Worshiping in Japanese

The past weekend I had the occasion to attend a Christmas Sunday service at the Japanese American United Church in New York City. It’s not often that I get to attend service in Japanese, and it was a true pleasure.

Why is that?

As a person of Chinese ancestry, my roots have some passing relationship with Japan – the mainland Chinese relationship with the Isle of Wa is long and undergoes many turns both good and ill. It’s no surprise that there is friction between the peoples, given some of the more conflict filled terms – indeed, it’s hard not to have friction between some of the more prominent nations that abut.

But, growing up in the west, and traveling more often to Hong Kong and Taiwan, I’ve never been very influenced by those memories or events, remembering instead the contributions to art, cuisine, science and industry that Japan has made. I have surrounded myself with much Japanese culture over the years, and feel very comfortable amidst the sound of the language, and the sights and smells of the land. When I hear the speech and the voices, see the body language – it is comfortable and… なつかしい。恨情怯。

In short, I feel comfortable in that milieu.

When one considers what many things make Japan unique, one often escapes the mind of non-Japanese… what other country has enjoyed two atomic weapons? Hiroshima and Nagasaki both suffered nuclear assaults. It is ironic that the US remembers those events without much remorse – and indeed, the memories relate more to the horror of mutually assured destruction with the Soviets, rather than the Enola Gay, and the radioactive waste that Japan suffered.

Of course I remember Nanking (南京) and all the privations that occurred during the war(s) in the far east… but in history, both perpetrator and victim are often one and the same, and no nation is innocent. I won’t go so far as to say there is no such thing as a greater amount of guilt, but in the Lord’s eyes, the people have both guilt and things to glory over.

But it is not merely my fond memories of Japan, nor affection for her people – it is knowing how much the Japanese Christians have suffered over the centuries, and how few are there.

The Lord desires every tribe and tongue to confess him and bow their knees. In a nominally Shinto/Buddhist spiritual mooring, the modern Japanese are typically more akin to functionally agnostic, with many assuming a hazy spiritual stance if at all.

It is in this context that I am so moved.

131 years this little church has stood – changing congregations and pastors. It is in this milieu that I am so very touched, seeing sincere love for Christ, and singing hymns in Japanese and some English as well.

My heart leaped, and my spirit refreshed.

Many years ago, I sought to learn Japanese thinking that perhaps one day I might be called to that island nation. While that day has never come, my affection and longing for the people has never ceased.

I thank the Lord that he’s given me the chance to spend it in worship with these people – seeing the babies, the kids, adults and the grandparents. I was so at home…

So glad!

May the Lord bless Japan, and bring more Japanese to a saving knowledge of His grace, and belief in His gospel.

お神さまの恵。。。

Blood on the Snow

On the flight to HK, I watched a Japanese movie called Blood on the Snow. If you plan to watch it, please do not read on.

The movie is about two men, one a failed bodyguard who was supposed to protect a pro-trade minister during the fall of the bakufu/shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji period and the restoration of “Imperial” rule – and the other a patriotic assassin that was party to the group that slew that minister.

It follows the changes in society that occurred with the end of the shogunate with no small attention to the identity and role that former samurai were to play. While romanticized in some way, it still brought a lot of thought and consideration to the way duty and honour can both strengthen and shackle a person.

The symbol that underpins the story is the camellia that blossoms in the winter, beautiful amidst the snow. The adversity and suffering experienced by the main characters over 13 years after the assassination have left them in emotional limbo – one charged to bring the assassins to justice before he may commit suppuku, and the other waiting for someone to take his neck – waiting for execution.

It is about two men being stuck in the mire of choices made and failures that followed those choices. But one additional nuance, and I know not new or not to the Japanese media – it comments that the person that suffered the most was not the bodyguard, nor the assassin, but rather the bodyguards wife.

While men might suffer in limbo, wracked by their choices and failures – the women that love them might suffer far more, even more helpless to loose the chains that bind the heart and soul in torment.

What’s the lesson here?