is deemed as
an incident, temporality and extensity of “current” can be appealed vividly. And
relation with a future can be expressed in tighter. The “current”, I think, has
also meaning of a place, circumstance or reason in many cases. And then the
future will be more appealed which could be changed by the time of “current”.
I learned about what the Bible call for, the
time of “current” should be recognized as the nature of incidents. For example,
The Gospel was a kind of file of incident written based upon the figure of life
and death regarding Jesus lived in Palestine around AD 30’s year.
Today, based on the above line, I would like
to investigate a little bit precisely about Biblical expression regarding the
concept of time of “current”.
Let’s look at today’s portion of Bible.
Verse 1~5 and 6~9 should be separated to
understand, and the latter will be a parable explaining the former.
Firstly, I would like to see the former half. The
parable was started with two terrible disasters. I think the disaster might be
happened in the Shrine of Jerusalem. One incident was that Pilate, who was a governor
of Palestine from the Roman Empire, made mixed up Galilean blood in a
sacrifice. Other disaster was introduced in verse 4 after, and the tower in
Si-lo’am at the castle of Jerusalem fell and killed 18 people.
A reaction of people in those days regarding
those two incidents might be guess from an answer of Jesus. It could be said
they reacted in general receiving rather disasters than incidents. In sum, they
did not interest to ask for responsibility of person who did this disaster, or
cause of disaster, But they interested to ask for sin of dead people who was
deeper sin than themselves, because other than myself were killed. It was very
selfish decision according to religious relation or meanings. Jesus, however,
did not talk about those ideas; instead, asked for repentance since all forgot
God at all.
This answer looks like an extremely fuzzy and metaphysical.
But this story is very much resembled as parable in part of John 9, which we
read in the last Bible-Study. Jesus asked who commit a sin regarding a blind in
nature, parents or himself. And said this was nobody’s sin and expressed the
glory of God.
Well, what we can catch from answer of Jesus
is that criminals of disaster never be focused on or a target. Jesus did not
catch criminals who would be punished against his sin, and rather indicated sin
of all of us behind disaster. Therefore, Jesus concluded that all of us should
repent of our sins, and should change our past living and thinking style.
Here, important thing is a kind of
distinction. John the Baptist, living in the same era with Jesus, was stressed
about repentance also. I have a question whether content of repentance
indicated both two is the same or not.
John had been living in the desert with
poor close and food in asceticism. John indicated strongly about apocalypse
coming soon. Therefore in the case of John, the future would be his central
concern than the time of “current”.
Jesus thinking was way different from John’s.
Looking at Gospel of Luke Chapter 7, 18 after, and John, calling to him two of
his disciplines, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or
shall we look for another?” Then Jesus answered them, “Go back tell John what you
have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are
cleaned, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news as preached
to them.” As everybody understand easily from this story which shows the blind receive
their sight, or the lame walk, it is not indicated the idea of enduring present
time to escape for safety toward apocalypse as like John said.
As I mentioned firstly, the time of “current” can
be thought two ways, one is the time of passing through, and another is the
time of incidents we are involved. John indicated the former, and Jesus
indicated the latter. Each of mighty works, Jesus done, have flavor of
incident, and the same time, matters can be seen clearly as thinking of the
future. In sum I think, comparing with John’ work baptizing of religious
purification, Jesus mighty works, such as the sick are cured, the handicap are
recovered and the poor have good news, is more proper to receive the future. I
would like to point out the time of “current”, what Jesus requested to repent,
is the time of change for real future. That is to say, the time of “current” is
not just longing to future, but makes key to decide the future.
Next, in connection with above we would like
to consider the parable stated in the latter half.
“A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard;
and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser,
‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find
nothing. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Let
it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it
bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
This parable is the conversation between
vineyard owner and vinedresser regarding a fig tree with no fruit. Owner
thought it had better to cut down a fig tree now reasonably since the tree had
no fruits even waiting three years. Vinedresser objected owner and said it had
better to wait a little bit more since vinedresser reared in hard work for more
than three years. Vinedresser advised if allowed for one more year, increasing
manure and rearing with all his heart and would get fruit on it. The parable is
ended there, and no further writing of what owner replied for.
We could consider a several matters from this
parable. One is that vinedresser did not follow owner’s word unconditionally.
Why the fig tree had no fruit on it, because not only matter of tree itself but
also responsibility on myself. This is indicated important matter of what we
never think reward and punishment for one’s past behavior, as mentioned just
before Jerusalem criminals thought having disaster would be caused from self
sins. Against such thought, here is said what we can do now. Therefore,
vinedresser refused to cut down tree even though owner’s request, and stopped
further decision. I considered in this parable well and convinced, the vinedresser’s
deed would need courage and free sprit. And making it possible is because of
vinedresser’s self-identity and hope for future. At the same time, it is based
upon solid trust to the fig tree (object or people). Prophets in the Old
Testament tried to put a decision on hold to the God sometimes. That deed such
as putting hold is just the incident itself, and through such incident, future
will be opened. That’ why, the time of “current” could be worthwhile to live.
Some people would like to keep fixed process, and feel easy to walk on laid
rail or dogma. But those livings are just thinking reward and punishment for
one’s past behavior, no more than that. Those people would not like to put themselves
into the incident, and never trust others. All kind of relief should be based
on self-responsibility. As putting it in extreme terms, no-Jesus might be
necessary.
Parables are said to be tales in the kingdom
of God. The kingdom is looking for future. But the future has deep relation
with the time of “current”. The time of “current” is not just the point of
passing over for going to future. The future is wide open space and receiving
current incidents whichever we make whether good or not.
We would like to
use the time of “current” to improve our world. The time of “current” is given
chance for us. Therefore, such time as current is existing in the incidents.
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