Monday, April 30, 2018

Alive in April



This month let's reach in close for one event: communion at our church. Communion is a strange and messy part of Christianity. Friends new to Christianity find the blood and guts talk a little strange; our kids find it gruesomely fascinating. We’ve participated in communion practices all around the world: where taking the elements is itself a declaration of trust and faith; where it was the only meal a child experienced that day; where the table welcome (warning?) was so specific and strict that we didn’t feel holy enough to join in; where we were family gathered around a table at the resurrection. Once, a visiting middle schooler friend got bored during the service, tied his shoelace ends around his wrists, didn’t expect the cue to stand up for communion, and ended up shouting and leaping around, which of course tightened the shoelaces around his wrists all the more. Worship, right? I grew up in a more conservative context than our current one, where the bread and juice (never wine) were passed around to the seated congregation, so no one clearly saw who did and didn’t participate. Although we all ate and drank together, it was a very personal, individual experience. 



Seven months!
Ryan's notes
At our current church, which is non-denominational and the members range from a wide variety of countries, we all stream forward in big lines, and receive elements from servers who stand around the front stage. The kids from the nursery re-join the service to participate with their families, usually just at the quietest moment, inviting the sort of chaos that little kids bring when sprinting proudly to their families with flapping paper crafts and crayon drawings. It’s messy and lively, with the lines of those returning to their seats bunching up with those still going forward and people smiling and making way for each other. Being at the end of the service, our kids have usually spread out among friends and aunts and uncles. The baby with one doting auntie-type, the girls scribbling in the notebook of another, and the boy under the seats with legos. We all wander forward together. While at first I rankled at the public nature of the practice - it’s obvious who goes forward and who doesn’t, although no one is counting - I now love the messiness of this living organism. It’s the body at work. 

There are many ways to practice and remember that Jesus died so that we can live, just as there are many delightful families all over the world. The lively mess of communion reminds me that we’re a family. We’re together because God put us together, not because we got to choose each other. And the body is very much alive. 

Preschool entrance ceremony (Ryan's not really that tall..)
As you think of us this month, please join us in praying for our church, as we are in a transitional time, searching for a pastor and re-visioning our identity. It’s a large and well established church by Japanese standards, and we attempt to engage cross-cultural, non-denominational worship in all it’s grit and beauty. 

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Bonus: Guest post from Ryan!






Made it through March!


One of the primary roles of a parent, teacher, or adult leader seems often to be reminding. Don’t forget . . . be sure to . . . did you remember . . . ? Nagging aside, this is also God’s role, and the role of God’s people. This Easter season, we look back with gratitude and look forward with great hope. Looking at the past steadies us as we realize that nearly every major organization in our life is in transition. 

- We remember that one year ago this season, we told our three older kids about their new baby brother, who, in utero, reached the size of their easter eggs. And we told them that, because of various complications, he might not make it to birth. Now, we celebrate this new little life, with all his added charm and challenge. 

- We celebrate resurrection, but we're still on this side of the fall. As we anticipated Easter, we learned of the sudden death of one of my uncles, a sweet and wise man, deeply connected to his community as a teacher and pastor. Please join us in celebrating his first Easter face to face with Jesus, and grieving our first Easter without him. 

- We remember gratefully the years CAJ students have been able to travel to Thailand to connect with local schools. My first year to chaperon this trip was in 2006, Ryan’s first year was in 2009. The Thai girl we have had the privilege of supporting through her years of school is now in university nursing school! We’re so grateful for CAJ’s years of connection to this little city in Chiang Rai. 

- We look back gratefully on our years at our church, Kurume Bible Fellowship. This is a transitional season for our church. We pray for a renewed sense of vision and purpose for our community as we search for a new pastor. Despite the inevitable mess of transition, we hosted more than 90 neighborhood kids yesterday at an Easter outreach event! 

- We look back on so many years of connection to CAJ; my grandfather was part of the original founding team, and my aunt was a member of the first graduating class. A year ago, I was asked to join the school’s Board of Councilors, taking on yet another point of connection to this school. We look forward to a new season at this school, and anticipate new ways to deepen connections to our local town, our city and this country. 


- We also look back gratefully at our years at our local Japanese schools. A few weeks ago, the school year wrapped up for the two bigger kids, and next week the new year begins, with V entering preschool! She is by far the most excited about the prospect of starting school. This school too is in a time of extreme transition; please join us in praying for the many new teachers. 

Lots of transitions, and we know God isn't surprised by any of them. Through every change, he remains faithful.