13:1 人は皆、上に立つ権威に従うべきです。神に由来しない権威はなく、今ある権威はすべて神によって立てられたものだからです。
13:2 従って、権威に逆らう者は、神の定めに背くことになり、背く者は自分の身に裁きを招くでしょう。
13:3 実際、支配者は、善を行う者にはそうではないが、悪を行う者には恐ろしい存在です。あなたは権威者を恐れないことを願っている。それなら、善を行いなさい。そうすれば、権威者からほめられるでしょう。
13:4 権威者は、あなたに善を行わせるために、神に仕える者なのです。しかし、もし悪を行えば、恐れなければなりません。権威者はいたずらに剣を帯びているのではなく、神に仕える者として、悪を行う者に怒りをもって報いるのです。
13:5 だから、怒りを逃れるためだけでなく、良心のためにも、これに従うべきです。
13:6 あなたがたが貢を納めているのもそのためです。権威者は神に仕える者であり、そのことに励んでいるのです。
13:7 すべての人々に対して自分の義務を果たしなさい。貢を納めるべき人には貢を納め、税を納めるべき人には税を納め、恐るべき人は恐れ、敬うべき人は敬いなさい。
13:8 互いに愛し合うことのほかは、だれに対しても借りがあってはなりません。人を愛する者は、律法を全うしているのです。
13:9 「姦淫するな、殺すな、盗むな、むさぼるな」、そのほかどんな掟があっても、「隣人を自分のように愛しなさい」という言葉に要約されます。
13:10 愛は隣人に悪を行いません。だから、愛は律法を全うするものです。
13:11 更に、あなたがたは今がどんな時であるかを知っています。あなたがたが眠りから覚めるべき時が既に来ています。今や、わたしたちが信仰に入ったころよりも、救いは近づいているからです。
13:12 夜は更け、日は近づいた。だから、闇の行いを脱ぎ捨てて光の武具を身に着けましょう。
13:13 日中を歩むように、品位をもって歩もうではありませんか。酒宴と酩酊、淫乱と好色、争いとねたみを捨て、
13:14 主イエス・キリストを身にまといなさい。欲望を満足させようとして、肉に心を用いてはなりません。
12:9 愛には偽りがあってはなりません。悪を憎み、善から離れず、
12:10 兄弟愛をもって互いに愛し、尊敬をもって互いに相手を優れた者と思いなさい。
12:11 怠らず励み、霊に燃えて、主に仕えなさい。
12:12 希望をもって喜び、苦難を耐え忍び、たゆまず祈りなさい。
12:13 聖なる者たちの貧しさを自分のものとして彼らを助け、旅人をもてなすよう努めなさい。
12:14 あなたがたを迫害する者のために祝福を祈りなさい。祝福を祈るのであって、呪ってはなりません。
12:15 喜ぶ人と共に喜び、泣く人と共に泣きなさい。
12:16 互いに思いを一つにし、高ぶらず、身分の低い人々と交わりなさい。自分を賢い者とうぬぼれてはなりません。
12:17 だれに対しても悪に悪を返さず、すべての人の前で善を行うように心がけなさい。
12:18 できれば、せめてあなたがたは、すべての人と平和に暮らしなさい。
12:19 愛する人たち、自分で復讐せず、神の怒りに任せなさい。「『復讐はわたしのすること、わたしが報復する』と主は言われる」と書いてあります。
12:20 「あなたの敵が飢えていたら食べさせ、渇いていたら飲ませよ。そうすれば、燃える炭火を彼の頭に積むことになる。」
12:21 悪に負けることなく、善をもって悪に勝ちなさい。
The Social Welfare Association of Kamaishi City, which was devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, offers a place called “Ochakko” where people living in temporary housing can gather for a tea break and spend a relaxing time chatting. “Heartful Tono UCCJ” has organized a monthly flower arrangement day near the day of the month when the disaster occurred. “Look! Look! That’s my style of flower arrangement.” “That’s lovely. And this is my school.” In each of the temporary housing areas, the residents look forward to this time.
Each flower has its own season, color, fragrance, and shape. Each flower triggers a unique memory and image for the participants. Each person searches for his/her own style of flower arrangement and tries to express their memories and image of the disaster in her/his own way.
We heard from volunteer groups that after the first year, the temporary housing residents complained about losing their ability to find words to write or speak and even the ability to speak in a loud voice. The flower arrangement program began as a means of allowing people to express the feelings they could not put into words. It is important to use fresh flowers, not artificial flowers or handicrafts because we believe fresh flowers bring the feeling of healing. Heartful Tono UCCJ is asking for volunteers to help in this work. (Tr. JT)
Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend), December 2012 issue
Approaching the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Disaster, the Kyodan’s Disaster Relief Planning Headquarters has held 20 planning conferences on the issue. We are urging that all Kyodan districts, local churches, and subdistricts designate March as “Commemoration Month” and that they pray for all the churches in the affected areas and come together in support of those churches.
The Kyodan took action on March 12, 2011, the day following the disaster, to establish the Disaster Relief Planning Committee, with the general secretary as chairperson, and also took the following actions: 1) Sent a fact-finding delegation headed by the Kyodan moderator; 2) Began a fundraising campaign led by the Committee on Social Concerns; 3) Established a website to circulate information, along with what was included in the Kyodan Shinpo newspaper and later the Planning Headquarters newsletter; 4) Sent an initial financial aid package of 10.5 million yen to each of the three affected districts (Ou, Tohoku, and Kanto); 5) Appointed the executive secretary of the Commission on Ecumenical Ministries to be in charge of the disaster relief program in order to facilitate communication with the affected areas; and as part of this effort, 6) established an office designated for the Disaster Relief Planning Headquarters; and after a short delay, 7) jointly established, with the affected districts, relief activity centers in Sendai, Ishinomaki, and Tono.
As a part of that process, the Executive Committee met in a special session on March 22, 2011, followed by a special session of the Executive Council on April 18, to establish the Kyodan Great East Japan Disaster Relief Planning Headquarters for the purpose of forming a team to organize relief efforts. This team consists of top-ranking Kyodan officials along with five other members of the Executive Council, a member of the Japan Christian Social Work League, and a representative from the Christian schools. Likewise, the district moderators from the three most seriously affected districts, together with the district moderator of Tokyo District (where there was also significant damage), were asked to sit in on all sessions.
The headquarters drafted a slogan to describe their efforts (“Aiming for the rebuilding of churches that can serve their communities for the salvation of the people”), and directed support to worshipping communities and, through these churches, directed relief efforts to all the affected areas. The Scripture verse that was chosen for the theme was “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). On March 23, 2011, the Kyodan moderator also made a formal statement entitled, “Facing the greatest crisis in Japan since World War II: Supporting life together with our churches in the Great East Japan Disaster.” The headquarters called on all churches to take time to pray at 2:46 p.m. on the 11th day of every month, in commemoration, and to set the goal of each member contributing 100 yen a week as a lay movement. If each of the 56,260 persons who on average attend weekly services across the nation would contribute 400 yen a month, the total would be 269,952,000 yen a year and exceed one billion yen in four years.
To analyze the needs in the disaster zone, the headquarters sent committee members to the affected areas during the month of June 2011, and based on their analysis proposed a fund-raising goal of one billion yen domestically, with half of that amount designated for the rebuilding of churches and parsonages and the other half designated for humanitarian aid to the surrounding communities. As an international fund-raising goal, they set the amount of 1.2 billion yen, with one billion yen of that amount designated for the rebuilding of Kyodan-related schools and other institutions and the remaining 200 million yen designated for aid to churches for their rebuilding efforts.
The result was that many overseas churches related to the Kyodan immediately responded to this need by sending support. Here in Japan, a great many individuals volunteered to serve, either on their own initiative or through the auspices of churches, schools, and other organizations, so there was a continuous stream of volunteers in the affected districts.
The situation at the site of the disaster, however, was one of constant flux between the initial confusion and the trial-and-error relief attempts as well as among the mix of people’s unanticipated actions, expectations, and despair. In order to deal with this, the headquarters assigned a person under the executive secretary to deal with the organization of volunteers. Likewise, at the two Emmaus Centers in Sendai and Ishinomaki, an additional assistant was sent to help coordinate relief efforts, beginning first with mud removal. At Tono Center, volunteers were organized to receive the survivors and serve them, thus fulfilling the purpose for which these centers were established.
Regular strategy sessions were held at the headquarters to sort through the initial confusion and to draw up a strategic plan for each day, prioritizing the needs that could be addressed. Through our fund-raising campaign, both domestically and overseas, our aim was “to be engaged in the relief operation as a unified Kyodan,” and so we had each of the affected districts calculate the monetary needs of each of the damaged and destroyed churches. The headquarters then distributed relief funds and loans according to a unified system of local church, district, and national (Kyodan) levels.
By the first anniversary of the disaster, in March 2012, the “Criteria for Distributing Relief Funds to the Disaster-Affected Churches” and the “System of Loans” were established, with funds that were raised domestically being applied to these. The direct aid for repairs and reconstruction of damaged churches and parsonages was set at 50 percent, with the remaining 50 percent distributed as a 20-year, no-interest loan.
The funds raised internationally are being used for humanitarian aid to support the volunteer work being done through the three centers (Emmaus Sendai, Emmaus Ishinomaki and Heartful Tono), along with several other related programs, including 1) special Christmas programs and concerts for the survivors, 2) the “Kohitsuji (lamb) Camp” for children in high-radiation zones, 3) repairs at Asian Rural Institute and two other church-related facilities in Fukushima, 4) health exams for pastors and their families in the disaster areas, 5) participation in the establishment of an endowed chair at Tohoku University for the training of religious counselors, and 6) the procurement of radiation detectors for food.
With respect to the issue of providing respite and recreation for the children in high-radiation areas, our desire is not only for this to be a Kyodan-level program but also to encourage districts and local churches to be proactive in focusing on the needs of the children. The Kyodan’s polices regarding large-scale disaster response was clarified by the headquarters in August 2011 at the emergency symposium “Challenges Posed by the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster — The Crisis of Present-day Japan and Christianity.” This was followed in March 2012 by the “Moderator’s Pronouncement on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.” Lastly, as we now approach the second anniversary of the disaster, we look back at our initial response and early relief programs and we also look ahead to the medium and long-range relief programs we resolutely commit ourselves to actualize. (Tr. TB)
—Nagasaki Tetsuo, general secretary
震災後二年間を振り返って
東日本大震災から二年が過ぎようとしている。 教団 「救援対策本部」は会議も通算20回 を積み重ね、この3.11に際して、全教区・支区・地区・
顧みて、あの翌日3月12日 には、教団は総幹事を委員長として「救援対策委員会」を 立ち上げ、１.教団議長を隊長とし、被災地の状況把握のため 調査 隊派遣。２.社会委員会は国内募金開始。３.ＨＰ・教団新報・
更に、３・22臨時常任常議員会及び４・18臨 時常議員会をもって、「教団東日本大震災救援対策本部」（
ここで本部は、救援の主題を「地域の人々の 救い に仕える教会の再建を目指して」、１.礼拝共同体の支援、２.教
本部は本格的な被災状況調査のため同年6月被災教区、
その結果、教団関係の海外教会からの敏感な 援護 と見舞いが頻繁に起こり、国内教会・学校・団体・
しかし、現地は語り尽くせない初動の混乱・ 試行 錯誤・思いがけない人々の動き、期待、
本部は対策室長会議を設定し、被災初動の混 乱の 整理と日常的に具体的な課題や要望等取り上げるべき案件の整理と
内外からの募金運動を通して、「全教団一致 して 救援に当たる」ことを願い、「被災教会」支援は、「教区」
これが、震災1年の2012年3月をもって、「
一方、海外募金は「人道支援」に当て、エマ オ仙 台・エマオ石巻、ハ－
尚、今後は、放射能汚染地域の子どものため の保 養プログラムを教団レベルだけでなく、
この間、本部は2011年8月、 「
大震災三年目を前に、初動及び短期救援事業 を顧 みた。今、
by Naito Tomeyuki
Former Kyodan General Secretary
At the 38th Kyodan General Assembly, which took place Oct. 23-25, 2012, Naito Tomeyuki ended his 5 1/2 year term as general secretary, a position which gave him overall executive responsibility for resolutions taken by the General Assembly, the Kyodan’s highest decision making body. Naito was already 77 when he took up this position, so, age withstanding, how had he developed the strength which enabled him to see his heavy responsibilities through to the end at such an age? We listened to the following thoughts he shared before he left office.
I was born in Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, one of ten children in a large family. I had a carefree childhood and was always the ringleader. A portrait of the emperor was hung in our home, and we bowed before it every day. When I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, World War II broke out. My father was working as a shipbuilder in the naval dockyard (munitions factory), and partly influenced by that, I entered the naval collage.
When the war ended in defeat for Japan, I was utterly despondent and pessimistic and filled my time with art, drama, and mountain-climbing—in short, with leisure activities. However, before long came the emperor’s proclamation that he was a human being, and this enabled me to change my way of thinking. Until then I had venerated the emperor as a god, but now, spurred on by the desire to find something eternally unchanging, I entered Gakushuin University to study philosophy. There I was blessed with the chance to take lectures from the eminent scholars who greatly influenced the formation of postwar Japanese ideology. Among them was Professor Kitamori Kazo (who was also an ordained Kyodan pastor); so I came into contact with Christianity and started to participate in the Bible-reading group for which he was the advisor.
While student movement activity was increasing both on and off campus, I was immersed in Augustine and Anselm and the other great theologians, while at the same time practicing Zen meditation as well as studying Buddhism and Shinto, trying to find the way to salvation.
The answer came among the collected works of the philosopher Nishida Kitaro, which I had queued up in the bookstore to buy. One of these works, Deepest Needs, showed particularly deep thinking, indicating that the ultimate destiny of human life is the state of mind expressed in Galatians 2:19-20: “It is Christ who lives in me.”
However, yet again I went through a great deal of trial and error in my thinking as I sought to discover what that meant in concrete terms. In the end, what I understood was that Christ became the Word that strongly moved me from within. This meant, for example, that if I were able to put into practice God’s Word, which tells us to love one another, God would become present within me. Also, when I found out someone else had to die for my salvation because I was powerless and full of sin, then I realized that the cross of Jesus was the starting point.
Through such profound study, I slowly came to meet Christ and to receive salvation. Just at that point, I was introduced to a church by a missionary from the United States whom I had met, and at age 21, when I was a third-year university student, I was baptized at what is now Yokosuka Ogawa-cho Church.
After continuing my studies at Gakushuin to graduate school level, it was time to think about future employment. I thought that I would do what was pleasing to God rather than considering my own preferences, and I was shown the path to becoming a minister. My family had no connection to Christianity, but just as they had done when I was baptized, my parents said, “You only have one life; live it as you want,” and they gladly let me go my own way.
After completing my studies at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary Graduate School, my first appointment was to serve Kochi Church. There I met and married my wife, who has continued as my good comrade-in-arms until now. After that, I was involved in pioneer evangelism in Zentsuji in Kagawa Prefecture and then at Banzan-cho Church in Okayama Prefecture, Kanazawa Church in Ishikawa Prefecture, and various churches in Tokyo; and wherever I went I found it so enjoyable I just had to do it. This was the time when Christianity was experiencing a boom, but even so I was amazed that I was baptizing more than ten people a year. As I was enabled to take this for granted as a usual state of affairs, it goes without saying that this was God’s work.
I have always given special importance to work with young people, and although I do not know whether they found my answers to their merciless questions convincing or just amusing, it remains the case that a chain developed, with those who were themselves seeking bringing along more seekers. I am happy to say that many of them are now pastors or involved in such work as teaching in Christian schools.
Having been installed as Kyodan general secretary in 2007, I shall soon complete my term. In order to carry out all my important duties as moderator smoothly, I have adopted the same straightforward approach that I valued when I was pastoring churches. This is the criterion for judging how Christ’s church should be. Adapting the three principles of listening to God’s word, learning from church history, and maintaining our current regulations, we should at all times be ATM (Always bright; Together happily; Moving forward). As we continue with Jesus, this ATM is our unchanging watchword for evangelism. (Tr. SN)
—Shinto no Tomo (Believer’s Friend), December 2012 issue
「神に呼ばれて」 イ エスさまとの合い言葉「ATM」でこれからも
内藤留幸 ないとう と めゆき 日本基督教団前総幹事
十月二十三日から二十五日まで行われた第三八 回日 本基督教団総会にて、五年半にわたる総幹事の職を退かれた内藤留幸先生。
教団の最高決議機関である教団総会での決定事 項を 執行する
総責任者である総幹事に就任したのは七十七歳 のと き。高齢をものともせず、重責をこなしてきたその力はどのように養われてきたのだろうか。その退任を前に、召しの話から聞いた。（ま とめ・編集部）
私は神奈川県横須賀市に生まれました。一〇 人 きょうだいという大家族の中で、のびのびと育ち、家でも外でもガキ大将でした。家に飾られていた御真影を拝む毎日で、小学校六年生の ときに第二次世界大戦が始まりました。父親が海軍工廠（軍需工場）の造船技師として働いていたこともあり、私は海軍兵学校に入り まし た。
敗戦後、私は虚脱感に苛まれ、厭世的にな り、絵 画、演劇、登山と、とにかく遊びまくりました。気持ちの切り替えができたのは、ほどなく天皇の人間宣言が公布されたときでした。それ まで天皇を現人神としてあがめてきた私は確かなもの、永遠に不変なるものを探求したいという欲求に駆られ、学習院大学に入り、哲 学を 専攻しました。そこでは、戦後日本の思想形成に偉業を残すことになる、そうそうたる学者たちの講義を受ける機会に恵まれました。その 中に北森嘉蔵先生がおられ、初めてキリスト教に触れ、彼が顧問を務める学内の聖書を読む会に参加し始めました。
キャンパスの内外で学生運動が盛んに繰り広 げら れていたころ、私はアウグスティヌスやアンセルムスら、大神学者の著作を繰り返し読み、一方で座禅を組んだり、仏教や神道のことをも 勉強したり、どうしたら救われるのかを追究していました。
その答えは、本屋で行列して買った、哲学者 西田 幾多郎の全集の中にありました。そこに「最深要求」という、まさに深い考えが示されていました。人間の生の究極はガラテヤ書2章19～20節 に「キリストがわたしの内に生きておられる」と示された境地であるというのです。
しかし、それは具体的にどういうことなの か、ま たまた思考の試行錯誤が続きました。やがてわかったのは、キリストが言葉となって私を内から突き動かすのだということ。だから、例え ば互いに愛し合いなさいという御言葉を実践できたら、神が自分の内にいることになると考えました。また、無力で罪深い己の救いに は他 者による「代償的苦しみ」が必須であることを知り、その原点がイエスの十字架にあることに気づきました。
そうやって学問を究める中で、私は徐々にキ リス トと出会い、救われていったのです。折しも地元で出会ったアメリカ人宣教師によって教会に導かれ、私は二十一歳、大学三年生のとき に、現在の横須賀小川町教会で洗礼を受けました。
学習院の大学院で学びを続けた後、将来の職 業に ついて考えたとき、自分がなりたいものではなく、神さまが望まれることをしていこうと考えました。そして、牧師になる道が示されたの です。キリスト教とは無縁の家でしたが、両親は「一度きりの人生だから、好きなようにしなさい」と受洗のときも神学校にいくとき も、 快く送り出してくれました。
東京神学大学大学院での学びを終え、初任地 は高 知教会でした。そこで出会って結婚した妻は、今に至るまで私のよき戦友です。その後、香川・善通寺での開拓伝道、岡山・蕃山町教会、 石川・金沢教会、東京の諸教会と、行く先々での伝道は本当に楽しくて仕方ありませんでした。
キリスト教ブームに乗った時代もありました が、 年間一〇名を超える受洗者が起こされるのを自分でも不思議に思っていました。私は当たり前のことを当たり前にしていただけですから、 そこに神さまが働かれたことは言うまでもありません。
私は特に青年たちとの関わりを大切にしてい まし たが、求道中の彼らから投げかけられる容赦ない質問に対する私の答えに納得したのでしょうか、おもしろいと思ったのでしょうか、とに かく求道者が求道者を連れてくるという連鎖でした。その中から牧師になったり、キリスト教学校で働くようになったりしている人が たく さんいるのはうれしいことです。
二〇〇七年に日本基督教団の総幹事に迎えら れ、 間もなく退きます。この五年半、教団の教務と事務のすべてを円滑に遂行する総幹事の大役に、私は牧会の現場でも貫いてきた正攻法で取 り組んできました。それはキリストの教会はどうあるべきか、という判断基準です。御言葉に聴く、教会の歴史から学ぶ、現在の規則 を守 る、この三つの視点に立ち、あとは常にATM（＝明るく、楽しく、前向きに）です。これが イエ スさまと私との、これからも変わることのない伝道の合い言葉です。
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