To have faith is to rely upon Christ, the Person, with the whole heart. It is not the understanding of the mind, not the theological opinion, not creed, not organization, not ritual. It is the koinonia of the whole personality with God and Christ. This experience of communion with Christ is itself the continual attitude of dependence on the Saviour which we call
faith.
... Kokichi Kurosaki (1886-1970), One Body in Christ, Kobe,
Japan: Eternal Life Press, 1954
I don't know about you, but I have been gripped by the tragedy in Japan. I was equally affected by the devastation in Haiti, and tuned in constantly as the news unfolded a few years ago with the tsunami in Indonesia.
One things feels slightly different to me with this however. For some reason, my heart is that much more burdened by this tragedy ~ in part I think because there is such little Christian presence in Japan. On Sunday night I saw two family members reunited, after not being able to find each other after 3 harrowing days. Yet when they saw each other, there was no physical touch. Instead, they bowed repeatedly to one another.
Admittedly, I saw other tearful embraces in other news clips. But this one stayed with me. I ask you to join me in praying for true koinonia for Japan in the midst of such agony. May they be touched the Spirit in their raw pain. May the church step in and persist in ministering to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of Japan. May believers remain for weeks, months, and even years to provide the support that is needed in such a time.
To quote Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision:
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.
Allow yourself to keep watching, and praying about, the events in Japan.
Amen...thank you for posting this Kelly.
ReplyDelete"when they saw each other, there was no physical touch. Instead, they bowed repeatedly to one another."
ReplyDeleteNo question that there is not much Christian presence in Japan, but I'm nervous about attributing what might be a cultural expression of gratitude/relief/love to an absence of Christian faith. Who says hugging is more Christian than bowing?
I meant to imply that the absence of touching was more moving to me in terms of the emotional restraint. There was no intention to imply that bowing indicated the state of their faith... sorry if that wasn't clear. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDelete