The Babylonian Exile and the Love of God
Rev. Hideo Hashimoto (1911-2003) was born in the United States, but received his primary school education in Japan. His extensive travel and experiences allowed him to understand both the Japanese…
God’s Glory Revealed: Help to See God in His World and in His Word (Ps 19)
Read Psalm 19: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours…
Reweaving Our Lives
Rev. Royden T. Susu-Mago was the pastor of the Japanese Independent Church in Hollywood, California at the time of the evacuation order. He and his wife, Charlotte, cared for the…
God Our Rock: Help When Our Troubles Are Too Big (Ps 18)
Read & Understand Psalm 18: I. God Our Refuge (vv. 1-3) David weaves together eight word pictures to describe Yahweh, his covenant God, as a refuge when troubles are big.…
The Tie That Binds
Rev. Donald K. Toriumi (1914-1980) was the English pastor of the Japanese Union Church in downtown Los Angeles. He had been installed as pastor scarcely one month before evacuation when…
Who or What is Your God? (Ps 18:1-3)
Read the verses and explanations given below for each of the metaphors describing God as your refuge. The purpose of this study is to reveal who or what has taken…
A Stone Cried Out
Rev. Shigeo Shimada (1906-1984) was born in Japan and began to follow Christ through his sister’s influence. After his father disowned him for believing a “foreign” religion, Shimada immigrated to…
Behold Our God: Help for the Heavenly-Minded in a Fallen World (Ps 17)
Read Psalm 17: A Prayer of David. 1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 2 From…
Facing Evacuation
On the Sunday before their forced removal, Lester Suzuki had preached a sermon to the Nisei congregation of the Japanese Methodist Church in Los Angeles: “Brethren, we are facing the…
A Voice in the Wilderness
What might a Christian minister say to his congregation to prepare them for unjust suffering? What hope could he offer in the face of the uncertain future? Sermons and testimonies…