Kyoshu-sama’s New Year Message
January 1, 2019
By the grace and love of God, we are able to start this glorious year, full of hope and joy, as humble servants of God. On this first day of the New Year, let us offer our most sincere greeting to Meishu-sama who is one with God.
Happy New Year, Meishu-sama!
84 years ago today, Meishu-sama founded our religion. Four years prior to that, on the 15th of June 1931, accompanied by 28 people, Meishu-sama climbed Mt. Nokogiri and offered the Amatsu Norito prayer toward the East, just as the sun was about to rise from the horizon.
At the time, Meishu-sama composed a poem that read, “As the rising, glorious sun was breaking through the clouds, we offered our prayers to God, with awe and reverence toward Him, together with everyone present.” This was the exact moment when Meishu-sama received from God, “The revelation of the transition from Night to Day in the spiritual world.”
I am convinced that receiving this revelation was a decisive moment for Meishu-sama in making up his mind to start a new religion. Not only that, this revelation was engraved deep into his heart, became an unavoidable foundation from which he carried out all of his divine works and served as a basis for all of his teachings.
19 years after the revelation, on the 4th of February 1950, Meishu-sama renamed his organization and called it World Church of Messiah. He explained to his followers that the reason for this move was because “we are entering a critical time of the transition from Night to Day in the spiritual world.”
The next year, on the 15th of June 1951, Meishu-sama composed a hymn that reads, “The 15th of June, 1931. What an auspicious day this is! This is the day when the Gate of Heaven opened, and it opened so quietly!” In these ways, Meishu-sama always reminded himself of the importance of the revelation of the transition from Night to Day throughout his life.
We humanity have been ignorant and did not know who our true Father was. Because of our ignorance, we prioritized our own desires rather than the will of God. We have used God in order to obtain human happiness and, as a result, we imprisoned ourselves within the world of darkness, within the world of Night.
But God, out of His limitless love, has forgiven our sins, put an end to the human-centered way of using our minds and delivered us from the world of Night! What is more, God has brought us into the world of Day, welcomed us into His glorious light and made it possible for us to realize our sins, repent and receive the pardon of God. How deep is the love of God toward us! How enormous is the blessing that the transition from Night to Day brings to us! Could we have ever imagined that we would be able to receive such grace, mercy and salvation from God?
It is my strong conviction that Meishu-sama received the revelation of the transition from Night to Day – this good news from heaven – representing all of humanity. That is why I think the time has come for us to also face God and say to Him, “I have also received the revelation of the transition from Night to Day within me. In the name of Messiah, which is one with Meishu-sama, I would like to receive Your pardon!”
Meishu-sama founded our religion to let humanity know of God’s great work of salvation – the work of forgiving all humanity through the light of God. This sentiment of his was clearly expressed in the many teachings he left during the very year he founded his religion. In 1935, Meishu-sama wrote:
Our sins will disappear immediately and easily once the great light illuminates them. … You now know that the sun is already out, so you just need to obediently push the door wide open. Then, you can easily receive this great light. That being said, humanity has gotten so used to the light of the visible sun for the last several thousand years or so. They have not known the light of the spiritual sun. Some, therefore, have given up and closed the door tightly, believing that there is no light other than the electric one (or the visible one). It is to these people that we are going to call out and say, “The sun has risen! Everyone quick! Open the doors!” We are going to shout these words to the whole world. … Those who open the doors obediently and immediately upon hearing our words are the first to receive light and be saved. Those who hesitate to open the doors will have to wait and this is uninteresting.
Sadly, the spiritual sun cannot be seen by our physical eyes. However, the force of time will, sooner or later, reveal the light of the spiritual sun to all nations around the world. No matter who denies it, however they block it, as the visible sun rises higher and higher into the heavens, the light of the spiritual sun will increase its brilliance day after day. How wonderful this is! The night that lasted many years is finally coming to an end!
I have to say my soul moves and rejoices at hearing these words of Meishu-sama, full of conviction. Meishu-sama is telling us in earnest that “The long night has ended and a new morning has come! Everyone, wake up, quickly!” Even if we feel that we are lost and our heart is surrounded by deep darkness, the light of the spiritual sun is shining within each one of us. It definitely is shining within us!
No matter how tiny this light may be, just as a lamp in a room brightens the entire room, it will illuminate the whole of our heart, dispelling any of its darkness. And I would like you to know: the light within you is the light of heaven because that is the only place from where the light emanates.
On this day of the New Year, let us receive the forgiveness of God embedded in the light of the spiritual sun! Let us repent, turn to God and surrender all into His hand. And from now on, with Meishu-sama leading us, let us serve God who makes all things new and creates a bright future for all of us. I believe the time has finally come for us to serve in the work of salvation that Meishu-sama is truly wishing for.
In the name of Messiah, which is one with Meishu-sama, I offer my deepest gratitude to God for being able to move forward together with all of you on this path of the true salvation that Meishu-sama has shown to us.
Thank you very much.
