Blog | Unfinished Community

Sermon Manuscripts

What Have You Come to See?

This is the English-translated outline of the Sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, December 14, 2025, drawing from Matthew 11:2-11 “Are You the One Who Is to Come?” Throughout their long history, the Jews had eagerly awaited the arrival of their Savior, the Messiah. When they first encountered Jesus, they sought to confirm whether He was that Messiah, wondering if instead they should “wait

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

21 hours ago2 min read

What the Fruit?

This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen on Sunday, December 7, 2025, to the congregations of Unfinished Community and Ashiya Christian Church, drawing from Matthew 3:1-12. John the Baptist is an…interesting character in the Gospel story. We tend to think of him as “one of the good guys,” in that binary “good vs. bad” way many of us tend to read the Bible at least. And not only that, he’s one of the original members of “team Jesus,” in that he was declaring the

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Dec 79 min read

Stay Awake

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi on Sunday, November 30, 2025, drawing from Matthew 24:36-44 This Sunday, today, marks the start of the Advent season; the four-week period in which we prepare ourselves for Christmas. ( Our church will be holding a Christmas worship service (in Japanese) on December 21st, and Unfinished Community will be holding Christmas Eve services in English as well; so please make plans to attend!) When

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 302 min read

Jesus, Remember Me

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi on Sunday, November 23, 2023, drawing from Luke 23:33-43. Today marks the last Sunday of the church calendar year, and as we discuss every year our church calendar begins again with the Advent season; the four weeks in which we prepare for Christmas. Next week however, our church will be holding a Memorial Service for the Departed, commemorating our church's faith pioneers, followed by a bur

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 232 min read

The Changing of the Times

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, November 16, 2025, drawing from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 21, versed 5-19 For the religious life of the Jews in Biblical times, the Jerusalem Temple held profound spiritual and cultural significance. Jesus Himself came to worship there at the age of twelve with His parents (Luke 2:47). At that time though,

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 162 min read

Theological Debates and Faith

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, November 9, 2025, drawing from Luke 20:27-38 Not that long ago, the term “theological debate” was used on the floor of Japan's Diet, but what does that term mean? Does it mean arguing just for the sake of arguing? Or perhaps it is harsher than that, referring to debates that lack any real substance or practic

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 92 min read

「正しく生きる」

ドン・ヴァンアントワープン牧師 2025年11月2日（日）ハバクク書 1章1〜4節、2章1〜4節さて、説教の最初の段階で、もうすでに皆さんの中には、こう思っている方がいるかもしれません。「さて、今日はどんなちょっと変わった話とか、個人的すぎるエピソードを持ってくるんだろう？」と。まあ、たしかに（笑）。私はたくさんの「ちょっと変わった」話を持っていますし、必要があれば喜んで引っ張り出してきます。先週なんて、中高生の前で第一ペトロの初めの部分を話すとき、小学生のときにいじめっ子に道路に突き飛ばされそうになって警察のお世話になった話をしたくらいです。だから、「また何かあるだろう」と思われるのも無理はありません。でも、今日はそういう話はしません。話がないわけじゃないんです。たくさんあります。でも、今日はその必要がない気がするんです。なぜなら、ハバククという預言者は、ある意味で「私たち自身の姿」だからです。「主よ、どれほど叫んでも、あなたは聞いてくださらないのですか？」 ──この言葉、心のどこかで何度も祈ったことがありませんか？.

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 24 min read

Get it Right

This is the sermon preached by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregations of Unfinished Community and Ashiya Christian Church on Sunday, November 2, 2025, drawing from Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 So we’re right here, at the start of the sermon, and already I know that some of you - perhaps even most of you - are wondering just what crazy, borderline TMI, personal anecdote or crazy story I’m going to throw at you to contextualize today’s Bible verse. And alright….fair. I do have q

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Nov 28 min read

Pride Before God

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, October 26, 2025, drawing from Luke 18:9-14 The issue we see in today's Bible passage might not seem like a major issue in our society today, but in Jesus' time - in a society where Judaism was not only the norm but integrated into their social and political systems - there were many people who flaunted their

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Oct 262 min read

Persevering in Prayer

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, October 19, 2025, drawing from Luke 18:1-8. Though not often used positively in Japanese, today's Scripture seems to encourage persistence, tenacity, and refusal to give up. It tells of a widow who relentlessly pursued her case before a judge who normally didn't care about people, ultimately winning a just ve

Rev. Don Van Antwerpen

Oct 193 min read