In Japan, it is said that you are born a Shinto, married a Christian, and die a Buddhist. Here, the connection between doctrine and belief have been severed, and all that is done in the name of "religion" is motivated almost entirely out of a sense of tradition and duty. Parents take their children at the age of 3, 5, and 7 for a traditional blessing for good health and long life at a Shinto temple. Then, marriages typically occur in Christian churches. (I'm not sure how this tradition began, but I would guess it has something to do with the early christian presence of both the Jesuits and Orthodox missionaries that date back to the 16th century. That presence has all but diminished now, as less than 1% of the population is Christian.) And then, after death, the Japanese follow the Buddhist practices for burial and such.
Anyway, the blessing for the children always happens in the month of November; in Japanese it is called shukufuku. The Christian churches here have taken this cultural practice and brought it into the church so that Christians, rather than taking their children to a Shinto temple to be blessed, can have their children prayed over and blessed by their Christian pastor. Children of all ages are invited to come and all received a special cross necklace to wear in remembrance of the event. This last Sunday was the day the church in Yokohama we attended selected for the blessing, so we were able to witness it and meet the children too! The church hosted a large barbecue following the service and I ate BBQ squid for the first time (among many other new foods!). We spent a lot of time talking to the Christians at the church there over a meal (which is the best place to meet and greet people!) and I met a man, Taro, who was particularly passionate and excited about his faith and zealous for sharing the gospel with the people in his country, Japan. There is something about meeting someone, a fellow christian... I am having difficulty putting it into words, but I think that it is because we are one in Christ, and even though we hadn't met before, their exists between us this.... I can't put it into words.... ummm... deep connection and a joy and passion that we share! I cherish it here in Japan all the more, as it is so rare, and will never view church (the physical gathering of the body of Christ to receive His body) the same again! I'm am hoping to connect him with the newly reformed "youth group" (in Japan, youth are people under 40).
Please pray for this group and these gatherings, as I see God really working in the lives of the people in this group and their unique potential, gifts, and desire to reach out to people who don't know Christ. The christian church in Japan can be a sticky thing... with tradition and elders held in such high respects, change is slow, if it happens at all. It seems the declining church membership has often made people fearful and caused them to turn inward in survival mode. It is very difficult to be a christian in this culture that indoctrinates conformity from a young age. They want to share their faith, but they don't know how and there are many cultural barriers. So please pray for the Christians here, for increasing strength and growth in their faith and for guidance in how to proceed in ministry here.
Anyway, the blessing for the children always happens in the month of November; in Japanese it is called shukufuku. The Christian churches here have taken this cultural practice and brought it into the church so that Christians, rather than taking their children to a Shinto temple to be blessed, can have their children prayed over and blessed by their Christian pastor. Children of all ages are invited to come and all received a special cross necklace to wear in remembrance of the event. This last Sunday was the day the church in Yokohama we attended selected for the blessing, so we were able to witness it and meet the children too! The church hosted a large barbecue following the service and I ate BBQ squid for the first time (among many other new foods!). We spent a lot of time talking to the Christians at the church there over a meal (which is the best place to meet and greet people!) and I met a man, Taro, who was particularly passionate and excited about his faith and zealous for sharing the gospel with the people in his country, Japan. There is something about meeting someone, a fellow christian... I am having difficulty putting it into words, but I think that it is because we are one in Christ, and even though we hadn't met before, their exists between us this.... I can't put it into words.... ummm... deep connection and a joy and passion that we share! I cherish it here in Japan all the more, as it is so rare, and will never view church (the physical gathering of the body of Christ to receive His body) the same again! I'm am hoping to connect him with the newly reformed "youth group" (in Japan, youth are people under 40).
Please pray for this group and these gatherings, as I see God really working in the lives of the people in this group and their unique potential, gifts, and desire to reach out to people who don't know Christ. The christian church in Japan can be a sticky thing... with tradition and elders held in such high respects, change is slow, if it happens at all. It seems the declining church membership has often made people fearful and caused them to turn inward in survival mode. It is very difficult to be a christian in this culture that indoctrinates conformity from a young age. They want to share their faith, but they don't know how and there are many cultural barriers. So please pray for the Christians here, for increasing strength and growth in their faith and for guidance in how to proceed in ministry here.
1 comment:
Hi, Lindsey! I've been keeping up with reading your blog, but haven't had a chance to write until now. Glad to hear that you are settling in, and it sounds like there are some really exciting things happening there.
Take care, and God Bless You!!!
Megan Dillingham
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